The Get-Home Bag for City Commuters

Most city emergencies do not require you to survive in the wild. They require you to walk home across a city that has stopped working, in the shoes you happened to wear that day. A get-home bag is smaller and duller than a survival kit, and far more likely to be used.

Why this bag is different from a bug-out bag

A bug-out bag assumes you leave home with everything. A get-home bag assumes you are at work, 15 km away, with a dead phone and no trains. It needs to be light, discreet, and carried every day — which means anything unnecessary is actively harmful.

What you need

• A plain 20 to 30 litre daypack that does not look tactical
• Comfortable shoes and socks you can walk 20 km in
• Water, filter, snacks, powerbank, headlamp, small first-aid kit
• A paper map of your city with your route marked

Pack it

1. 01

   Start with feet. Trainers or walking shoes plus one spare pair of socks. Blisters, not disasters, are what stop people walking home.

2. 02

   Water and a filter, not just a bottle. One litre carried plus a squeeze filter means every tap, fountain and stream on the route is a refill.

3. 03

   Calories that need nothing. Nuts, bars, dried fruit. 800 to 1000 calories is plenty for a long walk.

4. 04

   Light and power. A headlamp and a charged powerbank. A city with no power is far darker than you expect.

5. 05

   Weather layer. A packable rain jacket and a warm hat. Walking wet in wind is how a long walk becomes a medical problem.

6. 06

   Documents and cash. Small notes, a photocopy of ID, and a written contact card. Card machines fail with the power.

7. 07

   Walk the route once, in daylight, and mark the alternatives — bridges, tunnels and stations are the choke points that close first.

The mistakes that keep people stuck

• Building a heavy woodland kit for a pavement problem
• Packing shoes you have never walked in
• Carrying no water because "there are shops"
• Leaving the bag at home because it is bulky

Common questions

Do I need a knife or self-defence gear? Follow local law, and remember the job of this bag is walking, not confrontation. Situational awareness and an early start beat any tool.

What about the car? Keep a duplicate kit in the boot with a bottle of water and shoes. Cars end up abandoned in exactly the events this bag is for.

Where kit is worth the money

A light daypack, a squeeze filter and a decent headlamp are inexpensive, and unlike most preparedness gear you will use them on ordinary weekends. Spending a little on the bag you carry every day is a far better investment than a large one you never take anywhere.