A well-packed emergency go bag holds enough supplies to keep you alive and functional for at least 72 hours away from home. The core categories are water, food, shelter, light, communication, first aid, documents, sanitation, and clothing. Getting the balance right matters: your packed bag should weigh no more than 20% of your body weight, so a 150-pound person tops out at 30 pounds. That constraint forces smart choices about what actually earns a spot.
Water and Hydration
Water is the heaviest item in your bag and the one you can’t skip. The standard recommendation is one gallon per person per day for drinking and basic sanitation. For a 72-hour bag, that’s three gallons, which weighs about 25 pounds on its own. That’s clearly too heavy to carry if you’re on foot, so most people pack a smaller supply (one to two liters) plus a portable water filter or purification tablets to treat water found along the way.
Survival needs alone require 2.5 to 3 liters per person per day, and that climbs in hot weather or during physical exertion. If you’re building a bag for your car or a location where you won’t need to walk far, store the full gallon-per-day amount. If the bag is truly grab-and-go on foot, prioritize a quality filter and a collapsible water container you can fill when you find a source.
Food That Doesn’t Need Cooking
Plan for roughly 2,000 calories per day for women and 2,400 for men. If you expect to be walking, hauling gear, or doing any physical work, add another 200 calories on top of that. For a three-day bag, that means packing somewhere between 6,000 and 7,800 calories total per person.
The best go-bag foods require no refrigeration, no cooking, and little to no water to prepare. Good options include:
- Protein and granola bars: calorie-dense, lightweight, individually wrapped
- Peanut butter: high in calories and fat per ounce
- Nuts and dried fruit: long shelf life, no prep needed
- Ready-to-eat canned meat, fruit, or vegetables: heavier but nutritionally complete
- Dry cereal or crackers: quick energy, easy to eat on the move
If you pack anything canned, include a manual can opener. Most emergency managers now recommend storing seven days of food based on real disaster timelines across the U.S., so consider adding a few extra bars beyond the three-day minimum if weight allows.
Light, Power, and Communication
A battery-powered LED flashlight is the standard for go bags. LEDs are bright, lightweight, and can run for thousands of hours before the bulb needs replacing. Store extra batteries in their original packaging or wrap the contact points in plastic to prevent them from draining in your bag.
A hand-crank or solar-powered emergency radio with NOAA Weather Radio capability lets you receive official alerts even when cell towers are down. Many of these radios double as USB chargers, which makes them one of the most versatile items in your kit. Pack your cell phone charger and a portable backup battery as well, but don’t rely on them as your only communication tool.
A whistle belongs in every bag. It carries farther than your voice with almost no effort, and it works when you’re too exhausted or injured to shout.
Clothing and Temperature Control
Staying dry is the single most important factor in maintaining your body temperature. A compact waterproof poncho takes up almost no space and keeps rain out of your clothing layers. In a pinch, a garbage bag with holes cut for your head and arms works as a makeshift poncho.
Pack a light-to-medium-weight fleece pullover regardless of the season, because even summer nights can drop low enough to cause problems. Include long pants and a long-sleeved shirt for sun, bug, and scrape protection. Add a hat with a brim or a bandana to shield your face from wind and UV in both hot and cold conditions.
For socks and underclothing, choose wool or synthetic fibers. Avoid cotton. Cotton holds moisture against your skin and accelerates heat loss. An emergency reflective blanket (often called a Mylar blanket) can reflect up to 90% of your body heat back to you, but only if you use it correctly: place a layer of clothing or a wool/fleece blanket between the Mylar and your skin. Direct contact with skin actually conducts heat away. These blankets are not fire-resistant, so keep them away from flames.
First Aid Supplies
A basic first aid kit for your go bag should cover wound care, bleeding control, and minor injury management. Based on Red Cross guidelines, a functional kit includes:
- Adhesive bandages: assorted sizes including fingertip and knuckle shapes
- Sterile gauze pads (4×4 inch): for wound coverage and bleeding control
- Roller bandages: for securing dressings in place
- Adhesive medical tape
- Triangular bandages: useful as slings, tourniquets, or wraps
- Antibiotic ointment: individual-use packets
- Medical exam gloves: at least two pairs
- Tweezers and scissors
- A manufactured tourniquet
If anyone in your household takes prescription medications, keep a rotating supply in the bag. Check expiration dates every six months when you swap out food and batteries.
Important Documents
In a disaster, replacing lost documents can take weeks or months. Store photocopies of the following in a waterproof container or lockable, fireproof file box:
- Identification: driver’s licenses, passports, Social Security cards, birth and marriage certificates
- Financial records: bank and credit card account numbers, mortgage documents, insurance policy numbers with contact information for each company
- Property records: deeds, vehicle titles, boat registrations
- Medical information: health insurance cards, a list of current prescriptions, vaccination records
- Legal documents: copies of wills, military records, adoption certificates, employee benefit and retirement documents
Back up any financial records you keep on your computer to a USB drive and toss it in with the paper copies. Keep original documents (except wills) in a safe deposit box or other secure offsite location.
Sanitation and Hygiene
When water is scarce, you still need to manage waste and keep reasonably clean to prevent illness. Pack toilet paper, a few individually wrapped antibacterial wipes, and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Antibacterial wet wipes or baby wipes can double as a full-body bath: start at your head, work down to your feet, then your groin area. Two or three wipes can cover your whole body if you’re conservative.
Commercial sanitation bags come prefilled with absorbent material or chemicals that break down human waste, making them practical for situations without working plumbing. Garbage bags serve triple duty for trash, waterproofing the inside of your pack, and lining improvised toilets. A dust mask helps filter contaminated air in dusty or smoky conditions. Plastic sheeting, scissors, and duct tape let you seal a room if you need to shelter in place.
Tools and Extras
A few small tools round out the kit: a wrench or pliers to shut off gas or water lines at your home, local maps (don’t rely on your phone for navigation), and duct tape for repairs. A compact multi-tool covers most improvised needs.
Cash in small bills matters more than people expect. ATMs and card readers go down when power does. Keep enough to cover a few days of gas, food, or lodging.
Packing for Kids, Pets, and Elderly Family
Children need age-appropriate food, diapers or pull-ups if they’re not fully toilet trained, baby wipes, formula or shelf-stable milk, and a comfort item like a small toy or blanket. Infants require their own calorie planning since they can’t eat standard emergency food.
For pets, the CDC recommends packing photocopied veterinary records, rabies certificates, vaccination summaries, and a two-week supply of any pet medications. Include recent photos of each pet, your microchip company’s contact number, a description of each animal (breed, sex, color, weight), and pet boarding instructions in case you’re separated. Don’t forget a leash or carrier, a few days of food, and a collapsible water bowl.
Elderly family members or anyone with chronic conditions may need extra prescription medications, glasses, hearing aid batteries, mobility aids, or specialized medical supplies. Build their bag around their specific daily needs first, then add the standard items around that core.
Maintaining Your Go Bag
A go bag you packed three years ago and forgot about will fail you. Rotate food and water every six months. Check battery expiration dates at the same time. Update documents when information changes (new insurance, new address, new prescriptions). Swap clothing seasonally if your climate has wide temperature swings. Keep the bag in a consistent, accessible spot near your main exit so you can grab it without thinking.