The name is a little misleading, it’s not really one versus the other but a compare and contrast. It’s not about which one is better but it’s purpose and application. It’s really about where you are and where you are going.
Lets quickly define what Bug Out Bags and Get Home Bags are, for those who are new to this.
A Get Home Bag is a bag that contains the necessary equipment and supplies to get you from your most common location away from home, usually your place of employment, to your home.
A Bug Out Bag is a bag that you keep at home that contains the necessary equipment and supplies to get you from your home to a preplanned bug out location in the event that you must evacuate your home and need to sustain yourself for a period of time, usually a minimum of 72 hours is recommended.
How They Are The Same
Both bags are there to assist you in getting from point A to point B, your point A and point B are different but the premise is the same. They contain equipment and supplies that you deemed necessary to achieve that end goal. In both situations, you should have a plan. In my article How To Build A Real Get Home Bag – A Practical Guild one of the first things I talk about is the importance of making a Plan.
How They Are Different
Bug Out Bags and Get Home Bags share many qualities but are also quite different at the same time. There are two main differences between them, the size and its contents. These two factors will dictate your mobility and capabilities.
Size and Weight
Depending on your bug out plan, a Bug Out Bag can be whatever size and weight you can handle. A Get Home Bag, on the other hand, can vary depending on a number of factors.
The first factor that will make a difference is whether or not you can keep the bag in your vehicle or if you have to carry it with you all day. If you can keep your bug out bag in a vehicle you are limited by how much space you have to store the bag. If you have space in your vehicle and you travel far from your home then your Get Home Bag may be nearly the same as a Bug Out Bag with a few exceptions.
The best type of bags to use for a bug out bag is a backpacking pack between 55 and 65 liters or large military surplus packs. These suit themselves better for carrying heavy loads over long distances. The size of your pack will vary depending on your size and capabilities. Obviously, a fit 200-pound man can carry more than a 120-pound woman so use some common sense when choosing your bag.
On the other hand, if you travel only a short distance from home or you use public transportation and need to carry your bag with you at all times then looking like you are going on an expedition into the Himalayas may not be your best option. This is where a smaller backpack or sling bag will come into play.
Using a small backpack or sling bag has its limitations too but the alternative is having nothing at all. If you have to carry the bag to and from work, there is one more thing you need to take into consideration, its contents.
The Contents
Much of the contents of your bags will be dictated by how far you need to travel and what your plan is to cover that ground. Your needs don’t change just because you are going to a different place, your body still needs water, fuel, and protection from the elements and others.
A GET HOME BAG that you have to carry with you on public transportation or into buildings that have restricted access will dictate what you can and can’t carry in your bag, more specifically knives, tools, and self-defense equipment. Otherwise, just make sure that you comply with your local and state laws and you’ll be good.
When you are thinking about Get Home Bags, you need to find a balance between what you want, what you need and speed. The circumstances that would require you to follow your get home protocol, more than likely widespread emergency and the less time you spend exposed the better.
A BUG OUT BAG will be less restricted but just make sure you are still in compliance with your state and local laws, remember that most bug out scenarios will not involve the complete breakdown of law and order. For a more complete look at what you may want in your bug out bag check out this article I wrote HOW TO BUILD A BUG OUT BAG/KIT – A PRACTICAL GUIDE
Clothing
GET HOME BAG – Depending on your job, you may want a change of clothes including good socks and some hiking boots or trail running type shoes. Trying to hike home 5 or 10 miles in slacks and dress shoes is not advisable.
BUG OUT BAG – A bug out bag should have a change of clothes including a base layer, street clothes, seasonal clothing, and extra socks and underwear.
Medical/First Aid
GET HOME BAG – In a get home bag you will want a basic trauma kit and maybe a small boo-boo kit. With a get home bag, you will be less worried about small nicks and cuts and more concerned treating life threating injuries.
BUG OUT BAG – Should have an extensive first aid kit and a trauma kit as well. It should also contain any medication that members of your family require including some over the counter medications for pain, fevers, and diarrhea.
Self-Defense
GET HOME BAG – As discussed earlier, you may have restrictions on what you can carry in your get home bag. At a minimum, I would have some sort of defensive tools, whether it’s a knife, kubotan, or pepper spray or better than that, bear spray, you need something to protect yourself should you encounter some unfriendly people taking advantage of a bad situation.
BUG OUT BAG – As long as you follow the laws of your state you should be fine. At a minimum, I would have some bear spray. Although the best option for a bug out bag is a handgun. You will also want some non-lethal option like bear spray which can be effective on both 4 and 2 legged predators.
Shelter
GET HOME BAG – The purpose of the get home bag is to get you home as fast as possible, so you will most likely not need shelter but having a couple of mylar emergency blankets won’t hurt though.
BUG OUT BAG – A bug out bag may have to get you 72 hours and beyond so having some form of shelter really is a must. It could be something as basic as a bivy and a tarp or you may just pack a tent.
Water
GET HOME BAG – A one-liter water bottle should do the trick but some may throw in a LifeStraw just to be safe.
BUG OUT BAG – You can’t carry 3 or more days worth of water, so a bug out bag should have some way of collecting water and a few different options for treating water.
Food
GET HOME BAG – Get home bags generally won’t need food but if you do want something in there you will want food that requires no preparation, something you can just open and eat on the go. The best options for get home bags are meal replacement bars.
BUG OUT BAG – Bug out bags are generally larger and have more room for food and may include cooking equipment. Because of this, you can include MRE’s and freeze dried foods. Plus you may need rest time if you have to cover a lot of mileage.
Parting Thoughts
Both these bags have their intended purpose but as you can see there can be some crossover depending on individual needs and circumstances. The real takeaway from this is that a get home bag will be, in most cases, a lightweight bag geared toward speed, where a bug out bag is geared towards a level of sustainability.