So I'm mildly restricted to public transportation.
Some of my daily kit actually get used daily when i take trips.
but i want to expand it to be a proper get home bag i can carry daily.
Kit needs to be easily carried everyday
possibly transferable from one bag to another when going from personnel to work travel.
Needs to be legal to carry on public transport like busses, ubers/lyft, and into stores/Malls, and possibly doctors offices.
I'm in Texas if that helps.
I need to plan for extreme weather scenarios usually like Storms/Flooding, temperature variants, strong winds, and high temperature days.
Any suggestions would be helpful
Im breaking my bag down into mini kits
Medical/Hygiene (Important because im a Chrons Patient)
-Tissues
-Lens Wipes
-Ace bandages
Electronics Bag
- Back up Battery
- Charger Kit
- Meshtastic
Water Kit
- Water Bottle
- Electrolyte Mix
Snacks
- Protein Snack
Other
- Lighter
- Water Proof Notepad +Pen
- Spare Socks
- Cut Resistant Work Gloves
- Flashlight (rechargeable)
- Emergency Blanket
- Emergency Poncho
- Sewing Kit
- Glass breaker
Navigation
- Map Case
-Transit Maps of my most common routes,
- Compass
If you always wear comfortable footwear that's practical for walking long distances, great. If not, a pair of such footwear would be good to include in your bag so you can change.
Is swearing kit a typo for sewing kit, or is it some amazing new item to help people swear better?
I thought it might be a small jar so you can always put a dollar in the swear jar even when travelling ;-)
Where can I purchase this amazing kit?
Comfortable footwear is the most important get home prep. All you need to do is look at the number of people that had to walk home the day of the 9/11 attacks, incl through the tunnels and all the way uptown over the GWB, to know their value.
Lol yea bad typo......
I typically wear boots, on days I know its going to rain or has been raining I wear waterproof boots
Thats a lot of stuff
You definitely wont need a compass. Probably not a glass breaker
You need cash. Headache medicine, maybe a cheap rolled up sun hat
The gloves will be heavy; maybe a thick mechanics nitrile glove instead? The 6mil or 8mil ones
Shrink the map down small, and lose the map case
I feel like some of the list is going to be season dependent. Before I quit driving, I rotated clothes in my car every 6 odd months (or, as they were used..) - sizing up as needed for my kids, and rotating between shorts and tshirts and pants, sweatshirts, etc.
Half of the year, having a hat, gloves, etc makes sense. The other half, sunscreen, a sun hat, etc does. It's probably not something you can "set and forget" unless your weather never changes....
I always found a gallon size ziplock bag to be a suitable and light waterproof Map Case.
This is very sound advice
I commute up to 20 miles away on public transportation. More than once I’ve had to walk due to emergency conditions.
I’d recommend paring down heavily.
This is stuff you have to lug around everyday so you should be selective. If you can’t articulate a specific and vital need for something, you should not carry it. For example, I will likely face X-situation, I must have Y-gear to get home.
Does a lighter get you home? Does a note pad, sewing kit, glass breaker, work gloves? You can find reasons why these could be valuable, but are they vital to getting you home?
My get home kit is water bottle, snacks, spare cash, and season dependent clothing. I keep more at work and of course other preps at home, but the small items are easy to always have and enable me to walk up to 20 miles in varying conditions if needed. Less is more when you’re talking about something you need to have on you every single day.
This. I use public transit heavily, and my EDC mainstays are an external battery for the phone + a short cord, a light rain jacket (I'm in the PNW), smallish water bottle (16oz) I keep filled, a Clif bar or two (gross but do the job), some band-aids and a CPR shield (I have a clinical background). That and wallet/keys/phone and I'm pretty much good. I can hoof it across country when needed *because* I don't have to carry 25lb on my back, not in spite of it.
Get home bag. Some more details could help. Big city? Small town to town? Texas is a big state.
You're looking at a small bag for your meds and water and maybe a protein bar or two. First aid kit. Extra socks. Foldable map. Flashlight. Pen/marker. Phone/xtra battery/earbuds(maybe). Possibly a poncho or jacket(time of year) . Hat. Sunglasses. Pocketknife/Multi-tool. Lighter, maybe.
