72 hour bag?

2 hour drive would be about 2 -3 days of walking depending on the terrain. So plan for 3 days of meals/supplies. You'll be using way more calories to walk than to stay in your car so keep that in mind as well when choosing food. A small tent and sleep pad will come in handy for such a long walk you'll need to sleep at some point. Maybe solve the water issue by having a life straw in the bag but just keep extra water bottles in the car that can be used if you shelter in the car or left behind/taken if needed when getting home. Keep weight in mind if walking home such a long distance. A good set of hiking shoes will also be needed and make sure they are not new or your feet wont make it that far. Hiking boots need to be broken in. Think about adding in some super high calorie bars. Dried fruit and nuts as well.

I do some self-supported ultra -light/-compact adventure touring - world is your oyster, really depends on what your experience/skill level is (or care to learn/practice) and what you want to invest ($) and deal with (bulk/weight). On one end of the spectrum, for a 45lb (excl water) two-bag airline carryon size, you can have a folding bike touring rig that’ll cover your 2hrs (120mi) in 2days. In the middle, a 25lb onebag carryon size LDP-boardpacking rig that’ll cover 120mi in 3days (skill required). On the other end of the spectrum, I used to urban EDC a 12L messenger bag with most of my UL backpacking kit (abbreviated ‘survival’ sleep system) - most everything multitasks for urban use and my outdoor recreation, so sees regular use.

IMO, it's just a "get home bag". Like with a bug out bag, the contents are going to be unique to your situation- the point is, it's a bag that has whatever you are most likely to need to get you home safe.

To me, the big thing is updating the GHB twice per year for warm vs cold seasons. Think of weather-appropriate clothing, blankets, change out the food, etc. You get to decide what compromises to make on bulk vs portability. You mentioned two hours' drive from home... What kind of a hike is that? Plot it on a map. Are there massive changes in elevation / terrain? Shady, or flat/exposed?

If you have a habit of dressing for the weather, then you don't necessarily need to double up on bulky items like boots or outer-wear. If you are concerned about shelter-in-place in the snow, a small camping stove and a stash of water are huge. Add a cheap hot water bottle, and you can keep yourself toasty overnight without running the car.

Shelf-stable food like peanut butter or granola bars; freeze-dry food packs; stuff that can stay in a trunk for a season and stay edible. It may taste a little off from temperature fluctuations, but it will give you nutrition. You can pack a water filter, but realistically you should not assume that semi-potable water will be available.

We also try to keep enough cash in the car for at least a towing to civilization ($100-200).

Get an alcohol stove e.g. trangia. and a bottle of alcohol. Easy to carry (mainstay for hikers and military but you can also use in well ventilated indoor spaces), works in all temps incl. freezing, easy to monitor and quick to use.

Proper wool blankets or a sleeping bag plus multiple plastic trash bags of various sizes and a TP roll.

As for food, incl. some dried goods that just need rehydrating like quick oats, noodles, cup a soup, trekking meals, etc.

Preferred form of caffeine

All of the above is stuff my grandmother would even have on had in the car - up north you need to be prepared

I call it a "get home" kit and keep a bin in the back of my truck. The kit has three main functions, get back on the road, shelter in place or evacuate vehicle and go. I keep a small backpack in the kit that I can fill if needed with parts of the kit.

Means to make fire and or heat the space.

Get an empty paint can from a home store and put some sterno cans inside with matches. Light and burn the sterno inside the can for added safety.

You could reduce weight by dropping to a single, smaller water container and adding water purification tablets and/or a Life Straw that would allow you to safely drink from natural water sources. You can also add a small single-person tent with minimal increase in weight.

Also, limit your spare clothing to a single set. You can wear the same clothes for multiple days. The only reason you would need to change is if they get soaking wet. Put those clothes in a vacuum pack to conserve space in your bag.

What do you have packed for self-defense besides a knife?

Finally, a very common mistake people make is putting together a bag like this but not properly fitting it prior to use or practicing carrying it for any distance. Make sure the bag is properly fitted for you before you put it in your car so you don't waste a lot of time fiddling with straps trying to make it comfortable when you actually need it.

Needs a large collapsible water container like a 5 gal Coleman. Keep it full. If you have to move drink what you can then dump what you can’t carry.

Mylar blankets are a one night emergency only solution. Get good quality ones like Arcturus: the disposable ones are terrible to try to sleep with. They tear, they drip condensation, and every time you move they make noise to wake you up. Better than freezing to death but not a good night’s sleep.

