I first want to advise, the words that follow are the opinion of “Admin” and not of Bear Flag Trading Co. or it’s advertisers. Any bag, kit or collection of items for survival or medical purposes is personal. What works for one may not for others. Please keep an open mind and put thought into the items you choose! You may just need them one day.

Towards the end of this article I have a placed a video showing the items I carry in my Get Home BagA bag a essential items to aid in your travels home.. This video is in response to RhinoDoc’s EDC Video on our YouTube Channel.

I live in a suburban area and the following factors help to determine the contents of my bag. First off me. I am a middle aged male. I have experience and knowledge in Scouting, U.S.M.C., Firearms, CPR & First Aid, MCIMass Casualty Incidents, Disaster management, Response, MitigationMitigate, To lessen in force or intensity & Recovery, Physical Security & Executive Protection.

This fore mentioned statement is one often overlooked when it comes to Survival and Preparedness and is an important one. My past will help dictate and determine my actions in the future. Will I hesitate to pull the trigger? NO. Will I triageThe process of determining the priority of patients treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. appropriately or waste valuable time and supplies on one who will die regardless? I will TriageThe process of determining the priority of patients treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. appropriately. I am more likely to recognize and remove hazards providing additional safety or a better tactical advantage. My mind is the most valuable asset I have. Yours should be as well. Get training, gain experience and better yourself. I still do. One gets rusty, so practice, drill and continue training, always.

On to my get home bagA bag a essential items to aid in your travels home.. I will break this down into thought processes. This may guide you as it guided me. I use this process in all my preps.

What disasters should I prepare for? This is a waste of time in my opinion. Prepare for them all! Yes, I am more likely to be effected by an earthquake or economic collapse for that matter than I am a hurricane. But prepping for complete off the grid living due to any issue will make your efforts well rounded. Take for example a flood. I am not required to have flood insurance where I live. However, there are 34 Dams in Orange County, CA. and a few will impact me. Dams upstream out of my county will also impact me. So preparing for the repercussions of a failure would be wise.

Let’s get started. I spend on average 10.5 hours a day, 5 day’s a week away from home at or on my commute to or from work and play. I live approx. 22 miles from work with an average drive time of 1 hour each way. This brings us to my first prepTo Prepare or a survival skill or piece item added to ones preparations., Getting Home.

Vehicle

I do my absolute best to ensure my vehicle is maintained. Religious oil changes, tune-ups and fluids checked and topped off. You get the picture. When it comes to fuel, I have established the rule of “1/2 is emptyOne is none, Two is one. 1/2 is empty! (ex. I fill my fuel tank when I reach half)”. You will rarely find me, especially in this suburban environment with less than half a tank of gas. On my 22 mile drive, I cross several underpasses and overpasses, four freeway interchanges and four rivers, one of them twice. I travel threw industrial areas with chemical plants, refineries, an Army Air Station, a Naval Weapons Station and an airport. Any of these can gridlock traffic. I do drive a 4X4 so making a right turn and getting threw a fence to forge my own trail is an option.

I also ensure my spare tire is properly inflated, the lugs free of rust and the necessary tools are serviceable. In addition I carry a can of “Fix a Flat”, a few basic tools and jumper cables.

So with the vehicle covers,  lets say I have to abandon it and head out on foot. What now?

On Foot

I always have a decent pair of boots or hiking shoes on my feet when I am at work. A change of socks would be nice. I took an extra pair of socks, underwear and shirt and placed them in a vacuumed sealed bag for water proofing and compression. I always have a set of rain gear in the vehicle so this can come with me if deemed necessary. If I am leaving home wearing improper footwear, I bring boots.

Now that I have walked away from the vehicle, I grab my “Get Home BagA bag a essential items to aid in your travels home.” and my “Unit One” medical bag.

Medical

I keep the Unit One as a separate bag so if I stop to render aid it is all I need. I keep a smaller overstocked GSWGun Shot Wound kit in my Get Home BagA bag a essential items to aid in your travels home. so the Unit One can be abandoned to lighten my load if needed. I will discuss the contents of my GSWGun Shot Wound kit later. The Unit one has been covered by RhinoDoc so I will not get into it here.

Get Home BagA bag a essential items to aid in your travels home.

I just graduated from a Voodoo Tactical Level 3 assault pack into a Matrix. This bag is durable and a bit larger than I need but it affords additional storage space if needed on the fly, i.e. foraging or liberating items found along the way home. I went with the Coyote Brown. This solid color earth tone provides a bit of camouflage with out screaming militant.

Hydration

I carry an empty 2 quart water bladder in the pack’s hydration pouch. I also carry two different filters by Aquamira. The first fits onto the drinking tube of my bladder that will filter up to 50 gallons of water. This allows me to fill the bladder with non-potable water and drink if necessary. If a safe water source is available I can remove the filter and drink normally threw the tube. The second is Frontier Emergency Water Filter. This filter is used a straw and will will filter up to 20 gallons of water. I also carry iodine tablets as a back up.

I can filter 70 gallons of water with this kit. I am gauging that even in the summer 1.5 gallons would be enough to survive on my journey home.

Food

A 3600 calorie bar is the only sustenance I carry. I do not plan on needing any additional calories for the 22 mile hike. I do stock means of catching small animals if need be. The majority of these items serve dual purposes, i.e. para-cord.

Communications

Besides my cell phone, I carry a Yaesu VX-7R HAMAmateur Radio Operator, or Amateur Radio Radio. I will be able to use this to communicate with those in my circle in case of an emergency. Like my fuel tank I never let the batteries get below 50%. While on foot I carry a solar panel and charger just in case. It isn’t the most effective means of charging, however it is better than nothing and I have the necessary cables and adapters to charge both electronic items.

Medical

My GSWGun Shot Wound Kit  includes the following items; (see all the items in the video)

QuikClot ACS & Combat Gauze
4×4′s
Pressure Bandages
Roller Gauze
Tourniquet
Gloves and CPR Mask

I also carry a basic Surgical Kit with the necessary items to perform minor surgery.

As far as medical knowledge, I instruct CPR, First Aid, for Professional Rescuers. I was an EMT, I can suture and am comfortable with the thought of performing minor surgery. I can not count the times I have performed CPR, responded to MCIMass Casualty Incidents’s, to include weeks of work in the Gulf Coast for Hurricanes Katrina & Rita.

Miscellaneous Survival Items

I also have packed a fixed blade and a folding blade knife. Moist towelettes, a couple of Chem Lights, some fishing line, 550 cord, and several other items.

Defense

Living in California I am extremely deprived of my inalienable rightsConsidered to be self-evident and universal. They are not contingent upon the laws, customs, or beliefs of any particular culture or government. The Right of "Self Defense" of defense and my constitutional right to bear arms. I OCOpen Carry (OC) refers to the act of carrying a firearm in plain sight. when I can, if unable I abide by the states law and carry in a locked container. This container is my Get Home BagA bag a essential items to aid in your travels home.. I carry a .45 caliber M1911, 3 magazines and full box of ammo. I also have a Black Hawk Serpa holster, with the Paddle Back attached and a two magazine pouch.