Get Home Bag (GHB) Guide, Gear List, and Checklist [2023]

Get Home Bag (GHB) Guide, Gear List, and Checklist

This is a dynamic get home bag guide full of gear lists and a checklist curated by all of our authors for preppers both new and experienced. It is constantly being updated with up-to-date and accurate information, so please check back frequently for updates.

Get Home Bags (GHB) are for one purpose- getting back home to where most of your supplies are. People, on average, spend 38% of their time away from home- whether that’s work, travel, or errands. Disasters and emergencies won’t wait for you to get home, and neither should your preparedness.

This task-oriented kit usually has a change of clothes, some tools, and sustenance to get you home in a worst-case situation. Preppers usually carry this bag on trips further than walking distance, such as commuting to work. While it might seem like a one-trick pony, a GHB will come in handy in a variety of situations.


Contents (Jump to a Section)


What is a Get Home Bag?

A get home bag (GHB) is a bug out bag variant that is designed to do the opposite. Instead of escaping your home for a bug out location (BOL), 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!

The get home bag usually has similar contents to a bug out bag because you may not be certain how long it would take you to get home in an emergency. If your workplace is easily walkable, your GHB will be smaller and closer to Everyday Carry (EDC). If you work several hours from your home or travel regularly, your GHB may be closer to an INCH kit. The bags are flexible based on your needs, and our gear guide below reflects our suggestions.

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 GHB.


Get Home Bag vs Bug Out Bag

Get home bags are designed to meet different goals than bug out bags and other bug out bag variants.

For starters, they are designed for a different starting point. Bug out bags are typically designed to go from point A to point B- which can be predetermined with planning. Get home bags need to be able to go from point X to point A, and you may not be certain where point X is and how far it is.

Because of this difference in planning, GHB bags range in size and what you decide to include.

If you are looking for our top-level guide with all supplies related to bugging out, check out our comprehensive bug out bag guide:


Get Home Bag Essentials

The standard get home bag essentials with our recommended gear for each area. Grabbing the supplies listed will give you the resources to tackle emergencies, disasters, or just everyday life without notice.

The Get Home Bag:

Safety GHB Essentials:

Fire & Light GHB Essentials:

Water GHB Essentials:

Food GHB Essentials:

Communication GHB Essentials:

Shelter & Clothing GHB Essentials:

Hygiene & First Aid GHB Essentials:

Documents & Navigation GHB Essentials:

Miscellaneous GHB Essentials:


Suggested Additions for Your GHB Loadout

This gear may not be essential by definition, but adding any of these to your GHB will improve your kit’s versatility for even more situations.


Extra Supplies for your GHB Kit

Essentials and suggested additions have been covered, so this is the area will 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.


The Definitive Get Home Bag Checklist

A perfect GHB loadout doesn’t exist- what is right for you depends on your situation and risk tolerance. That said, we have as close to perfect of a starting point for you: our definitive GHB checklist.

Our checklist is available as both a pdf download and as a Google Sheet/Excel file where you can check off items yourself, and even add and subtract items from the checklist.

Get Home Bag Checklist

Get Home Bag PDF Checklist

If you are looking for the simplest way to print and use the checklist above, download our PDF version. It is one page long on 8.5″ x 11″ paper if you reduce the margins to 0.5″. This GHB PDF makes gathering and tracking your GHB gear extremely easy. Once you open the get home bag PDF checklist in your browser, you can either print it directly or save it through your browser.

Get Home Bag Excel / Google Sheet Checklist

If you are looking for a comprehensive way to track your GHB loadout, open our Excel / Google Sheet version. The sheet is sharable, and you just need to copy it to your own Google Sheet account or download it to Excel to edit it. We also keep the best-reviewed item for each category linked to simplify shopping for any equipment you may find yourself missing.


The Next Step

Get Home Bags can help you out when you are on the road and aren’t just for getting home. The supplies you choose to keep with you can help you beat the odds when you are confronted with any situation.

GHBs are less concerned about sustaining survival (like Bug Out Bags) but are more intentional in getting you back to your supplies in your home. Check out the differences between GHB and BOB, or use the navigation at the top of the page to browse other kits:


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