I would suggest just take a weekend and walk out of work/mall and try to get home without public transportation.
You can prep all you want but until you practice your prep, you just don't know. Take a hike and figure it out!! It'll be fun! GL!
Big city. with about 3/4 of it covered in bus routes. My home being about 45 minute walk from the closest bus stop during peak hours, and 1.5 hour walk when routes start shutting down
Ok, so that’s like a daily walk for our dogs.
Pick a nice day and walk to work one morning. Then same on another day to home.
Repeat every so often.
Not only will you get the mental and physical health benefits but also - learn what’s available along the way - learn alternate routes - optimize yer footwear, clothing, bag, etc.
Utility knife and silcock key. And maybe a collapsing baton and/or bear spray
Silcock key for the win!
This is a bag to carry when you're out around town so you can get back home. Why would you possibly need a silcock key in it? That should live at home where it's needed.
To get water from public buildings without going inside.
Collapsing baton is a brilliant small packable weapon, it may not be a 2 legged danger, but a 4!
Id lose the electrolyte mix. Just water is what you need, and want, almost always.
My purse usually has a tiny travel pack of tissues, and a granola bar or two. A lighter, and a pack of playing cards. Whatever meds I'm on at the time - enough for 2-4+ days, usually, plus rescue meds (I'm epileptic) and a pocket knife. Probably a couple of tampons and a pad, a couple of bandaids. A pen, and random loose change.
Electrolyte mix might be a rescue med for someone with Chron’s.
As a former marathoner, I disagree. The rule we were taught in training was water only for short situations, like a gym workout or a 30-60 minute run. Longer term, especially in hot weather, requires electrolytes.
I've run three marathons, completed a Half-Ironman, and been on hours-long desert and mountain hikes, and water-only is a bad idea in long term situations unless hyponatremia is your idea of a good time. OP is in Texas, which is quite hot most of the year. Having a lightweight way to bring along electrolyte replacement sounds like a smart move to me.
With chrons I get diarrhea regularly which dehydrated me. Low electrolytes are also common issue for though with my diagnosis. I eventually have a "Chrons kit" with things incase if a flare up.
Agreed. And as a compromise, if one really insists on electrolytes, make it a whole gatorrade/powerade bottle then. Powdered drinks are for home when water is abundant. It's not what you want on the go.
I don't agree, but for specific reasons.
I live in a hot country and get postural orthostatic hypotension in hot conditions. I always carry a water bottle, so adding a sachet of electrolytes per my doctor's recommendations is a very sensible precaution. There's no way I'd lug around a powerade bottle on days when it's not needed.
I've twice been able to give my electrolyte sachet to someone who needed it so I'm happy to keep it as prep.
I agree. I’ve witnessed people seemingly fully hydrated from drinking lots of water double over and vomit all over the place and suffer heat stroke because all they had was water. In particular bottle water which is usually too well filtered removing all the good nutrients that we need beyond just the liquid. A small tube of those electrolyte tabs is about the size of a roll of quarters. I highly recommend.
It probably was hyponatremia, not heat stroke. They can look very similar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia
The EMT who arrived at the scene (we were at Memphis in May) said Heat Stroke and recommended the electrolytes. I honestly don’t care what it is called.
I was also going to say a couple of electrolyte powder packs to get one home, are negligible weight/space, & may be necessary for all but the completely fit, healthy 18 to 40-something age range.
I say this as a retired hospital & nursing LPN, formerly Wound Care Certified, who has had more than her fair share of patients who were dehydrated or suffering from sunstroke, & didn’t have a clue what was wrong with them, or when the were hitting the tipping point. Better safe than sorry, in some situations.
Anyplace with full sun, high temps (think 75F & above), on a march, with a pack/bag, may require electrolytes. I’m in SW Gulf Coast FL, & I’d guess mid Atlantic to lower tier Southern states, & Southwestern states, with warm to hot temps would necessitate this as a choice.
