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A bug-out bag—also called a go bag—is a small, comfortable pack you can grab and carry when officials or conditions require you to leave quickly. Pack portable water and ready-to-eat food, a phone and backup charging, light, a radio, first aid, medicines, identification and insurance records, cash, hygiene supplies, and items required by children, pets, or medical equipment. Keep the load realistic for the person carrying it; a bag that cannot be carried is not an evacuation plan.
This is a portable evacuation bag, not your larger home emergency supply kit. The bag should support the trip and the first stage away from home. Your home kit can hold bulkier supplies for sheltering in place or for a longer stay. During an actual evacuation, follow local officials’ routes, transportation instructions, shelter information, and warnings even if they differ from your normal plan.
What a bug-out bag is—and what it is not
FEMA and Ready.gov use “go bag” for supplies that are easy to grab and carry. The purpose is speed and mobility: you should be able to leave without sorting through cupboards or lifting a container that only one person can move. A household may need more than one bag so each adult carries a manageable share and children have only age-appropriate items.
A go bag cannot contain every household supply for every disaster. Water, food, medication, weather protection, transportation, and shelter needs vary by route, season, hazard and destination. Treat the list below as a starting point, then adapt it to your household and local emergency guidance. Keep a separate, larger home kit for supplies that are impractical to carry.
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- 72 HOUR EMERGENCY KIT FOR 2 PEOPLE WITH FOOD AND WATER: Includes 2 emergency food bars totaling 4800 calories and 12 sealed drinking water pouches to support hydration and energy during disasters. Designed for emergency preparedness, survival kits, earthquake kits, and evacuation planning.
- COMPLETE DISASTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH SHELTER AND WARMTH: Equipped with 2 emergency ponchos and 2 survival blankets to help protect against rain, wind, and cold conditions. Critical gear for outdoor emergencies, power outages, and shelter in place situations.
- FIRST AID KIT AND SAFETY PROTECTION SUPPLIES: Features a 33 piece first aid kit, dust masks, and nitrile gloves to support basic medical care and protection from debris and airborne particles. Essential for emergency response, injury care, and disaster safety.
- EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND SIGNALING TOOLS INCLUDED: Comes with 2 long lasting 12 hour lightsticks and a safety whistle for visibility and communication in low light or rescue situations. Ideal for blackout emergencies, nighttime evacuation, and search scenarios.
- COMPACT BACKPACK FOR GRAB AND GO EVACUATION: Lightweight emergency backpack keeps all survival supplies organized and ready for fast response. Perfect for home emergency kits, car emergency kits, office preparedness, and bug out bags.
The essential packing checklist
Use this checklist as a planning framework. Select compact, familiar items and put the things you may need first where they can be reached without emptying the pack.
| Category | Pack | How to tailor it |
|---|---|---|
| Water and food | Drinking water; nonperishable food that needs little or no preparation | Balance several days of needs against the load the carrier can safely carry. Add a way to open or eat the food if it requires one. |
| Communication and charging | Mobile phone, power bank or spare battery, suitable charging cable, and a car charger when useful | Charge the backup device before an evacuation and keep cables with it. A vehicle charger helps only if a vehicle and a compatible socket are available. |
| Light and signaling | Flashlight, spare batteries, and a whistle | Store spare batteries where they cannot short against loose metal. A whistle can signal when shouting is unsafe or exhausting. |
| Information | Battery-powered or hand-crank radio | Use it for official instructions when cellular service or internet access is disrupted; include batteries if the radio needs them. |
| First aid and health | First-aid kit, prescription medicines, relevant over-the-counter medicines, spare glasses or contact lenses, prescriptions, and backup batteries for medical or assistive equipment | The Ready.gov educational checklist recommends planning for at least a week of medications. Ask a clinician or pharmacist how to maintain an appropriate emergency supply. |
| Documents and money | Copies of photo identification, insurance, proof of address, medical records and prescriptions, household contacts, and cash | Protect paper copies in a waterproof container. Keep secure digital copies accessible without relying on a single device or internet connection. |
| Hygiene and sanitation | Personal hygiene supplies and sanitation items | Choose the smallest practical versions for the people in the bag, including any products needed for menstruation, incontinence or washing. |
| Household-specific supplies | Infant formula and diapers, accessibility equipment, comfort items, or other essential personal supplies | List each person’s needs rather than assuming a generic kit covers them. |
Water and food
Carry drinking water and food that can be eaten with little preparation. Official emergency-kit guidance calls for water and nonperishable food for several days, but a quick-evacuation pack has a physical limit. The right amount depends on how far you may travel, whether a destination will provide water, the weather, and the strength and mobility of each carrier. Do not let an idealized quantity make the pack impossible to move; use your larger home supplies or vehicle supplies for additional volume when the evacuation plan permits.
