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Music.

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Self-Initiative Project Podcast.

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I’m your host, Jim O’Brien. Hello, and welcome to episode 22.

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This episode, we’re going to be talking about all things related to building

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out your Get Home Bag or your GHB.

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A get-home bag is about pulling

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together a bag of gear that you may find yourself needing should a situation

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occur where you’re no longer able to drive your vehicle back home again and

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you want to make sure that you have the gear necessary to get you home effectively and safely.

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Now, a get-home bag is approximately supposed to be about 24 hours of equipment,

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and really what that boils down to is your water and food supply.

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And a get-home bag is kind of like your predecessor to your bug-out bag,

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and a bug-out bag or your B.O.B.

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Is meant to be able to supply you 72 hours worth of gear, and again,

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it really boils down to the food and water that you’re carrying.

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So this episode, we’re going to be covering all things get-home bag.

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Specifically, I’m going to be walking you through what I carry in my get-home

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bag, so you at least have an understanding of options available,

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plus some core things that you need to consider and have available in your get-home bag or your GHB.

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And look, with this being said, this isn’t about being a prepper.

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Not that there’s anything wrong with that lifestyle or taking that approach,

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But this is about being prepared.

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And being prepared doesn’t necessarily mean being to the nth degree of that, right?

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So we can have a plan, have some gear in place, know what it is we’re preparing

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for, and have everything necessary together ahead of time. And that’s really what this is about.

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So if you’ve been following us on Instagram, you know that for the last three

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weekends, we’ve been kind of giving you photos, glimpses into what we have in our get-home bag.

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And so I want to cover that, obviously, which covers hopefully the basics of

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what you would find in a get-home bag.

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But again, I just want to share with you what I do with mine to hopefully inspire

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yours and give you some sense of what you should have in any get-home bag you

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put together for yourself.

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So if you’ve been following us for a while, you probably saw our podcast 11

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where we talked about safety in and around our vehicle.

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And in that podcast, one of the aspects that we talked about are things that

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we carry in our trunk or should keep in our trunk.

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Things like a blanket. And this.

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It doesn’t matter if it’s summertime or wintertime. There’s always a place for

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a blanket because you may need to treat somebody on the side of the road,

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for example, that’s in shock.

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And a blanket always comes in handy. You may be stranded in your vehicle overnight

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in the cooler months of the year, and a blanket always comes in handy.

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Your trauma kits, your first aid kits, your change of clothes,

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those sorts of things all should be on your trunk anyway.

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So a get-home bag is really just having kind of a condensed bag with all of

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these sorts of gear in it.

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And that, too, is kept in the trunk of your vehicle, ideally.

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So what do I keep in mind? Well, let’s talk about the bag at first.

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I probably didn’t follow the best piece of advice when it comes to the bag aspect

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because my bag does kind of have a tactical military vibe, feel, and look about it.

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It has a lot of straps. It has the MOLLE attachments.

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But it did come recommended for me, if I’m not mistaken. This bag is from Germany originally.

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You typically want to look for a 2300 to 2500 square inch size bag to get everything you need.

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Again, with the get-home bag, you’re looking to have about 24 hours worth of gear.

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And again, that time more has to do with your food and your water.

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But you want to allow for space for all the fundamentals.

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And so the bag that I got kind of came recommended and it’s what I wound up with.

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Ideally for a get-home bag, you probably want something more subdued,

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something that doesn’t look quite as military-esque or tactical in nature.

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But if that’s what you wind up with and that’s what you find a good deal on, so be it.

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It’s for you and what you want to put in it so don’t sweat that too much so

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relative to the key gear that you want to have in your get home bag just at

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a high level obviously first aid and trauma is paramount you want to have first

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aid and trauma gear in there everything from.

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Band-aids and ointment all the way to things like n95 masks trauma kits tourniquets

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band-aids medical gloves whatever it be,

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you want to make sure you have a solid first aid kit available in your GHB.

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Additionally, you want to think about things as far as shelter goes.

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You might get stranded in your car, in which case, you know,

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that blanket or that wintertime jacket that you keep in your trunk is going to come in handy.

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Beyond that, if you’re outside your car making your way back,

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trekking your way back from wherever you get stranded at or whatever the scenario

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may be, you want to think in terms of shelter.

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So emergency blankets, tarps, rain ponchos or rain jackets, all those things

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will help in that regard.

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Food is another one. Water is paramount. You’ve got to carry water,

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at least a quart for 24 hours minimum, plus some snacks,

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but perhaps ways of drinking otherwise unsafe water might be something you would

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take into consideration.

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But at the very least, some snacks, some power bars, some energy bars,

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a quart of water at the very minimum you want to have in there.

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Additionally, you want to think about a change of clothes. And again,

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that’s likely based on the time of year.

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It is. You want to think about lighting and emergency communications,

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you know, perhaps a weather radio of some sort, light sticks,

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flashlights, It’s a headlight, like from Black Diamond or Petzl, those sorts of things.

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And one of the other things that you want to carry, and again,

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this is all meant to be high level right now, is consider, you might want to

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consider a firearm, knives, and additional ammo if you so choose.

