Most Underrated Items in your BOB/INCH/Get Home Bags

[HeldTheAncient]

Thought this might be an interesting topic even for those of us who have been doing this for a while. The smallest and least sexy items in my get home bag always seem to get the most use. What items in your kit do you use all the time but might be forgotten in a newly packed bag??

my top two:
* nail clippers
* insect repellant

[CG]

ThermaCare wraps. As someone who regularly gets in the car when it feels like an oven and turns on the seat heaters for her back, they're fabulous.

[HeldTheAncient]

ThermaCare wraps. As someone who regularly gets in the car when it feels like an oven and turns on the seat heaters for her back, they're fabulous.

ooh that's a good idea. Useful as an emergency heat source too!

[MacWa77ace]

TP or similar functioning accoutrement

[majorhavoc]

TP or similar functioning accoutrement

^^^ This. You beat me to it. I guess next up as an underrated BOB/GHB item would be a change of underwear and socks.

[tony d tiger]

Safety pins.
Easy to keep on hand; indispensable when that zipper breaks.

[MPMalloy]

* insect repellent

This. When I was on the street, it was gold.

[WillyWinchester]

Trash bags, condoms, and homemade firestarter--vaseline soaked cotton kept in a pill bottle.

[MacWa77ace]

^^^ This. You beat me to it. I guess next up as an underrated BOB/GHB item would be a change of underwear and socks.

I keep a complete change of clothes in a GBH duffle in my vehicle, because I would probably need to change everything from my office attire to my traveling gear. So boots, 2 pair socks and underwear, hat, rain poncho, pants that convert to shorts and back with a zipper, underarmor undershirt, long sleeve cotton T. I figure, worst case scenario in FL, it will happen in Aug/Sept and 95 degrees with feel like humidity of 108. So it's geared for a hot, humid GBH. This apparel would work in our harshest winters also, since in January we can reach temps below 70 degrees at noon I'll usually bring a jacket to work on those days.

Also have sunscreen, mosquito repellant packs, and moleskin as components of my 'comfort kit' module. All fits in a 3x5" plastic zip bag in my GBHB.

[raptor2]

Mosquito headnet. Because insect repellant is not enough in my ao.



A boonie hat, old & retired long sleeve white cotton shirt and sun tan lotion.
Because the sun, heat and mosquitos will make your life miserable very quickly without them.
All of which can be compactly packed into the hat for storage.

[PistolPete]

Soap. Cleaning wipes are fine, but using soap and water to defunk is a real morale booster.

[Brekar]

Besides all the wonderful stuff mentioned I'd say that zipties are to be includes as well. it's amazing what can be fixed with a ziptie, especially the metal ones...

[eugene]

Hand sanitizer, mask, lip balm, sunblock.

[Black Beard]

A needle. Add thread and you can sew stuff. If you need to use something sharp and pointy they work great.

If you have a swiss army knife then a sewing machine needle (which have a thicker base to hold on to) pushed through a scrap of paper will fit below its saw/file/pliers.

[MPMalloy]

Soap. Cleaning wipes are fine, but using soap and water to defunk is a real morale booster.

I could go on about the importance of hygiene. I won't, because I don't want to be "that guy" anymore than......

[by-the-throat]

Carabiners. I have lately been packing extra carabiners for everything, in a wide couple of varieties from el cheapo to the heavy duty jobs i use to hang up my BOB or my line gear. I end up using them for everything related to storing crap; sometimes my shelter looks like a christmas tree with a bunch of shit hanging off it but I can always reach up and grab whatever it is I need fairly quickly.

This is rapidly escalating to the point where i think I'm just gonna slap it's own individual carabiner on damn near everything I own so I can just clip it wherever if needed.

[Phil]

Saline bullets. The sterile kind that go in nebulizers for pulmonary issues. They are excellent to have for small wound flushing and especially for eye care.
Phil Forrest

[MacWa77ace]

Saline bullets. The sterile kind that go in nebulizers for pulmonary issues. They are excellent to have for small wound flushing and especially for eye care.
Phil Forrest

Saline bullets sounded cool so I looked into getting some, turns out I have those but didn't know them by the name saline bullets. I call them Eye Wash. 98.6% purified water. Also has potassium phosphate monobasic, sodium chloride, and sodium hydroxide in that last 1.4%. One less thang.

See previous post pic viewtopic.php?f=14&t=124824&p=2748411#p2748159, didn't mention them 'cause they're in my VFAK, but the VFAK will move into my GBHB for the hike home.