Choose foods household members already tolerate, with attention to allergies, diabetes plans, infant feeding and cultural or religious requirements. Rotate items before they expire. Pack food in sealed inner bags so a leaking bottle does not ruin it, and include any opener or utensil needed to consume it.
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Phone, charging and official information
Put a charged phone, a power bank or spare battery, and the correct cable in the bag. A car charger is useful for households that expect to travel by vehicle. Keep important phone numbers on paper as well as in the phone because a dead battery or damaged device can remove your contact list.
Add a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a flashlight with spare batteries. Radio can deliver official updates when internet or cellular service is unreliable. A whistle is a small signaling tool for locating family members or drawing attention without using your voice continuously. Do not rely on a phone flashlight as your only light; using it drains the battery needed for communication.
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- The ultimate 72 hour kit: Designed for 2 people in just about any situation. Disaster prep for things like floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, blizzards or whatever mother nature dreams of. Even aliens and zombies fear this kit.
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- Superior Quality & Versatility, especially on the most vital components like the food, water and backpack. Our food is long lasting, US made & coast guard approved. The backpack is heavy duty, comfortable & very functional. At 50L, you’ll even have room to add personal items/customize.
- Multi-use, rechargeable & functionality focused: A emergency go bag needs to be mobile and light weight, so tools need to be multi-purpose designed. We use as much solar charging as possible and include a solar power bank to charge what isn’t. Who needs the grid?
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First aid, medicines and medical equipment
A basic first-aid kit belongs in the bag, but it does not replace medical care. Include prescription medicines and relevant over-the-counter products that household members already use, plus written prescriptions. Pack extra glasses or contact lenses and their supplies. If anyone depends on a medical or assistive device, include its essential accessories and backup batteries or charging equipment.
Ready.gov’s student go-bag checklist recommends planning for at least a week of medications. That is a checklist recommendation, not a universal clinical rule: dispensing laws, storage conditions and individual treatment plans differ. Ask the prescribing clinician or pharmacist what quantity and storage method are appropriate, and replace medicines before they expire.
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Make copies of photo identification, insurance information, proof of address, medical records and prescriptions. Add household contacts, an out-of-area contact if your plan uses one, and details that a shelter or healthcare provider may need. Keep paper copies in a waterproof container or pouch. Secure digital copies can supplement paper, but do not make a cloud account or a single phone the only way to retrieve them.
Cash is useful when power or communications outages disable card terminals or ATMs. Carry denominations that are practical for transportation, food or small purchases, while keeping the amount appropriate for your household’s risk and security needs. Do not place all money and documents in an exterior pocket that can be lost or opened easily.
Hygiene and sanitation
Pack compact personal-hygiene and sanitation supplies. Select products for the actual people in the household: soap or sanitizer, toothbrushes and toothpaste, toilet tissue or tissues, menstrual products, wipes, and incontinence supplies may all be relevant. If you use a product daily at home, test the travel-size substitute before relying on it in an evacuation. Seal liquids and waste bags so they cannot contaminate documents or food.
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Adapt the bag to each person
FEMA and Ready.gov describe their lists as starting points and ask households to account for unique needs. Write a short profile for every person and check it against the pack.
Babies and young children
Include formula, bottles or feeding equipment, diapers, wipes, prescribed medicines, and a change of clothing. Add a small familiar comfort item if space permits; it can make an unfamiliar shelter or vehicle easier for a child. Carry children’s identification and important medical information with the adult documents. Recheck sizes and feeding supplies as the child grows.
