Emergency Grab Bag Checklist

Most emergency planning is about staying at home. A grab bag is for the other case: the flood warning at two in the morning, the fire two streets away, the police at the door asking you to leave now. It is a small bag, packed in advance, that lets you walk out within a couple of minutes with the things you would otherwise waste precious time looking for, or leave behind.

The UK Government recommends one as part of every flood plan. Americans often call it a go bag and preppers a bug-out bag, but the idea is the same: it holds what matters most, in a bag one person can carry.

Grab bag or 72-hour kit?

They are easy to confuse and they do different jobs.

You need both. Our 72-hour emergency kit checklist covers the home side.

The checklist

The UK Government's flood guidance lists the core of a grab bag as medication, a first aid kit, important documents, a torch, water and waterproof clothing. The rest of this list fills in what most households find they need.

The things that are hard to replace

• Medication for a few days, plus a written list of what everyone takes and the doses. A list lets a pharmacist or doctor help you even if the packets are lost.
• Copies of important documents in a waterproof bag: passports or ID, insurance policies, and a note of bank and utility account numbers. Keep scans somewhere secure online too.
• Emergency contacts on paper. If your phone dies, you will not know anyone's number by heart.
• Spare house and car keys.
• Spare glasses or contact lenses, and hearing aid batteries if needed.

Keeping in touch and seeing where you are going

• Phone charging cable and a charged power bank.
• Torch with spare batteries, or a wind-up one.
• Small battery or wind-up radio, if you have space.
• Some cash in small notes. Card machines and cash machines stop with the power.

Getting through the next day

• Bottled water. Carrying three days of water for a family is not realistic: the UK's minimum drinking figure alone is 2.5 to 3 litres per person per day, and a litre weighs a kilogram (2.2 lb). Pack enough for the journey and the first hours.
• Snacks that need no preparation: cereal bars, nuts, dried fruit.
• Waterproof coat and a warm layer.
• A change of clothes and underwear.
• Small first aid kit, hand sanitiser, wet wipes, basic toiletries.
• Baby supplies if you need them: formula, nappies, a change of clothes.
• Pet supplies: lead, carrier, a few days of food, medication. See the pet emergency kit guide.

How heavy should it be?

There is no official weight, and figures quoted online come from hiking and survival writing rather than from any agency. The useful test is practical: put it on and walk with it, including up and down stairs. If the person who will carry it cannot do that comfortably for a while, take things out. A bag that stays by the door because it is too heavy to lift is worse than a lighter one that leaves with you.

For a household, one bag per adult is usually easier than one enormous shared bag. Children can carry a small one with their own comfort items.

Keep it where you will actually reach it

Near the door you would leave by, in a hall cupboard or under the stairs, and make sure everyone in the household knows where it is. If flooding is your main risk, somewhere upstairs near the stairs may be better than a ground-floor cupboard.

Then open it twice a year. Medication and snacks go out of date, children outgrow the spare clothes, and power banks slowly lose their charge. StayReady Kits includes a Bug Out Bag kit, its name for a grab bag, with its own checklist and expiry reminders, so the bag by the door is still ready when you finally need it.

Common questions

What is an emergency grab bag?

A small bag packed in advance with what you would need if you had to leave home quickly. It is separate from the supplies you keep at home for sheltering in place.

What should I put in it?

The UK Government lists medication, a first aid kit, important documents, a torch, water and waterproof clothing. Most households add a power bank, cash, spare glasses and keys, snacks, a change of clothes, and baby or pet supplies.

How heavy should it be?

There is no official figure. If the person carrying it cannot walk comfortably with it, including on stairs, it is too heavy.

Where should I keep it?

Near the door you would leave by, where everyone in the household knows to find it.