Emergency Bags Guide

Bug-Out Bags, Get-Home Bags & Everyday Carry

A practical approach to the bag—and the plan—for leaving home, getting back, or waiting somewhere safe. The Red Cross recommends an easy-to-carry kit for home use or evacuation. Red Cross

Partner examples appear alongside the checklist. Purchases through affiliate links may earn PrepFindr a commission. SkyCom links are currently untracked.

The destination comes first

Ready.gov’s evacuation guidance includes a friend’s or family member’s home and a designated shelter—not just a remote property. Its advice is to know your destination in advance. Ready.gov

For this guide, “bug-out bag” means an evacuation kit. We use the familiar term without making wilderness self-sufficiency the goal; the planning reference is Ready.gov’s destination-based guidance. Ready.gov

• Where could you go? Identify a destination and a backup; for someone else’s home, discuss the arrangement ahead of time. Ready.gov
• How would you leave? If you have no car, arrange help with family, friends or local government before an evacuation. Ready.gov
• How would you reconnect? Include family and emergency contact information in the kit. Red Cross
• What would trigger departure? Include official evacuation instructions in your plan. CDC says never to ignore an evacuation order. CDC

EDC → Get Home → Go

Our suggested organization is three nested layers: everyday essentials, an away-from-home kit, and an evacuation kit. These names are PrepFindr’s planning framework—not an official equipment standard. The underlying agency advice is to keep supplies portable and adapt them to your household. Red CrossReady.gov

Think of the layers as an inventory structure, not a requirement to carry three separate bags. Ready.gov suggests one or two easy-to-carry containers. Ready.gov

Layer 1: Everyday carry

Our EDC philosophy is “you are your own first responder”: prepare for the first moments of an emergency, not only a prolonged disaster. In this guide, SHTF includes a car crash or being caught in a mass shooting. The American College of Surgeons emphasizes that the person beside a bleeding victim may be the one best placed to help before responders arrive. ACS

PrepFindr’s approach is to prepare to act: communicate, control life-threatening bleeding, and protect yourself or another person when defensive force is legally justified. The American College of Surgeons supports immediate bleeding response; Arizona’s defense-of-others statute is one example of a law recognizing justified action to protect someone else. ACSAZ law

Immediate-response essentials

• Backup communications: consider a PTT/UHF handheld alongside your phone. See the communications layer for SkyCom examples, service limitations and licensing. SkyComFCC SkyCom
• Bleeding control: our suggested EDC includes hemostatic gauze such as QuikClot Combat Gauze and a genuine tourniquet, paired with hands-on bleeding-control training. ACS QuikClot
• Defense: our defensive EDC example includes a pistol and spare magazine for lawful self-defense or defense of others. Build safe handling and training into that plan, and check carry and location restrictions wherever you travel. AZ law DOJ

Preserving life is the goal. We support preparing for independent, lawful action to protect yourself and others—not treating everyone as a passive bystander. Arizona, for example, recognizes defense of a third person when the statute’s reasonable-belief and justification conditions are met. AZ law Deadly force has a higher threshold: Arizona requires an immediately necessary response to unlawful deadly force, alongside its other statutory conditions. AZ law

Know the law where you are. Check current laws in your own state and every jurisdiction you travel through—not just these examples. DOJ Arizona has no duty to retreat under § 13-405 when you may legally be there and are not engaged in an unlawful act; the justification requirements still apply. AZ law New York also recognizes defense of yourself or another person, but its deadly-force threat provision requires retreat when you know it can avoid the need for deadly force with complete safety to yourself and others, subject to statutory exceptions. NY law Carry permissions and prohibited locations also deserve a place in your travel plan. DOJ These examples are not nationwide legal advice or a substitute for current, jurisdiction-specific guidance.

Everyday support items

The Red Cross checklist also includes a phone and chargers, a flashlight, contact information and medical items. These complement the immediate-response layer rather than define its limits. Red CrossRed CrossRed CrossRed Cross

• Phone and a compatible charging cable; choose a portable charging option if it fits your routine. Red Cross
• Small flashlight. Red Cross
• Written emergency contacts. Red Cross
• Personal medical essentials, such as glasses or hearing-aid batteries. Red Cross
• A small cash reserve that fits your budget. Red Cross

Pre-made compact kit examples

Uncharted’s Triage and First Aid Plus are packaged first-aid and gear-repair examples—not complete first-response EDC setups. Compare their contents with your bleeding-control plan rather than assuming they include your chosen hemostatic gauze or tourniquet. UnchartedUnchartedACS

