Quick answer
- Pack one bag per person, and keep it light enough to carry on foot.
- Inside: water, 3 days of food, a flashlight, a radio, a first aid kit, a whistle, a 7-day supply of medicine, document copies, cash, a phone charger, a change of clothes and sturdy shoes.
- Three days of water weighs about 25 pounds. If that is too heavy, carry what you can and add a way to treat water.
- Keep the bag near an exit and check it every 6 months.
A go-bag is the bag you grab when you have to leave home fast. It is smaller than your home supply, because you may have to carry it. This checklist follows the Ready.gov and American Red Cross kit lists.
Go-bag vs home kit
The Red Cross gives two targets. Your go-bag covers the first days away from home. Your home kit covers a long stay without power or stores.
| Go-bag | Home kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Evacuation, leaving fast | Sheltering at home |
| Food and water | 3-day supply | 2-week supply |
| Container | Backpack, one per person | Bins or tubs |
| Weight | Must be carried | Can be heavy |
For the full home kit, see our guide to the 10 must-have items for a basic survival kit.
How much water and food to carry
Water
The Red Cross and CDC say to plan 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water per person per day. The Red Cross target for an evacuation kit is a 3-day supply. That is 3 gallons per person.
Water is heavy. The USGS gives the weight as 8.33 pounds per gallon.
| Water | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 gallon (3.8 L) | About 8 pounds (3.8 kg) |
| 2 gallons (7.6 L) | About 17 pounds (7.6 kg) |
| 3 gallons (11.4 L) | About 25 pounds (11.4 kg) |
Most adults cannot walk far with 25 pounds of water plus everything else. Use this rule:
- Put as much water in the bag as you can carry comfortably.
- Keep the rest in sealed jugs next to the bag. If you leave by car, they go in the trunk.
- Add a light way to treat water, such as treatment tablets or a filter. Our guide on how to purify water in an emergency explains which ones work.
Food
The Red Cross says to pack non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food for 3 days. In a go-bag, pick food that needs no cooking and no extra water.
- Energy bars or granola bars
- Peanut butter in a plastic jar or single-serve packs
- Nuts and trail mix
- Dried fruit
- Crackers
- Small cans with pull-tab lids, or a manual can opener
Pack food your family already eats. Stress is not the time to try new foods.
The go-bag checklist
Use this list for each adult. Shared items, like the radio, only need one copy per family.
Water and food
Light and communication
Health and hygiene
Tools and shelter
Clothes
Papers, money and keys
Our first aid kit checklist shows what to put in a small go-bag first aid pouch.
Documents and cash
The Red Cross lists copies of these personal documents:
- Medication list and key medical information
- Proof of address
- Deed or lease to your home
- Passports
- Birth certificates
- Insurance policies
Pack copies, not originals. Ready.gov says to keep family documents in a waterproof container or saved electronically. A zip bag inside the backpack works, and a password-protected copy on your phone or a USB drive is a good backup.
Ready.gov lists cash in the kit. Card readers and ATMs may not work when the power is out. Small bills are easier to use than large ones.
Medicines
Ready.gov notes that about half of all Americans take a prescription medicine every day. The Red Cross says to pack a 7-day supply of medicine and medical items.
- Keep the written medication list with the medicine.
- Include medical items like syringes, hearing aid batteries and spare glasses.
- Swap the medicine out before it expires, and use the old supply first.
- Keep daily medicine where you can grab it on the way out, if it cannot live in the bag.
Clothing
Ready.gov says to pack a complete change of clothing for your climate and sturdy shoes. The shoes matter most, because you may have to leave on foot.
Roll the clothes tightly and seal them in a zip bag so they stay dry. Swap them twice a year for the coming season.
Add-ons for kids, babies and pets
Children
Give each child old enough to carry one a small backpack. Keep it light.
The Red Cross and Ready.gov both list games and activities for children. A familiar toy helps a child stay calm in a strange place.
Babies
Ready.gov and the Red Cross list these baby supplies:
An adult will carry these, so plan the extra weight.
Pets
The Red Cross lists a collar, leash, ID, food, a carrier and a bowl. The CDC suggests a 2-week supply of food, water and any medicine for each animal.
Two weeks of pet food will not fit in a backpack. Put a few days of food in the go-bag. Keep the rest next to it, ready to go in the car.
How to pack to save space and weight
- Use a real backpack. Padded shoulder straps and a hip belt make weight easier to carry. A rolling bag works on pavement but not on rough ground.
- Pack by category. Ready.gov says to store items in airtight plastic bags. Use one bag per category and label it.
- Heavy items low and close to your back. Water and food go there.
- Most-needed items on top. Keep the flashlight, whistle, first aid kit and rain gear in the top or outside pockets.
- Remove bulky packaging. Take food and gear out of big boxes. Keep medicine in its labeled bottle.
- Roll clothes and squeeze the air out of zip bags.
- Pick items that do two jobs. A multi-tool replaces several tools. A headlamp keeps your hands free.
- Split shared items. One adult carries the radio. Another carries the big first aid kit.
| Pack in every bag | Pack once per family |
|---|---|
| Water and food | Radio |
| Flashlight or headlamp | Large first aid kit |
| Whistle | Multi-tool |
| Medicine | Paper map |
| Clothes and shoes | Duct tape |
| Emergency blanket | Document copies |
Once the bag is packed, put it on and walk for a while, including stairs. If it hurts, take something out or move it to another person’s bag.
Where to keep it
Ready.gov says to keep your kit in a set place where you can grab it fast. Make sure everyone in the home knows where it is.
- A hall closet near the main exit works well.
- Avoid hot attics and damp basements.
- Keep the extra water jugs next to the bag.
Ready.gov also suggests kits for work and the car. At work, plan to shelter for at least 24 hours. The go-bag fits into your wider family evacuation plan.
Check it every 6 months
Pick two dates a year you will remember, like when the clocks change. The CDC says to replace water you bottle yourself every 6 months, so check the whole bag then. Ready.gov also says to re-think your needs every year.
Common mistakes
- A bag too heavy to carry. A bag you cannot lift gets left behind.
- One bag for the whole family. If that one person is not home, nobody has supplies.
- Original documents in the bag. Pack copies and keep originals somewhere safe.
- Batteries that do not fit. Match each spare battery to a device.
- Never opening it again. Water, food, medicine and batteries all expire.
Related guides
Sources
- Build a Kit — Ready.gov (FEMA)
- Build a Kit (Ready Kids) — Ready.gov (FEMA)
- Survival Kit Supplies — American Red Cross
- How to Create an Emergency Water Supply — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Pet Emergency Checklist — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Facts About Water — U.S. Geological Survey