Grandpa’s Survival Shack… The Get Home Bag… GHB

Let’s face it for most of us… safety food water comfort and protection can only be found at home. My home is some eleven miles due north from where I work, not too bad for a day hike but many of us live a great distance further and getting Home in SHTF might be infinitely more difficult. Now when I say SHTF that can be something as simple as a breakdown of your primary means of transportation to total civil disorder… so today let us consider the idea of a “Get Home Bag”…. This GHB will differ on things like distance to travel, season and even gender… what I carry might not be what you carry… I don’t have far to go… and it’s a straight line due north for me… most of you wont have it so easy…

First in my pocket pistol, a tiny Phoenix Arms .22Lr. Spring Summer Fall or winter. My JIC gun Fits nicely in the front pocket of my jacket…I rather doubt I have to worry about two legged varmints but there are a lot of wild dogs to contend with in the outskirts of town… Remember I’m just trying to get home, not mount a Recon by Force mission


As for the kit itself a fanny pack with a built in holster... you ladies who carry a big purse are already good to go... but you might want to upgrade to a nice shoulder bag... in there I have a small anodized aluminum water bottle, I keep empty until needed, a Gerber multi-tool, EZ Lap knife sharpener and an EverReady 5 LED sportsmen Headlamp ( Like to keep my hands free)


I carry a Swedish firesteel on recoil key ring. So there are no fire making items in my kit but I do have Compasses.
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Buy a Silva and accept no substitute. There is a spare on my lighter, another (Silva) on my possible bag and another Silva Micro in my Gerber case. Learn to use it… that’s the biggie! FYI Attached to my main Compass is a Whistle (jetscream). Vital for signaling and summoning help…

The only other items in there is a coil of paracord (You never know when you need it) and a big bag of trail mix… best hiking food there is…

I do carry and extra 50 rounds on .22’s just in case there’s a rabbit I want to take home for dinner… during cold weather I have a Thinsulate lined watch cap. (30% of body heat is lost through the head.)

during warmer weather I have a small bandanna… keep me from getting a sun burn on my bald spot…

That’s it for my GHB… there are other things I stash in the car… maps of the surrounding country side… both road and topo maps in plastic pouches… rain jackets, hiking boots space-blanket Flannel shirts this time of year… extra tee shirts during the summer months… I do keep a box of trash bags in my trunk (Boot to your Brit’s) If I have to hike home I’ll probably have my laptop on my shoulder and a plastic trash bag will keep it dry if I get rained upon…

If there is a rule about clothing besides dress in layers… it is to pick muted colors, grays, greens even a faded black… don’t wear Cami or anything that looks like a uniform… that just draws unwanted attention to you… if you do have a rifle try strapping a shovel too… From a distance people will see that shovel and assume you’re off to work and pretty much ignore the .460 Rigby hanging from your shoulder too.
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Well that’s it for my Get Home Bag…I don’t really need much to get home… Now let’s hear your ideas … what do you think you’ll need in your GHB?

Well, at long last. Trust you to come up with it first. Until recently, I worked 1500 kms away from home. I estimated that I would need about 5 weeks to trek home, if no other transport was available. I always had a kit back/rucksack packed and ready to go.

This type of thread beats the BOB theory hands down. If and when it gets real. I want to be at home.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


Not so much a bag as it is a plan.

I keep my vehicles full of fuel at all times. Could be useful for long detours or rendezvous. Could keep you idling through a cold night, or could even work as a weapon or a distraction.

My family has a couple of predetermined rendezvous points in case some catastrophe happens and we are separated and can't get home. We have 2-mile walkie talkies so we don't depend on cell phones and as long as we get within 2 miles we will be able to communicate and meet up. (working on getting an actual CB radio.) My family even has a password in case we need to send a proxy, we will know they are legitimate. This is important for my family here in town, but also for my extended family up in the Midwest by you. If SHTF in a huge way, do we meet in Ark or Tenn or Georgia. My brother and I have mapped out some contingencies, and he also carries the same frequency walkie-talkie for his family. If we get within a few miles, we will be able to unite.

Your supply list is great, the only additional items I have are a couple of mylar shock blankets in each vehicle, and some basic tools. Crescent wrench, channel locks, hammer. In my van and jeep I also have a small ratchet/socket set.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


Gramps.

My only suggestion would be to take a animal other than rabbit. They carry so many viruses. Squirrel and chipmunks are pretty good.

For me I have to travel 30miles on foot so I pack a bigger load. But I always pack for -30 degrees in this area.

Leather gloves are bad. Unless you have a wool insert to keep the water off your hands. Wool is a must.

Wool socks wool gloves inserts and waterproof kick ass boots.

A small axe is good especially at making a shelter.

Man, am I glad I clicked on your thread. I just realized that I do not have even one good, reliable compass. I have an easily portable GPS but there are some scenarios where that could well be useless for navigation, such as if the military who run it simply decide to make it unavailable to the general public. And if the battery dies it's just useless junk anyway. All the other stuff sounds good but if I want to get to our country place and can't navigate precisely then it's big-problem time, especially if the main roads are just not the way to travel.

So, thanks for the tip about getting a Silva. I'll check some of the better camping/hiking goods stores and get one. Or two!