Older adults and people with disabilities
Plan for mobility, hearing, vision, communication and cognitive needs. Pack spare glasses, hearing-aid batteries, mobility-device accessories, communication cards or other assistive technology, and backup power where applicable. A person who normally uses a walker, wheelchair or service animal may need a different evacuation route and assistance plan; practice it rather than discovering the limitation during an alarm.
Pets
Pets need their own portion of the plan. Ready.gov’s pet guidance identifies food, water, medicines, grooming supplies, first aid, sanitation items, a leash or harness, a sturdy carrier or crate, and familiar items. Add vaccination or ownership records if they may be required for shelter or boarding. Identify hotels, shelters, relatives or other destinations that accept your animals; many emergency shelters cannot accommodate every species.
Keep a carrier, leash or harness where it can be reached quickly. Practice loading the animal, because an untrained or frightened pet can delay departure. Never leave an animal behind because evacuation instructions may change or return may be impossible.
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- [Comprehensive Emergency Supply Kit]: The included emergency supplies are stored in a bright red pouch, containing tweezers, scissors and pins, non-woven pad, triangular cotton cloth, cotton swabs, cotton balls, a generous supply of adhesive strips etc., meeting your general emergency and outdoor needs. It also includes an emergency information card to record your basic information, helping others quickly access important information when needed.
- [Safety Companion for Journey]: Our emergency kit includes many survival gear and supplies to ensure access to food, water, warmth, and light in a crisis. The fishing kit and multi-usage spoon help you catch and prepare food, while the collapsible water container bag helps store water. Fire starter and stick make it easy to build a fire. A flashlight, camping lamp, and glow sticks provide up to 72 hours of lighting, crucial for signaling for help and safe navigation.
- [Essential Survival Gear]: Additionally, this survival kit includes a detachable multifunctional axe with hammer and a 2-in-1 shovel with pick, made of sturdy carbon steel. Combined with wire saw, emergency tent and blanket, rope, and compass, you can quickly set up an emergency shelter while helping retain warmth. Unlike other mini axes, our axe and shovel are 17 inches long, providing effective protection in the wild against animals or in other emergencies.
- [Convenient Packaging]: The survival gear and supplies are packed in a crossbody bag, making it easy to carry and access in emergencies. The bag features multiple compartments and molle compatible straps and D-rings, allowing you to attach extra pouches or survival tools. The crossbody strap is also detachable, making it easy to connect to a tactical survival backpack using carabiners or the molle system.
Choose a carryable bag, not a maximum-capacity bag
No federal source establishes a universal backpack model, size or weight. Evaluate the bag against the person who will carry it and the route you may have to travel.
- Carryability: Load it with representative contents and have the intended carrier walk with it. Reduce weight if it causes pain, instability or exhaustion.
- Access: Put phone, light, medicines, identification and water where they can be reached quickly. Use labeled pouches for medical items and documents.
- Protection: Use waterproof inner containers or bags for papers, electronics and medicines when rain, flooding or wet transport is plausible.
- Capacity discipline: Leave room for the items you truly need, but do not treat unused space as a reason to add low-priority gear.
- Fit to hazard and route: A flood evacuation, winter departure, wildfire route and urban transit trip can require different clothing, footwear, protection and transport assumptions.
These are practical selection criteria derived from the official advice to keep a go bag easy to grab and to tailor it to family needs; they are not product specifications or performance tests.
Pack for the likely evacuation, climate and destination
Start with the hazards identified by your local emergency-management office. A flood plan may require rapid movement to higher ground and protection for paper records. A wildfire plan may involve vehicle evacuation and smoke conditions. A winter departure may require warmer clothing and additional power planning. Do not add specialized equipment merely because it appears on a generic survival list; choose items that match the route, season and official instructions.
Decide where the household will go if it cannot remain at home. Include the address and contact details on paper, and confirm how pets, infants, medical equipment and vehicles will be handled. Plan more than one route and a meeting place in case household members separate. Practice the plan so everyone knows who takes which bag and who is responsible for children, pets or equipment.
Organize the bag for a fast departure
- Inventory the people: List household members, pets, medications, equipment, allergies, accessibility needs and required documents.