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But again, the goal is to get you home from wherever you are,

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and it’s with a 24-hour plan in mind.

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So let’s talk about what I carry in my get-home bag.

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And again, this is going to vary. And so I just want to preface this up front,

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is I carry most everything to cover the basics, as we just mentioned,

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but I don’t necessarily carry everything that you might want to.

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You find yourself needing to or wanting to based on where you live and the type

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of conditions that might be possible where you live.

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And additionally, I don’t necessarily carry the most expensive,

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best of equipment in my get-home bag.

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Now, to explain that further, is my get-home bag is, it’s primary in purpose.

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So if I were stranded and needed to get home, I could rely on everything in

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this bag. But a lot of the things that I carry in my bag are redundant to the

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things that I already carry on my person or in my vehicle.

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So the things in this bag, I must admit, aren’t necessarily the best of the best.

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And if you’ve been following us on Instagram over the last three weeks,

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you’ve seen photographs of literally everything that I carry in my bag.

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So just to explain that, it may not be the best of the best gear,

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but I really already carry a lot of the gear that you might find in a get-home

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bag, either in my car or on my person, including things like knives and flashlights, etc.

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So the bag that i mentioned earlier you

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know you don’t have to spend a fortune on this thing ideally

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it doesn’t look tactical or military and in nature but with that being said

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you just want to find a good bag i think the 23 to 25 26 hundred square inches

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is a good size for a get bag,

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again, we’re planning for 24 hours.

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The bug out bag needs to be considerably larger just because the amount of water

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and food that you need to carry in it.

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But for the get home bag, the GHB, it can be smaller and ideally something more

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pedestrian than military or tactical in nature.

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But again, just find the deal that you can and roll with it.

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And, you know, the key part is to have enough compartments and space in it to

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carry the things that you need in your get-home bag to support you for 24 hours.

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So one of the key things, as I mentioned previously, is your first aid and trauma.

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And so this isn’t necessarily just about carrying things like Band-Aids and

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ointment, although you might likely want to carry that in your GHB as well.

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But when I talk about first aid, I’m thinking more of the trauma side of things.

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So things like trauma packs with your cell locks and blood clotting agents,

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rolls of sterile gauze, N95 masks to put over your nose and mouth to keep particulates

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and smells and whatever else out.

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Because a T-shirt pulled up over your mouth and nose is not sufficient to keep

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those sorts of things out. medical gloves.

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So if you have to deal with a loved one or a stranger on the side of the road,

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you’ve got gloves to protect yourself.

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Bandanas. Bandanas can serve so many purposes, whether it’s as simple as a water

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filtration system to tying up a sling for a broken or sprained arm,

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wrapping up a sprained ankle.

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Bandanas serve so many purposes. It’s a good I did. I have them in there, and I have them in mine.

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Additionally, I have emergency blankets.

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They are great at keeping in body heat, and so these can come in handy for yourself,

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or if you wind up on the side of the road working a car accident,

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getting involved with that,

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an emergency blanket is great to have for that purpose.

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They’re made out of mylar, and that reflective material really does a fantastic

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job in holding in body heat.

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Additionally, Israeli bandages, SAM splints is something else that I carry in my GHB.

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And again, we won’t necessarily do a deep dive in the trauma,

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which you should have in your trauma kit here, but we’ve covered that topic

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in previous podcasts too, so I’d encourage you to go back and listen to that.

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I think we have a podcast called Building Out Your Trauma Kits,

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and that would be an excellent one for you to listen to.

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And that’s the sort of gear that you want to have available in your get-home

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bag, certainly, in addition to your basic first aid.

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As we mentioned, another important area to consider is your snacks,

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your food, your water supply.

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And really, having some snacks to carry you home for 24 hours is key, along with some water.

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I carry a clean canteen stainless steel quart of water in my pack at any given

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time, much like batteries and your first aid and your food supplies that you carry.

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You’re going to want to swap those items out.

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The food items typically have an expiration date, and believe it or not,

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so do trauma first aid items.

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So you want to pay special attention.

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Check those every 6 to 12 months to make sure they haven’t expired.

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And the water that you carry in your get-home bag, you should swap out every so often as well.

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When you check your batteries, it’s a good time. When you check your food or

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your trauma kit, whatever it may be,

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that’s an excellent time to check your water and just go into the kitchen and

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fill it up with some fresh water again so that when you do need it,

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it’s as fresh as possible at that time.

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One of the things that I carry in my get-home bag is a stainless steel mug so

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that if I needed to cook something or boil some water, I’ve got that.

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I carry a titanium spork, you know, a combination of spoon and fork together.

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That’s really going to come in handy if I need to cook some food and have a way to eat.

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Again, this isn’t all the things you necessarily have to have in a GHB.

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These are just the things that I carry in mind, thinking in terms of what could

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occur, what I might need.

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Not that I carry it right now, but if I ever had a can of tuna or something

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similar, I might want a spork or something similar to be able to more easily

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eat that. I carry some power and protein bars like Cliff Bars, whatever they might be.