Sleeping pad, bag or wool blankets, tarp or bivvy are absolutely essential for a decent night’s sleep outdoors. Anything more than one night you have to have a real sleeping solution.

Consider getting matching triathlon transition bags. Zoot and Tyr are the brands I'm most familiar with. Transition bags include wet and dry compartments and most include a shoe port, so you can stash an extra pair of shoes.

Here are some things that aren't on your list:

• Toilet paper. You don't have to take the whole roll, just take off a lot, fold it up and put it in a baggie.
• Plastic bag. I mean like a plastic shopping bag or two. You can use one as a "glove" if you have to pick up anything distasteful, you can use them for trash, and if you're bunking in your vehicle due to weather, they can even be used for humanure, so to speak.
• Lighter.
• Deck of cards for entertainment, since it sounds like you'll be together.
• Alcohol wipes. Hand-sized ones. This limits how often you'll need to use your water for hand washing. Note that once opened, these can dry out within a few months, so you'll need to restock from time to time.
• Quick dry camp towel.
• Rain poncho.
• Shoe covers. These aren't going to be great for walking long distances, but let's say you're sheltering in your car due to snow or heavy rain and need to answer the call of nature. You don't want to spend the rest of your time with wet shoes.
• Duct tape.
• Eyedrops. Sometimes something gets in your eye, and they won't add weight.
• Spare eyeglasses if either of you wears glasses.
• Bandana. These are almost endlessly useful. If it's hot out, you can tie it around your head to keep out sweat. You can support a turned ankle. You can wipe things. Properly knotted, you can make a little bag to carry things. You can blow your nose into it. And in a dire emergency, you can even improvise a "last resort" tourniquet with it.
• Headlamp. This has been mentioned by at least one other person, but these little wonders deserve all the mention they can get!

I put one together last year after a weather-related emergency. It's designed to shelter at my workplace for 48-72 hours until weather clears and roads become passable, but it stays in my car and is therefore always accessible. I keep 3 MREs, seasonal clothes based around having layers, a very basic first aid kit with some toiletries, a battery pack for my phone, a small knife, and some petty cash. It does not contain water because, like I said, it's designed for sheltering at my workplace until I can make my way home. I live near my work, and the bag is meant to get me only a few miles overland. The vehicle, which is also accessible if the bag is, has a larger first aid kit, bottles for water, including single-walled steel, and outerwear too bulky to fit in the bag.

If you can't shelter in your vehicle these are small shelters that are pretty compact. Rab Group Shelter 2 Person - Men's MR-49-OR-2 , $5.01 Off with Free S&H — CampSaver https://share.google/PVJ2fY30FuR7YoYTh

A small bivy sack with a space blanket would be a good option.

these might be good for you to have. They’re small and you will probably never need them, but the one time you do you will be glad to have it

I have half of that stuff in my car in general. You are on the right track

I gave my wife a big much like this for Christmas. It was not her favorite gift, but I told her it was mostly for me. She drives in the mountains, and probably 10 cars slide off the road each weekend. It can be hours or days before a tow service gets there, and in many areas there is no cell service. She would rather pretend it can never happen than be prepared at least. If I might take a bunch of space but let me comment item by item.

Food (protein bars, jerky, tuna packets, some candy) I just use the first two.

Water (I currently have 2 one liter bottles in each bag, which isn’t really enough but it adds so much weight) - yes

Small first aid kit - medium first aid kit. The little ones have band aids and aspirin. Those are convenient but trauma treatment is more important. Breathing support, blood support (constriction bands) and heating and cooling support.

Mylar blankets Yup

Hand warmers Yup

Extra socks - yes. Also a thermal windbreaker/rain jacket, hat, rain pants, You can always take off clothes, you need them to put more on. I would like to add boots, but out of room.

Hygiene stuff - Some but low priority. Brush your teeth when you get home.

Small fire making kit - road flares. You can use them to mark a safety area or signal for help and a 30 minute flare will start a fire anywhere.

Knife - in multi tool

Multi tool - yes

Gorilla tape.

Rope - paracord and a tow strap.

As you can tell, my focus is on car accident or such. I also add

1. Electric battery with jump start, USB chargers, and tire inflators.
2. Fix A Flat
3. Cash. You can solve a lot of problems with cash
4. Fire extinguisher
5. An old cell phone. You can charge it from the battery and 911 always works even if no paid plan. This is low likelihood if she actually breaks her phone. Don't underestimate the usefulness of a cell phone, but don't depend on it.
6. Flashlight with emergency flashers, a window breaker, and seat belt cutter.

