Get Home Bag Essentials for Urban Survival

Preparing for urban disasters starts with having the right gear in an emergency get home bag. When crisis strikes, you'll be glad you packed lightweight, versatile essentials to safely navigate back home.

This guide outlines everything you need for urban survival, from the ideal backpack to a 72-hour supply checklist. You'll discover the must-have items that prepare you for disasters, plus smart ways to organize, store and maintain your bag.

By the end, you'll have a complete packing list to assemble your own get home bag for urban environments. With the right preparation, you can handle city evacuation and get home safely when emergencies arise.

Equip Yourself for Urban Emergencies with a Get Home Bag

A get home bag contains critical supplies allowing city residents to safely traverse urban hazards during disasters. As urban infrastructure often fails, get home bags provide urban preppers their best chance of reaching home.

Defining the Get Home Bag: Your Urban Survival Kit

A get home bag is a portable kit containing essential gear for evacuating urban areas by foot. As cities have limited escape routes, get home bags maximize mobility with lightweight equipment. Key items include:

Bottled water and non-perishable snacks providing sustenance for long hikes
Sturdy shoes allowing you to traverse debris or glass safely
First aid kit handling cuts, sprains other minor injuries
Maps and compasses for navigation if roads/signs are damaged
Tools like flashlights, whistles and pepper spray for safety

Tailor your get home bag's gear towards urban challenges like crowds, traffic jams and scarce resources.

Navigating Urban Challenges with a Get Home Bag

Cities pose unique evacuation issues rural preppers rarely face:

Crowds blocking roads and competing for resources
Traffic and debris blocking vehicular escape routes
Scarce food/water as supply chains fail
Structural damage and glass shards on roads

Get home bags counteract these urban factors with versatile gear prioritizing speed and efficiency. For example, crowbar multi-tools pry open doors blocked by debris. Collapsible water bottles minimize weight.

Real-Life Scenarios: The Value of a Get Home Bag During Urban Disasters

Consider James, caught in a New York City blackout: As the power grid and transport failed, he used his get home bag to escape the crippled city. Avoiding standstill traffic, impassable roads and desperate crowds, James traversed difficult terrain to reach home 20 miles away in just over a day.

His get home bag proved invaluable - without it, James may have been stranded far from home. As urban disasters worsen, get home bags are essential insurance for city preppers. Prepare now before you urgently need evacuation gear.

What is in a get home bag?

A get home bag is designed to help you safely return home in the event of an unexpected emergency or disaster scenario. The essential items to include can be broken down into several key categories:

Clothing and Footwear

Having proper clothing and footwear is vital when traveling long distances by foot. Key items to pack include:

Sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots
Thick wool socks
Weather-appropriate clothes (jacket, pants, hat, gloves etc.)
Work gloves for protection

Being able to find your way home is critical. Be sure to pack:

Topographical/road maps of your area and surrounding regions
Compass
Portable GPS device (optional)

Shelter

Space blankets, bivvy sacks, and tarps can provide temporary shelter if needed.

Communication

A cell phone, two-way radio, or satellite communicator allows you to call for help. Don't forget extra batteries or a power bank.

Self Protection

Pepper spray and a pocket knife can help deter threats. Whistles also allow you to signal rescuers.

First Aid

Pack bandages, gauze, medication, etc. to treat injuries during your journey. Mini first aid kits are available.

Food and Water

High protein/calorie foods like protein bars plus a reusable water bottle or portable water filter/purification tabs are essentials.

The exact items depend on your unique situation, but this covers the basics for an urban get home bag. Focus on versatile, lightweight gear to aid mobility.

What is a 72 hour bag military?

A 72 hour bag, sometimes called a "get home bag," is designed to provide critical supplies in an emergency situation where you need to evacuate quickly or get home in a hurry. It's essentially a survival kit packed into a backpack or bag that contains everything someone would need to survive for 72 hours.

The concept originated in the military, where troops prepare 72 hour bags with essential gear in case they need to hastily leave their base or get separated from their unit. The 72 hour timeframe provides enough supplies to reach safety or last until help arrives.

Key Features of a 72 Hour Military Bag

Some key features of a military-style 72 hour bag include:

Compact and lightweight - Since troops need to travel by foot for long distances, military bags emphasize portability and light weight. Gear is minimal and multi-use.
Water and food - Hydration and sustenance are critical, so bags contain items like protein bars, trail mix, powdered drinks, and water packets that provide calories and nutrients.
Navigation tools - Maps, compasses, and GPS devices assist navigation back to safety. Having alternate ways to navigate is important in case one method fails.
Shelter and warmth - Small tent or tarp, emergency blanket, and warm layers allow surviving the elements. Useful during evacuation scenarios.
First aid - First aid kits provide lifesaving trauma care. Blood stoppers, bandages, antibiotics, burn cream meet medical needs.

