5 items which need to be in your trunk.

Most of us keep a “get home bag” in the trunk, a bag which would sustain life for 3 to 5 days while trying to make it back to the homestead if T-SHTF during the workday or a weekend trip.  The contents of the get home bag somewhat mirror what might be in a bugout bag, although get home bags tend to be a little more streamlined.  What follows are a list of items you might not have in your trunk, items which will compliment the get home bag and make your journey back to the homestead easier if T-SHTF during the middle of your Six Sigma workshop.

1- Complete change of clothes.  You might have a cool hatchet, some sterno cans, MREs and 50 feet of Paracord in your get home bag but none of those items will make walking home in a suit any easier.  Have a complete change of comfortable clothes in the trunk outside of your bag.  This way the clothes do not take up space in the bag (the intent being that you will change immediately) which will allow you to put more supplies in there.

2- Broken in (sturdy) shoes or boots.  I stress the broken in part, heaven help you if the first time you put on those $100 hiking boots is the time when you really need to use them.  Running shoes or similar are certainly better than nothing, but I would suggest something a little sturdier.

3- Spare inner tube, hand pump and tire change kit for a bicycle.  If I’m more than 20 miles from home if T-SHTF my primary concern (next to security) will be finding a bicycle.  It could take days to walk 50 or 60 miles, while I could peddle that in less than 24 hours.  For those of you who have never been stranded on some remote bike trail with a flat tire, it isn’t fun at all and happens more than one would like to believe.  Therefore, keep a tire change kit in the trunk for the bike you might need to “acquire.”

4- Diversion wallet with money in it.  If for whatever reason someone gets the drop on you (tsk tsk), you’ll have a wallet with some cash in it to fork over.  This might make them go away or distract them long enough for you to take action.  In any event your real wallet with ID’s and spare cash will be safely tucked away in a less obvious location.

5- Bullhorn with Police Siren.  No seriously, one of these devices could really come in handy early on in a post SHTF scenario.  You could use the megaphone to coordinate action in a crowd, for example taking charge of a group of people in a parking lot or on a street.  “LADIES and GENTLEMEN, I am (insert name) from the (insert organization).  If you would please travel East for 3 blocks there is assistance waiting, food and water…”  This might be the diversion you need to make your dash for home if you reach a choke point, or there really might be supplies which you feel like telling people about.  Additionally, the police siren could be a useful scare tactic when employed on nervous first time thieves.

Packing lists for get home bags and bugout bags seem to be pretty standard.  Hopefully these other items will be something you consider keeping in the trunk as well, they could be very valuable in a post SHTF situation when home is further away than you would like it to be.