Uncharted Triage Kit

A pocket-sized first-aid and repair example. UnchartedUncharted

Sold out when checked October 24, 2026. Uncharted

Check Uncharted availability

Uncharted First Aid Plus

A first-aid and gear-repair kit to consider for a daily bag. Uncharted

Shop Uncharted

Light & charging examples

Bleeding-control partner options

Our tourniquet shopping policy is genuine CAT, SOF-T Wide or SAM XT models from the maker or an authorized seller—not look-alikes. These models appear on the cited CoTCCC list. CoTCCC2021 Refuge Medical is our medical partner; the popup below lets you inspect the listed products, not assume every kit has the same contents. Pair equipment selection with hands-on training. ACS

Layer 2: The get-home bag

For our get-home layer, use the everyday essentials as the foundation and add supplies for time away from home. “Get home” is the planning goal, not a promise that the route will be safe; flood guidance may instead call for evacuation, higher ground or staying where you are. Red CrossReady.gov

A starting selection

• Drinking water, with the Red Cross emergency water target in mind; see the full-kit discussion below. Red Cross
• Non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food. Red Cross
• An area map alongside your emergency contacts. Red Cross
• Rain gear chosen for your local conditions. Red Cross
• A household first-aid kit. Red Cross
• An emergency blanket. Red Cross
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, with extra batteries. Red Cross Red Cross

Before assigning this layer a place at work, in a vehicle or in a daily bag, consider your actual journey: destination, transportation arrangements and household needs. Those are the planning questions in Ready.gov’s guidance. Ready.govReady.govReady.gov

A walking route through floodwater is not a fallback. CDC warns against both walking and driving across flooded roads. CDC

Build on your EDC communications. Our get-home planning questions are: who needs to hear from you, which contact details are on paper, and which radio mode will you use? Carry forward the phone, charging and contacts layer. Red CrossRed Cross If you add a SkyCom handheld, plan separately for cellular PTT service and permitted local UHF operation; neither replaces the weather/information receiver. SkyComSkyComFCCRed Cross

Partner options for this layer

Light, charging and first aid correspond to the agency checklist. The hydration/filter example is a separate treatment option, not a replacement for the drinking-water supply; use the Water Guide to assess the source and treatment method. Red CrossRed CrossRed CrossRed Cross

Communications across the layers

Use the same communications plan as the kit grows: EDC for immediate contact, Get Home for reconnecting while away, and Go for coordinating departure and arrival. That is our application of the checklist’s phone, chargers and written contacts—not a requirement for a new radio in every bag. Red CrossRed Cross

SkyCom is our partner example for a dual-mode handheld you can carry through those layers. The G8 Plus and 6500 combine cellular push-to-talk with local analog UHF, according to the manufacturer. Compare their modes with the people you need to reach and the service available; retain a separate weather/information receiver. SkyComSkyComSkyComRed Cross

SkyCom G8 Plus

Separate PTT buttons for cellular/network and analog UHF transmission, according to SkyCom. SkyCom

View G8 Plus

SkyCom 6500

Cellular PTT plus local UHF; SkyCom also lists bridge mode between analog users and its cellular PTT group. SkyComSkyCom

View 6500

Coverage & licensing: cellular PTT still needs cellular/internet service. UHF operation depends on the radio’s permitted service, frequencies, certification and applicable licensing—not just its tuning range. SkyComFCC

Layer 3: Go / bug-out bag checklist

Build on the earlier layers, then check the complete evacuation supply list. The Red Cross lists three days of water and food for evacuation, with a seven-day supply of medications. Red CrossRed CrossRed Cross

Food, water & personal care

• Water: one gallon per person per day; a three-day evacuation supply. Red Cross
• Food: three days of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items. Red Cross
• Medical: seven days of medications and personal medical items. Red Cross
• First aid: a household kit, separate from any specialized trauma equipment you choose to add. Red Cross
• Personal care: sanitation and hygiene supplies. Red Cross

Light, information & paperwork

• Flashlight, with extra batteries. Red Cross Red Cross
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, preferably NOAA weather-capable. Red Cross
• Phone and chargers. Red Cross
• Copies of identification, insurance and medical information, including a medication list. Red Cross
• Family and emergency contacts. Red Cross
• Area maps. Red Cross
• Extra cash. Red Cross
• Emergency blanket; include rain gear appropriate to your plan. Red Cross Red Cross

The full supply is not automatically a backpack load

The Red Cross water target works out to three gallons per person for three days: 1 gallon × 3 days = 3 gallons. That is the supply target—not a statement that everyone should carry it in one pack. Both Red Cross and Ready.gov emphasize easy-to-carry containers. Red CrossRed CrossReady.gov

For your plan, separate what you could take by hand from additional supplies you could transport in a vehicle. If a car is not available, arrange transportation assistance rather than treating every supply as a walking load. Ready.govReady.gov

For water-source and treatment questions, see the Water Guide. The Red Cross evacuation checklist calls for a drinking-water supply. Red Cross

