A go-bag is the version of preparedness you can carry: enough supplies, documents, and comfort to walk out the door in minutes and be okay for a few days. The trick is that it only works if it is packed before you need it — the bag you assemble on a calm afternoon is the one that works at 2 a.m. This checklist follows federal and Red Cross guidance, then covers the part most lists skip: fitting it to your actual family.
Start with the official baseline
Ready.gov's basic kit is the right skeleton: water at one gallon per person per day for several days, a several-day supply of non-perishable food, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio that can receive NOAA Weather Radio, a flashlight, a first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle to signal for help, dust masks, moist towelettes and garbage bags for sanitation, a wrench or pliers for utilities, a manual can opener, local maps, and a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery.
The American Red Cross adds a sizing rule worth internalizing: pack three days of supplies for an evacuation go-bag, and keep two weeks at home for sheltering in place. Same gallon-per-person-per-day for water in both cases. The go-bag is the portable subset, not the whole pantry.
Medications and the small medical things
The Red Cross recommends a seven-day supply of medications in your kit, and that number is the point: refills are hard to get mid-disaster. Add copies of prescriptions, a list of dosages for every family member, spare glasses or contacts, and any medical items your household actually depends on — inhalers, EpiPens, hearing aid batteries. If someone in the family has a condition, their kit is not optional equipment; it is the kit.
Documents, cash, and proof of your life
Ready.gov advises keeping copies of important family documents — insurance policies, identification, and bank records — saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container inside the kit. Add cash: card readers and ATMs fail with the power, and Ready.gov's financial preparedness guidance specifically suggests small bills. Photograph or scan everything anyway; a phone full of document photos beats a filing cabinet you had to leave behind.
Light, power, and information
A flashlight per person, spare batteries, and at least one charged power bank. The hand-crank or battery radio matters more than it seems: when cell coverage degrades, broadcast keeps working, and NOAA Weather Radio carries official watches and warnings. Keep a car charger in the bag even if you keep one in the car.
Pack for the kids you actually have
Ready.gov's own list includes infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, and rash cream for babies — and books, games, and puzzles for kids old enough to be scared and bored at the same time. Add a comfort item per child and a card with family contact information in each kid's section of the bag. If your children are in school or daycare, their facility has its own emergency plan; your bag should assume you might be reunited later rather than instantly.
Pets are family — pack like it
Ready.gov recommends a pet kit with several days of food in an airtight container, water and a bowl, extra medicine, a pet first aid kit, a collar with ID plus a backup leash, copies of registration documents, a crate or sturdy carrier per pet, sanitation supplies, familiar toys or bedding, and a photo of you and your pet together to document ownership if you are separated. Their smartest suggestion: make two pet kits — a bigger one for sheltering at home and a light one that grabs-and-goes.
Personalize it — one list does not fit every household
No universal checklist covers your grandmother's oxygen, your toddler's allergy, your climate, or your local hazards. Ready.gov frames the extras exactly this way — prescription medications, infant supplies, pet food, and clothing appropriate to your climate are 'additional supplies' precisely because they depend on who you are. Walk the list against your actual household: ages, mobility, medical needs, animals, weather, and the specific emergencies your area produces. A wildfire go-bag in California carries N95s; an ice-storm bag in Vermont carries hand warmers.
Keep it alive
Ready.gov's maintenance guidance is simple: store canned food somewhere cool and dry, keep boxed food in sealed containers, replace expired items as needed, and re-think the whole kit once a year as your family changes. And because you do not know where you will be, they suggest kits for home, work, and the car — the go-bag is just the one that travels. If you have read our Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Families, this is the same principle: preparedness is maintenance, not a purchase.
Where SafePathApp fits
A bag you cannot remember the contents of is half a bag. Part of why I built SafePathApp was to make the tracking side of preparedness painless: the app's emergency kit checklists know what is packed and what is missing, the readiness score nudges the gaps, and the family plan keeps meeting points and the go-bag list where everyone can see them. The bag still gets packed by you — the app just refuses to let you forget what is in it.
Sources
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