My Get Home Bag

[tennessee01tacoma]

Surprise! Early birthday for me, I'm still waiting on my La police gear order and I was showing my stepdad pictures of the bag I ordered and he pulls out a bag he has. A tan pack made by specialty defense systems and I'm checking it out and I'm loving it, then he pulls out another slightly bigger S.D.S bag in woodland camo. He says happy early birthday. From what info I can find online its their pursuit model. The bag is about 2600 cubic inches, hydration compatible with molle. I'll post up pictures later this week but unless the la gear bag is as nice as this one (which I highly doubt) I'll be using it as my GHB.

[Joseg]

I guess, I can say that I have yet to put a bag together, but I do have quite a few bags that I could use: (2) Condor tactical bag tan (3-day assault bag (not the greatest bag), medium modular assault bag (it's okay) ), LAPG ($30 special in black), Large Alice (was an infantryman, so I know it really well). Been reading a lot lately on BOBs or GHBs, but I'm currently focusing on the First Aid portion of it; for the apparel portion, you can wear the same clothes for a little bit (minus underwear, but then again, I was a grunt so that might become optional if SHTF, I would definitely pack clean socks and t-shirts). Also, lesson learned, pack light, freeze at night. You would need to tailor your bag to accommodate your local climate with a freeze degrees under and over the norm.  

 

One of the things I notice, everyone says water and food. You can go 72hrs w/o food, but you will need water. you can probably carrying 2 qts and then have water purification tablets or straw filters (some are inexpensive). Food, I'm not a fan of the MREs (ate a lot of them and it's not fun after 3 days on them), but they do have some things that can get you thru the day, that you could source elsewhere: oatmeal bars, pb&j, m&m's, trailmix, etc.  Those will provide you with enough sustenance for a few, but for something like the OP 35 miles, you will need food, so maybe something that you could just add water and go (Ramen is light and can be maybe pretty quick). Been looking at the camping add water meals, but reminds me too much of MREs.. 

 

Things that I have seen as common:

Space blankets

Knife (folder and/or non-folder)

compass - vital that you know how to use it

map and/or gps

550 cord (100 ft or less)

Multitool

Duct tape on a card or folded onto itself

flashlight (headlamp and handheld)

first aid kit - decent size one, not just bandaids

survival kit - fishing line, hooks, wire saw, etc.

fire starter - waterproof matches, cotton balls soaked in vaseline, magnesium firestarter, dryer lint

6'x8' tarp or a little larger - for shelter building, larger will provide more cover.

candles - in case you are in a closed environment (car) they can provide some heat and light as well

small camp stove or heat tabs (preferred)

well broken in footwear- I prefer jungle boots w/ sneaker inserts (wore like that in Panama for 2 years, last me 5 years before I had to resole them), check your weather

gloves - mechanix gloves work well, HarborFrieght has knock offs for cheap every now and then. nitrile gloves (get the thick ones), heavy duty leather gloves (welding gloves)

headgear - boonie hat with some of the brim cut (vietnam Lrrp style), ball cap (rip stop are the best)

sunglasses - not too dark and some cheap from wally world. 

tampon/feminine napkins

TP - toilet paper

Non-scent hand sanitizer

 

then add a few mags for your sidearm (you are carrying one right)

 

Still working on my list, but I think that it's a decent base to work from, most of the items can be found at Wally world, Harbor freight, and a few places online..

Edited April 4, 2013 by Joseg

[tennessee01tacoma]

So here's pictures of my new pack, its made by specialty defense systems, it's their pursuit model they are discontinued but you can still find them occasionally.  They are also sold under the brand protech brand.  From what information I can find it has a capacity of 2500 cubic inches.  The pack has 5 compartments, plus a sleeve for a hydration bladder.  The shoulder pads and "back pad" are made of some kind of formed mesh or at least that's the best I know to describe it.

 

 

The digital camo pouch is my I.F.A.K. (Improved First Aid Kit).

 

 

Here you can see the strap pad material and 2 of the compartments on the outside of the waist belt

 

 

 

 

This bag is very well built, I would compare it to a maxpedition backpack.

 

I have all of the same contents from my previous bag with the addition of a 2L bladder. 