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And I actually carry a couple of freeze-dried meals as well.

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So technically, I need that stainless steel mug so that I can boil the water

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for my freeze-dried food, if nothing else.

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I also carry a live straw, L-I-F-E, straw.

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It enables me to stick that straw down into questionable source of water and

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drink from it and hopefully filter out most of the bad things that I would take

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in otherwise if I were to try to drink from that water source directly.

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Those have an expiration date on too, so it’s good to check that and replace them.

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But that really gives you the flexibility that, you know, if you didn’t have

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water on you or if you ran out of the water supply that you would otherwise

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be carrying with you, which you should,

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you would technically have a means of getting water, whether it’s out of a puddle

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or a stream, worst case scenario.

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And then the other thing that I carry is a can opener.

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And the can opener that I carry got really good

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reviews and was hyped up and I can’t remember where I

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first saw it but it’s actually a can opener out

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of Japan it’s a manual operation it’s

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called Gandy G-A-N-G-Y it’s kind of a unique can opener once you see it and

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take a look at it you’ll understand what I’m talking about but it comes highly

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recommended you know one of the considerations in your GHB even though it is

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for short periods is the weight of the overall pack And look,

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with all the gear you’re going to need to carry,

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especially with the water and the clothing and whatever else,

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you know, you want to think about all your ancillary items as,

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you know, keeping it as light as possible.

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So that’s one of the things that I took in mind when I found this particular can opener.

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And, you know, if you’re carrying things like deviled ham or chicken or tuna

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fish, you might very well need a can opener.

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So it’s always a good idea to include one of those. But the key being the food,

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the water, and then I think the stainless steel mug and the eating utensil are

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really the key takeaways from that lot of items that you might find yourself needing.

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Next on the list, which is equally important, this is something that you want

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to check out every so often, too, is a change of clothes. And it’s really going

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to depend on the time of year as to what you pack in your get-home bag.

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But at any given time, I’ll tell you, I carry a pair of socks, a long pair of socks.

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I carry some cargo 511 BDU cargo-type pants in mine. It just so happens to be what I carry.

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A T-shirt and then a belt. The belt comes in handy.

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A, it holds your pants up, but more importantly, you can put things on it like

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if you so choose to carry a weapon, you can carry your firearm holster on it

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as well as a knife, especially if you have a fixed blade knife.

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So T-shirt, underwear, a belt, some long pants, socks.

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And the other thing that’s important, especially if disasters were to strike,

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you never know when you find yourself needing a good pair of work gloves.

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So I also carry a pair of leather nylon work gloves in my get-home bag as well,

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just to be as well-rounded as possible.

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Now, you should also plan on having a pair of shoes in your get-home bag,

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but I already carry a pair of boots in my trunk.

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So again, if I’m going to get stranded or have a situation where my vehicle

00:17:33.833 –> 00:17:38.213
is nearby or I’m trying to get home in my vehicle and I can’t,

00:17:38.293 –> 00:17:42.313
I’ve already got a lot of gear in my vehicle, as I mentioned earlier.

00:17:42.573 –> 00:17:47.313
So I don’t necessarily have to worry about carrying everything in my get-home

00:17:47.313 –> 00:17:52.333
bag, my GHB. But the point is, is that, you know, a set of clothing,

00:17:52.473 –> 00:17:55.073
a complete set of clothing is what you should consider.

00:17:55.333 –> 00:17:59.873
And if you don’t have it in your car already, as I do, then you definitely need

00:17:59.873 –> 00:18:02.033
to have it planned for your get home bag.

00:18:02.966 –> 00:18:10.606
Another very important piece of gear to carry in your GHB is some means of starting a fire.

00:18:10.886 –> 00:18:15.926
The best way to start a fire and the easiest way to start a fire is with a lighter, right?

00:18:16.366 –> 00:18:19.966
But perhaps, you know, it broke.

00:18:20.246 –> 00:18:25.266
It’s a cheap gas station lighter, not a brand name, and it’s not working.

00:18:25.726 –> 00:18:30.026
In my get-home bag, I carry multiple things.

00:18:30.026 –> 00:18:34.626
I carry three different ways of starting fire, and then I carry a couple of

00:18:34.626 –> 00:18:39.426
fire starters because I never know what conditions I’m going to find myself in,

00:18:39.606 –> 00:18:43.666
and I never know what the weather conditions are like or if there’ll be dry

00:18:43.666 –> 00:18:45.406
wood available or anything else.

00:18:45.506 –> 00:18:49.226
And look, this is planning for worst-case scenario.

00:18:49.226 –> 00:18:52.006
With that being said you might want

00:18:52.006 –> 00:18:54.886
to light a cigarette for yourself or if

00:18:54.886 –> 00:18:57.866
someone borrows a cigarette from you you might

00:18:57.866 –> 00:19:01.026
want to be able to light their cigarette for them too so

00:19:01.026 –> 00:19:07.586
nothing beats a lighter i carry some waterproof matches in a waterproof container

00:19:07.586 –> 00:19:15.686
i also carry a flint magnesium stick and flint so i could spark a fire worst

00:19:15.686 –> 00:19:18.046
case scenario if the lighter and matches don’t get it.

