Emergency grab bag list (UK): what to pack and why

Written by James Frost, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. Updated 25 October 2026 and checked against the government's Be Ready advice and the British Red Cross kit list.

An emergency grab bag is a small, ready-packed bag you can pick up on your way out if you have to leave home quickly, because of a flood, a fire nearby, a gas leak or an evacuation. A good UK grab bag holds your medication and copies of prescriptions, copies of important documents in a waterproof bag, cash and a written list of phone numbers, a phone charger and power bank, a torch and radio, a basic first aid kit, a warm layer, at least a litre of water and about a day of food that needs no cooking. Keep it light enough that the person who will carry it can walk with it for half an hour.

The government's Be Ready advice, published on 22 October 2026, suggests keeping a few essentials you would need to take with you in a spare bag, alongside 3 days of supplies at home. This guide covers the bag; our 3-day emergency food supply list covers the home supply.

Why I wrote this guide. Phoenix Bars began as my university project to design a better emergency ration, and I have spent years since talking to ultra runners, expedition teams and people who struggle to eat enough about what they actually carry and eat. A grab bag is the same problem as a race pack with less warning: every item has to earn its place.

What is an emergency grab bag?

A grab bag, sometimes called a go bag, is the part of your emergency planning that leaves the house with you. It is different from a home emergency kit, which is for staying put through a power cut or storm, and from a car kit, which lives in the boot. The grab bag is for the moment you are told to leave, or decide to, and only have a minute or two.

Because it has to be carried, a grab bag is smaller and more personal than a home kit. It holds the things that are hard to replace or that you would need in the first day away from home: medication, documents, money, a way to charge your phone, warmth, water and food.

Emergency grab bag checklist (UK)

This list combines the government's Be Ready checklist and the British Red Cross emergency kit list, cut down to what earns a place in a bag you carry.

Health and medication

• Essential medication, with a few days' supply where you can, and copies of prescriptions.
• Spare glasses or contact lenses, and hearing aid batteries if you use them.
• A basic first aid kit: plasters, dressings, a bandage, gloves, tweezers and antiseptic wipes.
• Hand sanitiser, wet wipes, a small toiletry bag and period products.

Documents and money

• Copies of passports or ID, insurance details and your household emergency plan, in a waterproof bag.
• A written list of phone numbers, including family, neighbours and 105 to report a power cut, plus a list of any regular medication and doses.
• Cash in coins and notes, plus a bank card, in case card machines or cash points are down.
• Spare house and car keys.

Power, light and information

• A charged power bank and the right cable for your phone.
• A torch with spare batteries, or a wind-up torch. Torches are safer than candles.
• A small battery or wind-up FM radio, with the frequencies of your local stations written down.

Water and food

• At least 1 litre of water per person, ideally 2, in sealed bottles.
• About a day of no-cook food per person, around 2,500 calories in 500g (see below).

Warmth and weather

• A warm layer such as a fleece, plus a hat and gloves.
• A packable waterproof jacket.
• A foil emergency blanket, which weighs almost nothing.

Small useful extras

• A whistle, a pen and paper, a few waterproof bags and a short roll of duct tape.
• Something to keep children occupied that does not need a charged phone, such as a small toy or book.

For babies, children, pets and anyone you care for

• Ready-to-feed formula, nappies and wipes for babies.
• A comfort item for each child.
• Pet food, a lead or carrier, and any pet medication.
• Care plans, instructions for any medical equipment someone relies on, and spare chargers or batteries for it.

What food to put in a grab bag

Grab bag food has a harder job than cupboard food. It has to be light, need no cooking or water, survive being squashed and left for months, and still be something people will eat when they are stressed and away from home. Aim for about a day of food per person in around 500g, which means choosing food above 4 calories per gram.

One way to build it for one adult:

• Two Phoenix Bars, 240g: up to 1,114 calories, eaten as they are, broken into pieces through the day, or mixed with water into a porridge.
• Salted peanuts, 150g: 903 calories.
• Milk chocolate, 100g: 519 calories.

That comes to about 2,500 calories in 490g, roughly one adult's day. Phoenix Bars will not freeze or melt and keep for up to two years (12 months for Cherry Bakewell), which suits a bag that sits by the door between checks.

The other common choice is a 500g lifeboat-style ration, around 2,300 to 2,500 calories with a 5 to 20 year shelf life, made to be forgotten about until it is needed. Our guide to emergency rations in the UK compares the main ones. Tins are a poor fit for a grab bag, because they are heavy for their calories and need an opener, and freeze-dried meals need hot water you may not have.

For children, pack small amounts of the snacks they already eat. For an older relative or anyone with a small appetite, pick soft, calorie-dense food that can be eaten a little at a time; our guide to high-calorie foods for older adults has ideas.

How much water should be in a grab bag?