 

 

List of contents

 

• Mechanix Covert Gloves
• Maglite XL100
• Bass Pro folding knife
• Camillus Sk Mountain Knife
• Ultralite Survivlal Kit  added a Boy scout firesteel and some razor blades.      
• Adventure Medical First Aid Kit 1.0 added Water Purification Tablets, razor blades, safety pins, stainless scissors, fingernail clippers, and small tube of Repel with deet.
• 4x32 Binoculars
• Old Garmin Gps
• My Level 1 GP Pouch
• Boonie Hat
• Fleece Helmet Liner
• 1 pair Goretex pants
• Pair of wool socks
• Energizer Headlamp
• Ziploc sandwich bag holding tp and mre napkins and bic lighter
• Spare magazine for my pistol plus 40 rounds in boxes
• Various lengths of 550 cord
• Duct tape and electrical tape wrapped around a credit card
• 12 medium zip ties.
• Adventure medical kits Survival blanket 60"x96"
• signal flare
• stainless water bottle
• Improved First Aid Kit (I.F.A.K.) containing tourniquet, compression bandage, gauze, surgical tape, and pharyngeal airway.

Edited April 5, 2013 by tennessee01tacoma

[Slappy]

Without the water, what is the weight of that TNTacoma?

[tennessee01tacoma]

Without the water, what is the weight of that TNTacoma?

Not sure yet, I'm curious myself.  I'll post it as soon as I know.  With the straps and adjustability of this bag the load feels really good I walked 2 miles with it Wednesday and it felt good.

Edited April 5, 2013 by tennessee01tacoma

[Slappy]

Not sure yet, I'm curious myself.  I'll post it as soon as I know.  With the straps and adjustability of this bag the load feels really good I walked 2 miles with it Wednesday and it felt good.

 

Yeah I'd be interested to know.  Thats good you walked a couple miles with it loaded down to get the pack adjusted right and make sure everything was ok.  I am in the process of assembling my own GHB and am a little anxious about the weight and how the pack will do.   I am a backpacker and do everything reasonable I can to save weight when it comes to my backpacking gear.  I have first hand accounts of the benefit of shedding even 1 pound out of your pack.  IMO, You could save a little weight if you wanted by only having 1 flashlight and 1 knife.  Also you can trim down your first aid kit (yeah, its tough to trim down a first aid kit! lol)   The best way to save weight is including multi use items such as a bandana.  You can use a bandana as a tourniquet, face mask, hat, pre-filter for water, fire tender...  You also have 5 ways to cut something...(2 knifes, razor blades, scissors and finger nail clippers)  you can trim (sorry for the bad pun) that up a bit and save some more weight.  It may not seem like much, but every ounce you save translates to less fatigue, better stability (safer from injury) and speed.  In a disaster situation, I think speed is probably the most important x-factor in staying safe.  There is no right or wrong way when it comes to these things so please don't take my philosophy as criticism or heck, even constructive critisim.  I think we can all learn from each other and figure out what works best for ourselves.  

 

For my backpacking setup, I look for a base pack weight for a weekend to be 12-15lbs.  I have a buddy whos pack is less than 11lbs! Thats crazy to a lot of folks and a whole lot to type out and explain!  But its also easier to save weight because I am always backpacking with friends, so I can carry a little less because we use each others gear.  Oh and because its not like our life depends on it. haha

 

Once I get my GHB together I will post it on here and see what it weighs.  Probably be a couple weeks though.  

Edited April 6, 2013 by Slappy

[Joseg]

Old Infantryman mantra, carry less, freeze at night. Minimalist does play into effect as you state, but there's some things that cannot be sacrificed.

 

What needs to be looked at is the distance to travel on foot:

0-10 miles not that bad

11-20 miles a little harder

20+ miles a plan need to in place because unless you're a stud, it's going to be a few long hours.

[Erik88]

That bag looks great. My GF got me a Kelty Coyote 80 today for my birthday. I'm pulling ideas from this thread to use for my BOB.

[tennessee01tacoma]

That bag looks great. My GF got me a Kelty Coyote 80 today for my birthday. I'm pulling ideas from this thread to use for my BOB.

To be honest Im probably not the best to model your bag after, unless you wanna overpack :). But I do think I'm on the right track, just need to trim some of the fluff, figure out whats required, minimally required but have some back ups. I don't believe in a minimalist ghb, but I would't be afraid to deposit some crap along the way to expedite my journey.