While specialized for combat and harsh environments, civilians can take insights from 72 hour military bags to build their own efficient evacuation packs. Focusing on compact, multi-use gear that covers basic survival needs is key.

What should be in a get away bag?

A get home bag is an essential part of emergency preparedness, especially for those living in urban areas. This grab-and-go bag should contain critical supplies to get you safely home in the event of an unexpected crisis or disaster.

When packing your get home bag, focus on lightweight, multi-use gear that takes up minimal space. You'll want to prioritize survival basics like food, water, first aid supplies, and navigation tools. Useful items to include are:

High-calorie, non-perishable food bars and pouches
Water purification tablets or filter straw
First aid kit with bandages, ointments, medicines
Emergency poncho and mylar blanket
Flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
Paper maps and compass
Multi-tool knife
Cash in small denominations
Extra socks and lightweight gloves
Emergency whistle and bright signaling devices

Customize your get home bag based on your climate, route options, and personal needs. The goal is having versatile equipment to handle unexpected challenges when trying to get home as quickly as possible after a major disruption. Periodically inspect and update your bag so you'll be confident and prepared to bug out if necessary.

What is the difference between a bug out bag and a go bag?

A bug out bag is designed to provide survival essentials for several days, whereas a go bag or get home bag is intended only to get you safely home or to a secure location.

The key differences between bug out bags and get home bags include:

Purpose

Bug out bags are for escaping a disastrous scenario and surviving in the wilderness or shelter location for an extended period
Get home bags provide necessary supplies to travel from work or other locations back home in an emergency situation

Duration

Bug out bags contain 3+ days worth of food, water, shelter, first aid, and other critical survival items
Get home bags only include enough food, water, and gear to make it home, which may take as little as a few hours to 1-2 days

Weight

Bug out bags often weigh 40-60+ pounds when fully loaded with multi-day supplies
Get home bags emphasize lightweight and portable items under 30 pounds so you can travel farther and faster

Customization

Bug out bags are often customized to the expected climate, terrain, and specific threats in your bug out location
Get home bags take into account likely urban obstacles, traffic issues, and distances to safely return home

Choosing the Best Backpack for Your Get Home Bag

Choosing an ergonomic, durable backpack optimized for urban navigation is crucial for get home bag success. Here's what to look for.

Essential Features for an Urban Evacuation Backpack

When selecting a backpack for your get home bag, prioritize bags with features that enhance carry comfort and durability:

Chest and waist straps distribute weight more evenly across your core instead of shoulders alone. This prevents muscle fatigue when moving fast or over long distances.
Padded shoulder straps cushion the weight of a loaded pack for greater comfort. Many feature adjustable sternum straps to fine tune fit.
Exterior attachment points like MOLLE webbing or daisy chains allow you to lash additional gear to the outside of your pack. Helpful when contents exceed storage capacity.
Hydration bladder compatibility allows you to drink water hands-free while navigating streets. Some backpacks even have ports to thread a drinking tube through shoulder straps.

These ergonomic and functional details optimize backpacks for rapid urban evacuation under load.

Size and Fit: Selecting a Backpack That Won't Slow You Down

When navigating congested city streets on foot, bulky backpacks limit mobility and speed. Seek out compact profile bags in the 20-35 liter range - enough to fit essentials without unnecessary bulk.

However, smaller bags require efficient packing skills to avoid running out of space. Consider using packable daypacks, vacuum compression bags, and nesting containers to maximize capacity.

Proper backpack sizing and fit also improves carry comfort over long distances:

Hip belts should ride just above the hip bone, not on the waist
Shoulder straps aligned lateral to collarbone, not dangling off shoulders
Sternum straps at mid-chest level, snug but not restrictive
Load lifters fully extended for optimal weight distribution

Finding that sweet spot of sufficient cargo space paired with a slim silhouette will keep you light on your feet during an urban get home scenario.

Durability Matters: Weather and Wear-Resistant Backpacks

Get home bags see heavy use in adverse conditions during an evacuation. Select rugged fabrics that resist abrasion, punctures, and weather exposure:

Abrasion-resistant synthetics like 500D Cordura nylon withstand scrapes from debris and building corners.
TPU film laminate or silicone coatings enable water-resistance to keep contents dry in rain or snow.
Reinforced stitching at stress points prevents seam failures when packing heavy loads.