This all fits is crammed into a standard day-pack. If I can figure how I would like to add

• more clothing
• An epirb.
• collapsing shovel
• snow brush/scraper. Should be in the car already as should spare tire, jack, and lug wrench, but you never know with my wife.

Is there a difference between a bug out bag and a 72 hour bag?

You should have something to start a fire , also a trap for shelter long enough to also be used as flooring to keep you aff the ground, the ground will take your body heat. You'll need a flashlight.

I have a get home bag, a bug out bag, and several shelter in place boxes. See no reason why I should put something I cannot carry in a backpack.

Some additional (nylon?) thread and needle (if not included in the multi tool) plus some adhesive tape. Doesn't take much, might be needed for repairs or improvising.

Mylar blankets are useful but it can also be very difficult to actually shelter in wind/rain/snow with them and not much else. Maybe you want a real emergency bivy bag. Or just one of the better modern ponchos of a size that is so big that you're nearly or fully covered while sitting/lying down anyhow. Or even a wool blanket - it's relatively heavy by comparison, but can be one of the heavier things actually worth carrying due to how much it helps.

You probably also want a headlamp with larger lipo batteries, not some hand crank light. Easily possible that you want to walk some hour(s) in the dark instead of taking another day to get home.

Definitely be familiar with your multi tool and have a good one.

For water, I would combine a portable filter like Sawyer/Katadyn/Lifestraw and bladder bag to take more water on demand with already filled normal pet bottles. Have like 3-4L of capacity and start with 1L minimum. Unless the area is very dry, in which case maybe you even need to start with an unpleasant to carry 4L+... but in dry areas I'd very much consider bikepacking (cargo bags or even offroad trailer on the bike) with quite a lot of water in multiple containers anyhow.

Keep it simple: Case of bottled water, 6 mre's (enough for 2) means of protection, couple blankets if needed. reliable flashlight. I think we sometimes over complicate things. I'm 60, a fire kit does me absolutely no good as I would just use a bic lighter, couple of cotton balls in vasoline, firekit done. Hygene for 3 days? tooth brush and paste, pit stick, hand wipes, done. Cell phones can get radio and have spare cash between the phone and case... I'm thinking this is sufficient, that's just me. On a realistic situation, yeah my car is hit and I'm off the road in a ditch, EMP? Naw, road rage victim? possibly, inclement weather in Texas? absolutely. Keep it as realistic and minimum as possible, cheers...

Two hours driving is what 100+ miles? unless you are a seasoned long distance hiker that isnt something you can just do on a whim without serious injury, especially if its only over 3 days. Hiking that takes leaving in the dark and stopping for the night in the dark. If this is a serous thing you are thinking about just having a some items in a bag isnt even the start of what you need. Doing all of that after or during a bad storm is going to make it at least 10 times harder.

A shelter in place bag is realistic for that distance away from home. I would focus on setting up for that and not compromising that side of it.

Look into a folding hand cart/hand truck/dolly/luggage cart. This is the one I have, and it can move 110lbs. Or you can even just use a carry on suitcase.

https://preview.redd.it/u6yh0oxal8cg1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa04f0df568aa9420dbbab0b57b919de5ff1276c

Seems like a BOB with shelter omitted

Your answer is in a big bag with removable small bag. Anything you’d want for shelter in place but NOT for get home goes in the big part. The small part is a grab and go. Obviously there’s some overlap like an MRE or two to get home but 2-3 more for shelter in place. Consider what sheltering in place looks like. Are you sleeping in the car? The office? Etc. that all looks different. Can you play off some stuff at the office as “office supplies” but things you actually would need? Think a flashlight, maybe a small first aid kit, hygiene (fingernail clippers, scissors, a needle for splinters of corse!, and dental floss that can be used to sew things up if need be), maybe some granola bars that you rotate at work when you get to 3 or something.

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I think it is called go home bag?

Btw the settings is good! But like what others say, if the car stuck on the road, it would be more difficult.

Your list has a lot of bases covered. I would add an insulated sleeping bag liner for each of you for added warmth. They take up much less space than a sleeping bag and can be used in conjunction with the Mylar blankets for added warmth.

I don’t really understand the need for a bag to shelter in place at home. Isn’t that where all your stuff is anyway?