(The links in the post below may be affiliate links. For more info, head here.)
There have been SO many natural disasters lately–with devastating after-effects for families everywhere! The locations hit by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have had families without power, water, food and supplies for a week. Makes you stop and wonder if you would be prepared if you were caught in an emergency situation. Or would you wish you would have taken the time to have those Emergency Kits/Go-Bags/Bug-Out Bags (or whatever you call them) together??
Putting together our own Emergency Kits has overwhelmed me for years. But with recent events, I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. And you probably are feeling the same as me! So I hope this list helps you get everything you need for your Emergency Bags–and I’m hoping I’ve given you plenty of options so you can get the best price for everyone in your family.
EMERGENCY GO-BAG SUPPLIES:
Emergency Kits already put together for you really make the whole process a lot less overwhelming! (Buying and finding every single tiny little thing totally overwhelmed me for the LONGEST Time!) They didn’t used to have pre-configured emergency kits. So this is a really great option!
We grabbed our pre-configured Emergency Kits from Emergency Essentials and then just added a handful of extra things to each kit–like I showed in the video.
PRE-CONFIGURED KITS TO SAVE YOU TIME:
- Pre-Configured Emergency Kits over here on from Amazon. Lots of options starting at $24–depending on what items you want included.
INDIVIDUAL EMERGENCY SUPPLIES YOU CAN ADD TO A PRE-CONFIGURED KIT OR CREATE YOUR OWN:
- Backpack (Prices vary depending on how heavy-duty you want to go) The pre-configured kits come with decent backpacks. But we did upgrade ours to be bigger–since we knew we would be carrying a lot of our kid’s stuff they were too little to carry on their own. We ended up purchasing these backpacks from Walmart! AMAZING Prices! (You’ll notice there is A LOT more room in the Camping Backpacks and more back-support if you are carrying heavier things)
- Emergency Calorie Bars HERE: One square per day. It’s not a lot of food. It’s meant to keep you alive. So have one of these per bag (they usually last 5 Years!!) and then add backup food you can rotate out of your kits every year. That way, you will always have some food in your kit that hasn’t expired yet!
- Emergency Meal Pouches: These are a MUST with your Emergency Calorie Bars because they last 15- 25 years AND now they actually taste good! I would recommend purchasing a couple and having them for dinner one night to test out. If your family likes them, add them to your emergency kits to each bag. Then you will only need to add water in case of an emergency to eat!
There are lots of Emergency Meal Brands to choose from. If you aren’t sure what to purchase, go off of the reviews! And most of the time, it’s cheaper to buy them in the buckets and then separate them into your Emergency Bags. - Rotatable Food/Snacks You Can Change Each Year: There are lots of different options you can add on top of your emergency calorie bar or emergency meal pouches. Ideas would be: Protein Bars, Energy Bars, Peanut Butter To-Go, Dry Cereal, Granola, Dried Fruit– comfort foods/snacks for your kids that are light-weight. You can also include Hot Chocolate Packets or Flavored Water Packets for kids.
- Emergency Sleeping Bag: Need one for each person. You can find more affordable options here too.
- Life Straw Personal Water Filter $19.95: Can buy one to share or have a couple to share for your family members. (AND/OR Water Purification Tablets)
- 1 Liter of Water per person per day (Plastic water bottles from the store or Emergency Water Pouches)
- Emergency Thermal Blankets around $1 each
- Hot Hands Hand Warmers around $.95 each
- Emergency Tube Tent as low as $8
- Strike Anywhere Matches
- 5-in-1 Survival Whistle (Includes compass, whistle, ferro rod fire-starter, container to store items and signal mirror)
- 12 Hour Lightstick $1.50 (You could also get glow sticks from the Dollar Store. But the lightsticks last 12 hours.)
