Start Here
If you want the printable, priority-ranked family checklist, use the Family checklist page. This page is the customization and kit-layer planning guide that feeds into it.
Rule: Build your layers first, then run the checklist.
1) What “Custom” Really Means
“Custom” is not brand names, shiny gear, or ten pounds of tools you never trained with. It means you can answer these questions in under sixty seconds:
- Mobility: Are you on foot, in a vehicle, or sheltering in place?
- Distance: How far must you move to safety (or home)?
- Climate: Cold kills quietly. Heat kills loudly. Which one is coming for you?
- People: Kids, seniors, medical needs, pets. Who slows the plan and who needs extra support?
- Time horizon: Minutes, hours, days. Your kit layers must match the clock.
Reality check: If you cannot carry it for one hour, it does not belong in your carried kit. If you cannot explain it to a stressed family member, it does not belong in your plan.
2) Choose Your Kit Type (Primary Layer)
These are not separate kits in a vacuum. They are layers. Each layer covers a different slice of time and movement. Build from the inside out.
1 EDC (Everyday Carry) — The Foundation Layer
EDC is what you have when everything starts and you have nothing else. It covers the first minutes to first hours: awareness, light, basic medical, and communication.
- Goal: Stay functional and informed while everyone else panics.
- Reality rule: If it does not fit your daily life, you will not carry it.
- Custom focus: Job environment, commute, local crime/weather risks.
2 GHB (Get-Home Bag) — Work/Vehicle to Home
A GHB is built for one mission: Get you home when roads freeze, highways jam, or your vehicle becomes a trap. It is lighter and more movement-focused than a BOB.
- Goal: Walk home safely.
- Time horizon: 6–24 hours (sometimes longer).
- Custom focus: Footwear, navigation, weather protection, calories, foot care.
3 BOB (Bug-Out Bag) — Leave Home Under Pressure
The BOB is the classic 72-hour bag. It is built to keep you alive while you move to a safer location. Most people ruin it by overpacking. Your BOB must be carryable, simple, and trained.
- Goal: 72-hour survival while relocating.
- Custom focus: Family roles, rendezvous plan, shelter system, water strategy.
- Do this next: Run the printable checklist on the Family page.
4 INCH (I’m Never Coming Home) — Extended Duration
INCH is a harsh category. It is heavier, slower, and full of tradeoffs. For most people, a better plan is a lighter BOB + a strong home stash + a realistic relocation route.
- Goal: Extended survival when resupply is uncertain.
- Custom focus: Sustainment and repair capability, not comfort.
- Warning: If you cannot move with it, it becomes loot for someone else.
5 Vehicle Kit — Volume and Weight Advantage
A vehicle kit is a force multiplier. You can carry more water, more shelter, more medical, and better tools. But it must be organized so you can grab the right parts fast.
- Goal: Bridge the gap between GHB and BOB with seasonal resilience.
- Custom focus: Winter swaps, heat safety, extraction tools, and charging/power.
- Reality rule: If it is buried under junk, it does not exist.
6 Home 72-Hour Stash — Shelter-in-Place Reality
Most real emergencies are “stay put” events. Power outages, storms, civil disruption, water failures. A home stash makes the first 72 hours survivable without heroics.
- Goal: Stabilize the household without leaving.
- Custom focus: Water storage, sanitation, redundancy, and family comfort.
- Do this next: Run the printable checklist and build modules.
3) Scenario Modifiers
Your kit is the base. These modifiers are the teeth.
- Winter: Insulation, dry socks, shelter warmth plan, traction.
- Heat: Shade, electrolytes, sun protection, water discipline.
- Urban: Concealment, alternate routes, crowd avoidance, noise discipline.
- Rural: Distance, exposure, navigation, resupply gaps.
Power-Out vs Evacuation
- Power-out: Lighting, charging, water access, food preservation, comms.
- Evac: Documentation, fuel, routes, bag access, rendezvous plan.