I disagree because in a short term situation, only water is needed. But longer term, especially in hot weather, one needs to replace electrolytes. However, to always carry around a bottle of Gatorade or Powerade (which aren't even the best ones for the job) is silly. It just adds weight for a situation that might not happen. There are lightweight powders and tablets that are as good or better than what's on the grocery store shelf, should OP be in a situation where electrolytes are needed. And since they have Chron's, they have more specific needs than many of us.
A good thick pair of hiking socks.
Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman.
For a book bag size to just get me home say less than 50 miles.
Always wear sneakers so can walk in them
EDC knife in pocket
Small umbrella like those 14in ones
Plastic water bottle filled already.
Rain poncho
Handful of energy bars
cheap power bank with built in light.
Phone cord to charge. Usually attached to powerbanks.
Couple bic lighters
Some type of glove like mechanix gloves
Anything else adds weight and would be a convenience
Consider a silcock key. A small tool to open commercial outside faucets. Available on Amazon.
what kind of bag are you carrying? I had a tumbuk2 messenger bag and pretty much had the same stuff in my bag daily with plenty of extra room, except I carried my water bottle by hand. in contrast, I have a small mystery ranch ripruck which would fill up with that stuff and leave room for maybe a jacket
Part of my planning is replacing my bag. It got pissed on by cats and I cant get thr smell out. It was a shoulder sling bag. I got at buckeees loved that thing.
For work travel im using a YOREPEK Large Backpack. Sense i have a laptop for work use.
Swearing kit?
I would also recommend a small battery powered flashlight on your key ring. They have ones with a magnet where they can be stuck to the side of a vehicle or metal surface. Some will also come with a flashing red light for emergencies.
Small emergency tool on your key ring. If you wear glasses, they have them small for repairing glasses but they also have ones that are larger for general repairs.
I would work on your skills. Use the time to read books and take notes.
Ok, what's a swearing kit? I think I need one.
Is flashlight appropriate for defense use? 500 lumens or better and crenelated?
Do you have a data drive with key personal information?
For a public transit get home bag I would want to ensure I had cab fare stashed and not easily stolen... So maybe not in the bag?
Are your gloves good for fighting, if necessary?
Do you have adequate cordage? Duck Tape? (I'm still adjusting to calling it Duck not Duct... Been wrong for so long)
I don't know if a bedsheet would fit into your loadout but they have myriad uses. Maybe a pillowcase. A clean T-shirt in a zipper baggie has way more uses than just for wearing.
Are you familiar with Israeli Combat Dressings? Slishman Wraps?
Biggest problem is keeping the weight and bulk down. Things you may get most benefit from are usually heavy or bulky.
Duct tape is actually the generic product name. Duck Tape is a specific brand.
That is what I used to think.
"Duck tape" is recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary as having been in use since 1899\2]) and "duct tape" (described as "perhaps an alteration of earlier duck tape") since 1965.\3])
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
Emergency poncho, mechanix gloves, water bottle, electrolyte mix, granola bars (no melty chocolate during the summer), small ouch pouch first aid w moleskin, leatherman, phone power bank, small flashlight, pen, notepad, socks, and a tshirt. If you carry, I'd drop an extra mag in the bag as well. I have braided paracord pulls on all my bag zippers in case I have need of rope.
A couple contractor bags and some duct tape will give you loads of options. e.g. Make waterproof waders to cross a creek without getting your shoes or pants wet, cover a broken window in a rainstorm, make an ad-hoc shelter, keep belongings from getting wet as you swim across a river, etc.
A multi-tool like a Leatherman Wave is also good to have.
I think an affordable GPS device would be more useful than maps and a compass. You can record and save tracks of your common routes for future reference. Just don't leave your batteries inside the GPS unit, since those tend to have a lot of parasitic drain.
Okay, so this is basically a bigger version of mom's purse / EDC? Something you'd carry every day when you leave home?
The first step in prepping is planning. Other than small daily stuff, it sounds like the major thing that you want to prep for is extreme weather.
