Tom’s Current Get Home Bag Loadout
This is what I currently carry in my Get Home Bag.
It isn't a universal survival checklist, and I'm not suggesting that everyone needs the same gear. My bag was built around where I live, the routes I travel, the environments I might have to cross, and what I've learned from actually using and testing this stuff.
The Get Home Bag book explains the thinking behind the system. This page shows what the system looks like right now.
Gear changes. Conditions change. My bag changes with them.
Navigation
Paper Map
A physical map of the area I may need to travel through.
Compass
A basic compass that doesn't depend on batteries or a signal.
Write-in-the-Rain Notebook
For writing down routes, notes, landmarks, changes, or anything else I may need to remember.
Pencil
Simple, reliable, and doesn't depend on ink.
Cell Phone
My phone provides mapping, GPS, communication, and other useful capabilities when those systems are available.
Water
Sawyer Mini
My primary water-filtration option.
Collapsible Water Bag
Lightweight storage for carrying additional water when necessary.
32-Ounce Stainless-Steel Water Bottle
A water container that can also be used for boiling water when necessary.
Water Purification Tablets
A lightweight backup to filtration.
Shelter
Lightweight 10×10 Tarp
My shelter system is designed around movement rather than comfort. The tarp gives me a lightweight way to get out of weather without carrying a full camping shelter.
Paracord
Used for setting up the tarp and other basic field needs.
Aluminum Tent Stakes
Lightweight and useful for securing the tarp.
Mylar Emergency Blanket
A compact backup for shelter and thermal protection.
Thermal / Cold Weather
Alpaca Wool Poncho
This is one of the pieces of gear I've actually field-tested rather than simply throwing into a bag because somebody said I should.
I've used it at approximately 6,500 feet in winter conditions.
Mylar Emergency Blanket
Used as an additional layer of thermal protection. Same unit as above, only 1 needed per person.
Tea-Light Candles
I've experimented with using a small candle inside a Mylar blanket setup to retain and reflect the available heat.
It's not a magic heater. The candle produces a small amount of heat. The Mylar helps reflect and retain that heat around you. Together, the combination is more useful than either piece of gear would be by itself.
I've tested the setup in cold conditions rather than assuming it would work because somebody said it would.
Food
Energy Bars
Compact calories that don't require cooking.
Tuna
A can or bag of tuna provides food without requiring a stove or cooking system.
I deliberately don't build my Get Home Bag around cooking. The goal is movement. Cooking adds weight, time, equipment, and potentially light, smoke, and smell.
Fire
Bic Lighter
My primary simple fire-starting tool. O-Ring Protection, Used to help protect the lighter from moisture.
Video of my custom bic lighter mods
Gorilla Tape
Wrapped around the lighter so it serves a second purpose instead of being dead weight.
Vaseline-Soaked Cotton Pads
Lightweight tinder that can help get a fire started.
Ferro Rod
A backup fire-starting method. Get the 1/2’ diameter 4-6 inch long for better spark
Tea-Light Candles
Part of my fire and thermal system.
Fire is a capability, not a requirement.
There are situations where a fire would be useful. There are also situations where I don't want to advertise where I am. Flame, smoke, and even smell can make your location easier to identify. Same as above.
Light
Olight Headlamp
My headlamp has multiple lighting modes, including:
Moonlight
Red
White
Strobe
The red light is particularly useful when I need enough light to see without throwing a bright white beam everywhere.
The headlamp also has a clip, which gives me another way to position or use it without necessarily wearing it on my head.
Tools
Gerber Multitool
A compact tool that gives me several useful capabilities without carrying a full toolbox.
Small Amount of Cash
Cash is still useful when electronic payment systems, power, or communications aren't available.
First Aid
My first-aid kit is modular rather than one giant collection of random supplies.
It includes:
Basic first-aid supplies
Redundant medical supplies
A diabetes-support module
Hydration-management supplies
Serious-trauma supplies
My wilderness first-aid and emergency-management experience influences how I put this system together.
The important part isn't simply carrying medical supplies. It's knowing what they're for and being able to use them under stress.
or build your own kit with the BTB Guide
A Note About This List
This is my current loadout, not a prescription for what you should carry.
Your bag may look completely different.
A person working ten miles from home in a city has a different problem than someone traveling fifty miles from home through rural terrain. Someone dealing with winter conditions has different requirements than someone moving through hot desert country.
That's the entire point of the Get Home Bag approach.
Build for your actual problem.
I'll update this page as my gear, routes, experience, and requirements change.
For the reasoning behind these choices—and the stories that led me to build the bag this way—read:
Get Home Bags Aren’t Go Bags — Different Missions. Different Tools.
[Read the Get Home Bag Guide →]
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you purchase through one of them, BTB may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I only include gear because I believe it has a legitimate place in the resource—not simply because an affiliate program is available.
The gear isn't the story. The gear helps tell the story.
Bigfoot Trails Basecamp
Independent Adventure Media
Stories from the road, the trail, the track, and wherever the hell we end up.