A go bag has one job: let you leave your home in 15 minutes with everything you need to survive for 72 hours.

Not 2 hours. Not 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes — because that's roughly how much time you have in many real evacuations before a wildfire shifts, a hurricane makes landfall, or a flood reaches your street. Some emergencies give you less.

Most people who've been through a forced evacuation say the same thing: they grabbed what was in front of them and left things behind that they deeply regret. The go bag solves this by making the decision ahead of time.

This is the checklist.

Before the List: The Right Bag

Size matters. A go bag that you can't carry is a go bag you'll leave behind.

For one adult: a 40-50 liter backpack. Large enough for 72 hours of supplies, small enough to manage with one hand when you need the other for a child, a pet, or a door.

For a family: each adult carries their own bag, each older child carries a lighter version with their own supplies. This distributes the weight and means the family doesn't lose everything if one bag is left behind.

Weight target: no more than 20-25% of your body weight. A full go bag will run 20-30 lbs. Know your limit.

The Go Bag Checklist

Water — 1 Day Supply (pack light, plan to refill)

Go bags are not meant to carry 3 days of water — 12 gallons for a family of four weighs 100 pounds. Pack enough for 24 hours and plan to acquire more.

  • [ ] 2 liters of water per person in the bag
  • [ ] Water purification tablets (small, lightweight, treats 20+ liters)
  • [ ] Water filter straw (LifeStraw or Sawyer — filters 1,000+ gallons)
  • [ ] Collapsible water bottle (fills at any tap, stream, or shelter)

Food — 72 Hours (calorie-dense, no cooking required)

  • [ ] Protein bars (aim for 200+ calories each, pack 6-9 per person)
  • [ ] Trail mix or nuts (calorie-dense, no prep)
  • [ ] Jerky or meat sticks
  • [ ] Peanut butter packets (single-serve, no refrigeration)
  • [ ] Crackers or dense bread
  • [ ] Hard candy (quick energy, morale)
  • [ ] Comfort food for children (familiar = calming in a crisis)
  • [ ] Instant coffee or tea if you rely on caffeine (withdrawal makes a bad day worse)
  • [ ] Manual can opener if packing canned goods
  • [ ] Utensils and collapsible bowl

Documents (waterproof bag or envelope inside the bag)

  • [ ] Photo IDs for all family members
  • [ ] Passports
  • [ ] Insurance cards and policy numbers
  • [ ] Property records or lease
  • [ ] Vaccination records (people and pets)
  • [ ] Emergency contact list — printed, not just in your phone
  • [ ] Medical conditions and medications for all household members
  • [ ] Allergies for all household members
  • [ ] Cash in small bills ($100-200, ATMs may not work)
  • [ ] Extra credit card (separate from your wallet)

Medications

  • [ ] 7-day supply of all prescription medications
  • [ ] Medication list with dosages (for any doctor who treats you in an emergency)
  • [ ] Over-the-counter basics: pain reliever, antidiarrheal, antihistamine
  • [ ] Epinephrine auto-injector if anyone has severe allergies

First Aid (compact)

  • [ ] Assorted bandages
  • [ ] Gauze pads and medical tape
  • [ ] Antiseptic wipes
  • [ ] Antibiotic ointment
  • [ ] Disposable gloves (2 pairs)
  • [ ] Tweezers
  • [ ] Pain reliever

Communication and Navigation

  • [ ] Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio
  • [ ] Flashlight + spare batteries
  • [ ] Headlamp (hands-free, especially valuable with children)
  • [ ] Portable phone charger (keep it charged)
  • [ ] Backup charging cable for each phone you carry
  • [ ] Whistle (signal without voice)
  • [ ] Printed map of your area (GPS fails when towers go down)
  • [ ] List of emergency contact numbers — you won't remember them from memory

Clothing (72 hours)

  • [ ] 1 change of clothes per person
  • [ ] Extra socks (critically underrated in emergencies)
  • [ ] Sturdy closed-toe shoes (separate from what you're wearing)
  • [ ] Rain poncho (compact, lightweight)
  • [ ] Warm layer if climate requires (fleece, packable jacket)
  • [ ] Work gloves

Shelter and Sleep

  • [ ] Emergency Mylar blanket per person (compact, reflects body heat)
  • [ ] Emergency bivy sack or compact sleeping bag if you may sleep outdoors
  • [ ] Small tarp (6x8 minimum) if you may shelter away from established buildings

Sanitation

  • [ ] Hand sanitizer
  • [ ] Soap (travel size or bar in a case)
  • [ ] Wet wipes (invaluable when water is unavailable)
  • [ ] Toilet paper (compressed travel roll)
  • [ ] Feminine hygiene products if applicable
  • [ ] Garbage bags (3-4 large, heavy-duty — waste bags, waterproofing, a dozen other uses)
  • [ ] Baby supplies if applicable

Tools

  • [ ] Multi-tool (knife, pliers, screwdriver, can opener)
  • [ ] Duct tape (small roll)
  • [ ] Lighter and waterproof matches
  • [ ] Paracord (25 feet minimum)
  • [ ] N95 or KN95 masks (wildfire smoke, structural damage dust)
  • [ ] Small first aid manual

Special Considerations

For Families with Young Children

Children's needs change faster than you think. Check the bag every six months: clothing that fit in April may not fit in October. Comfort items (a small stuffed animal, a familiar snack) reduce a child's distress enough to be worth the weight.

For Older Adults or Anyone with Medical Needs

The medication supply is the non-negotiable. If you take medication that requires refrigeration, plan for this specifically — a small soft cooler with ice packs, for a short window. If you use mobility aids, pack contact information for the equipment supplier. If you're on oxygen, know the backup plan before you need it.

For Pets

Emergency shelters often don't take pets. Your go bag plan needs a separate section for the animals: food (3 days), water bowl, carrier or leash, vaccination records, medications, and a destination that accepts pets. Know this destination before the emergency.

What People Most Regret Not Packing

Based on reports from emergency management organizations and survivor accounts:

  1. Medications — the most commonly forgotten critical item
  2. Enough cash — cards and ATMs fail during infrastructure disruptions
  3. Phone charger — obvious in hindsight, forgotten in the rush
  4. Copies of important documents — passports, insurance, lease agreements
  5. The contact list — you will not remember your mother-in-law's phone number from memory when you're stressed and it's 2 AM

Keeping the Bag Ready

A go bag that's been sitting untouched for 3 years has flat batteries, expired medications, and food past its date. Build a maintenance schedule when you build the bag.

Every 6 months: Rotate food and water. Check battery freshness. Verify medications haven't expired. Update documents if anything has changed. Make sure clothing still fits.

After any emergency (even if you didn't use the bag): Replace anything you consumed or depleted. Verify the bag is restocked before you return it to storage.

The Printable Version

This checklist is longer than most people want to hold in their heads while packing under pressure. Having a physical checklist in the bag — something you or any family member can run through while loading — is worth more than most of the items on it.

Our Hurricane Preparedness Kit includes a printable go-bag packing list as part of the 5-PDF bundle, alongside a full emergency supply checklist, family safety plan, contact cards, and pet emergency info. Designed to be printed, placed in the bag, and checked during actual use.

Get the printable bundle on Etsy — $2.99

The go bag's purpose is not to contain everything you might ever need. It's to contain the things you would most regret not having — decided in advance, before the adrenaline is running and the clock is moving.

Build it once. Maintain it twice a year. Hope you never need it. Be genuinely glad it's there if you do.