There are two essential survival kits that deserve another look — both because of their importance and the confusion and misunderstandings that so often surround them. These kts are similar, but they are not the same. What sets them apart is their individuality and their applications. One size does not fit all. There’s no established list to bide by. To be successful, both bags/kits must be customized to meet each user’s individual needs.
EDC stands for “every day carry.” In other words, with you all the time, always ready. The idea has been in the survival community for many years. Essentially, EDC is what you have on your person to help you with everyday tasks and minor emergencies. In most examples, EDC is simply a collection of inadequate, unrelated survival items carried loose in your pockets or in a candy tin. I’ll explain shortly.
GHB stands for “Get Home Bag.” But “Home” can be different destinations – your family home, your Bugout Location (BOL), or your selected meet-up location. You carry your GHB on your person or with you. Your GHB should be able to sustain and protect you while you get safely to your destination when all the chips are down and your GHB is all you have. Its sole and specific purpose is your survival. In fact, Lofty Wiseman calls it a “Survival Kit.” It is not meant to be tactical, nor is it a “BOB” (Bug Out Bag.)
BOBs are for a planned departure while a GHB is something you carry on a non-emergency trip away from your secure location, work, or “base,” in an unstable world and an unexpected emergency forces you to return. EDC items can supplement your GHB, but not replace it, just like your GHB can only augment your BOB but not replace it. Your GHB should be a preassembled “bag,” or “pack” ready for travel, possibly on foot through hazardous territory.
Needless to say, your physical conditioning is vitally important if you have to travel on foot. An IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) is a key component.
EDC items are the few items you carry with you for daily peace of mind but are too few in number for any serious survival situations. They would be unable to meet critical survival situations. A cell phone is a given because it’s many functions. A small Swiss Army Knife (SAK) or multitool makes daily life more convenient but is pitifully inadequate as a single survival tool. These small items should be considered a “better than nothing” life-saving tools. The EDC items for the office will be much different than items carried in the wilderness.
Writers have approached their EDC and GHBs as either – minimalists, with bravado, piecemeal, as catch-as-catch-can, must-have last-ditch supplies and equipment – all without any real sense of organization. You can read: “All I need to carry to survive any situation is (fill in the blank),” or “Oh! That (fill in the blank) would be great in my GHB bag.” Their bag grows, becoming heavy, clumsy, disorganized, dysfunctional, impractical, and most importantly, perhaps incapable of meeting all your basic survival needs – its intended purpose. Even fewer writers have “connected the dots” of arranging their GHB within the framework of fulfilling basic survival priorities.
Organizing your EDC, and especially your GHB, along basic survival priorities is the subject of this article.
Your GHB should be pre-packed and carried when Day One threatens, during an emergency, and/or recovery, on your person every day, or wherever traveling under dubious circumstances. Your decision about when to carry will be based on local conditions. It is assumed that carrying your GHB will not be under ideal situations.
When not on your person, your GHB should be at-the-ready, protected against heat, cold and water, located, and stored for rapid retrieval. It will likely be the first thing you grab in a hurry.
Your GHB should contain the barest essentials consistent with its size or bulk, ease of your movement, and survival. Your bag should be compact, light-weight, inconspicuous (for security), effortless to carry, suspended securely from a belt, carried in 6-pocket pants, worn as an item of apparel (vest or jacket), or packed in a cooking container. Your GHB should be carried close to your body to prevent loss. You want to look like an ordinary Gray Man as you travel. In most get home scenarios, you will be traveling alone.
Each person should have their own EDC and GHB because the plan should be for each person to be “YOYO” (You’re On Your Own). Surviving as an individual is difficult, so plan accordingly. Each person should be responsible for packing and carrying their own kit. Needs are unique. Choose items that have multiple uses. Make a printed inventory and list of uses and include it in each kit. Don’t make the mistake of splitting-up group supplies. They just add unnecessary weight and bulk. In the event of separation or inability to travel, important supplies could be lost or a crucial item gone missing. It’s easier to put something together from supplies on-hand than to lug extra with you. Figure the maximum number of days needed to reach your secure destination and plan your bag accordingly. The expected service life of a GHB should be only a matter of brief days, that’s all.
No matter the size, your bag needs to be packed with the most important items on the top and items of lesser importance or infrequent use toward the bottom. Moisture-sensitive items need to be protected in sealed bags or containers.
Security & resource management will be vitally important as you travel. Your bag contents, plus your situational awareness, creativity, inventiveness, and foraging skills should sustain and protect you. Your kit should be “pressure tested,” perishables (if any) replaced, sharpening and maintenance performed, your kit brought current, repacked every season (“seasonally adjusted”) and after each use. What good are old and expired goods, things you don’t know how to use, or have never used? Batteries go dead. Perhaps your priorities have changed since you first assembled your bag and you need to accommodate to your new survival priorities. Fulfilling some priorities may need advance planning and preparation. Remember, too, you might have to repack several times on the move. Leave some extra space.
