Skill guide · Planning & Assessment

Go-Bags & 72-Hour Kits

A pre-packed kit of essentials, ready to grab, so a household isn't scrambling to gather things during an actual emergency. This guide isn't tied to one manual chapter, because a real kit is really just Water & Food, Medical Care, and a few other chapters, repacked into one bag instead of spread across the house.

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Same kit, different names

"Go-bag" and "72-hour kit" describe the same core idea, and the contents below work for either. The difference is emphasis, not substance:

Two related terms worth knowing, since they show up elsewhere and aren't quite the same thing: a bug-out bag implies leaving home entirely for an extended stay somewhere else, so it's typically bigger and more self-sufficient than the kit below. A get-home bag is kept in the car or at work, sized only to get you home from wherever you happen to be, not to shelter you once you're there.

What actually goes in it

CategoryWhat to packNotes
Water 1 gallon/person/day, at least 3 days See Water Purification for making more once the kit runs dry
Food 3-5 days, non-perishable, no-cook or minimal-prep Rotate it into your regular pantry use so it's never actually expired when you need it
Health First aid kit, a few days of any prescription meds, spare glasses or contacts, basic OTC medication See Medical Kits: What Actually Goes in Each One for exactly what belongs in this bag's kit, and First Aid Basics for how to use it
Light & power Flashlight or headlamp, extra batteries, a NOAA weather radio, phone charger or power bank See Family Communication Plan & Emergency Radio
Tools Multitool, whistle, dust mask, duct tape, plastic sheeting, a wrench or pliers for utility shutoff, manual can opener The whistle and mask are the two items households most often skip
Warmth & clothing A full change of clothes, sturdy closed-toe shoes, an emergency blanket or lightweight sleeping bag Broken-in, not brand new; see Physical Readiness
Sanitation Wet wipes, a couple of small garbage bags, hand sanitizer, a little toilet paper Doesn't need to be a full kit, just enough to get through a few days
Documents & cash Copies of ID, insurance, and medical records; small-bill cash The real version of this belongs in its own fireproof kit; see Document Go-Bag & Digital Backup and Financial Preparedness Basics
Household-specific Infant formula or diapers, pet food and a leash, backup power for a medical device See Pet Evacuation & First Aid Basics and Backup Power for Medical Equipment & Caregiving

Size it to how it'll actually be carried

One go-bag per person for personal items (clothes, meds, documents), plus a shared household bag or tote for the bulkier items that don't need duplicating, water jugs, tools, a larger first aid kit. If there's any real chance of walking with it, the bag itself matters: a properly fitted backpack that carries weight on the hips, not a plastic tote or a bag that was never actually tried on loaded. See Physical Readiness for what a well-fitted pack actually looks like.

As a real weight target once it's packed: keep a loaded bag at roughly 10-20% of the carrier's own body weight, toward the lower end for a child, an older adult, or anyone without the physical-readiness base the linked guide describes; heavier than that measurably slows pace and raises injury risk over any real walking distance. A too-heavy bag that never gets carried isn't actually more prepared than a lighter one that does.

Fill in your own numbers. Each line combines with the one above it; a rule marks a line that's an answer, and a plain number with no blank is a fixed part of the formula, not something to look up.

lbs carrier's body weight
× 0.10-0.20 target range: lower end for a child, older adult, or anyone without a fitness base (fixed)
= lbs target loaded-bag weight

Worked example: a 150 lb adult. 150 × 0.10-0.20 = a target range of 15-30 lbs once packed.

Enter each household member's weight below to run the same math instantly, one at a time.

Keep a separate, smaller version in each vehicle too, sized as a get-home bag rather than a full kit: your car is one of the more likely places to actually be stranded away from home, and a kit that only lives in the garage closet doesn't help there.

Check it twice a year, not once and done

Water and food need rotating, batteries corrode, kids outgrow clothing and shoe sizes, and prescriptions expire. Pair the check with something already on the calendar, a clock change, a birthday, so it actually happens instead of becoming the thing that was "ready" three years ago.

Sources