What's in my go bag

Happy (?) New Year. I’m in the process of updating our family’s go bags, so I’m sharing what’s in them now, how I’m planning to reorganize them, and what I’m planning to add. 

Why a go bag?

I mean, you know why. Because sometimes we have to grab our stuff and run. Maybe because of a large-scale disaster like a hurricane or wildfire, or maybe because of a more individual disaster like a house fire. Or civil unrest (more on that in a second). 

What’s in my go bag now:

• Clothes
• Boots
• Water stuff (empty bottle, Life Straw, emergency water packets)
• Fire materials (fire starters, waterproof matches)
• Heat (emergency blanket, hand warmers)
• Basic medicine stuff (various band-aids, including blister band-aids, tampons, neosporin, supplies for slightly bigger cuts, latex gloves)
• Emergency radio
• Extra battery pack (regular and solar)
• Lights (solar lamp, glow sticks, headlamp)
• Whistles
• Sharpie
• Protective supplies (masks, work gloves, goggles)
• A bit of food (snack bars, and electrolytes which sort of fit in medical, for avoiding dehydration)
• Copies of important documents
• Cash
• Written list of key people’s contact info
• Notebook, pencil, sharpie
• Area maps
• A list of things to grab if there’s time/space (sentimental jewelry, journals, etc) - this lives ON TOP of the bags. 

What in my kids’ go bags:

• Clothes
• Water bottle & emergency water packets
• Heat (emergency blanket, hand warmers)
• Lights (glow sticks, headlamp)
• Whistles
• Work gloves, masks
• Snacks, including a treat they love because if we’re using the bag we’ll need some joy
• Copies of important documents and written list of key people’s contact info, same as adults
• Cash, but less than adults
• Fidgets and comfort items like a stuffy
• A book we all love; familiar, cozy stories are so helpful for calming the nervous system

What I’m changing:

These bags (especially the adults) fit a pretty intense evacuation scenario. One where we’re walking a long distance, sorting out our own water, fire, light, etc. That suggests a partial or total collapse of key systems. 

But the most likely evacuation scenario is not, actually, the total collapse of society, even with everything going on in the world. It’s a power outage, a gas leak, something mundane. (I have a lot of thoughts about the apocalypse fantasy of preparedness and the usually-male hero narratives that go along with it, but that’s for another day.) The most likely place we’d be going is to a shelter, or a friend’s house in another neighborhood or state. So, I’m going to be making some strategic updates to my family’s go bags.

I used to have things like seeds and guides to edible plants in my bag, but that’s like even next level up of system collapse and honestly a few seeds probably won’t help that much. That’s a scenario where interdependence and community building skills would help more than being able to plant tomatoes. 

Okay but what ACTUALLY am I changing:

I’m creating bundles of stuff for different scenarios, and store them with the go bags. The bags will always have some basics: document copies, cash, clothes, snacks, water bottle, flashlight, radio. Supplies for a more self-reliant scenario will go in a separate pouch, to get tossed in as needed. That’ll be the fire-making supplies, work gloves and goggles, glow sticks. 

I’ll also have a shit-has-gone-quite-bad set of medical supplies. That’s stuff like a tourniquet, clotting agent gauze, and other stop-bleeding tools. Do I want those if everything is really dire? Yes. Is that probably what I’m gonna need in most scenarios? No. 

These bags are always evolving and changing. I keep a list of things to add. A photo album of beloved images, for joy and preservation. Lavender oil for calming. Melatonin and ear plugs if we're in loud place trying to sleep. Instant coffee packets and black tea bags because I'm a monster without them. And then of course, you gotta rotate the clothes seasonally, as kids grow, as the snacks expire (hopefully before that, put the expiry dates in the cal!).

Stuff ≠ Safety 

Go bags matter. For me, they are both practical and psychological. It helps me feel safer to know I have that taken care of - that if we have to leave home, we’re not doing it with just the clothes on our backs. And I don’t trust myself to make smart choices about what to grab in a pressure situation.

Like I said, though, leaving home and never coming back is far from the most likely scenario. Not impossible, and less and less impossible daily, it feels like. But my threat model has winter storm higher than house fire, which is higher than civil war. So I invest my preparation energy accordingly. 

Which means that besides my seasonal go bag update, I’m doing lots of boring things. The things they don't make blockbusters about. Putting digital copies of key documents into my password manager. Making video tours of each room in my house, opening every drawer and cupboard to create an inventory of our belongings, if we ever need it for insurance. And I’m doing what I love most, which is working to strengthen relationships with my friends and neighbors. Which, as I have said before and will never stop saying, is the most protective thing of all.

Also PS, I would love to hear what's in your bag, if you have one! I am constantly inspired by what other people choose to prep. Send me an email!