Backpacks built for mountaineering and tactical applications offer premium durability critical for urban get home bags. Brands like 5.11 Rush, Direct Action, and Vertx optimize their bags to withstand sustained rugged use.

The Best Backpack Options Tailored for Urban Survival

When evaluating backpacks, note models specifically designed to fit female body types tend to have shorter torso lengths, narrower shoulder widths, and include hip belts and shoulder straps contoured for an hourglass figure. This improves comfort for women during sustained wear.

Some top backpack options ideal for urban get home bags include:

5.11 Rush12 for a compact, MOLLE compatible day-bag profile.
Direct Action Dust for slim versatility. Shines in low profile discretion.
Vertx Gamut 2.0 offers durability and adaptable storage perfect as a get home bag.
For women, take a look at the Vanquest Trident-20 for an ergonomic EDC choice sized for females under load.

Experiment with fully loading your backpack and taking it on test navigation runs throughout your city. This lets you evaluate carry comfort, mobility, and durability first-hand - essential knowledge for your get home plan.

Get Home Bag Checklist: Essentials for Urban Preparedness

Get home bags strike a delicate balance between space, weight, utility and redundancy. Follow these best practices when packing yours.

Must-Have Items: Crafting Your Get Home Bag List for 2023

When assembling your get home bag, focus first on versatile tools that serve multiple purposes. A good knife, for example, can be used for preparing food, first aid, shelter construction and self-defense. Similarly, a tarp is useful for treating injuries, signaling, rain protection or ad hoc shelter. Other must-have items fitting the minimalist urban model include:

Lightweight, hooded rain jacket
Bottled water and high-calorie protein/energy bars
Fire starting kit with stormproof matches
Multitool with pliers and screwdriver
Backup battery pack for charging devices
Cash and coins for pay phones or vending
Compass, local maps, flashlight
Extra socks and emergency blanket

The key is packing dual-use survival gear optimized for uncertain conditions. Assemble your get home bag list through the lens of flexibility and efficiency.

Organized Packing: Essential Categories for Your Gear

Maintaining organized packing disciplines prevents your bag from becoming a jumbled mess when quickly needed. Stow items using transparent zipper bags or internal compartments based on categories:

Safety: Knife, pepper spray, radio, backup battery, fire starter
Medical: Bandages, gauze, medications, tape, gloves, trauma kit
Food: High-calorie bars, protein powder packs
Navigation: Maps, compass, flashlight, cash/coins
Communication: Mobile phone, charger, radio

Mark bags brightly so desired components can be located intuitively even in low light. Conduct practice runs to optimize ergonomics and ease of access.

The Minimalist Get Home Bag: Keeping It Light and Effective

In an urban setting, traveling by foot for hours or days is likely, making total pack weight critical. Minimize non-essential creature comforts in favor of truly vital tools. Rely on layers for insulation versus bulky coats, and use trekking poles for stability on slippery surfaces.

If faced with shedding ounces due to injury or exhaustion, prioritize retaining food, water, navigation/signaling and medical components. While a minimalist get home bag may not be comfortable, having only bare survival essentials makes painful tradeoffs less likely.

Climate-Proofing Your Get Home Bag

Regional and seasonal climate extremes like cold, heat and rain require specialized provisions. In winter, include chemical warmers, insulating hat/gloves and a thin puffy layer for stopping heat loss. Treat clothing with durable water repellant (DWR) to mitigate wind and snow.

In sweltering summer heat, pack electrolyte tablets, a water bladder or hydration reservoir, and cooling accessories like wet bandanas. Seek shade whenever possible. For monsoon-type weather, carry quality rainwear, waterproof boots and pack covers to keep gear dry internally and externally.

Prepare your get home bag for the most likely local climate hazards, ensuring you have tools to prevent or endure temperature and moisture extremes as needed.

72-Hour Get Home Bag List: Sustaining Urban Survival

Assembling a comprehensive 72-hour get home bag is critical for urban dwellers. Without access to traditional emergency supplies at home, city preppers must carry lightweight, portable gear capable of sustaining continuous movement on foot while navigating hazards.

Carefully curate your bag's contents to maximize utility without overburdening yourself. Focus first on safety, sustenance and navigation - the core pillars of short-term survival. Then fill remaining space with versatile tools and protective clothing. Regularly inspect and practice with the items to ensure dependability when it matters most.

Life-Saving Supplies: Safety and Medical Gear You Can't Skip

Urban disasters like accidents, attacks or infrastructure failure can leave you vulnerable. Pack protective and medical items to mitigate threats.