In that case, the best prep is probably don't leave home in the first place. If you expect it's going to snow badly enough that getting home will be a struggle, you probably shouldn't be going out if you don't have to!
Keep in mind, you being able to get home is reliant on public transit. If the weather is bad enough that buses take alternate routes or get stuck, it's already pretty bad. I wouldn't expect that a heat wave or an ordinary thunderstorm would impact that.
Okay, but suppose this is something like the 2014 Atlanta Snowpocalypse when a big snowstorm that was predicted to miss the city didn't, and lots of people got stuck in their cars on the highway for 24 hours? The best plan is to stay put, because what's your alternative... walk home? In that kind of weather?
Basically, I think your list goes very hard in the direction of over-preparing. Unless you want a heavy bag to practice for a GoRuck or Tough Mudder event, that's a lot of stuff to carry around every day, especially on the other 200+ days of the year when the weather is fine. I think you'd be much better served by making yourself a checklist of stuff to add to your bag when they're needed. Like, you might have some stuff to carry in case of hot weather, and some stuff to carry in case of snow, but surely you wouldn't expect to need those on the same day, would you?
As for some of the specific stuff you mention, a lot of it seems unnecessary even for the most extreme weather scenarios I can think of.
Quick question. The compass apps i've found have been pure shit. Totally unreliable compared to a quality real compass. I haven't an even looked again in three years. Is there a compass app that you recommend that you have tried and compared to a quality real compass?
🤷🏻♂️ I'm on iOS, so I just use the built-in Compass app. It points magnetic north, or you can go into Settings and change it to point true north.
But TBH, I've never had to use it except as a novelty. Google and Apple Maps show your location on the map with a cone indicating which way you're facing, and this has always been enough for my needs.
You're right that the compass (or to be more pedantic, the 3-axis magnetometer) built into any smartphone is going to be limited in its accuracy. Its measurements are not very repeatable and may be off by as much as +/- 5 degrees. For navigating around a city, that's more than adequate. If you were trekking for miles and miles through the wilderness, then yeah, you probably want a mechanical compass that's more accurate.
Yeah, Android. Lol, unfortunately 30° off was way too inaccurate. Haven't looked again in the past 3 years. Little cracker jack compass compared better than the phone app compasses.
Wow, 30 degrees off is really disappointing. Like, I've worked on products that have magnetometers, and they're usually better than that before factory calibration. The engineers kinda have to fuck something up to get it to be that inaccurate.
Yeah. Kind of funny at the time. Coworker was talking so much sh!t about how I needed to get with the times. As an old boy scout just looking at the sun at 3pm I knew his phone was high as a kite before i dug out the compasses. I showed him what a pair of real compasses said. Watching him slowly turn around and watching all 3 was entertaining.
Told him I was sticking with old school for now.
I was hoping things had improved. Even 5° deviation is a huge improvement!
for the phone argument, the cell outage last year has made me weary of cellphone reliance without back up. Im in San Antonio as well where the snowpoclypse knocked power out all over and shit down highway travel
Yes, that's a good thing to consider.
I suggested downloading offline maps onto your phone, so that you can use them without any internet access. That way you still get all the advantages of a digital map. It only takes a minute to do and costs nothing.
If you don't think that's adequate to make it home through bad weather, what else is happening in this scenario that a map saved to your phone wouldn't be enough, but a paper map would be?
(P.S. "Weary" means "tired". The word you want is "wary" which means "suspicious or untrusting".)
As we’re discussing needed items for a march, but analyzing weight & space, I’m curious about using the Long Term Storage Protein Tabs.
Wouldn’t they do the job of supplying required protein for 1-3 days with less weight, less space?
I think the LTS Protein Tabs have about a 15 yr shelf life, & come in Vanilla or Chocolate flavors.
Now, I’m not saying they taste great, but the daily protein amount is there, & it would be quite compact.
I use makeup pouches in my bag for different types of essentials. Makes finding and transferring what you want much easier.
