Get Home Bag List | 43 GHB Essentials

Get home bag contents spread out and organized on concrete floor.

This is a survival-focused get home bag list with an accompanying guide and PDF checklist.

BY SEAN GOLD, UPDATED:

October 23, 2025

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You’re miles away from home when disaster strikes. With most of your emergency supplies waiting at home, how do you ensure you safely get back? Enter the get home bag (GHB)—a survivalist’s best friend for precisely these scenarios.

On average, people find themselves away from home 38% of the time due to work, travel, or errands. Disasters, indifferent to timing, won’t pause for you. My experience during an unexpected ice storm, stranded with only my GHB, underscored its value—not just for emergencies but as a daily resource.

This guide is designed to equip you with knowledge and a detailed checklist, ensuring you’re prepared to face any situation head-on, whether a dire emergency or a minor inconvenience.

Contents (Jump to a Section)

What is a Get Home Bag?

A get home bag is a bug out bag variant that is designed to do the opposite. Instead of evacuating your home for a bug out location, the get home bag is designed to get you back to your home and supplies.

On average, people spend 38% of their time awake away from their homes. Disaster can strike at any moment, so you don’t want to be unprepared 38% of the time!

When you are developing your emergency plan and find that you often spend time away from home, that is when you may want to determine your need for a get home bag.

Sean passing through a gate to get home with a Get Home Bag on his back and raincoat on. — Get home no matter what with a list designed to make it happen. (*Credit: TruePrepper Team)*

Get Home Bag Essentials

This list starts with the bare essentials. Grabbing the supplies listed will give you the resources to tackle emergencies, disasters, or just everyday life without notice.

After we go through the essentials, we’ll show you two more lists: the additional gear we suggest, and the gear you should consider for specific situations.

Get Home Bag

To keep the kit together, you’ll need a bag, tote, or backpack. I like the 18-30 liter backpacks to fit the essentials, but you may opt for a larger bag if you typically have further to go to get home. In the pictures above, I use a discrete tactical bag rather than a traditional survival backpack to better blend into my surroundings.

Backpack: 5.11 COVRT24 Backpack [Top pick from our best gray man backpack review] – Discrete backpacks work well in this application since they can go to many places unnoticed, whether it’s the workplace or heavily populated areas. I’ve been using the 5.11 covert-style backpacks for years, and they continuously improve with each iteration.

Are you unfamiliar with the gray man concept? Our Gray Man Guide can help you blend in, which is typically important for a Get Home Bag setup.

Water

One of the most critical parts of your bag deals with collecting and purifying water. At 8.3 pounds per gallon, water is too heavy to lug around in large amounts. A few gallons will put you into heavy backpacking territory and slow you down considerably.

Unfortunately, we need a lot of water to stay alive. This bag tackles the issue with stainless steel water bottles that are one liter or larger to make purification a breeze. Most tablets are pre-measured to treat a liter of water, so I’ve learned over the years that you can get the best versatility by targeting non-insulated steel bottles in the sweet spot of around 34 ounces.

Steel Water Bottle: Vargo Para-Bottle Stainless 32oz [Top pick from our survival water bottle review] – This bottle takes some knocks and will let you boil, tablet treat, and tote a good amount of water.
Purification Tablets: Katadyn Micropur MP1 [Portable pick from our water purification tablet review] – Lightweight and easy to stuff in any kit, the Katadyn tablets don’t have a bad taste and get the job done.
Water Filter: Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System [Portable pick from the best survival water filter review] – The Sawyer vs. Lifestraw debate is legit, but the Sawyer Mini fits in my ‘water pouch’ just fine and is simply more versatile.

Katadyn purification tablets and Sawyer mini sitting on MOLLE pouch next to steel bottle. — Lightweight tablets, a small, versatile filter, with a steel bottle for boiling give me plenty of purification options. *(Credit: Sean Gold)*

Food

Next in our line of needs that the bag addresses is food. Because the point of a get home bag is to get home, we’re using up calories to accomplish our goal.

Like many other survival kits and emergency food storage, we need plenty of calories to sustain us. Unlike other emergency food, we also want our food to be fast and easy. Prepackaged food really shines in streamlined mobile kits like our bag, since we can either eat while we’re moving or eat quickly in short rests.

None of the food we consider essential needs to be cooked from an external fire or stove (assuming your MREs have heaters), and it will help get you home as fast as humanly possible.

Meals, Ready to Eat (MRE): US Military MRE [Top pick from our MRE review] – If getting home is just another tactical operation, pack a few of your favorite meals. I skip the veggie omelet and keep the beef stew in my bag.
Ration Bars: Millennium Bars [Top pick from our emergency food bar review] – Plenty of energy and calories to keep you moving in a convenient grab-and-go packaging. They won’t melt and taste better than traditional ration bars (but are similar otherwise).