00:19:18.246 –> 00:19:20.586
You know, I still got a means to get a spark.

00:19:20.926 –> 00:19:25.546
I carry a bag of dryer lint. And I know that sounds crazy and extreme,

00:19:25.766 –> 00:19:33.666
but dryer lint from your dryer trap, your dryer lint trap really is a fantastic fire starting tool.

00:19:33.946 –> 00:19:39.486
If you soak it in candle wax or petroleum, it’s going to burn even better.

00:19:39.726 –> 00:19:42.286
But dryer lint is really a great fire starter.

00:19:42.666 –> 00:19:46.686
But on the market, they also make this stuff called wet fire.

00:19:47.106 –> 00:19:51.286
I think that’s the brand name of it. It’s called wet fire.

00:19:51.746 –> 00:19:55.366
And it’s basically cotton soaked in petroleum jelly.

00:19:56.186 –> 00:19:59.926
Between all of that stuff, you’re going to be able to start a fire.

00:20:00.246 –> 00:20:04.746
And so it’s important you have some fire starting equipment in your get home

00:20:04.746 –> 00:20:07.086
bag. And that’s what I carry in mine.

00:20:07.566 –> 00:20:13.186
Some of the other things that I carry in my get home bag are notepad and pens.

00:20:13.566 –> 00:20:17.006
You never know when you need to make a note that you think you won’t remember

00:20:17.006 –> 00:20:21.766
later, or maybe you’re writing down directions or events that occurred.

00:20:22.326 –> 00:20:28.246
I can’t emphasize having a notepad and pen available at any given time is a good idea for you.

00:20:28.366 –> 00:20:33.246
Even if you didn’t have a get-home bag, having a way to capture notes and refer

00:20:33.246 –> 00:20:34.846
to them later is fantastic.

00:20:35.126 –> 00:20:41.566
I carry a write-in-the-rain notepad. I have a space pen and a regular pen in my bag.

00:20:42.550 –> 00:20:47.810
Additionally, it’s a good idea to carry local area maps.

00:20:48.150 –> 00:20:53.570
I happen to have a general Georgia map in mind as well as a very basic Atlanta

00:20:53.570 –> 00:20:56.610
map just so if things go south,

00:20:56.610 –> 00:21:03.810
I have some way of finding out where I’m at and at least major thoroughfares

00:21:03.810 –> 00:21:05.670
of helping me get where I’m going.

00:21:05.670 –> 00:21:10.090
Now, if you’re like me, which I hope that you are, you know,

00:21:10.170 –> 00:21:14.930
if you’re coming from work or someplace local, you know how to get home already,

00:21:14.930 –> 00:21:18.910
but you never know when those routes are blocked or have been shut down.

00:21:19.190 –> 00:21:25.050
Maybe there’s writing, whatever it could be, you need to have alternative routes to take.

00:21:25.990 –> 00:21:33.630
And so with that being said, I personally also have a Silva compass in my get-home bag that I carry.

00:21:33.870 –> 00:21:38.530
With that being said, I would advise you to learn the basics of map reading

00:21:38.530 –> 00:21:40.150
and compass utilization.

00:21:40.510 –> 00:21:44.770
But those are just, again, this is about what I carry in mine and hopefully

00:21:44.770 –> 00:21:47.450
gives you some ideas about what to put into yours.

00:21:48.070 –> 00:21:52.750
Again, carrying the fundamentals of what should be in a get-home bag,

00:21:52.750 –> 00:21:57.430
the next clump of items that I carry, and I’ve tried to categorize these as

00:21:57.430 –> 00:22:02.070
best as I can for you just for ease of digestion and processing,

00:22:02.630 –> 00:22:06.090
is I carry lights and communication.

00:22:06.810 –> 00:22:12.490
What I carry in my GHB bag, again, is kind of redundant of what I already have

00:22:12.490 –> 00:22:17.710
on my purse and some of the time are in my car. Our other things are specific to the Get Home Bag.

00:22:17.970 –> 00:22:22.930
So things that are specific to the Get Home Bag is a hand-cranked weather radio.

00:22:23.510 –> 00:22:27.430
Mine happens to be a Red Cross, American Red Cross version.

00:22:27.650 –> 00:22:31.270
It’s got a hand crank on the side. You power it up that way,

00:22:31.270 –> 00:22:34.230
and then you can tune in and listen to local weather.

00:22:34.650 –> 00:22:41.510
Some of them have USB plugs so that you can connect USB electronics and turn

00:22:41.510 –> 00:22:43.370
the hand crank and charge those.

00:22:43.930 –> 00:22:50.850
I’m not 100% certain if the weather radio that I have, the hand-cranked radio that I have, has a USB.

00:22:51.270 –> 00:22:57.010
But I do carry a USB battery charger separate that I keep charged up.

00:22:57.050 –> 00:23:00.690
Again, like your first aid, your water and your food, your batteries.

