Shelter? Sleeping provision? For a Get Home Bag?????

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
1,398
Hi all

Since Ethan's Fall Gathering I have been putting together a GHB in a small pack. My goal is to build something that would sustain me for up to 3 days of walking home. So far I have food (Cliff Bars, Power Bars and Jerky) , water, warm clothing, BK2, Gun and ammo, fire starting stuff, first aid kit, compass, water purification tablets etc.

But beyond a plastic poncho and space blanket, no shelter, and also no sleeping bag - or for that matter room for them anyway unless they were tied onto the outside of the pack.

What do you more experienced guys recommend for sleeping and shelter in cold conditions??

(It does occur to me that in such a scenario I might be able to slip into a barn, shed or something and that would satisfy the shelter part as long as the owner of said shed did not exercise his rights under the "Castle Doctrine" but still would have issues trying to stay warm sleeping.)

Thanks

CD
 
I keep my wiggy's bag in the car. It's really a sleep system, it's a zero degree bag during the fall/winter/spring and a 30 degree bag during summer. I keep the bag , pad and bivy sack inside a compression sack in the rig full time.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
I keep my wiggy's bag in the car. It's really a sleep system, it's a zero degree bag during the fall/winter/spring and a 30 degree bag during summer. I keep the bag , pad and bivy sack inside a compression sack in the rig full time.
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+1 :thumbup: very versatile
 
Do you have a empty canteen in there or something? (need something to put the water in) And for more food you could get a couple MREs. I would also say put a smaller knife in there (bk-14 bk-11 etc) and maybe a small ceramic rod or sharpening stone. I am no expert....at all..... But those are some things that I would put in it.
 
I've had a thought for awhile, but haven't tried it yet. On another site there are a bunch of yuppies that always ask about winter camping and heating tents. I'm wondering if you put two 4" elbows in your kit (you could pack the free space until needed) to use with dakota fire holes. The thought being two dakota fire holes joined above ground witht eh 4" vent pipe. The intake from the first fuels the fire with air. The exhaust exits to the pipe, then to the intake of the second, and is then exhausted out the vent of the last outside the tent.

Another way would be to use a couple straight pipes and dig a trench. Place the pipe in the tench and lightly cover with dirt. You'd have heated floors in the tent that way. :)
 
In the truck I keep a Duluth bed roll with a wool blanket and sleeping bag rolled inside. Its super comfortable and I use it every time I have too many drinks and don't want to drive. In my GHB, I have a space blanket and a microfleece cocoon that packs down to nothing and adds 8 degrees to your setup. I also like the idea of sleeping in fabric without a space blanket against the skin if it came down to a nasty scenario.
 
Whatever you end up with in your pack, be sure to test it out and make sure you have the essentials and weed out extra weight. I don't know about you but I have a tendency to pack way too much.
 
i keep a wool blanket in the trunk and 2 heavy duty lawn and leaf bags you can use some paracord to make a tube tent! and some duct tape wrapped around a plastic card in my bag!
 
This isn't directed towards you, Col. D, but more towards any newer guys just getting into prepping.
The first thing we all need to do is assess our situation. How far do we work from home? Whats our normal routes, our secondary, our third, etc...... What climate do you live in? What season is it, is the weather a concern? What terrain are you dealing with? Each of these questions need to be answered before any equipment purchase is made. Even with clear and exact answers, your purchase may not be the best for you. That can only be answered by testing your equipment.
 
Well what I need is something that will go in or on the pack. I can easily carry a down sleeping bag in the car and it will keep me totally warm if the situation is such that I just need to car camp for a while - but I am thinking of walking for three days which means sleeping out for two days. So either I find something minimal for sleeping/shelter, or just make my really big rucksack into my get home bag and carry the sleeping bag, pad and even a tent. And maybe that is the answer.

It's just that I was thinking of my GHB as something small so I could travel faster and more easily.
 
