Free Checklist
Go bag checklist: packed for a real evacuation, not a fantasy one.
A go bag needs enough for seventy-two hours away from home: water and a way to purify more, cash, your documents, a medication buffer, real shoes, and a light. Print the checklist below and pack while nothing is happening: the store will be stripped of exactly what you need by the time a warning tells you to go.
Every supply decision belongs in ordinary time, not the warning window. If you're shopping for go-bag items after a watch or warning is issued, you've already lost: you'll be shopping in a store that's been stripped of exactly the items you need. Pack this once, check it twice a year, and it's ready before you need to think about it.
This page is one protection out of 130. The manual carries all of them, in order, with the binder forms that go with each. Get the book, $9.99 →
Go bag checklist
- Water and purification tablets
A day or two of bottled water per person, plus purification tablets rather than bleach: tablets don't degrade the way an opened bleach bottle does, which is exactly why they belong in a go-bag rather than under the sink.
- Cash, in small bills
In the days after a disaster, cash frequently becomes the only functioning payment method: card networks and ATMs can be down for days.
- Copies of key documents
ID, insurance policy numbers, a photo inventory of your home. See our emergency binder for the full document set: a condensed copy belongs in the bag.
- A few days of medication
A buffer beyond your usual refill schedule, since pharmacies and prescriptions are frequently disrupted for days after an event.
- Real shoes and a headlamp
Not the shoes you sleep in. Debris, broken glass, and downed material make bare feet or slippers dangerous: and a light you have to search for in the dark is a light you don't have.
- A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
A NOAA weather radio with battery backup keeps working when cell networks and power don't.
- Phone chargers and a battery bank
Phones fail fastest exactly when everyone reaches for them at once: carry your own power.
- A basic first-aid kit
Enough for cuts, sprains, and the injuries that happen while clearing debris.
- A change of clothes per person, weather-appropriate
Layered for the season: you may be sleeping somewhere without climate control.
- Your written trigger plan
A copy of your family emergency plan, so the household's agreed decisions travel with you.
The kids' go bag sub-list
Pack a small, separate bag per child, or a labeled section of the household bag, so a child old enough to carry something has their own kit and a stressed adult doesn't have to remember every child's specifics under pressure.
- An info card
Name, birthdate, parent/guardian contact numbers, any allergies or medical conditions, written on a card that stays in the bag.
- Any daily medication, with dosage written down
Include the same medication-buffer logic as the adult list: a few days beyond routine.
- A comfort item
A small stuffed animal or familiar object. It costs nothing and matters more than it looks like it should during a stressful evacuation.
- A quiet activity
A book, cards, or a small toy that needs no power and no screen.
- A change of clothes and diapers or wipes if needed
Sized for the child, not scaled down from the adult list.
What a go bag doesn't cover
A go bag is built for seventy-two hours on the move: it is not your household's full supply. Your home's fourteen-day water and food store, your document vault, and your insurance records belong in the emergency binder, not the bag on your shoulder.
- What should be in a go bag?
- Water and purification tablets, cash, copies of key documents, a few days of medication, real shoes and a headlamp, a battery or hand-crank radio, phone chargers, basic first aid, a change of clothes, and a copy of your household's trigger plan.
- What goes in a kid's go bag?
- An info card with contact numbers and any medical needs, any daily medication with dosage noted, a comfort item, a quiet screen-free activity, and a change of clothes sized to the child.
- How much water should go in a go bag?
- Plan for a day or two of bottled water per person for portability, plus purification tablets so you can treat more water on the move. Your home's larger water store is a separate, much bigger figure: see the water chapter guidance in the book.
- Can I print this go bag checklist as a PDF?
- Yes: use the print button above. It's formatted to print cleanly without the site navigation or images.
- The Storm-Ready Home: Part One, Chapter Two (the phase-one warning window mistake) and Part Two, Chapter One (water treatment: filters vs. tablets vs. bleach)
This bag gets you 72 hours. The book gets you through what comes after. A 486-page manual with 130 numbered protections across 23 hazard playbooks, a 60-day sequence, and the full 61-page printable binder: go bag, home inventory, and documentation, all in one place.
Instant PDF · Pay once, own it forever · 7-day money-back guarantee
Not ready to buy? Get your free state packet instead: your state's specific hazards, agencies, and mitigation rules.
See also: emergency binder, family emergency plan template, and your state's specific hazards in our state guides.
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The Storm-Ready Home is a 486-page manual built from post-storm reports: 130 numbered protections, 23 hazard playbooks, the 60-day sequence, and the 61-page printable binder, every figure cited.
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