A useful grab bag helps you leave for somewhere safer. Start with where you might go, how you would travel and who needs help, not the size of a backpack.
Plan the destination before packing.
Think of more than one place you could go and more than one route. Follow current local official instructions: your usual route or chosen destination may not be safe. Agree how your household will reconnect if you are apart.
If told to leave immediately, leave. Do not delay to finish packing, find equipment or collect documents. A bag is preparation, not a reason to stay in danger.
Use a bag you can actually carry.
A comfortable bag you already own is a good starting point. Pack it, lift it and try a short walk in safe conditions. Can you use stairs or manage it alongside a child, pet or mobility aid? A larger bag is not automatically more useful.
Put important small items where you can reach them without emptying the bag. Protect contents from rain and leaks; a rain cover does not make every pocket waterproof. Leave room for daily medicines or charging equipment that cannot live in the bag all the time. Keep a short "add before leaving" note with it.
Pack for the people leaving.
Start with ordinary needs, then adapt to the actual journey:
- Safe drinking water in manageable containers, plus a realistic refill and destination plan. A bottle is a departure reserve, not several days of independence.
- Familiar ready-to-eat food in portions you can finish. Include the utensil or opener it needs.
- A working light and the correct batteries or charging lead.
- A phone, suitable charged power bank and compatible cable.
- Essential medicines, glasses and daily care supplies. Ask your pharmacist, clinician or equipment provider about a suitable backup plan.
- Suitable clothing and weather protection, basic first aid and hygiene supplies.
- Keys, written contact numbers and appropriate document copies, kept secure.
Babies, pets, service animals, dietary needs and accessibility requirements need their own planning. Share communal equipment sensibly, but do not leave someone without essentials if people or bags become separated.
Our water guide distinguishes home reserves from carried water. The no-cook food guide helps you choose familiar portions without assuming a cooker or fridge.
Make light and information easy to use.
A head torch leaves both hands free. Test its controls and carry the correct spare size. AA and AAA are different cells. An existing working light may be all you need; do not buy an untested upgrade just to fill a bag.
Recommended
Gritin three-mode AAA head torch
A head-mounted light leaves both hands free for simple tasks during an outage.
- 3 × AAA included
- High / low / strobe
Before buying
Supplier-identified pack: one head torch and three AAA batteries. These are AAA, not AA cells. Test the controls and carry the correct spare size. Brightness, runtime and water resistance have not been independently tested. A working light you already own is fine.
Write important numbers and destinations on paper as well as saving them on your phone. Ordinary paper in a protective bag may be enough. A small weather-resistant notebook is optional; test your writing tool and do not treat a three-book pack as a requirement per person.
Recommended
Peter Pauper Press All Terrain notebooks, set of 3
Pocket notebooks keep contacts, routes and short supply notes accessible without a battery.
- Three notebooks
- 48 pages each
- Pencil for wet use
Before buying
The maker describes stone paper and recommends pencil in wet conditions. Test your writing tool. Ordinary paper in a protective bag may suffice. This is optional stationery, not secure storage or fire protection. Three notebooks in a retail pack does not mean each person needs a whole pack.
See emergency documents and contacts for a useful offline copy without carrying unnecessary sensitive information.
Do not pack an imaginary trip.
If you expect to stay with family or in suitable accommodation, you may not need a stove, firesteel or outdoor sleeping system. If your actual plan involves outdoor exposure, suitable shelter, insulation and experience cannot be replaced by a thin sheet or an unverified "four-season" sleeping bag.
A filter is not a substitute for carrying safe water or following contamination-specific advice. A bladed multitool can introduce legal and handling problems; it is not a universal departure essential. Never use camping combustion equipment indoors, in a tent or in another enclosed space.
Rehearse the useful part.
Show household members where the bag lives, how to use what is inside and who will help whom. Review it after practice, using an item or a change in medicines or household needs. Check food labels, water-storage instructions and battery readiness as ordinary maintenance, not an assumption that a packed bag stays ready forever.
Start with the bag, water, food, light and personal essentials you already have. Make the journey workable before buying more equipment.
Go to the source.
Supporting sources, checked 30 October 2026. Our explanations and product examples are editorial choices, not hands-on tests or official product approvals. Equipment quantities are starting suggestions, not a safety guarantee.
GOV.UK · Be ReadyBe ready for emergenciesReady.govEvacuation: destinations, routes and following local instructionsReady.govMake A Plan: communication, household needs and practicePeter Pauper PressAll Terrain notebook set: stone paper and wet-writing limitationsHow we use sources