00:23:00.890 –> 00:23:03.690
You want to keep anything that requires recharging.

00:23:03.930 –> 00:23:06.970
You want to keep an eye on that and make sure that it’s recharged.

00:23:06.970 –> 00:23:08.910
So that’s something that you want to get out.

00:23:09.010 –> 00:23:13.170
So I have a separate battery pack that I can plug my phone or whatever into.

00:23:13.370 –> 00:23:18.830
And it’s got enough of a charge to get my phone back up to full charge again if need be.

00:23:19.130 –> 00:23:22.570
You just want to make sure that that thing’s charged so that when your cell

00:23:22.570 –> 00:23:27.710
phone’s dead and you find yourself needing to charge it, that your backup charger’s not dead too.

00:23:28.551 –> 00:23:33.271
Additionally, I carry some signaling devices. I carry an emergency whistle,

00:23:33.451 –> 00:23:35.111
which is loud as all get out.

00:23:35.331 –> 00:23:41.011
I actually carry a signaling mirror, which reflecting light can be invaluable

00:23:41.011 –> 00:23:44.571
in getting someone’s attention, whether from ground or air.

00:23:44.791 –> 00:23:49.291
I carry a couple of glow sticks that I can pull out of their package and snap

00:23:49.291 –> 00:23:52.271
them in half, and they’ll glow for a number of hours.

00:23:52.351 –> 00:23:59.391
I can use those as lighting on my person. I can hold them in my hand and they’ll

00:23:59.391 –> 00:24:02.691
kind of sort of light the way for me if absolutely need be.

00:24:02.971 –> 00:24:10.331
Or I can drop them along the way and use them for ways of people finding the route that I’ve taken.

00:24:10.611 –> 00:24:13.091
So having light sticks is invaluable.

00:24:13.411 –> 00:24:18.691
I carry a flashlight, which means you also need to have the batteries fresh and up to date.

00:24:19.211 –> 00:24:24.571
It’s recommended that you don’t keep the batteries in the device because batteries over time,

00:24:24.571 –> 00:24:29.191
especially if you keep them in the trunk of your car have a tendency of deteriorating

00:24:29.191 –> 00:24:31.951
and corroding in the device you

00:24:31.951 –> 00:24:34.951
know in the in the flashlight or whatever you’re carrying them in which,

00:24:35.571 –> 00:24:40.891
renders that device useless so carry your battery separate but i do carry a

00:24:40.891 –> 00:24:47.591
flashlight and i actually carry a kind of like a hiking slash caving headlight

00:24:47.591 –> 00:24:50.031
headlamp as well just as an alternative.

00:24:50.971 –> 00:24:56.491
I think it’s a Petzl, which requires a couple of AAA batteries.

00:24:56.691 –> 00:24:59.931
So again, don’t store the batteries in the equipment.

00:25:00.451 –> 00:25:05.491
Store them separately, but just make sure that they’re fresh and usable,

00:25:05.491 –> 00:25:09.771
and you’ll want to check things in your bag about every 6 to 12 months,

00:25:09.771 –> 00:25:10.911
as I mentioned previously.

00:25:11.816 –> 00:25:15.856
The flashlight is a cheap flashlight that I keep in my bag.

00:25:16.076 –> 00:25:22.436
I didn’t go all out on it, but again, I generally have a flashlight on my person.

00:25:22.596 –> 00:25:27.396
I carry a Streamlight, which is a pretty darn decent flashlight.

00:25:27.536 –> 00:25:34.176
The one that I keep in my GHB is just a cheap Chinese version just to have available.

00:25:34.176 –> 00:25:38.476
Should I not have my normal flashlight available or as a backup or spare,

00:25:38.636 –> 00:25:43.396
and that’s always a good idea as well. Additionally, you may or may not decide this.

00:25:43.576 –> 00:25:45.476
Well, first of all, let me back up for a minute.

00:25:45.656 –> 00:25:47.896
So it’s a good idea to carry some sort of knife.

00:25:48.136 –> 00:25:52.376
Again, generally, I have one or two blades on me at any given time,

00:25:52.376 –> 00:25:57.216
but I am looking to carry an additional fixed blade in my get-home bag.

00:25:57.476 –> 00:26:03.336
I also carry a Gerber multi-tool, and Gerber makes some good multi-tools,

00:26:03.336 –> 00:26:06.236
as does Leatherman, so your choice there.

00:26:06.276 –> 00:26:10.016
In my get-home bag, it happens to be a Gerber currently.

00:26:10.456 –> 00:26:14.416
You may or may not decide for yourself to carry some sort of firearm.

00:26:14.936 –> 00:26:23.636
I do keep a firearm in my get-home bag because I may or may not have my primary carry firearm on me.

00:26:23.736 –> 00:26:30.096
Perhaps I’m coming from someplace that didn’t permit me to have my firearm on me.

00:26:30.396 –> 00:26:36.576
Case in point would be my place of business, my day job. I can’t carry a firearm there.