- Unrest: Keep a low signature, move early, avoid chokepoints.
- Storm/Flood: Water contamination plan, shelter reinforcement, alert monitoring.
Time Horizon
- 0–2 hours: EDC + awareness + immediate action.
- 2–24 hours: GHB mobility and weather protection.
- 24–72 hours: BOB + shelter + water strategy.
- 72+ hours: Home stash depth or relocation plan.
4) People Modifiers (The Hidden Weight)
Your kit must match the people you are responsible for. A solo kit is not a family kit. A family kit is a system.
- Kids: Comfort + compliance + warmth + calories + simple tasks.
- Seniors: Warmth, mobility support, medication planning, hydration.
- Medical needs: Redundancy, labeling, and a plan for refills and storage.
- Pets: Water and food allocation, containment, waste control.
Family Roles (Make It Work Under Stress)
- Primary: Navigation + comms + decision-making.
- Secondary: Medical + water + shelter tasks.
- Kids: Carry light items, practice quiet compliance and routines.
- Everyone: Know where the checklist is and how to use it.
5) Pack-Weight Rules (No Fantasy Bags)
A survival kit you cannot carry is not a survival kit. It is dead weight. Use these rules to keep your system real.
- Rule 1: Your carried kit must be sustainable for one hour of movement.
- Rule 2: Water is heavy. Carry what you need, but plan to treat and refill.
- Rule 3: Cut duplicates, not essentials. One strong system beats three weak ones.
- Rule 4: If it requires skill, train it or remove it.
- Rule 5: Store heavy depth in Vehicle/Home, not in your BOB.
Cut-first list: Comfort items, redundant tools, “nice-to-have” gadgets, heavy cooking rigs, and anything you have never used.
6) Build Modules (So You Can Move Fast)
Modules keep your kit organized, teachable, and upgradeable. Each module has a minimum and an upgrade path. Store modules where they belong: on-body (EDC), carried (GHB/BOB), cached (Vehicle/Home).
Water Module
- Minimum: Carry + treatment + refill plan
- Upgrade: Storage + redundancy + hot/cold management
Medical Module
- Minimum: Stop bleeding + basics + personal meds plan
- Upgrade: Expanded IFAK + family categories + labeling
Light & Power Module
- Minimum: Reliable light + spare power
- Upgrade: Charging system + vehicle/home backup
Comms Module
- Minimum: Phone plan + backup + simple signals
- Upgrade: Radios + family comms plan + rehearsals
Shelter Module
- Minimum: Weather protection
- Upgrade: Insulation, repair, and warmth strategy
Tools & Repair Module
- Minimum: Cutting + small repair capability
- Upgrade: Vehicle depth + home tool redundancy
Run the Checklist After You Build Your Layers
Once you know whether you are building EDC, GHB, BOB, INCH, Vehicle, or Home Stash, the checklist becomes fast and decisive.
7) Maintenance & Rotation (So Your Kit Works When It Matters)
- Every 3 months: Quick check (lights, batteries, leaks, missing items).
- Every 6 months: Rotate meds, check food dates, update documents.
- Seasonal swap: Winter gear in, summer heat gear in, then repeat.
- After use: Replenish immediately. Do not “do it later.” Later fails.
Simple Training (Low Time, High Payoff)
- 10 minutes: Pack access drill (find light, medical, water fast).
- 20 minutes: Short walk with your carried kit (test the weight reality).
- 30 minutes: Family roles drill (who grabs what, who calls who, where you meet).
- Quiet discipline: Teach simple signals and calm routines under stress.
Final Step: Choose Your Primary Layer, Then Execute
Decide your primary kit type (EDC, GHB, BOB, INCH, Vehicle, Home Stash). Then use the printable checklist to build it clean, fast, and realistically.
Pardon our dust. The Lone Wolf Survival and Adventure Gear site is under active development.
You can browse and shop normally, but some categories, products, and training hubs are still being built.
New content and gear are being added regularly, so check back often!
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