[tennessee01tacoma]

Yeah I'd be interested to know. Thats good you walked a couple miles with it loaded down to get the pack adjusted right and make sure everything was ok. I am in the process of assembling my own GHB and am a little anxious about the weight and how the pack will do. I am a backpacker and do everything reasonable I can to save weight when it comes to my backpacking gear. I have first hand accounts of the benefit of shedding even 1 pound out of your pack. IMO, You could save a little weight if you wanted by only having 1 flashlight and 1 knife. Also you can trim down your first aid kit (yeah, its tough to trim down a first aid kit! lol) The best way to save weight is including multi use items such as a bandana. You can use a bandana as a tourniquet, face mask, hat, pre-filter for water, fire tender... You also have 5 ways to cut something...(2 knifes, razor blades, scissors and finger nail clippers) you can trim (sorry for the bad pun) that up a bit and save some more weight. It may not seem like much, but every ounce you save translates to less fatigue, better stability (safer from injury) and speed. In a disaster situation, I think speed is probably the most important x-factor in staying safe. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to these things so please don't take my philosophy as criticism or heck, even constructive critisim. I think we can all learn from each other and figure out what works best for ourselves.

For my backpacking setup, I look for a base pack weight for a weekend to be 12-15lbs. I have a buddy whos pack is less than 11lbs! Thats crazy to a lot of folks and a whole lot to type out and explain! But its also easier to save weight because I am always backpacking with friends, so I can carry a little less because we use each others gear. Oh and because its not like our life depends on it. haha

Once I get my GHB together I will post it on here and see what it weighs. Probably be a couple weeks though.

I see your point about the knives, I would like to incorporate multi-use items, like a good poncho that doubles as a shelter then I could leave out the goretex pants and one survival blanket.

What's the best way to weigh a pack like that? I was thinking fish scales I have some that go to like 50lbs. I'm also thinking about weighing the bag empty and then recording weight for each item I add.so.I.can get a breakdown of what everything weighs.

I'm thinking with food and water I would like for my pack to be between 25 and 30 lbs. I agree that being speedy in my trip would probably be my best bet, but at best I'm looking at 35 miles on foot so speed is gonna be hard to do.

[Slappy]

I am turkey hunting in the woods right now so I will give you a more detailed response tonight. But, probably the easiest way to measure you pack weight would be to weigh yourself with and without the pack on. The difference between the 2 numbers is how much your pack weighs. At a 35 mile walk, I can see why you would want more stuff and also why you could also benefit from it trimed it down. Haha. There is just no "right" answer.

[tennessee01tacoma]

I had thought of that but I was wanting more detail like weight as I add stuff.

[Slappy]

I had thought of that but I was wanting more detail like weight as I add stuff.

The ultralight backpackers use a food scale. For your larger items, get a box, weigh the box, then put your item in the box on the scale and subtract the difference. Weigh all your contents and put them into an excel spreadsheet to keep track of everything. Unless you just want to, you really dont have to go through all that to try and trim weight. But if you can trim weight without sacrificing must haves (must haves are different for everyone) then you should do it. It is amazing the difference in how you feel after 10+miles with a pack thats lighter.

I really dont know what my pack is going to weigh. I still need to buy the pack itself. You can save a anywhere from 1-2 pounds of weight just by selecting the right pack. The lighter you go, you sacrifice durability and support...but if you pack light, you dont need the support. So everything is a trade off. Cost is my biggest issue right now, so I probably wont be too anal about selecting the "perfect" pack. Edited April 7, 2013 by Slappy

[Slappy]

Ok, so I purchased a pack.  I got a Maxpedition Falcon II.  It weighs 2.3lbs, which too bad considering the durability.  To put things in perspective on pack weight though.  The Falcon carries about 1520 cubic inches.  My backpacking pack holds a little over 2,100 cubic inches and weighs just under 2lbs.  My buddy has a pack that carries about 1500 and weighs 14oz.  Its basically a trashback with straps haha.  

[jcj]

Ok, so I purchased a pack.  I got a Maxpedition Falcon II.  It weighs 2.3lbs, which too bad considering the durability.  To put things in perspective on pack weight though.  The Falcon carries about 1520 cubic inches.  My backpacking pack holds a little over 2,100 cubic inches and weighs just under 2lbs.  My buddy has a pack that carries about 1500 and weighs 14oz.  Its basically a trashback with straps haha.  

I've got the same pack. It's made several day hikes. Excellent pack.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[Slappy]

Awesome! I am excited about it. I got it for $105 shipped so I think I got a decent deal also. I am buying this for my get home bag, but hate to think a nice pack like that will likely sit unused in the trunk of my car forever. So I'm thinking I might find a cheaper bag for that purpose and find a way to utilize this bag a little more. A good problem to have IMO.

[jcj]

No doubt. You can use and abuse that Maxpedition bag all you want and it'll still be as good as new. I was amazed at how truly bomb-proof they're built.

