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The Go-Bag Guide: What Actually Belongs in Your Family Emergency Kit

The internet is full of go-bag lists. Most of them are written by people who sell survival gear, not by people who have actually evacuated with their families under pressure. This guide is different. It is based on what operators at WOOO actually pack when they are moving their own families out of a threat zone.

The 60-Second Rule

Your go-bag must be packable in under 60 seconds, which means it should already be packed. The entire point of a go-bag is that you grab it and move. If you are stopping to gather items, you do not have a go-bag. You have a packing list.

Keep your go-bag in a closet near your primary exit door. Every family member who can carry one should have their own. For children under 10, the parents carry their supplies.

What Goes In: The Non-Negotiables

Water purification: tablets or a compact filter. You cannot carry enough water for more than 24 hours, so purification capability extends your range indefinitely. Food: high-calorie bars or MREs that require no preparation. Minimum 2,400 calories per person per day, packed for 48 hours. Light: a headlamp with extra batteries, not a flashlight that requires one hand to operate. Documents: copies of IDs, insurance, medical records, and emergency contacts in a waterproof pouch. Cash: at least 00 in small bills. ATMs and card readers fail in grid-down scenarios. First aid: a compact trauma kit including a tourniquet, chest seals, and hemostatic gauze. Band-aids are not a first aid kit. Clothing: one change of weather-appropriate clothing and a rain layer. Medications: seven-day supply of any prescriptions, rotated monthly. Communication: a hand-crank AM/FM/weather radio. Your phone will die.

What Does Not Go In

Axes, shovels, and multi-tools larger than a pocket knife. If you need a camp axe during an evacuation, something has gone very wrong with your plan. Tents and sleeping bags for a 48-hour go-bag are unnecessary weight. Books, games, and comfort items beyond one small item per child. Weapons are a personal decision, but they add weight and complexity. Prioritize mobility.

Rotation Schedule

Check your go-bag on the first of every month. Rotate food and water purification annually. Rotate medications monthly. Update document copies whenever anything changes. Adjust seasonal clothing twice a year.

A go-bag that sits in a closet for two years is a bag of expired food and dead batteries. Maintenance is the discipline that separates a plan from a prop.