Pack at least 1 litre of water per person, and 2 if the person carrying the bag can manage it. Water weighs 1kg a litre, so it is usually the heaviest thing in the bag. The government's 3 litres per person per day is for your home supply; in a grab bag, carry what you can and plan where you would get more, such as a rest centre, a friend's house or a shop outside the affected area.

Use sealed bottled water, swap it when you check the bag, and keep an empty collapsible bottle in a side pocket for refills.

How heavy should a grab bag be?

Light enough for the person carrying it to walk with it for half an hour without stopping. For most adults that means roughly 5 to 7kg. A typical one-person bag built from this checklist weighs about:

• Water, 1 to 2 litres: 1 to 2kg.
• Food for one day: about 0.5kg.
• Warm layer, waterproof, hat and foil blanket: about 1kg.
• Torch, radio, power bank and cable: about 0.6kg.
• First aid, medication and hygiene: about 0.5kg.
• Documents, cash, keys and extras: about 0.3kg.
• The bag itself: about 0.5 to 1kg.

That comes to 4.4 to 5.9kg. If yours comes out heavier, cut water and extras first, never medication.

What kind of bag to use

• A small rucksack of around 20 to 30 litres with padded straps, so your hands stay free.
• Waterproof, or lined with a bin bag or dry bag, because evacuations often happen in bad weather.
• One bag per adult rather than one heavy family bag, and a small bag each for older children.
• Labelled with your name and a contact number.

Where to keep your grab bag

Keep it somewhere you pass on the way out, such as a hall cupboard or under the stairs, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is. If flooding is a risk where you live, keep documents in waterproof bags and keep medication where you can reach it quickly, as the British Red Cross advises.

Grab bag, home kit, car kit or bug out bag?

• Home emergency kit: for staying put for 3 days through a power cut, storm or water outage. See our 3-day emergency food supply list.
• Grab bag or go bag: a light bag for leaving home quickly, covering roughly the first day away.
• Car kit: blankets, a torch, water, snacks, a shovel and jump leads in the boot, in case you get stuck in winter weather.
• Bug out bag: a prepping term for a heavier 72-hour bag designed to be walked out with. For most UK households, a light grab bag plus a home kit is the more practical set-up.

Grab bags for older relatives and people with extra needs

Be Ready asks households to agree a plan with anyone who might need extra support, particularly people who live alone, and to check on neighbours in an emergency. If you help someone else, pack their grab bag with them, or keep a list of what to take from their home:

• A written list of their regular medication and doses, and copies of prescriptions.
• Care plans and instructions for any medical equipment they rely on, with spare chargers or batteries.
• Mobility aids, glasses and hearing aid batteries.
• Food they find easy to eat in small amounts. A dense bar can be broken into pieces or mixed with water into a soft porridge; our guide to what to eat when your appetite is low has more ideas.

Check whether they can join the Priority Services Register, which tells energy and water companies that a household needs extra support during an outage.

Should you buy a ready-made grab bag?

Ready-made grab bags are a quick start, and many come in a good rucksack with a first aid kit, foil blankets and a torch. Before you rely on one, check three things:

• The food: divide the calories by the days claimed. Some kits are sized at survival level, around 2,500 calories for 72 hours, which is less than one normal day.
• The water: small pouches can add up to less than a litre.
• What is missing: no kit can include your medication, documents, glasses, keys or cash.

A good approach is to buy the bag and the basics, then add the personal items and a day of food you would actually eat.

How often should you check a grab bag?

Be Ready suggests a reminder every six months. Each time, check the dates on food, water and medication, charge the power bank, test the torch and radio, update documents and phone numbers, and swap children's clothes for the right size. Eat the food that is close to its date on a walk or a long day, and replace it.

Common questions about emergency grab bags

What should be in a grab bag in the UK?

Medication and copies of prescriptions, copies of important documents in a waterproof bag, cash and a written list of phone numbers, a charged power bank, a torch, a radio, a first aid kit, a warm layer, at least a litre of water and about a day of no-cook food per person.

How much food should be in a grab bag?

About a day per person, roughly 2,500 calories for an adult, which fits into around 500g with dense food such as high calorie bars, nuts and chocolate.

What is the best food for a grab bag?

Food that is calorie-dense, needs no cooking or water, will not melt or crush, keeps for months and is something you would happily eat. Dense bars, nuts and lifeboat-style rations all work; tins and freeze-dried meals do not suit a bag you carry.

Should everyone have their own grab bag?

Ideally each adult carries their own, so no single bag is too heavy and nothing is lost if you get separated. Older children can carry a small bag with water, a snack, a warm layer and a comfort item.

What should be in a flood grab bag?

Everything in the checklist above, with documents and medication in waterproof bags, a torch, a charged phone and power bank, and warm, dry clothes. Keep the bag where you can reach it quickly if water starts to rise.

Does the government give out free grab bags?

No. The Be Ready campaign is advice and a downloadable checklist. It suggests starting with what you already have and building up gradually.

Sources: GOV.UK Be Ready, be ready for emergencies; British Red Cross, prepare an emergency kit; Priority Services Register.