00:26:37.256 –> 00:26:41.816
So when I do get to the car, if I don’t have another firearm available,

00:26:41.816 –> 00:26:45.856
it’s important that I have one that I can get to.

00:26:46.016 –> 00:26:49.096
And so I keep one in my get-home bag at all times.

00:26:49.496 –> 00:26:53.396
I keep a couple of magazines full of ammo ready to go.

00:26:53.776 –> 00:26:59.696
And then I keep at least a partial box of additional ammo in my get-home bag as well.

00:27:00.555 –> 00:27:05.475
I carry, I have available in the trunk of my car a couple of different holsters.

00:27:05.795 –> 00:27:10.815
I carry an inside the waistband concealable holster in the trunk of my car,

00:27:10.935 –> 00:27:15.135
but in my get-home bag, it just so happens that I have a Blackhawk Serpa.

00:27:16.035 –> 00:27:23.715
Personally, I avoid wearing the Serpa holsters because the finger release kind

00:27:23.715 –> 00:27:25.595
of positions my index finger,

00:27:25.755 –> 00:27:29.975
where if I were to unholster that firearm in a rapid manner,

00:27:29.975 –> 00:27:33.215
it might align my finger with the trigger.

00:27:33.455 –> 00:27:38.815
And so I run the risk of potentially hitting the trigger unintentionally.

00:27:38.815 –> 00:27:41.435
So I would recommend a different holster altogether.

00:27:41.895 –> 00:27:47.155
My thought in carrying this particular one when I put it in there was, A, I had it.

00:27:47.495 –> 00:27:52.675
B, if it was wintertime, I’d be more likely to carry outside the waistband because

00:27:52.675 –> 00:27:56.875
while I want to remain concealed and not open carry.

00:27:57.875 –> 00:28:02.395
Having an outside the waistband holster underneath a jacket or something is

00:28:02.395 –> 00:28:07.055
a lot easier to get to than an inside the waistband in the wintertime.

00:28:07.415 –> 00:28:11.595
So I’m going to let you decide what holster you choose for yourself and which

00:28:11.595 –> 00:28:15.295
one you’ve trained with the most and you’re most comfortable with.

00:28:15.295 –> 00:28:21.775
But I carry both a Blackhawk Serpa in my bag, but I also have it inside the

00:28:21.775 –> 00:28:25.955
waistband crossbreed that I can grab for this particular firearm.

00:28:26.235 –> 00:28:30.795
The firearm that I have in my bag is not my primary,

00:28:30.995 –> 00:28:35.175
you know, like a lot of things, it’s not necessarily my primary or my go-to,

00:28:35.375 –> 00:28:39.115
but it’s just there because if I have to grab my get-home bag,

00:28:39.115 –> 00:28:41.275
I need the things that I need at that time.

00:28:41.275 –> 00:28:47.055
I carry a Ruger SR9C in my get-home bag, 9mm.

00:28:47.355 –> 00:28:52.935
Again, I carry a couple magazines full of ammo and then at least a partial box,

00:28:52.935 –> 00:28:56.395
if not a full box of ammo to support that.

00:28:56.955 –> 00:29:01.175
I carry a Mora knife fixed blade in there. They’re cheap.

00:29:01.415 –> 00:29:06.435
Mora knives are fantastic knives. You can pick them up for $15 to $30.

00:29:06.635 –> 00:29:12.535
You can spend more on them if you want. But if you want a reliable fixed blade

00:29:12.535 –> 00:29:15.275
knife, I can’t recommend the Mora knife.

00:29:15.515 –> 00:29:18.675
I think they’re a Swedish knife, if memory serves.

00:29:18.935 –> 00:29:23.995
You can’t find a better knife for the money out there, period, hands down.

00:29:24.255 –> 00:29:29.075
So that kind of carries my tools and weapons options.

00:29:29.355 –> 00:29:32.755
And again, you don’t have to do that. If you’re not comfortable carrying knives

00:29:32.755 –> 00:29:38.995
and firearms, that’s okay. I certainly recommend carrying some sort of knife

00:29:38.995 –> 00:29:42.635
in your get-home bag, but that’s entirely up to you.

00:29:42.855 –> 00:29:49.175
The last area of items that I carry in my get-home bag have to do what I just

00:29:49.175 –> 00:29:50.775
generally label as shelter.

00:29:51.616 –> 00:29:56.016
We talked about the emergency blankets in context of our trauma and first aid

00:29:56.016 –> 00:30:00.436
gear, but in this context, I also like to bring up the option of being able

00:30:00.436 –> 00:30:02.596
to carry a reflective bivy sack.

00:30:03.036 –> 00:30:08.876
It’s really like an emergency blanket, but in the shape of a mummy sleeping bag.

00:30:09.016 –> 00:30:14.876
And this gives you options, whether someone you’re with or come across needs

00:30:14.876 –> 00:30:18.676
to be kept warm because they’re in shock, or maybe it’s in the middle of the

00:30:18.676 –> 00:30:22.636
wintertime and they’ve been in a car wreck on the side of the highway or you

00:30:22.636 –> 00:30:23.956
find yourself stranded,

00:30:24.716 –> 00:30:31.256
these inexpensive metallic reflective bivy sacks really can come in handy.

