Been watching Youtube videos on everyone's Get Home Bag...After looking at their ideas, planning and gear, I'm pretty sure no one has ay idea what's involved.

_ Guy in New York state plans to walk 20 miles home ( so 7 hours to 2 days outside) ...but no winter jacket for winter or sun protection for summer...

And from news videos that I have seen about how much snow there can be in the New York state; if snow plowing does not function it might be impossible to walk. Need cross country skiis.

Teacher: I’m not siding with any of the videos u viewed. I’ve seen them too. Most are “wanna-be” exercises or wildly too heavy for anyone who isn’t a young fit experienced backpacker. BUT, a 20 mile winter or summer walk home , without, respectively, a winter coat or hat for sun protection , is doable given medium winter conditions.

Not every GHB is car carried. Mine is designed for walking about in the NYC-Nj Metro area and walking home in a 9/11 lockdown type situation. That could be an ~15 mile walk. So it’s a 8-10 lb. packed , leather, 8-9 L, unisex leather backpack. Unobtrusive in an urban environment. ( See my 9/12 post with contents list ,under the entry for “Your bug out bag has the wrong gear”.). I try to to dress for the worst likely weather, especially when I’m onfoot or using public transport. But, let’s assume I’ve lost my coat because I had to evac the restaurant quickly after a catasophe of some type.

My bag has extra socks, thin leather-nomex gloves, N-95 mask, Convertible sun- regular glasses, sil-tarp poncho, 2 small store type plastic bags ( wrap shoes), 2” x10’ Gorilla tape and 2 large cotton bandanas. With these materials I could fashion body insulation from stuffing shirt or bags and bandana hobo bag, with dry material, leaves, crumpled newspaper pages, , napkins , etc , whatever works that I can “dog rob”.. I can fashion a sun or warmth hat. Fasten the extra insulation and shoe wrap to my body/ shoes with the G Tape, don the extra socks and gloves. Cover the whole “jury rig “ with my sil-tarp poncho to break the wind and keep insulation dry from rain/ snaow. NOT an optimum set-up, but good enough to keep me warm and dry while I was walking-out. Good enough to ward off the weather’s worst punishment , if uncomfortablely.

well stated Acropolis50

Like everything else, these things are very person and circumstance specific.

I used to work ~36 miles from home. My get home plan was to probably not go home in an emergency, but if I really HAD to for some reason, I would have walked (oof) or borrowed a boat (there's a river flowing toward home between where I work and live and I'm a boater...). In other words, yeah I had clothes appropriate for the season and some basics with me, but I didn't view a "get home" bag as a realistic option. It was too far. I did have a credit card and a plethora of hotels, friends with homes, and bars near where I worked to seek shelter in if needed!

I now work 6-8 miles (depending on the route I choose...) from home. Now I don't have a get home bag because it's maybe a 4 hour walk. I could also just sleep in my office or, again, shelter at someone's home nearer to work. It is also hard for me to imagine a situation where I can't get a ride, but if I think hard enough I can come up with something I guess.

Like Acrop, I try to dress for the weather. So if something happens to my car/the roads are closed, I'll figure out my best option at the time. That said, if I'm looking at weather so bad it is likely to make the roads impassable I hope I am already home.

Point is, I agree the guys you watch on youtube are not realistic. Maybe they truly are clueless, or maybe they're trying to get views and make some money. But you have to look at your circumstances, your decision making, and your level of fitness and comfort in your area to decide what makes sense for you.

Yes - Buffalo can get 20 inches of snow in one storm...