Include nitrile gloves, N95 respirators and safety goggles to reduce contact with biohazards. Trauma supplies like tourniquets, chest seals and coagulant dressings can save a life when minutes matter. Basic medkits with bandages, gauze, tape and medications equip you to treat minor to moderate injuries. Customize first aid based on your training - advanced gear won't help if you can't use it.

Fire and light sources also deserve focus. Pack waterproof matches, stormproof lighters, candles and chemical light sticks to illuminate dark spaces or signal rescuers.

Nutrition on the Go: Food and Water Must-Haves

Continuous calorie intake fuels survival on the move. Energy bars, dried fruit, beef jerky, tuna kits, and freeze-dried camping meals provide concentrated calories and nutrition. Seek a balance of proteins, fats and complex carbs.

Avoid overly perishable items, instead storing food in sealed bags or containers. Pack more than you need in case delays arise - aim for ~2,000 calories per day.

Water is even more critical. Carry durable bottles and bladders, like Camelbaks, with at least 1-2 liters capacity. Include water filters and chemical treatment tabs for finding and purifying water in the urban wild. Know that the average person needs over 2 liters of water daily for drinking and hygiene.

Urban landscapes can quickly become unfamiliar mazes when disasters strike. Ensure you can navigate by packing maps, a lensatic compass and other old-school tools.

Laminated city maps provide detailed layouts unaffected by technology failures. Know inbound and outbound routes including potential shortcuts and shelters like parks or public buildings.

Lensatic compasses remain reliable when electronics falter. Learn orienteering techniques like terrain association and pacing your movement to accurately track distance covered. These skills keep you on course.

Supplemental Tools for Adaptability and Utility

Fill remaining space with versatile items offering survival utility:

Fixed-blade knives for shelter construction, fire prep and defense.
550 paracord for building shelters and snares. Jute twine also sparks fires.
BIC lighters, stormproof matches and firestarter rods - test gear to verify watertight seals.
Multi-tools like Leatherman Skeletools with pliers, screwdrivers, blades and bottle openers.

Choose items proving essential through practice. Strive to reduce duplication across tools by selecting options with multiple integrated functions.

Suit Up for Survival: Clothing for All Conditions

Finally, pack clothing to match climate extremes. Have at least one full change stored in watertight bags. Opt for synthetic moisture-wicking layers over cotton, which loses insulating value when wet.

Include a packable hooded rain jacket. Mylar space blankets, tube tents and bivvy sacks protect from wind and rain if trapped outdoors overnight. Wool socks bring warmth even when wet. Hiking boots offer ankle support while moving fast over uneven terrain.

Adjust clothing variables like insulating, waterproof and camouflage gear based on your local environment. The key is flexibility - your get home bag should equip you to handle both hot and cold weather threats. Getting home safely means dressing for success.

Storing and Maintaining Your Get Home Bag for Immediate Access

Now that your gear is selected and loaded, explore ways to tailor and access your bag for seamless deployment.

Test Your Setup: Conducting Get Home Bag Drills

Testing your get home bag setup with practice drills is critical to ensure you can efficiently access and utilize the contents when needed. Here are some tips for conducting regular get home bag drills:

Take your bag on local walks - Simply wearing your packed bag on walks through your neighborhood or local park helps break it in while identifying any fit/discomfort issues. Start with short 20-30 minute walks and work up to longer durations.
Simulate emergency scenarios - Create fake emergency scenarios that require deploying your get home bag. Time how long it takes you to access the bag and critical items like first aid kits, flashlights or multi tools. Identify any hindrances to rapidly accessing gear.
Include bag weight in fitness regimen - Incorporate wearing your loaded pack into regular exercise like runs or hikes. The extra weight builds endurance while revealing bag comfort issues. Slowly increase weight and distance over time.
Review and refresh knowledge - Use your drills as refreshers by reviewing gear functionality and usage. Check battery levels, re-read manuals, and confirm you know how to operate all equipment.

Testing your get home bag setup often improves readiness to get home bag deploy it effectively in a real emergency. Build muscle memory through regular practice.

Personal Touches: Customizing Your Get Home Bag

Although pre-made get home bags allow for quick setup, personalizing your bag with custom touches makes it uniquely yours. Some creative customizations include:

Morale patches - Sew or stick motivational, patriotic or military patches onto exterior bag panels. They boost morale while identifying your bag.
Identification markings - Use a permanent marker or embroidery to mark your name, city, blood type or emergency contact on the bag exterior.
Regional hazard warnings - Add patches or emblems unique to hazards in your area like floods, earthquakes, volcanoes or tornadoes. They serve as continual reminders to prepare.
Custom interior content - Include personally compiled notebooks, USB drives or printed photos of family members or rally points only you recognize.

