Get Home Bag Revisited

Red Teams
GORUCK, Medical, SERE, Survival, Tip, Urban

Almost 2 years ago we talked about the concept of the Get Home Bag (GHB). Like we mentioned then, the GHB is NOT a Bug-Out Bag (BOB). It is a simple and light bag that has the essentials to get home after an emergency.

A lot has happened since then and my GHB has adapted and has become lighter as I have acquired more knowledge and experience. As most of you know, I rely more on my brain than in gear, however some gear will always help, especially when the shit does hit the fan.

The current GHB is very light and modular. Everything is stored in pouches and ready to move. The reason I did this is because this way I can transfer the content of the GHB to any ruck or bag I want. In the picture above, it is stored on a GORUCK GR0 because I was using this ruck for a project, however for the past 6 months it has been inside a very slick and light GORUCK Bullet 10. I think it's the perfect ruck to move fast during an emergency.

GORUCK Bullet 10 - Image ©GORUCK.

An older picture of the GHB using a GORUCK Radio Ruck Field Pocket

The current iteration of the GHB has the following:

The reason the knife and chemlight are not stored inside a pouch is because in an emergency you might need them fast, so having a better access to them is crucial.

Inside the GORUCK Shadow Pocket, I have:

  • An ITS Tactical EDC Slimline Pouch with the SERE or last resort kit
  • A tactical pen that can serve as a last resort weapon or glass breaker
  • A SureFire E2B flashlight
  • Notebook to jot notes or make a plan... or leave a goodbye note
  • Tactical Paracord Bracelet
  • Law Industries mini SERE pouch with entry kit (lock picks, etc)

The reason I separated the SERE/Last Resort kit inside the Slimline pouch was also modularity. If I need to take only that, I just grab the small pouch and transfer it to where I need it, or in an emergency, if I need to dich everything, I just grab that and run.

It contains:

  • Law Industries ST6 Sere Kit plus entry kit
  • Lighter
  • Photon LED light, red
  • Compass
  • Bluetooth headset

First, the bluetooth headset. If you have ever been on a stressful situation where you need to manipulate things, you know that having the two hands free is crucial. If you are on the phone (police, 911, your family, whatever) and you need to fight your way through buildings, cars, people, etc, having the two hands free is a good thing. Hence the headset. Simple.
The lighter, photon light and compass are obvious and the SERE kit with extra entry kit is a good thing to have when you are on the run.

Overall, this version of the GHB is simpler, easier to transfer between rucks/bags, lightweight and I think more useful than the last one.

As always, think PACE: Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency.

Remember Rule 1: Always have an escape plan.

Red Teams Margarita

FIF