In my vehicle kits i carry for shelter... 3 space blankets, a poncho, and a poncho liner sewn along the bottom and 1/2 way up one side.space blanket lining inside poncho for shelter, either lean-to or tent style.(if you want to roast...do a lean-to with a space blanket behind you and fire out front....you will cook. space blanket inside reflects heat but air gap removes moisture.poncho liner for sleeping bag and 2nd space blanket under and over for heat depending on outside temps.3rd space blanket for additional wind block/rainfly/pirate hat...whatever.
This set up is very lightweight and compact.it is not wiggys comfy... but again if you are on the move, weight will count as you will dehydrate, get hungry, and as you loose strength and reason... you may abandon gear. Review real situational scenarios where people decided to travel... in many situations people slowly ditched gear as weight became a factor.or the weight of their gear became part of their problem instead of an asset.try different aluminized space blanket brands and go with what you feel is strongest for it`s short term need.I have used this set up and it works for me, as weight is now a major factor for me after multiple back surgeries...my days of rucking with fat alice loaded up are over. it is now a small alice and multiple use ,lightweight items and some 550 cord.
 
Get a real poncho that has eyelets to make a quick shelter. Adventure medical has an emergency bivy bag that is about tennis ball sized and would be a great addition to your bag. Its under $20 bucks and more than a one time use product. Cabelas carries them. WIth those two items you will be fine.
 
There are a few different companies that make sleeping bags that pack down really, really small. My Snugpak is rated to something like 34° at the lowest, and while I know it wouldn't work well in a blizzard, I could stuff it with more insulation like leaves or whatever and it is pretty darn small when compressed down. It also unzips all the way so it can be used as just a blanket which makes it a bit more versatile if needed. I would definitely consider also either more space blankets or one of the reusable ones.
 
Col Defender said:
Well what I need is something that will go in or on the pack. I can easily carry a down sleeping bag in the car and it will keep me totally warm if the situation is such that I just need to car camp for a while - but I am thinking of walking for three days which means sleeping out for two days. So either I find something minimal for sleeping/shelter, or just make my really big rucksack into my get home bag and carry the sleeping bag, pad and even a tent. And maybe that is the answer.

It's just that I was thinking of my GHB as something small so I could travel faster and more easily.
Click to expand...

AMK/SOL (adventure medical kits-survive outdoors longer) has 2 bivy bags I highly reccommend. The Emergency Bivy bag is very small (packs down to just a little bigger than your fist) and great for the 3 non-winter seasons (especially if its coupled with a wool blanket rolled up and tied to the outside of your pack). The Thermal Bivy is slightly larger (packs down to about the size of a small coffee can) and a bit warmer. I also think this would be great with a wool blanket. These are made of mylar and may melt if an ember falls on them. If you slept inside one of these bags and put the wool blanket over you, you could sleep close to the fire without worrying about melting your bag (wool is somewhat fire resistant--well it wont quickly go up in flames if an ember lands on it) For shelter I like the USGI poncho--very versatile especially for a GHB--can be a shelter, can be worn while moving with your backpack on, can be used to make a bushcraft chair or hammock---I like redundancy when it comes to shelter so my ideal set-up would contain: one of the bivy bags, wool blanket, space blanket and usgi poncho---hope this helps
 
I know that it's not small, but if you were to pack for a 3 day 2 night backpacking trip, either cold or moderate weather, you have your entire setup ready to go, just keep a good pair of boots in the pack in case your wearing sneakers.

Honestly I can't think of anything better than the ability to build some cover and a fire as far as shelter is concerned.
 
AMK/SOL Survival Medic kit -- includes a 56"x84" emergency blanket, fire starting materials, whistle, button compass, duct tape, and basic first aid in a 5 oz 5"x6" pouch that would likely hold close to a pint of water -- all under $15.
survival_medic_3.jpg
 
I've been wondering if I couldn't sleep in my Eddie Bauer windproof fleece top and bottoms with a casualty blanket as a wind foil. Fleece beanie hat, Balaclava and glove liners are in all my bags.

Going to try this idea with the safety net sleeping bag in the truck.
 
I carry a coleman mummy cold weather sleeping bag in a compression sack, inside the sack is also an xl trash bag and i got a couple spares in my pack as well. used together its normally too hot for me even without use of a fire, but i have only tested it down to 40 degree weather. I also carry an 8x10 and a 10x14 grizzly tarp for a wide range of shelter building.
 
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