EDC is your always-available baseline capability. Every item should earn its place by addressing a specific threat or need. Document what you carry, why you carry it, and what it weighs. EDC philosophy: carry what you need for the most likely scenarios, not the most extreme ones. A tourniquet and a phone with offline maps addresses more real-world scenarios than a full trauma kit you left in the car.
The Get Home Bag addresses a specific scenario: you are separated from your home and primary resources and must travel potentially on foot to get back. It is not a bug-out bag — it is lighter and more focused. Contents: 24 hours of water and food, minimal first aid, fire, navigation, footwear appropriate for the distance home, cash, and communication. Know how far you are from home on foot and plan accordingly.
The Bug Out Bag (BOB) is your 72-hour autonomous capability. It assumes you have left your primary location in a hurry and cannot return. Contents cover the survival priorities: shelter, water, fire, food, medical, security, navigation, and communication. Document every item with weight — most BOBs are dangerously overweight. A loaded bag over 25% of your body weight will degrade your movement and endurance significantly.
Your vehicle is a force multiplier. Document what lives in the vehicle at all times: tools, recovery gear, fuel, water, first aid, communication, navigation, and shelter material. The vehicle kit supplements your BOB and fills gaps that are too heavy or bulky to carry on foot. Know at what point your vehicle becomes a liability — fuel dependency, road accessibility — and have a plan for transitioning to foot movement.
The Retreat Bag is for a planned departure with more time and more load capacity — you are leaving because the situation has deteriorated to the point that staying is no longer viable, but you have enough warning to load properly. It supplements the BOB with extended food, additional medical supplies, tools, and materials that are too heavy for emergency departure but essential for extended operations at an alternate location.
Weight and contents summary for all 5 bag types.
Missing or underweight items by bag type.
Itemized checklist for each bag — use when packing or auditing.
Total weight by bag with load percentage of body weight.