What to Pack in a Get Home Bag
The get home bag (GHB) isn't a bug out bag. It's a lighter, urban-focused kit built for one mission: get from wherever you are back to your home or family in an emergency.
A bug out bag is a 72-hour kit for leaving the area entirely — heavier, more gear, designed for multi-day survival away from home. A get home bag is a 24-hour kit designed for one scenario: you're at work, your car breaks down, or transit shuts down, and you need to walk home. Lighter, urban-specific, lives in your car or desk.
Most emergencies don't require bugging out. They require getting back to your family, your supplies, and your plan. That's a fundamentally different problem than wilderness survival — and it requires a different kit.
The typical scenario: you're at the office. Something happens — power outage, civil unrest, transit failure, earthquake. Your phone works but ride-share is down, roads are gridlocked, and you're 8 miles from home. Can you walk it? Do you have what you need?
Have pets at home? Your get-home plan needs to account for them. → Pet Disaster Preparedness
Planning for civil unrest specifically? The get-home bag is your first line — Civil Unrest Preparedness →
Weight matters in a GHB. You're walking through an urban environment, potentially in work clothes. Target 10–15 lbs maximum. Every ounce above that is a mile of regret.
The 15 Essentials
Compact Water Filter (Sawyer Mini or LifeStraw)
You may be on foot for 6–12 hours through an urban environment. Any water source — a stream, fountain, puddle — becomes drinkable. Weighs under 2 oz.
Shop on Amazon →High-Calorie Energy Bars (2–3)
Not a full meal kit — a 24-hour GHB doesn't need 72 hours of food. 2–3 bars at 250–400 calories each covers a full day of movement without the weight.
Shop on Amazon →Folding Map of Your City
Phones die. Cell networks go down. A paper map of your metro area + highlighted routes home from common locations (office, gym, common errands) is non-negotiable.
Shop on Amazon →Compact LED Flashlight + Extra Battery
Power outages, dark parking structures, building fires. A 500-lumen light in your bag weighs 2 oz and costs $8. No excuse to skip it.
Shop on Amazon →Cash ($50–100 in small bills)
Card readers go down. ATMs run out. Cash is the universal fallback. $50 in fives and tens handles a cab, a meal, water, or an emergency supply run.
Comfortable Walking Shoes (Keep in Car/Desk)
You cannot walk 8 miles in dress shoes or heels. A pair of worn-in sneakers stored at your office or car is the single most overlooked GHB item.
Shop on Amazon →Mini First Aid Kit
Blisters from miles of walking will stop you cold. Moleskin, bandages, antiseptic wipes, and 4 ibuprofen cover 95% of GHB medical scenarios.
Shop on Amazon →Emergency Rain Poncho
Weighs 2 oz, costs $2, and prevents hypothermia from wet clothes during a multi-hour walk. Pack it even if you never expect to use it.
Shop on Amazon →Dust/Smoke Mask (N95)
Building collapse, fire, chemical spill, civil unrest with tear gas. N95s fold flat, weigh nothing, and are the difference between breathing and not.
Shop on Amazon →Portable Phone Charger (10,000 mAh)
Your phone is your navigation, communication, and emergency information tool. Keep a 10,000 mAh battery in your bag. Charge it every month.
Shop on Amazon →Paracord (25–50ft)
Urban uses: tourniquet, window descent (last resort), securing a door, hanging gear to dry. 25ft weighs under 2 oz.
Shop on Amazon →Multi-Tool
Leatherman-style multi-tools cover glass breaking (car escape), wire cutting, screwdriving, and blade tasks. Pick one under 4 oz.
Shop on Amazon →Emergency Contact Card (Laminated)
Phone numbers of family members, out-of-state contact, meeting point, and critical medical info. Laminate it. Phones break; cards don't.
Shop on Amazon →Mylar Emergency Blanket
Reflects 90% of body heat. Doubles as a rain poncho, improvised shelter, or signaling device. Takes up the space of a deck of cards.
Shop on Amazon →BIC Lighter + Waterproof Matches
Redundant ignition. A lighter handles warmth, signaling, and sterilization. Waterproof matches back it up if the lighter fails in wet conditions.
Shop on Amazon →The N95 in your GHB filters fallout dust during transit — buying you critical time. But a nuclear event requires more: shelter-in-place protocol, potassium iodide dosing, and a full decontamination plan. Full nuclear prep guide →
Building the Kit: What to Skip
Common GHB mistakes that add weight without value:
- Full fire kit: You're in a city. You don't need tinder and a ferro rod. A lighter handles any urban scenario.
- 3-day food supply: You're going home, not surviving indefinitely. 2–3 bars is enough.
- Tactical gear: A plate carrier and chest rig belong nowhere near a daily carry bag. They attract attention and add 20 lbs.
- Duplicate tools: One multi-tool + one knife is redundant. Pick the multi-tool — it covers both.
Look up the walking distance from your office (or typical weekday location) to your home. Now ask: do you have everything in your bag to walk that distance safely in bad weather, in the dark, if your phone dies? That's the GHB test. Fill the gaps.
Get Home Bag Must-Haves
Compact, lightweight, and built for one mission — walking home through an urban emergency.
Build your full readiness checklist
ReadyFive covers all 7 preparedness categories — including everyday carry, water, food, and communications. See your full readiness gap in one place.
Open the Checklist →Free printable: the family emergency plan
you'll actually fill out.
One page. Covers emergency contacts, meeting points, utility shutoffs, medical info, and a 5-needs quick checklist. Print it, keep it in your go-bag.
✓ Check your inbox.
Plan is on its way. Explore the full ReadyFive checklist →
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