Best regards,

Mike

reply to post by Rocky Black

I always pack for -30 degrees in this area.

Back when I lived up in Wyoming I never went anywhere without my bunny boots...

Yeah that's right... real mountain men wear bunny boots !
you would too if you knew what they are

S&F

GPD
great topic and your threads are very informative
before now had never thought about it ...

I'm about 5 miles from work to home ...
I work on Federal property so having a firearm on my person can't happen...
I hate being left just holden my johnson

I need to just think E&E

reply to post by getreadyalready


Good plan. I tend to think that a vehicle may be a little restrictive due to roads being watch/blocked and so forth. As I cycle about 60 kms on a daily basis and spend a lot of time walking. I would be more inclined to cycle or yomp back to home base. Not restricted to metalled roads and impervious to road blocks.

reply to post by TheLoneArcher


I agree with you, but mine is a little unique, I ride a motorcycle and the wife drives a jeep. So we are a little more mobile than most. We don't need roads as much as others might.

Still, cycling is extremely useful and I wish I could get the nerve to start cycling to work. I'm only 9 miles from home to work, but the first 5 is a fast divided highway with small shoulders and no sidewalks or bikepaths. I don't want to get squished.

reply to post by spoonbender


I also work on government property. I work for the State in a State Office Complex, and I still carry my weapon everyday. I asked permission, and they ran it up the channels and the legal department decided they couldn't rightfully deny it. It helped that my boss at the time was the wife of a Highway Patrolman and she also carried her weapon. As regulatory government officials, you can imagine that we get plenty of threats. There is a good reason to carry my weapon and a lot of political and economic liabilities to denying my request.

In other words. You should make an official request for permission to carry. It might get approved.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Ouch, does not sound good. Is there another route you can take, a little longer but quiter?
Just cycling at weekends helps too. When I cycle to work, I tend to load the saddle bags up and wear a full 60 ltr rucksack. Yes, it sounds over the top, but I am 50 years old and really need to keep in shape. Plus, it is good training should the brown stuff start flying. I also have a cycle trailer in the garage, meaning I can really load up the bike if I need to leave home to go forraging/hunting.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


I still have a pair of my mickey mouse boots they give out for cold weather training. You know the ones with the little valve stem in the back so you could fill them with insulating air.

Problem was there are like walking with clown feet one right. he he he

reply to post by spoonbender


I work for the State Voc Rehab department ...
we have an unofficial concealed carry rule here...
we have had case workers attacked before...

in fact my bosses brother is a local Chief of police and is more than happy to get the staff their ccw

reply to post by spoonbender


Here in Europe, we are pretty much disarmed. However, my ruck contains bear mace, a good all purpose knife and a Royal Marines dagger. The top section, whick pulls down to form a chest rig contains a very powerful sling shot and 50 steel bearings, roughly .38 cal.

reply to post by spoonbender


Hey Spooner,

I would like to recommend a small colt mustang with a holster with a magnet. Small yet effective. Find a nice spot in your trunk or under your dash board.


WALA problem solved.

If you on a base. No biggy. If you on Gov property then there are camera.


Hell I even leave my keys in the ignition when I get to work. CCTV losed gates. No porblems. And if # hit the fan you go out and siut up and start humping home.

Good luck.
I would have said Walther PPK but those little gems like to bite back with my big hands.

reply to post by Rocky Black


My new SandW .380 Bodyguard bit one of my friends this weekend. I warned him, and showed him, and warned him again when I saw the thumb riding up, but I turned around for a second and he lost a chunk of thumb knuckle. I bet he remembers next time though.

reply to post by GrandpaDave

Good thread, I know most here has been talking "Bug out bag" but if my home is still standing, thats where this guy is heading! I work close, maybe three and a half miles easy walk. Not so much with ice and snow, but still can do. I have a few maps, but being a native, i can hike over the hills and woods just a easy as on the roads. A rifle for me would not be needed, my Ruger P-89 would be fine. The only problem is I work at a University, so no firearms on campus. If I could add anything, just warm clothes, from head to toe. Maybe some kind of eye protection from blowing snow for winter. Thanks again Grandpa Dave!

Originally posted by GrandpaDave
reply to post by spoonbender

 

I work for the State Voc Rehab department ...
we have an unofficial concealed carry rule here...
we have had case workers attacked before...

in fact my bosses brother is a local Chief of police and is more than happy to get the staff their ccw

Hey Rocky
Thanks for the thought & idea too

unfortunately for me
I'm at an international airport...
& if ya have C&C you have to leave it in your car in the parking lot [kinda asinine thought] and the wife drops me off & picks me up...

So its escape & evade until I can reach home

First, I would say your choice of firearm is not adequate. A .22lr will only make something mad, it has no stopping power. Shoot a cat with a .22lr and unless it is a head shot it will just run off, shoot a dog with a .22lr and it won't even know it has been hit.

A pocket size pistol with stopping power is the .38special. Hit the target with this type of force and you always have a second shot , no matter how large the target is.

reply to post by oldshooter1979


Any place you can hide or bury a cache just outside campus? Could be a lifesaver should you need to get out of Dodge.