Stripped MRE and Millennium bars sitting on dry bag to go in the kit. — Fast food has a different meaning in my bag with a stripped MRE, emergency bars, and energy bars. *(Credit: Sean Gold)*

Nav & Comms

Navigation and communication devices are critical to finding your home; technology can always help.

You don’t want to rely on your phone too much, but if it’s working, it’s great to use for navigation and communication. There isn’t any real reason to avoid using it unless you need to meter the battery so you can navigate longer distances.

Map, emergency radio, signal mirror, phone charger, and compass on wood floor. — The essentials aren’t much, but there is plenty of room to expand in this area. *(Credit: Sean Gold)*

What we do consider essential is having a backup for your phone. If cell towers go down, you need to be able to stay informed and navigate home. Navigating with a compass and map does take a little practice and skill, so you may need some hands-on time if you haven’t navigated with them before.

The weather radio is a pure workhorse, providing a lot of tools packed into one little housing, but also keeping you updated on what is going on. It is a critical piece of gear for most kits, and this one is no exception.

Emergency Weather Radio: Sigyek Weather Radio (Top pick from our emergency weather radio review]
Compass: Suunto A-10 Compass [Top pick from our survival compass review] – Stay on track and navigate with your maps.
Local Maps: Print copies of local maps and get free highway maps from your state. Here’s how you get maps for free.
Survival Mirror: Coghlan’s Survival Mirror [Top pick from our signal mirror review]

Power & Energy

Your kit will need to be able to light the way home and provide power to your other electronic devices. Keeping your cell phone charged is ideal, since it’s a powerhouse like we mentioned above.

You should, however, limit your phone flashlight use and go with dedicated light sources in your kit. Flashlights and headlamps are more efficient, more powerful, and don’t drain power from your main mode of communication.

Spare Cell Phone Charger: Make sure it works with your main cell phone
Flashlight: ThruNite TN12 V6 Flashlight [Top pick from our survival flashlight review]
Headlamp: Olight Perun 3 Mini Headlamp [Upgrade pick from our survival headlamp review]

Expert Tip: Don’t worry about solar and larger battery solutions- you should be able to get home before any of those earn their weight.

Shelter & Warmth

According to the survival rule of threes, we’re arriving at this one a bit late. But different survival kits and plans have different goals. The goal of a get home kit is to get home. That can be a little tough if you are busy glamping in a tent.

We do need to be able to shield ourselves from the elements, and you may need to pull up for some rest. None of these items is heavy or bulky, making them ideal for the bare minimum when it comes to shelter.

You also need a way to start a fire. Because of the two is one and one is none rule, we consider two fire sources to be essential. Sure, you could swap out the matches for a Ferro rod (found further below in our suggested gear) if you really wanted to, but the goal is to have that fast-and-easy lighter and a backup.

Depending on where you live (extreme cold areas), you may need to jump down to our extra addition lists for more robust shelter solutions.

Survival Blanket: Arcturus Survival Blanket [Top pick from our survival blanket review] – A larger solution that is more versatile the the bare-bones Mylar blankets.
Survival Bivy: Life Bivy Sleeping Bag [Top pick from our emergency bivy review] – Sleeping bag systems are more comfortable, but a survival bivy will always get the job done with less weight and bulk.
Waterproof Tarp: AquaQuest Defender Tarp [Bushcraft pick from our survival tarp review] – A tarp is essential for making impromptu shelters quickly.
Lighter: Windproof Arc Lighter [Top pick from our survival lighter review]
Waterproof Matches: UCO Stormproof Match Kit (Top pick from our waterproof matches review]

A fire kit with matches, ferro rod, lighter, blow tube, and magnifying glass sitting on wood ledge. — There are plenty of options to create a fire: pick a lighter and a backup method to start. *(Credit: Sean Gold)*

Clothing & PPE

Clothing and personal protective equipment are often times considered part of ‘shelter’ since they shield you from external conditions and protect your body. For categorization reasons, we separate these out in our lists because we usually pack them separately in our bags.

Besides a spare change of clothes, you’ll want some solid gloves and a few other PPE items to help you out. Survival is usually dirty business, so your gloves and respiratory protection will put in some work.