- Handheld AM/FM Radio from $19.99
- Toilet Paper (take cardboard out of center and put it in a ziploc bag for easier storage)
- First Aid Kit (LOTS of different options on what is included, size, etc. So choose what fits your family best! Adventure Medical Kits are over here)
- Multi Function Knife
- Duct Tape $3-$5 (at the grocery store)
- Flashlight (Lots of options! But mini-flashlights from $2.50 each over here & headlamps over here from $7.99)
- BATTERIES for everything that needs batteries. Store them in a plastic ziploc bag in case your bag gets wet)
- Hand Sanitizer $1.00 for a 3 Pack at Dollar Tree
- Wet Wipes $1.00 in Travel Section at Walmart
- Toothpaste/Toothbrush/Floss Kits $1.00 in Travel Section at Walmart
- Travel Deodorant $.97 at Walmart
- Any other personal hygiene products you wish to have in an emergency (Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, etc)
- Hatchet, Axe, Machete or Larger Knife
- Emergency Shovel
- 50 Ft Rope/Paracord $5.95
- Long Sleeve Shirt (We got our children’s from Walmart for $5.47 (Hanes)! Remember to purchase a few sizes bigger than they are now.)
- Long Sleeve Pants or Sweatpants (We got our children’s from Walmart for $5.47 (Hanes)! Remember to purchase a few sizes bigger than they are now.)
- Hoodie/Sweatshirt (We got our children’s from Walmart for $5.47 (Hanes)! Remember to purchase a few sizes bigger than they are now.)
- Underwear
- Socks
- Warm Hat/Beanie and/or Gloves
- Lightweight Mess Kit (lots of options and prices here)
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray
- Emergency Candle (115 Hours!)
- Emergency Flare
- CASH in Small Bills
- Credit Card
- FUN STUFF: Like Crayons, notepads, dice, card games, etc. I found cheap fun stuff at the Target Dollar Spot and Dollar Tree!
- a Pen
- Sharpie Marker
- Copy of Birth Certificate
- Addresses and Phone Numbers of Close Friends and Family Members (Remember, cell service could be down and without power, you can’t charge your cell phone)
- Current Family Picture in case you lose someone in your family!
- Social Security Number (if you don’t have it memorized)
- Tylenol/Advil/Any Children’s Medicine
- Any prescriptions
- Copies of your Immunization Records
- Pre-Paid Phone Card or Pay-as-you-go Cell Phone for Emergencies
- Local Area Map (Remember NO Google!)
- Garbage Bags (Can use to cover your backpack in case of rain, dispose of trash, use as a tarp under sleeping quarters, etc) Cheap ones at Dollar Tree!
- Tarp
- Sewing Kit (lots of options here)
- For those with babies: Diapers, Wipes, Bottle, Formula, Baby Food/Snacks, baby sling for carrying baby hands-free, diaper rash cream, binkie, baby blanket or any comfort items like a stuffed animal.
As you can see, this list is pretty extensive! Start with the absolute essentials and keep adding things to your kit each week or after each paycheck. PLEASE DO NOT get overwhelmed after looking at this list. It looks worse than it is because I listed each and every thing out. Those pre-configured kits take out a huge chunk of the items for you and then you’ll at least have a basic kit ready-to-go while you keep adding other items to it!
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:
- Write the expiration date with a Sharpie marker on EVERY single item that expires! Don’t count on the printed expiration date to not fade. It makes it easier when you go to update your kits as well!
- Pick a special date you won’t remember to update your kids each year and exchange clothing that’s too small, or smaller snacks/food items that have expired, etc. Maybe it’s your birthday! After you celebrate, you know the next week you need to check on your Emergency Kits.
- Imagine what else you might want/need if you were in an emergency situation and then imagine what you might want/need if our entire nation was in an emergency situation. I feel like it’s important to plan for both. And if your backpacks have room, add extras of items to last you more than just 3 days! Lots of disaster areas aren’t receiving help within 3 days!
Hope this list helps you know exactly WHAT to get & WHERE to get it–and also save money while buying it all! For more tips, deals & help, follow me at The Melea Show on Instagram & my YouTube Channel.
