Travel bag recommendations

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Hi , I recently read the book " going home" and it had me thinking. I have an hour plus commute daily and would like to have a good bag with me to get me home in a shtf scenario. I imagine I may be on foot so it has to be something that would be backpack able . Also any suggestions on what might be smart to carry along. Like a good light weight water filter system . Thank you in advance for any suggestions. Also if you have not read the book it was a pretty decent read. Not quite " lights out" but I enjoyed it a lot ..thanks Jason
 
Man, these are always so difficult to answer, since there is no "one bag fits all"--it's highly personal I think to find a "BOB\GHB" that is right for you. That said, here's what I do\use--YMMV. Like you, I have a 1+ hour commute and I rock a high tech office job. I keep a BOB in my desk, one in my vehicle, and I have an EDC bag. Maybe it's overkill, but it's what works for me and my piece of mind. If I have access to any of them in a bad situation, I will likely have at least enough to get me out of harms way with some comfort. My EDC is a Maxpedition Operator attache. It hauls my laptop, power supply, an IFAK, a fire kit, pepper spray, a gallon sized ziploc bag, 6 quart sized, 10ft of 100mph tape, 6 Cliff Bars, 2 packages of beef jerky, a SS qt. water bottle, and flashlight. At my desk, I keep a company issued OGIO backpack\laptop bag. It's decent and inconsicuous. In there I keep one full change of clothes including 3 pair of socks and underwear, a fleece jacket, a fixed blade, an extra folder, plus dupes of my EDC less the water bottle and laptop. The vehicle bag is most comprehensive--a Maxpedition VutureII with dupes of the previous bags, plus a slightly larger trauma kit, communications, batteries, etc. And I always keep at least 2 gallons of water in my ride. Hope this helps a little bit.

Best of luck!
 
Randy , that's was an incredible answer!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer so comprehensively. I am going to look into all those options. Thanks again ....Jason
 
As Randy said, there are plenty of lists out there, but you need to build a bag to your specific needs. I used to rely on the trunk of my car for my "get home" supplies, but now I've got to carry everything in an EDC bag, so it needs to be lighter and more mobile. Your needs will vary.

The most important part of the bag is a PLAN. If something goes wrong, know what to do and how to go about doing it. Speaking from someone who was a block away from the blasts this morning, you don't want to be figuring things out when SHTF. You want to know what the Plan is and how to execute it. And then have a backup plan, if that doesn't work out. I think this is 100x more important than having stuff in a bag (especially in the city & suburbs, where resources can be plentiful).

That being said, this is my EDC/Get Home Bag:

***

On my person I always carry my wallet, cell phone, folding knife, key chain with OC and my CCW.

I wear a practical pair of shoes to work (running shoes during the summer, boots during the winter) and keep my dress shoes at my office.

My bag is a Burton DJ Bag. I’ve gone through a lot of bags, and so far this one has been the best balance of utility and professionalism. Its heavy duty nylon construction is very durable, it has surprisingly good capacity, it can be worn as either a shoulder bag or backpack, and it’s very discrete.

In the bag I carry:

My lunch, generally leftovers from the night before (it amazes me how many people waste $10+ to buy their lunches out every afternoon).

About 1000-2000 calories of extra snacks (mix of Cliff bars, trail mix, gum, whey protein powder, vitamins, etc).

Britta water bottle with built-in filter. I know it’s not the best filter, but it’s practical for my purposes.

Change of clothes, seasonally appropriate (i.e. gym clothes). In the winter I’ll carry an extra base layer, hat, gloves & a few of those pocket hand warmers. In the summer, a bandana, ball cap and a small folded up rain coat.

Small toiletry kit with toothbrush & tooth paste, mouth wash, deodorant, baby wipes, etc and a camping towel. That towel is probably the second most used often item in the entire bag.

Emergency credit card (low limit), $200 cash (small bills), roll of quarters.

Emergency cell phone, cell phone charger with USB, car and wall plugs. It costs me $5/month to keep a spare flip phone activated on my plan, and it comes in handy quite often. I also carry an external battery which will charge my cell phone, GPS or other USB devices. This is the most used item in the bag.

Pocket tool (Leatherman), LED headlamp (much more useful than a flashlight), spare batteries.

Lightweight first aid kit (designed for backpacking) with a couple additions (Quik Clot, spare contacts, nail clippers, etc). Travel sized sun screen, bug spray, hand sanitizer.

Sunglasses, headphones, ear plugs, spare pair of eye glasses.

Spare magazine for my CCW.

Small notebook, pencil, pen, sharpie, length of duct tape wrapped around the Sharpie, compass, paracord, contractor trash bags and various small "survival" bits.