When customizing, use durable materials that don't easily tear or fade so identifiers withstand wear and tear. Keep it reasonable so that your bag maintains a tactical, low-profile appearance.

Smart Placement: Get Home Bag Staging for Car and Office

In addition to wearing it, handy staging of your get home bag along your potential evacuation route is vital for rapid access. Ideal staging locations include:

Vehicle - Stash bag under driver or passenger seats, secured via carabiners or straps. It ensures proximity after vehicle failure or if you must abandon your car.
Office - If permitted, discreetly store your bag in lower desk drawers or behind furniture with other emergency supplies. Makes in accessible during workplace disasters.
Commuting - When commuting via public transit, keep your bag at your feet or secured to your person when possible. Provides access if transit stops operating.
Evacuation sites - Place backup bags near rally points or bug out locations you may evacuate towards. Having spare caches along your route gives backup options.

Ideally, stage personalized get home bags in 2-3 locations along your highest likelihood evacuation paths back home. Just ensure it is out of sight to avoid tampering or theft.

Keeping Your Bag Current: Regular Inspections and Gear Refreshes

To keep your 72 hour get home bag list in working order, inspect all contents quarterly and refresh perishable items as needed. Follow this get home bag maintenance checklist:

Check expiration dates - Replace food/water nearing expiration with fresher supplies. Check medicine, ointments, batteries.
Assess condition - Note cuts, leaks, or damage. Mend bags, patch holes in water containers. Replace faulty items.
Test electronics** - Turn on flashlight, radio and other electronics. Replace batteries or devices no longer working.
Update gear - Over time, replace outdated products with better performing, lighter options. Upgrade your bag gradually.
Review pack weight - Weigh full pack and compare to your starting weight. Remove unneeded items contributing excess weight.

With routine inspections and upgrades every 3-6 months, your critical get home bag will be equipped to handle a range of urban emergencies. Maintain diligence.

Urban Exodus Essentials: Mastering Your Get Home Bag

In closing, get home bags provide city dwellers with versatile emergency tools for assessing hazards and reaching refuge.

Your Lifeline in Urban Chaos: The Importance of a Get Home Bag

A get home bag is an essential emergency preparedness kit designed to help urban residents safely evacuate cities in the event of disasters or civil unrest. These lightweight backpacks, optimized for easy transport through crowded streets, give city dwellers the tools to assess danger, navigate blocked routes, and reach the safety of home.

Get home bags empower city residents to take personal responsibility for safety rather than depending solely on overwhelmed first responders. Customized with maps, multi-tools, first aid, food, water, and other urban survival gear, these portable kits deliver sensible preparedness for turbulent times at a reasonable price. Equipping vehicles and offices with get home bags provides insurance during sudden crises.

Regularly training by walking evacuation routes with the backpack builds experience using these lifeline tools. Streamlining bags to only essential lightweight items ensures carrying comfort over long distances while escaping streets mired in chaos. Get home bags grant urban dwellers critical agency during disasters helping preserve order and prevent panic.

Preparedness Pays Off: The Impact of a Well-Planned Get Home Bag

Failing to properly prepare get home bags risks lives during disasters by hampering efforts to reach safety. However, those prioritizing emergency planning assemble thoughtfully-packed evacuation kits delivering major benefits:

Enables escape from dangerous areas despite overwhelmed first responders through self-reliant preparedness
Prevents panic through confident use of maps, tools, and contingency plans to assess and adapt to threats
Boosts resilience by planning for likely urban crises and training muscle memory to access key items rapidly
Saves lives by creating order from chaos using experience instead of emotion to drive decisions amidst threats

Get home bags demonstrate that individual emergency preparedness significantly impacts community resilience. Urban dwellers owning well-stocked and intuitive evacuation kits better manage unexpected crises without dependence upon external help. Get home bags exemplify how sensible precautions empower citizens to save themselves and assist others.

Evolving Your Emergency Kit: Adapting to New Urban Threats

The volatile modern world constantly creates new disruption threats making emergency preparedness an ongoing endeavor. Prepper get home bag checklists must continually evolve as urban risks shift. Survivalists should frequently reevaluate bag items against potential emerging threats in a specific metropolis.

Updating maps, tools, gear, and contingency plans prepares for new dangers whether manmade or natural disasters. Train by traversing alternative routes on foot while wearing your get home bag to build muscle memory and knowledge managing likely crises. Modern mobile apps even enable pre-planning evacuation routes accounting for real-time threats.

Get home bags enable urban survivalists to adapt evacuation plans against emerging incidents endangering major cities. Frequently revisiting emergency kits provides affordable resilience making get home bags a prepper essential.