Hey guys -- I don't know about you but one thing I think about quite a bit is the composition of my get home bag (GHB) or bug out bag (BOB). As a result my opinion of it was always changing when I discover new gear or read a new blog -- but I think I like where it is now. The two concepts are closely related, but I was wondering if those of you who have some sort of go-bag differentiate between their purposes for getting home/to safety and bugging out.
My get home bag, which I wanted to share in this thread, lives in my vehicle. For me, it also doubles as my hiking pack (after removing some items depending on the excursion) since my friends sometimes head into the mountains when the mood strikes us. My daily life generally lands me somewhere within 20 miles of home. As such, I've considered minimalistic requirements for my GHB in terms of getting me from a random starting point to a predetermined end point -- going for lightweight and functional here.
On the other hand, my BOB (at home) is not really a bag at all and follows a slightly different philosophy. It is in a large tupperware ready to be thrown into the 4runner. My thought behind that was that if I am at home AND bugging out, it must have really hit the fan. Also, aside from a natural disaster centered at my location, I am banking on having enough time to carry said tupperware of life to my rig which has a lightly packed bag with plenty of room to spare (EDC pack from Triple Aught Design). I am calculating that my best bet away from my home will be driving for as long as I can reasonably keep a vehicle. If at a certain point I cannot head home, and I have to bail on my vehicle, I'll transfer what I need out of my BOB into my pack and be on my way. I guess, the way I treat my BOB setup is more akin to that of an INCH bag (I'm never coming home) -- just in case.
Anyways, just wanted to share my current philosophy and hear your thoughts on whether or not you differentiate between a car and home kit, and any action plans if disaster or national emergency strikes while you're somewhere on your daily routine vs at home.
My car bag below:
-Midsized Camelbak with 3L reservoir
-Full change of light, quick drying, warm clothing
-Warm, packable jacket
-SOL packable bivvy
-First aid kit
-Garbin eTrex 30
-Life straw
-Cliff bars
-Paracord
-Chem lights
-Black Diamond Storm headlamp
-Adventure Lights strobe/ir beacon
-Skinth EDC organizer with belt and molle attachments:
-UST Sparkie/Bic lighter
-Spare cr123's
-Suunto clipper compas
-Duct tape
-Olight Mavrick flashlight
-Leatherman MUT
-Benchmade Griptillian