00:30:31.796 –> 00:30:37.036
And while paracord serves a lot of different purposes, I kind of clumped it

00:30:37.036 –> 00:30:39.496
in with my shelter categorization.

00:30:39.536 –> 00:30:46.636
A good paracord has 500, 550 plus pounds of tensile strength to it.

00:30:46.756 –> 00:30:49.136
You can do a lot of things with paracord.

00:30:49.316 –> 00:30:54.136
In the context of shelter, you can run a line between two trees and drift your

00:30:54.136 –> 00:30:57.836
tarp over it and make a makeshift lean-to or tent.

00:30:58.196 –> 00:31:02.616
With that being said, I do have a tarp, an 8×10 tarp.

00:31:02.876 –> 00:31:06.196
In my get-home bag, it’s camouflage.

00:31:06.656 –> 00:31:11.036
The idea being if things in the world really got crazy and turned south.

00:31:12.060 –> 00:31:16.760
And I found myself having to get home, got stranded and needing to get home,

00:31:16.760 –> 00:31:21.600
and I was walking in between major thoroughfares and needing to spend the night

00:31:21.600 –> 00:31:26.980
in the woods, maybe I might want or need some camouflage to stay more low profile.

00:31:27.180 –> 00:31:31.140
Again, this is kind of the extreme of things, but it could happen, right?

00:31:31.260 –> 00:31:35.580
It’s all about being prepared, not being paranoid or being a prepper,

00:31:35.740 –> 00:31:39.840
but just having some things in consideration to help us be better prepared.

00:31:40.600 –> 00:31:43.800
So in this case, for my shelter, I chose camouflage.

00:31:45.200 –> 00:31:50.300
Additionally, I also have an army surplus rain poncho in my bag.

00:31:50.420 –> 00:31:56.680
Now, this one happens to be a Swiss poncho. I don’t know exactly how I wound up with a Swiss poncho.

00:31:56.960 –> 00:32:03.940
I think all of this stuff I bought off of Amazon, because everything today you can find off of Amazon.

00:32:03.940 –> 00:32:08.940
But this happens to be a Swiss poncho, and a poncho can come in handy.

00:32:08.940 –> 00:32:14.120
A, it can be used as what it’s intended for, which is a rain poncho to keep

00:32:14.120 –> 00:32:16.100
you dry when in inclement weather.

00:32:16.500 –> 00:32:21.060
If you didn’t have a tarp or if you need an additional type of tarp,

00:32:21.120 –> 00:32:24.520
you can use a poncho for shelter as well.

00:32:24.920 –> 00:32:31.020
And worst case scenario, maybe you need to cover your get-home bag.

00:32:31.020 –> 00:32:34.180
Maybe you need to cover your backpack as you wear it in the rain.

00:32:34.180 –> 00:32:38.900
Maybe when you bunker down for the night, you’re lashing your backpack to a

00:32:38.900 –> 00:32:43.680
tree to keep it up off the ground, and you want a means to cover it.

00:32:43.780 –> 00:32:49.460
A poncho or a tarp can serve multiple purposes when you’re looking for shelter.

00:32:49.920 –> 00:32:53.620
So these are the sorts of things. These are the things that I carry.

00:32:53.760 –> 00:32:58.480
And again, if you have an Instagram account, I highly recommend you following

00:32:58.480 –> 00:33:03.700
us there at the Self-Initiative Project. for the last three weekends we’ve.

00:33:04.255 –> 00:33:10.275
Posted pictures of the gear that we’ve talked about in this podcast of what I carry in my GHB.

00:33:10.515 –> 00:33:16.675
And again, this isn’t about becoming a far extreme prepper. You don’t have to do that.

00:33:16.835 –> 00:33:19.375
This is just about getting prepared,

00:33:19.635 –> 00:33:23.415
being prepared for things that could happen, even severe weather.

00:33:23.655 –> 00:33:29.215
And again, using the snowpocalypse that we had here in Atlanta those years ago

00:33:29.215 –> 00:33:34.235
is a prime example of a time that you may find yourself wanting or wishing you

00:33:34.235 –> 00:33:40.255
had a get-home bag because so many people were stranded roadside during that storm.

00:33:40.435 –> 00:33:45.095
So it’s not far-fetched to think that these sorts of things can come in handy.

00:33:45.235 –> 00:33:49.355
With that being said, there are a few additional items that I’d like to mention

00:33:49.355 –> 00:33:54.315
to you that I don’t carry directly in my GHB, but it might be a good idea for

00:33:54.315 –> 00:33:57.835
you to consider having on your person or available.

00:33:58.035 –> 00:34:01.355
And if you keep it in your get home bag, that’s fine too.

00:34:01.735 –> 00:34:05.915
The three items that I would mention to you is being handy that you might want

00:34:05.915 –> 00:34:09.355
to consider. One is cash. Cash is always good, right?

00:34:09.635 –> 00:34:13.815
And if things were to go south out there in an extreme situation.