Work Gloves: Mechanix Wear Covert Gloves (Tactical pick from our survival gloves review]
Socks: Darn Tough Light Hiker [Top pick from our survival socks review]
Long Sleeve Shirt: Carhartt Midweight Crew [Top pick from our survival shirt review]
Underwear: Under Armour Boxerjock [Budget pick from our survival underwear review]
Pants: 5.11 Tactical Ridge Pants [Upgrade pick from our grey man pants review]
N95 Masks: 3M Aura 9205+ N95 Masks [Top pick from our N95 mask review] – The flat fold design is perfect for bags and kits since they won’t get smushed.
Nitrile Gloves: Venom Steel Nitrile Gloves [Upgrade pick from our nitrile gloves review] – Protect your hands from contamination.

Expert Tip: Roll socks, undies, and a shirt into a skivvy roll for compact storage.

Medical & First Aid

A first aid kit should be a subcomponent of any survival kit. Survival situations always present more ways to injure yourself. Whether it’s a serious traumatic injury or a minor cut, how you deal with it can be life-altering without medical services.

Infections, dehydration, diarrhea- all of these can threaten your chances of making it home in one piece if you aren’t properly equipped to deal with them.

You’ll want to make sure you have plenty of your regular prescriptions on hand as well. Storing extras in your get home bag is essential.

Basic First Aid Kit: Standard MyFak – A robust IFAK that gives you all the basics with room to expand.
Prescription Medication: Jase Case [Best overall kit from our emergency antibiotics review] – Don’t get caught without your meds! Get emergency prescriptions for everything you need, including antibiotics and EpiPens.

First aid kit, splint, prescription and OTC medicine leaned up against a fence in pinestraw. — First aid and medicine are worth the investment: they last a long time and are irreplaceable when needed. *(Credit: Sean Gold)*

Protection

Security, personal protection, and self-defense are all important for survival, especially in our modern world. Despite this, we do not consider any specific item in this category essential for your get home bag.

You’ll find this gear in our suggested and situation-specific sections instead. Most self-defense equipment requires extensive training, and I do not recommend you add it to your kits unless you are trained, which makes the gear conditional.

Tools

Many new preppers building a get home kit start with the ‘cool tactical gear’. Realistically, tools and tactical gear are not the most important things to include in your bag.

That said, these specific items are more than worth their weight when you need to find a way home. The self-defense items and versatile survival tools speak for themselves, but the lights are critical in your bag so you can continue moving.

In certain situations, speed in getting home will be key, and these essential items can remove barriers between you and your home.

Survival Knife: Cold Steel SRK [Budget pick from our survival knife review]
Multitool: Leatherman Signal [Top pick from our survival multitool review]
Paracord: Atwood Paracord [Top pick from our paracord review]
Duct Tape: Gorilla Tape 35 Yard Roll [Top pick from our duct tape review]

Hygiene & Sanitation

One of the most overlooked sections of any survival kit is how you will handle hygiene and sanitation. Your appearance and presentation can matter just as much as avoiding disease and sickness.

All of these items are lightweight, and the soap is versatile for not just cleaning yourself, but your gear as well. Hygiene can always boost morale, and practicing good sanitation will keep you healthy.

Toothbrush: GUM Folding Toothbrush
Toothpaste: Colgate Travel Toothpaste
Soap: Campsuds [Top pick from our survival soap review]
Feminine Supplies: Feminine hygiene supplies may make sense to store in your bag, even if you are a male.

Hygiene gear including soap, washcloth, toothbrush, and toothpaste on wood table. — Good hygiene keeps you physically and mentally healthy. *(Credit: Sean Gold)*

Personal Documents & Items

Last but not least, your get home bag needs some documents, personal items, and even some survival manuals if you choose (further down in our suggestions, since they are not essential).

Identity documents, a pen and pad, some cash, and a copy of your prepping plan are ideal and don’t take up much space. I keep most of these in my admin pouch along with my maps.

If you have a family, you should strongly consider adding a recent photo. It can help you get assistance locating anyone separated, or just be good to have for morale. Not everyone has an immediate family, so we don’t list it as essential.

Emergency Plan: Print a copy of your TruePrepper Basic Emergency Plan
Copy of ID: Quickly prove your identity
Cash Stash: Stash some money in your bug out bag.
Rainproof Pen: Rite in the Rain EDC Pen [Top pick from our survival pen review] – Take notes in any conditions.
Rainproof Notebook: Rite in the Rain On The Go Notebook [EDC pick from our waterproof notebook review] – The best writing pad to have in your survival kit.

Situation-Specific Supplies

Essentials and suggested additions have been covered, so this is the area where you will find everything else that could be useful to have when you book it home. These extra supplies will help you in very specific situations, are less versatile, and may take up a lot of space. Even still, they could be the difference makers in an emergency, so it could pay off to consider adding these.