Carry the communications plan forward. Our go-layer worksheet pairs the destination and backup with written contacts, phone charging and the two-way radio already selected for EDC/Get Home. Ready.govRed CrossRed Cross Include a service-unavailable option in that plan: SkyCom warns that cellular PTT needs cellular/internet service, while UHF operation must fit the applicable radio rules. SkyComFCC

Pre-made go-bag examples

Compare the Uncharted systems below with the checklist rather than treating a pre-made bag as a complete household plan. The agency list also includes medications, personal documents and unique family needs. Red CrossRed CrossReady.gov

Optional trauma equipment

Refuge Medical’s BEARFAK is a partner trauma-kit example. Refuge Keep the ordinary first-aid kit on your checklist rather than treating specialized equipment as the whole medical plan. Red Cross

Urban & suburban evacuation

This planning worksheet is aimed at an apartment, a suburban home or a workplace—not only a rural retreat. Ready.gov’s options include friends, family and a designated shelter, and its guidance addresses people without cars. Ready.govReady.gov

• Apartment or suburban home: which destination and backup have you identified? Ready.gov
• No private vehicle: who could help you leave, and what assistance does your local government arrange? Ready.gov
• Your usual road is blocked: what official route information will you follow? Red Cross cautions against shortcuts. Red Cross2025
• A household member needs assistance: which medical, mobility or caregiving needs belong in the plan? Ready.gov
• Pets are coming: have you confirmed the destination’s pet arrangements? Ready.gov

Three worked planning scenarios

These are example households, not predictions. Use their questions to fill in your own destination, transport and personal-needs plan. Ready.govReady.govReady.gov

Apartment: leaving with what you can carry

Example: a renter plans to stay with a relative, with a designated shelter as the backup. Their worksheet separates EDC and a portable bag from extra supplies that require transport. Which destination is available, where are the document copies and medications, and can the chosen containers actually leave with them? Ready.govRed CrossRed CrossRed Cross

No car: the ride is part of the kit plan

Example: a commuter away from home has arranged help from a friend and checked local government assistance. Their worksheet records the contact, intended destination and portable supplies; it does not assume walking home is always possible. What happens if the friend cannot help? Ready.gov recommends arranging transportation before an evacuation; CDC warns against walking across flooded roads. Ready.govRed CrossReady.govRed CrossCDC

Kids and pets: one destination must work for everyone

Example: a suburban household checks a relative’s availability and pet arrangements before relying on that destination. Its worksheet assigns the child’s supplies, medications, document copies and the pet’s carrier, food and identification to the evacuation load. Who carries each item, and what is the backup if the destination cannot accept the pet? Ready.govReady.govRed CrossRed CrossRed CrossRed Cross

The downsides—and how to plan around them

Leaving and staying both depend on the hazard

There is no single bag-based answer to “should I leave?” Ready.gov’s flood guidance includes different actions for different circumstances; CDC says never to ignore an evacuation order. Treat local, hazard-specific instructions as the decision point—not whether your bag is finished. Ready.govCDC

Roads and walking routes may not be usable

Red Cross warns that shortcuts may be blocked. Flooded roads must not be crossed on foot or by car, according to CDC. Route planning should leave room for official changes rather than depend on one improvised shortcut. Red Cross2025CDC

A bag is not a reservation

Know the intended destination and check arrangements before relying on it. Ready.gov specifically notes that many shelters and hotels do not allow pets; the kit does not resolve that limitation. Ready.govReady.gov

Portability competes with the full supply list

The Red Cross pairs multi-day supply targets with an easy-to-carry kit. Our approach is to organize essentials and additional transportable supplies separately, with household needs and transportation assistance in the plan—not to prescribe one pack weight for everyone. Red CrossRed CrossReady.govReady.gov

Family, pets & medical needs

Ready.gov asks households to consider unique needs, including pets and seniors. Use the shared checklist as a starting point, then account for each person. Ready.gov

• Babies: formula, bottles, baby food and diapers as applicable. Red Cross
• Medical needs: glasses, hearing aids, extra batteries and other personal medical supplies. Red Cross
• Pets: food, leash, identification, carrier and bowl. Red Cross
• Paperwork: medication lists and pertinent medical information with the document copies. Red Cross

Review the bag and the plan

CDC recommends reviewing your needs every year and updating the kit as your family’s needs change. CDC

• Does the kit still match the household’s current needs? CDC
• Are your intended destination and backup still available? Ready.gov
• Are transportation arrangements still workable? Ready.gov
• Are the emergency contacts current? Red Cross
• Is the kit organized into containers you can actually take with you? Red Cross

Gear & next steps

Affiliate disclosure: purchases through partner links may earn PrepFindr a commission.