The GHB information presented here is organized around basic survival priorities, hopefully to eliminate important omissions and/or duplications. Writers have different lists of survival priorities, long and short. Below is a list of some of those priorities. These may not be your priorities or listed in your preferred sequence. Feel free to customize, minimize, or maximize to suit your anticipated needs.
Unspoken is the need to have a GHP – a Get Home Plan — to get back to your home or base. Become familiar with your local geographic area. Have a map with multiple routes identified. If you are thrust into unfamiliar territory, learn as much as possible about your current surroundings, and then make a plan to get to a secure location. Don’t follow marked trails, since there is high risk of ambush. Avoid populated areas.
Preparing basic survival essentials will help your determination and will to survive if and when it is necessary.
You shouldn’t pack all of the suggested items. Pick and choose carefully, these are just suggestions. Your kit should be austere but complete. “What you have with you is all there’s going to be.” Your most important survival tool is your brain; it should contain needed skills. Don’t leave home without it!
Situational Awareness – phone with zoom, monocular, small telescope, SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of your environment, yourself, and others traveling with you.
Security & Protection– small pistol well-protected against rust and a trained owner, extra ammo, extra magazine, pepper spray, RFID protected wallet with ID and important papers, keys.
Communications – phone, walkie talkies, whistle, hand signals, Rite-in-the-Rain note paper/pencil/pen, felt-tip marker, USB card or flash drive, personal locator beacon
Water – Canteen or sturdy disposable bottle, extra Zip-lock water bags, condom, filter and purification treatments
Shelter – tarp or tube tent, paracord or paracord bracelet, carabiner(s), space blanket or bag, hand warmers
Apparel – worn on your person – outer garments as needed for prevailing conditions, poncho, change of socks, comfortable walking shoes/boots. hat, handkerchief, bandana or shemagh, extra prescription glasses, sun glasses, safety glasses, work gloves, safety pins, needle & thread
Lighting/power – phone, mini flashlight/headlight, extra batteries
Food – ready-to-eat, non-crushable foods not requiring heat or water that do not melt, and provide lasting energy (protein/granola bars, nuts, raisins, Hershey’s mini chocolate bars, retort packaged tuna/chicken pouches, dehydrated foods), parched corn, hard candies, fishing supplies
Cooking –strike-anywhere matches carried in a rigid, safe waterproof case, butane lighters, magnifying glass (fire starting), fire steel/magnesium striker, tinder/kindling, McCann’s oatmeal (or an unused 1-quart paint) can with lid (for a cooking pot and/or a carrying container), spork, collapsable cup
Medical, Hygiene, First Aid – to supplement your IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) wound dressings and antibiotics, face masks, butterfly bandages, anti-diarrhea medications, laxatives, pain relievers, mole skin,
OTC (Over The Counter) pain and prescribed medications, sunscreen, hygiene products, hand sanitizer, lip balm, tourniquet, clotting product
Sanitation – TP, compressed wash cloths, soap, trowel (to dig a “cat hole,” bury trash, or dig a fire hole)
Navigation, Transportation & Travel– compass, map, GPS, glow-in-the-dark wind-up watch, maps, glow stick
Trade & Barter – cash in small bills
Entertainment – compact bible, pocket edition of the SAS Survival Handbook, other reading material, games
Tools & Equipment – SAK (Swiss Army Knife), Leatherman Multi tool, large folding knife, short rigid fixed blade knife (Kephart-style), small roll duct tape, dental floss, wire, military can opener (P-38 or P-51)
(NOTE: This outline of priorities can also help organize your BOB.)
Your priorities and the items you might need to meet them will vary, but the principles remain the same. Foremost is lifesaving. You’ll have to size your kit to what you think what you will absolutely need and can easily carry. Think multipurpose; think consolidate; think compact; think streamline. Use common sense. Resist temptation. Redundancy will not be possible, but multipurpose and overlap will be. You should be able to move hands-free. Your motto should be “everything you need and nothing you don’t.” Ounces turn into pounds.
Deciding on what is absolutely necessary for you to live will involve a lot of tough soul-searching, analysis, evaluation, and decision-making. Think about your pets, children, elders, and persons with special needs with the same priorities in mind. They may need their own kits.
A lot of things can go wrong. The longer chaos lasts, the worse it will get because it brings out the worst in people. Your traveling strategy should be to move unseen, evading encounters, confrontations, and checkpoints. You need to arrive at your destination safely where you can either Shelter In Place (SIP), join the rest of your group, or pick up your BOB and continue on. Avoid the signatures of noise, light, smoke, odors, trash – signs that disclose your activity and/or location. Don’t leave a trail for others to follow.
Making decisions and selections appropriate for your survival priorities and needs will take a lot of time. Begin now.
Are you ready? Be safe, carry what you need, and get home.
In an upcoming article, I will evaluate BOB bags and “I’m Never Coming Home” (INCH) bags, using the same framework.
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