Preparing for an emergency, the Go-Bag

We’ve all seen it in the movies or on a TV show. Someone gets a call. There’s no time. They need to leave NOW. Their “get-out-of-dodge” bag is already packed. They grab it and go. 

Are you preparing for an emergency? Could you Grab a Go-bag and be ready to go in minutes? Or even seconds?

Sometimes referred to as a GOOD (short for Get Out of Dodge) bag, or more simply as a go-bag, it’s important to note these emergency essentials aren’t just for characters in a movie or TV show. Go-bags are an item we should all have in addition to (or more accurately, as a part of) our emergency kits at home. 

Characters on the screen usually grab their go-bags before the bag guys arrive. In the real world we should all have at least one go-bag (ideally two or three – I’ll explain later). We need them for when an emergency causes us to need to leave our home or workplace with little or no notice, and we may not have safe access afterwards. As I noted in my article last month, the go-bag is meant to ensure that you have at least the basics if you need to leave in a rush.

Creating a go-bag can be expensive, but it doesn’t need to be. You can buy used backpacks and appropriate clothing at a thrift store or use items at home that you might otherwise be planning to throw out or donate.

It might feel like you should start with getting a day pack, but I’d recommend getting that last. Start with gathering everything that you want in your go-bag, lay it out so you can see how much space everything will need, and then find the right size pack with the pockets you want. But as you decide on items, remember it’s a go-bag, not an “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” bag. 

The core items to include in your go-bag are:

• A copy of your emergency plan (this is easy to ignore, but critically important)

• Food and water (just snacks and a bottle of water or two is fine)

• *Phone charger and battery bank

• *Small battery-powered or hand-crank radio

• *Battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight

• Extra batteries

• Small first-aid kit and personal medications (IMPORTANT: don’t forget to regularly replace them with fresher medications) 

• Toiletries and personal care items, such as an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses (an easy way to do this is to store your regular travel toiletry kit in an easily accessible pocket of your go-bag – just make sure it’s always stocked ahead of time so it’s ready to go)

• Copies of important documents (such as insurance and IDs)

• Cash in small bills

• Local map with your family meeting place identified (it’s easy to forget what meeting place you agreed upon – having a map with that place identified will make sure there’s no confusion)

• Seasonal clothing and an emergency blanket

• Pen and notepad

• Whistle

*For our kit, we went to the expense of purchasing Midland ER310 emergency radios to satisfy the need for all three of the starred items all in one compact unit. 

Many of these items (whistle, emergency blanket, small first aid kit) can be easily purchased anywhere camping supplies are sold. Or you may just have them lying around.

Most of us should stick to the above core items for our go-bags, but there are a few items that you may want to consider depending on your situation. Maybe you have a need to care for more than just yourself, like your spouse, kids, pets, or any combination of the three. Maybe you’re big enough that you won’t have a problem carrying a heavier load. Maybe you have a smaller stature that isn’t able to carry as much. Maybe you love to live outdoors or just like the idea of being even more self-sufficient. Your own personal circumstances determine what you should have and what you might want to have in your go-bag.

Some additional items you may want to consider adding would be a Swiss Army knife or multitool of some sort; a slightly more robust first aid kit; additional camping gear (although this can get very heavy) and items unique to your personal situations, geography, and skillset

Remember, your go-bag is an easily-removable component of your emergency kit that holds only the most critical items. Ideally, you’ll have access to your whole kit, but the go-bag will get you by for a bit if you don’t. 

It’s a great idea to build multiple go-bags for each person: one for your home, car, workplace, or any other place that you spend a lot of time in. Give some thought to what makes sense for you and build accordingly. 

For example, I chose to build two for home (one for me and one for my wife) and one joint bag for the car, but none for our office. I debated a bit about the office, but since I live two bocks away, I ultimately decided I could forego that bag. Our home go-bag has just a tiny bit more than the basics. The car one is pretty much just a picnic backpack with extra clothes. No need for many of the other listed items as they are already in the vehicle in one form or another. For instance, we already have a very robust first aid kit that lives there, so no need to double up on that. 

Ultimately, you need to give thought to your unique situation and choose what is best for you. But once it’s done, you shouldn’t have to think about it again. Just don’t forget to rotate perishable items (food, water, medications) on a regular basis.

Hopefully with these three articles I’ve given you enough encouragement and information to put together your own emergency plan, kit, and go-bag. 

I honestly hope and pray that all this preparation will be an utter and complete waste of time, effort, and money for you and for me, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that those who prepare are much more likely to thrive. 

Arnold Machel, CFP® lives, works, and worships in the White Rock/South Surrey area. He is a Certified Financial Planner with IPC Investment Corporation and Visionvest Financial Planning & Services. Questions and comments can be directed to him at dr.rrsp@visionvest.ca or through his website at www.visionvest.ca. Please note that all comments are of a general nature and should not be relied upon as individual advice. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of Arnold Machel and may not necessarily reflect those of IPC Investment Corporation. While every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, facts and figures are not guaranteed.