- Set the departure assumptions: Choose the likely transport method, climate, route length and destination, while recognizing that officials may redirect you.
- Build the core load: Add water, ready-to-eat food, phone charging, flashlight and batteries, radio, whistle, first aid, medicines, documents, cash and hygiene supplies.
- Add personal modules: Create separate labeled pouches for each person’s medication, infant supplies, accessibility items and pet supplies.
- Protect and test: Waterproof documents and electronics, check that food can be opened, test the light and radio, and charge the phone and power bank.
- Carry-test it: Have each intended carrier walk with the loaded bag. Remove duplicates and low-priority items that make movement unsafe.
- Stage it: Keep the bag in an accessible location, not buried in a garage, locked vehicle or closet blocked by stored items. Ensure every adult knows where it is.
Maintenance and practice
Ready.gov advises checking emergency supplies periodically, but the cited guidance does not set one mandatory inspection interval for every household. Use changes in your life as triggers: review the bag when medications change, a household member is added or leaves, a child changes size, a pet’s needs change, a new device is introduced, or the season and local hazards shift.
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- 72 HOUR EMERGENCY KIT WITH FOOD AND WATER: Includes a 2400 calorie emergency food bar and 6 sealed water pouches to provide essential hydration and energy during disasters. Emergency preparedness kit, survival kit, earthquake kit, and bug out bag for one person
- COMPLETE SURVIVAL GEAR WITH SHELTER AND PROTECTION: Equipped with an emergency blanket and poncho to help protect against rain, wind, and cold conditions. Reliable survival gear for outdoor emergencies, power outages, and disaster supply kits
- FIRST AID KIT AND PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT: Features an 18 piece first aid kit with essential first aid supplies, nitrile gloves for protection from debris. Built for emergencies, injury care, and safety preparedness
- EMERGENCY LIGHTING AND SIGNALING TOOLS: Includes a 12 hour lightstick and safety whistle for visibility and communication in low light or rescue situations. Critical for blackout kits, evacuation gear, and search and rescue signaling
- COMPACT BACKPACK GO BAG FOR FAST EVACUATION: Lightweight survival backpack keeps all supplies organized and ready for immediate use. Go bag for home emergency kits, car emergency kits, office preparedness, and travel safety
- Replace expired food, batteries, medicines and hygiene products before they become unusable.
- Recharge power banks and test radios, flashlights and device cables.
- Update identification copies, insurance information, prescriptions, contacts and destination details.
- Check that waterproof pouches still seal and that carriers, leashes and mobility equipment fit.
- Practice leaving by the planned routes and meeting at the planned location. Include pets and children in a calm rehearsal.
After an official evacuation order, stop optimizing the bag. Take it, secure the home only if authorities say it is safe and feasible, and follow the designated route and shelter instructions. Do not return until officials state that it is safe.
Common packing mistakes
Making the bag too heavy
A large supply list can defeat the purpose of a carry bag. Prioritize items that preserve health, communication, identification and mobility. Distribute weight among capable adults and use a vehicle or home kit for bulk when the evacuation plan allows.
Buying a preassembled kit without checking it
A commercial kit is not automatically complete for your household. Check every item against allergies, prescriptions, infant feeding, pet care, accessibility, climate and local hazards. Add missing documents, medicines, chargers and food that your household will actually use.
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Internet access, cellular service and device power can fail. Keep waterproof paper copies of key records and contacts, with secure digital copies as a supplement.
Ignoring pets or destination rules
A leash and food do not solve the problem if the destination refuses animals. Confirm pet-friendly options and practice transport before an emergency.
Leaving the bag inaccessible
A perfectly packed bag in a blocked closet is not ready. Stage it where household members can reach it quickly and tell everyone what each person carries.
Bottom line
Build a light, reachable go bag around water, portable food, communication and charging, light, first aid, medicines, documents, cash, hygiene and the specific needs of your household. Keep it separate from a larger home kit, tailor it to local hazards and the intended route, include pets and medical equipment, and revise it when circumstances change. In a real evacuation, local officials’ instructions take priority over any generic checklist.
Quick Recap
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