Waterproof map of the city, train schedules, location and phone numbers of hospitals, police & fire stations, rental car agencies, bicycle shops and bike rental stands, addresses and phone numbers of friends who live in the city and other key information. Basically anything I would normally rely on the internet, if cell phone service went down.

-Encrypted flash drive with scans of all my important documents - birth & marriage certificates, social security cards, medical records, financial records, insurance information, estate planning info, etc, etc. If I have to evacuate and can't get home, it contains everything I'd need to start over.

-Finally, I have a reflective vest with LED lights on it - you never know when you might be hiking home in the dark and need to stay visible.

***

In general, try to visualize the situation, and walk yourself through everything you would do, and what you might need. If possible, give yourself a trial run - take a half a day off and hike home one Tuesday afternoon using nothing but your bag. This will help identify things you might need (like snacks and water) and things that are probably a waste of weight and space (bulky survival/camping gear).

Also be mindful that if you can't get home, or if your home is in an affected area, you may very well end up spending the night (or longer) in some sort of Red Cross or FEMA shelter. If you do, what would you want to have with you?
 
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Little update. I ordered a 5.11 covrt 18 as my vehicle get home bag. I am currently scavenging the items I will need it make it home the 60 miles ( although that is by vehicle) I would love to take a good map and compass course to ensure I can make it home , off the beaten path. I am also saving for a maxpedition vulture 2 to make a redundant b.o.b this way my wife can always carry the 5.11 and ill carry the heavier bag, but if things get to that I am screwed in my current state of preparedness. I am trying to gain more knowledge and do a little bit each week to get to my goal of being self sufficient if necessary. I am finding it can be quite costly . Thanks for the help. Ill try to add some pics of the 5.11 loaded up when it comes in.
 
Good for you for taking the reigns. Just remember, it's easy to get overwhelmed and get stuck focusing on the $$ and on 'stuff'--you can absolutely prep on a budget and still do it right. My 16yo suffers from what we affectionately call "gear-whoredom" [smile] It's not about 'stuff' its about 'stuff' which will help you when you need it. If you haven't listened to Jack Spirko, I highly recommend you do. He basically saved me from going all Alex Jones on my family! Here are some links to stuff you may find useful. I know I did [smile]

Episod-1056- Part 1 of Zero to Prepared | The Survival Podcast
Zero to Prepared - Fast, Simple and Low Cost- Part 2 | The Survival Podcast
Every Day Carry and Beyound | The Survival Podcast
Power Point Deck from My Bug Out Bag Presentation | The Survival Podcast

All the best

Randy
 
Light food items. Trailmix, Balance Bars, etc. I always have a few bottles of H2O with some purification tablets.

Extra pair of hat/gloves and sleeping bag for cold weather, extra socks.

Small 1st aid is always good thing as well. I have a small surgical kit as well. Flashlight, batteries, survival knife, rope/twine, roll of duct tape, pacho.

A lot of this stuff can fit in a small backpack.
 
I like this guy's setup: Maine Prepper's GHB

It's a $30 tactical man-purse...not something to carry everywhere...

It's good to go for ~1-2 days max, in good weather. More for gettin' by than extended deep woods survival.

Holds a lot...I have room for more, but here's what I have so far
- Altoids survival tin (I liked this guy's version, but mine is more geared towards Eastern MA),
- full water bottle
- 1 MRE
- 2 Cliff Bars
- roll of lifesavers
- pocket atlas & nice compass
- sharpie
- Leatherman & Swiss Army Knife
- goofy rescue whistle (w/ mirror, magnifier, LED)
- neck knife
- bigass survival knife
- Four 7s light (burns like 1000 suns)
- magnesium tinder, BIC lighter & bagged paper matchbook
- latex gloves
- tacticool gloves & wooly skullcap
- coarse cloth bag w/ handles
- SAS Survival Guide (casual reading)
- pocket guide to edible flora of New England
- velcro universal holster (for CCW & 2 mags)
- 3 types medical tape, various gauze, Quik-clot, 4" Israeli bandage
- various bandaids
- nuskin
- neosporin
- SPF 50
- bar of hotel soap
- kleenex travel size
- baby wipes travel size
- toothbrush & toothpaste
- dental floss
- 25' paracord
- some duct tape

Things to add but tucked away:
- candle(s)
- thermal blanket
- needle/thread/safety pins
- a couple nips of vodka
- 2 rounds of ammo in clips
- extra mags for CCW
- suture kit
- betadine
- lifestraw
- iodine pills
- gum
 
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