[tennessee01tacoma]

K so I "weighed" my self today with and without my pack, on my Wii fit. 17 pounds without any water or food. I plan on carrying 3 liters of water, so that's 6 pounds and then probably 3-4 pounds of food, if that's realistic then my pack would weigh 27lbs.

[Slappy]

17lbs is pretty good. . You can probably get it a little lower without having to make many sacrifices. Do you have a water source along your route? You can trim down to 1 liter of water. I carry 2 liters when I backpack (I could carry 1 but carrying an extra liter is just a personal decision I decide I want to do)
Again, the best way to reduce weight without buying new equipment is to reduce redundancy (1 knife instead of 2) and to include multi use items (like instead of a camp pillow for me when I hike, I just use a wadded up shirt)
The benefit is you will be able to move faster, more stable and with less pain. Which makes for an enjoyable hike or in a disaster scenrio could mean you out survive the people who carry hatchets and D-cell maglights. My personal opinion is speed is the biggest x-factor. I don't think there is one piece of gear you can carry that would make up for a lack of speed.

Your pack is a living breathing pack though. You will carry different things in the winter versus the summer. You will find there are things you don't use and you can adjust accordingly. You are doing a good job though!! Ill try to post my setup when it all comes in and you can help me reason through my pack as well! :-)

Oh, one thing I would add to your pack is a couple N95 face masks with the plastic valve that let's you exhale faster. It weighs nothing but could be a huge benefit in the event of an outbreak or dusty atmosphere (like 9/11). Edited April 10, 2013 by Slappy

[tennessee01tacoma]

17lbs is pretty good. . You can probably get it a little lower without having to make many sacrifices. Do you have a water source along your route? You can trim down to 1 liter of water. I carry 2 liters when I backpack (I could carry 1 but carrying an extra liter is just a personal decision I decide I want to do)
Again, the best way to reduce weight without buying new equipment is to reduce redundancy (1 knife instead of 2) and to include multi use items (like instead of a camp pillow for me when I hike, I just use a wadded up shirt)
The benefit is you will be able to move faster, more stable and with less pain. Which makes for an enjoyable hike or in a disaster scenrio could mean you out survive the people who carry hatchets and D-cell maglights. My personal opinion is speed is the biggest x-factor. I don't think there is one piece of gear you can carry that would make up for a lack of speed.

Your pack is a living breathing pack though. You will carry different things in the winter versus the summer. You will find there are things you don't use and you can adjust accordingly. You are doing a good job though!! Ill try to post my setup when it all comes in and you can help me reason through my pack as well! :-)

Oh, one thing I would add to your pack is a couple N95 face masks with the plastic valve that let's you exhale faster. It weighs nothing but could be a huge benefit in the event of an outbreak or dusty atmosphere (like 9/11).

 

My goal for today is to trim a some weight from my pack, I think I can get it down to 15 lbs without sacrificing much if any.  I am on the lookout for a military issue poncho, one that doubles as a shelter.  I'm gonna lay out everything in groups (fire starting, knives, clothing shelter, etc.) so that I can eliminate excessive redundancy.

[Slappy]

That sounds like a good plan! Before you buy the poncho, check the weight. It may be less weight to have an emergency poncho and an emergency blanket.

[tennessee01tacoma]

That sounds like a good plan! Before you buy the poncho, check the weight. It may be less weight to have an emergency poncho and an emergency blanket.

If you were a little closer I would say let's get together, if your ever in the Knoxville area shoot me a message and possibly meet up

[Slappy]

Man I wish I was! The farthest east I get is Nashville and that's a rare occasion. That would be awesome though. East TN is so much prettier than West TN. Lots of great hiking trials too.

[tennessee01tacoma]

Ok so I'm looking to buy a bladder for my pack, so far I've looked at platypus, camelback and greigrig.
I am also thinking about buying a filter either one thats inline of my bladder or should I buy a separate pump filter.

[Slappy]

Ok so I'm looking to buy a bladder for my pack, so far I've looked at platypus, camelback and greigrig.
I am also thinking about buying a filter either one thats inline of my bladder or should I buy a separate pump filter.

 

I would get a separate filter because I personally wouldnt want dirty water sitting in my nice bladder and it will be more versatile.  For instance, you may not want to take you bladder with you but you do want to take the filter.  I use a Sawyer Squeeze filter and I really like it.  It has a lifetime guarantee and it weighs just ounces!  The problem is the bags are not durable and will wear out.  So buy extra and keep away from fire embers (ask me how I know :squint: ) But, you can also attach it to ANY bottle with a screwtop and bypass the bag all together.   

Edited April 11, 2013 by Slappy