No headlamp? No first aid kit? I hope these are things you simply forgot to mention. Otherwise, get them immediately. And if you think you'll have to walk a long way and that's not something you do regularly, add blister pads to your pack. Add some hand-sized alcohol wipes, too. You'll want to be able to sanitize your hands if you find yourself having to do like a bear and do your business in the woods.
I'm not sure what you'll need the glass breaker or heavy duty gloves for, but I suppose you have your reasons. Same for transit maps of your most common routes. If they're the ones you use most often, shouldn't you know them? I'm not shaming, just asking.
Swap poncho for a ultralight rain jacket or compact umbrella … one that you could actually wear daily as needed
Sunglasses
Prescription glasses
Laptop? Then charger, hub, USB stick
Swap flashlight for ultralight headlamp. There’s several in the backpacking realm
For food, add a few more snacks and then eat one & replace everyday
Point here is to rotate AND have something you like & used to
Add cash, credit card, old ID, blank check
Drop glass breaker
Add Swiss Army knife or Leatherman Wave, but depends on places you go (ie allowed tool vs banned weapon)
Sharpie
Regular pen, pencils you like to use
Multi-device charging cable (micro, C, lightning, etc.)
Think ultralight backpacking
Yer carrying all that every day. Only carry the stuff you actually use or need
Yer pack needs to be light AND comfortable to wear on a very long walk.
This is very much like backpacking… therefore
A couple of things that might be helpful:
1). Being cold can cause your thinking ability to degrade. Sone kind of water wicking shirt and some shirts can be vacuum sealed. This can let you get out of we clothes if you need.
2). Some kind of snacks.....maybe some trail mix.....can get you energy and remove any ugly thinking thanks to hunger.
3). Small first aid kit. Yes, an ace bandage is a bandage, but some gauze and some antiseptic ointment may be a smart add. Let's not forget headache remedies.
4). Duct tape can be wrapped around your water bottle for storage. A few wraps might be e feet of tape. This can be used to patch holes to limit heat loss, stop blisters on feet from walking, and much more.
5). This video shows a way to attach Paracord to your back pack straps. Paracord can replace shoe laces, tie things to you for hands free carrying, and cordage to help with shelter set up:
https://youtu.be/dBhvWv2TUBE?si=na5i7vVR5vQOyAS5
6). I did not notice any kind of knife. If it is illegal in your country, okay. Otherwise add a knife as a tool.
7). Some kind of radio communications that interacts with the masses. Actually getting home may not be an option. Being able to get information may save you from walking 6 hours in the wrong direction. Many radios can cover commercial FM, the weather channels, GMRS, and amature radio vhf/UHF band.
Hi guys,
Here is my ultra light EDC bag, here is what situations/scenarios I prepare for: huge delays in trains, interruption of service so might be stuck in train, or having to walk back home (in my case, about 15 km from city center).
Everything (except the water flask) fits in a small flat ziploc bag that I keep in my work bag with my laptop.
Hope this list helps!
Crohn's?
Ahhhhh - got it, got it. Extra things in your bag, good idea.
Unless I missed it, you definitely need a multitool
Wet wipes
Nappy pins
Imodium
Extra cash
Water Filter
"Legal to carry" is highly subjective, especially in Texas. As far as I'm concerned, aside from courthouses and police departments, anything is legal. If nobody knows, nobody knows. You have to do what's smart and keeps you safe, especially using public transportation like you do. Find something you're comfortable with and learn how to use it well.
I'd ditch all of the "other" items except for the socks. And if you feel you need a flashlight, it should be one of those tiny micro USB charged ones that can fit on a keychain, they're plenty bright. I'd also add a small travel pack of wet wipes, cause of the crones.
A get home bag, isn't for survival emergency items. Just essentials to get you to your survival emergency items. If you've been carrying all of this, remove everything that you haven't used in a month or more.
Don't go for a mini mega do it all bag. Essentials for a get home bag, that's it.
And if you can walk home from work in a couple hours if you needed to, or less, you definitely don't need the shelter/camping items.
IDK, maybe I'm trying to force my minimalism on you, but think of a lighter bag as being better.