00:34:14.315 –> 00:34:20.455
The banks might be down, credit cards may not work, Folks, individuals may not

00:34:20.455 –> 00:34:22.455
have a means of taking credit cards.

00:34:22.655 –> 00:34:27.195
Entities may not trust credit cards at the point in time, depending on what’s going on.

00:34:27.695 –> 00:34:33.355
Cash is always good. Quick purchases, working with individuals that wouldn’t

00:34:33.355 –> 00:34:36.155
otherwise have credit cards is a purchasing option.

00:34:36.395 –> 00:34:40.355
You can’t go wrong with having $100, $200 available.

00:34:40.755 –> 00:34:46.135
Another thing is a flask of liquor. Now, you may not drink, and that’s fine.

00:34:46.655 –> 00:34:52.475
You may not want to be drinking while trying to get home in 24 hours,

00:34:52.475 –> 00:34:54.655
but you never know when that comes handy.

00:34:54.915 –> 00:34:59.015
If it’s cold, it may warm you up on those cool nights.

00:34:59.555 –> 00:35:04.715
If you get injured, alcohol may be a means to sanitize a wound.

00:35:05.315 –> 00:35:09.335
Additionally, alcohol can be used as a social elixir.

00:35:09.475 –> 00:35:14.335
It is a social elixir, right? So maybe you need information for someone. Maybe you want to.

00:35:14.977 –> 00:35:19.977
Come off friendly and warm up to someone quickly. Offering them a sip of alcohol

00:35:19.977 –> 00:35:25.257
is potentially a really good way to make a friend when you need one.

00:35:25.677 –> 00:35:30.877
The third item that I could recommend you keeping in your get-home bag is a pack of smokes.

00:35:31.197 –> 00:35:33.977
Again, you may not smoke cigarettes, and that’s okay.

00:35:34.537 –> 00:35:37.657
But a friendly smoke, a bartering tool.

00:35:38.117 –> 00:35:41.437
Allowing someone to bum one off with you, a

00:35:41.437 –> 00:35:44.697
bum one off of you can make a friend really quick

00:35:44.697 –> 00:35:48.257
and get you information that you need or just ensure your

00:35:48.257 –> 00:35:51.237
safe passage you never know alcohol and cigarettes

00:35:51.237 –> 00:35:56.957
have a funny way of making friends and giving you a currency beyond cash or

00:35:56.957 –> 00:36:01.397
money to get you through things or get you information that you wouldn’t otherwise

00:36:01.397 –> 00:36:05.977
be able to secure to yourself for yourself so i would recommend those three

00:36:05.977 –> 00:36:09.497
additional things as considerations for your get-home bag.

00:36:09.737 –> 00:36:15.157
Again, weight is a little bit of a consideration, but with the water and whatever

00:36:15.157 –> 00:36:17.757
else, weight is going to be a factor.

00:36:17.957 –> 00:36:22.237
You just want to find a pack that enables you to carry all the gear you want

00:36:22.237 –> 00:36:27.317
to carry and somewhat comfortably to get you home. Again, this isn’t a long-term solution.

00:36:27.557 –> 00:36:33.237
This is meant as a 24-hour type of resource for yourself to get you back to

00:36:33.237 –> 00:36:38.877
your house where you can then grab other equipment or get your bug-out bag.

00:36:39.177 –> 00:36:45.097
Again, the bug-out bag is really just a 72-hour version of your get-home bag.

00:36:45.337 –> 00:36:52.077
So with that, I hope we’ve helped you think about having some more gear available

00:36:52.077 –> 00:36:56.117
to you, especially in your vehicles, because you never know the situations that

00:36:56.117 –> 00:37:00.257
could occur that would cause you to need to have a get-home bag.

00:37:00.637 –> 00:37:05.457
And we’ve given you some ideas of what you should have in that and how it could be used.

00:37:06.917 –> 00:37:11.897
We’d like to thank our listeners again for listening to the Self-Initiative Project podcast.

00:37:12.417 –> 00:37:16.577
Hopefully you’re able to take away a piece of information, something to make

00:37:16.577 –> 00:37:20.997
you change the way you’ve been doing things, or at very least something to make

00:37:20.997 –> 00:37:24.357
you think about something you necessarily haven’t thought about before.

00:37:24.357 –> 00:37:27.917
We hope you enjoyed this episode on building

00:37:27.917 –> 00:37:30.937
your get home bags and what to keep in them if you

00:37:30.937 –> 00:37:33.897
like what you hear please feel free to tell your friends

00:37:33.897 –> 00:37:37.557
and family we’d love to have them come and listen and hopefully they can take

00:37:37.557 –> 00:37:41.837
away a valuable piece of information too and if you like what you’re hearing

00:37:41.837 –> 00:37:46.277
please feel free to review and rate us out there on the interwebs and the sources

00:37:46.277 –> 00:37:51.437
where you listen to our podcast from and we’ll look forward to talking to you

00:37:51.437 –> 00:37:53.877
the next time. Thanks so much for tuning in.

00:37:54.480 –> 00:38:13.673
Music.