# What to put in a go-bag: an evacuation checklist Canonical: https://romeoapps.app/en/surv/what-to-put-in-a-go-bag/ Author: Roméo Gambino · Published: 2026-09-10 · Updated: 2026-09-10 · App: Surv (https://romeoapps.app/en/surv/) What an evacuation go-bag should hold, using the Red Cross and Ready.gov lists: water, food, medicines, documents, cash, and what each person adds. ## A go-bag is not the home kit Most preparedness advice describes a large home kit meant for staying put. A go-bag answers a different question: what do you take when you have to leave, possibly on foot? Ready.gov describes it as a bag you can carry when you evacuate on foot or by public transportation, with separate supplies for longer distances if you have a car. The American Red Cross makes the difference explicit in its supply list: a three-day supply of water and food for evacuation, and a two-week supply for home. Treat them as two projects. ## Start with the carry test Everything in a go-bag has to be carried by the person who takes it. The Red Cross figure for water is one gallon per person, per day, which means three gallons per person for a three-day evacuation supply. That is heavy, and it is the reason to decide in advance what goes on your back and what goes in the car if you have one. Ready.gov suggests storing items in airtight plastic bags inside one or two easy-to-carry containers, such as a duffel bag. Pack it once, then walk around the block with it. ## Water and food Follow the Red Cross quantities as your target and adjust to what each person can actually carry. For food, the Red Cross asks for non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items. In a go-bag, that means food that needs no cooking, no refrigeration and little or no water, packed so it does not crush. If you include cans, add a manual can opener, which is on both the Red Cross and Ready.gov lists. Choose food people will eat under stress, not only what keeps longest. ## Medicines and medical items The Red Cross list includes a seven-day supply of medications and medical items, and it suggests adding what each person specifically needs: hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes. Ready.gov adds prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution. Medicines are the item most likely to be missing when a household leaves in a hurry, because they are in daily use. If someone depends on a medicine, talk to the prescriber or pharmacist about how to keep a small reserve in the bag. ## Documents, as copies The Red Cross lists copies of personal documents: a medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, the deed or lease to your home, passports, birth certificates and insurance policies. Ready.gov recommends keeping important family documents in a waterproof, portable container or saved electronically. Copies are the point. Originals are hard to replace and a go-bag can be lost. A sealed plastic sleeve with paper copies, plus an encrypted digital copy, covers both the dead-phone case and the lost-bag case. ## Cash and spare keys Extra cash is on the Red Cross list, and Ready.gov lists cash or traveller's checks. The practical reason is simple: card terminals and cash machines need power and a network, and an evacuation often happens when one or both are down. Small notes are easier to use than large ones. The Red Cross also suggests an extra set of car keys and house keys. A spare key in the bag means that whoever grabs it can drive or lock up, even if the usual keys are elsewhere. ## Light, radio and phone The core Red Cross items here are a flashlight, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a NOAA Weather Radio if possible, extra batteries, and a cell phone with chargers. Ready.gov adds a backup battery for the phone. Keep family and emergency contact information on paper as well, because a list that lives only in the phone disappears with the battery. Add a map of the area, also on the Red Cross list, marked with your destinations: phone maps that load from a server may show nothing offline. ## Clothing and weather Ready.gov advises wearing sturdy shoes and clothing that gives some protection, such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts and a hat, when you evacuate. The Red Cross adds an emergency blanket to its basic list and, depending on local hazards, rain gear, extra clothing and sturdy shoes. Pack one full change of clothes per person suited to the season, and revisit it when the season changes. Shoes are the item people forget if an evacuation starts at night. ## Hygiene and small tools The Red Cross basic list includes sanitation and personal hygiene items and a multi-purpose tool. For local hazards it suggests a whistle, N95 or surgical masks, work gloves, duct tape, scissors, plastic sheeting and towels. Ready.gov lists a whistle to signal for help and a dust mask to help filter contaminated air. None of these is heavy, and they are exactly what is hard to find once you have left. Choose from this list according to the hazards you actually face. ## What each person adds A shared bag misses individual needs. The Red Cross suggests adding baby supplies such as bottles, formula, baby food and diapers, games and activities for children, and pet supplies: collar, leash, ID, food, carrier and bowl. Ready.gov warns that most public shelters allow only service animals, so identify in advance a place to stay that will accept pets. If a household member uses a mobility aid, hearing aid or other device, its batteries and spares belong in the bag too. ## Where to keep it A bag nobody can find is not a go-bag. Ready.gov asks that everyone in the household knows where the bag is stored and who is responsible for it in an emergency. Keep it near an exit, not at the back of a cupboard. Ready.gov also points out that you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs: it suggests supplies at work, where you may need to shelter for at least 24 hours, in a grab-and-go case with comfortable walking shoes, and a kit in the car. ## The plan that goes with the bag The bag is useless without somewhere to go. Ready.gov recommends identifying several destinations, such as a friend's home in another town or a motel, in different directions, knowing alternate routes, and remembering that your route may be on foot. It suggests a household plan to stay in touch if separated, with a meeting place, and, if time allows, calling an out-of-state contact and leaving a note saying when you left and where you are going. If you drive, it advises keeping at least half a tank of fuel. ## Keep it current Kits fail through neglect, not assembly. Ready.gov asks you to replace expired items as needed and to re-think your needs every year as your family's needs change. For a go-bag that means medicines, food, batteries and document copies, and clothes that still fit the children. Attach the review to a date you already remember, and write the expiry dates on the outside of each pouch so the check takes minutes, not an afternoon. ## Where Surv fits Surv helps you keep the inventory of your supplies, their expiry dates and your family plan on the iPhone, and its guides and scenarios are stored on the device, so they stay readable without a network. That makes the yearly review easier. It does not replace the bag itself, and a phone can run out of battery, break or be left behind. Keep paper copies of your contacts, your destinations and your map in the bag, and treat the app as the place where you maintain the list. ## Questions ### What is the difference between a go-bag and an emergency kit? A go-bag is what you carry when you leave, possibly on foot or by public transport; the home kit is larger and meant for staying put. The Red Cross plans a three-day supply of water and food for evacuation and a two-week supply for home. ### How much water should a go-bag hold? The Red Cross figure is one gallon per person, per day, with a three-day supply for evacuation. That is heavy, so decide in advance what each person carries and what goes in the car. ### Which documents should I pack? Copies rather than originals: a medication list and medical information, proof of address, the deed or lease, passports, birth certificates and insurance policies, in a waterproof container. ### Can I bring my pet to an emergency shelter? Ready.gov notes that most public shelters allow only service animals, so identify a place that accepts pets before you need it and pack the pet's food, leash, ID and carrier. ## Further reading - Ready.gov: Evacuation — https://www.ready.gov/evacuation - American Red Cross: Survival kit supplies — https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html - Ready.gov: Build a kit — https://www.ready.gov/kit - Ready.gov: Make a plan — https://www.ready.gov/plan - Ready.gov: Pets and animals — https://www.ready.gov/pets