Bug out bag UK: what to pack, and when leaving makes sense

Print this checklist Prints the checklist without the menus.

Do this now

1. Get a bag you can carry for a long walk, one per adult.
2. Medicines first: a few days' supply plus a written list of names and doses.
3. Documents: copies of ID and insurance in a waterproof bag, plus a paper list of phone numbers.
4. Cash in coins and notes, and a bank card.
5. Light and power: torch, phone charger, charged power bank.
6. Water and food for a day or two, warm waterproof clothes and sturdy shoes.
7. Put it by the front door, and agree where you'd go if told to leave.

Bug out bag, grab bag, go bag: the same thing

"Bug out bag" is the American prepper name. UK official advice calls it a grab bag: GOV.UK Be Ready says keep essentials in a spare bag in case you need to leave home quickly. The Environment Agency calls it a flood kit. Sweden's crisis brochure, posted to every household, has an evacuation list. They all mean a bag you can pick up and carry out of the door in minutes.

What makes this a "bug out" bag rather than a home kit is that you carry it. Everything in it has to earn its weight.

When leaving makes sense (and when it doesn't)

This is the part most bug out lists skip. In most UK emergencies, the official advice is to stay where you are.

Stay put

• Radiation emergency. UKHSA says go in, stay in, tune in, and evacuate only if the authorities advise it, because leaving shelter may increase your exposure.
• Air raid or missile alert. Sweden and Finland say take shelter where you are, straight away. See the first 10 minutes of an alert.
• Storms, snow, most power cuts. Staying in is safer than travelling.

Leave straight away

• Your home is on fire, or you smell gas.
• Flooding is a danger to life. Be Ready says a severe flood warning means danger to life, and delaying when asked to evacuate can put you and rescuers at risk.
• The building is damaged after an explosion or collapse. Ready.gov says leave by the stairs and don't go back for belongings.

Leave when you're told to

• The police, fire service or your council tell you to go. Be Ready says always follow their advice if you're asked to evacuate. Ready.gov says leave early enough to avoid being trapped, and use the routes officials give: shortcuts may be blocked.

The countryside myth

No official UK advice tells people to head for the hills in a war or nuclear emergency. Roads would be busy or blocked, and being outside is the one place every radiation and air-raid guide says not to be. Our stay put or leave guide goes into this.

Where would you go?

Decide this now, in calm time. Ready.gov says:

• Pick several places in different directions, such as a friend's or relative's home in another town.
• Agree a meeting point in case you get separated.
• Plan transport if you don't have a car.
• Keep at least half a tank of fuel if an evacuation seems likely, and fill up if it's coming.
• Plan for pets. Ready.gov notes that public shelters may only take service animals, and Finland says pets are safer at home than in its shelters.

What to pack

Every item below is on at least one official list. The source is in brackets.

Health

• Medicines for a few days, plus a written list of names and doses (Be Ready)
• Glasses, hearing aids and spare batteries (Sweden)
• First-aid kit (Be Ready)
• Toiletries and hygiene items, hand sanitiser (Be Ready, Sweden)

Documents and money

• Copies of photo ID, insurance and key documents in a waterproof bag (Be Ready)
• Important information on paper: phone numbers, insurance details (Sweden)
• Cash, and a debit or credit card (Sweden, Be Ready)

Light, power and news

• Torch and spare batteries (Be Ready)
• Phone charger and a charged power bank (Be Ready, Sweden)
• Battery, solar or wind-up radio (Sweden)
• Whistle, to signal for help (Ready.gov)

Water, food and warmth

• Water and food to last a few days (Sweden). Food that needs no cooking.
• Warm clothing, waterproof outer layer and a spare set of clothes (Sweden, Environment Agency)
• Sturdy shoes and protective clothing such as long trousers and long sleeves (Ready.gov)
• A foil blanket or emergency bivvy bag (our addition: light and cheap)

Finding your way

• A paper map and compass (Sweden)

Family, babies and pets

• Ready-to-feed formula your baby already uses (see the NHS guide to types of formula), nappies, wipes (Be Ready)
• Pet food, water, lead and carrier (Environment Agency, Be Ready)
• Toys or comfort items for children (Environment Agency)

Tools

• A small multi-tool. UK knife law: GOV.UK says you can carry a folding pocket knife in public without a good reason only if its blade is 3 inches or less and it doesn't lock. Locking knives and bigger blades need a good reason, such as your job. The maximum penalty for carrying a knife illegally is 4 years in prison.

Water: carry some, treat more

Water is the heaviest thing in the bag: a litre weighs a kilo. Be Ready's home figure is 3 litres per person per day, which no one can carry for long. Instead:

• Carry a bottle or two each and a collapsible container for refills.
• Carry a way to treat water, such as a filter or purification tablets. Check the pack: many personal filters don't remove viruses or chemicals. Follow the instructions.
• Keep the bulk of your water at home, where you're most likely to need it.

How to pack it

• Weight: no official source gives a figure. The test is whether each adult can carry their bag for a long walk with hands free. One bag per adult beats one huge bag. Children can carry a small one with their own comfort items and a whistle.
• Heavy things low, near your back.
• What you'll need first goes on top: torch, documents, medicines, waterproof.
• Label it with a name and phone number.
• Keep it by the front door or in a hall cupboard (Be Ready). If flooding is your main risk, keep it upstairs.

What not to pack

• Anything that turns a bag into a weapon store. See the knife law above.
• Iodine tablets you've bought yourself. UKHSA says take only tablets the authorities provide, when told.
• A camping stove for indoor use. If you do pack one, it's for outdoors only: stoves give off carbon monoxide.
• So much kit you can't walk.

Before you leave home

If you have time and it's safe:

1. Turn off gas, electricity and water (Be Ready). Never touch a switch if you're standing in water.
2. Take medicines from the fridge.
3. Lock up and leave a note saying where you've gone (Ready.gov).
4. Tell a contact where you're going and when you get there.
5. Check on neighbours who may need a lift (Ready.gov).
6. Follow the route officials give. Don't walk or drive through flood water (Environment Agency).

Printable checklist: bug out bag (one per adult)

Health

• Medicines for a few days
• Written list of medicines and doses
• Glasses, hearing aid batteries
• First-aid kit
• Toiletries, hand sanitiser, wet wipes

Documents and money

• Copies of ID, insurance, prescriptions in a waterproof bag
• Paper list of phone numbers
• Cash in coins and notes, plus a card

Light, power, news

• Torch and spare batteries
• Phone charger and charged power bank
• Battery, solar or wind-up radio
• Whistle

Water, food, warmth

• Water bottle and a collapsible container
• Filter or purification tablets
• Food for a few days that needs no cooking
• Warm layer, waterproof, spare clothes
• Sturdy shoes
• Foil blanket or bivvy bag

Navigation and tools

• Paper map and compass
• Small multi-tool (non-locking blade, 3 inches or less)

Family and pets

• Baby items (formula your baby already uses, nappies, wipes)
• Pet food, water, lead, carrier
• Comfort items for children

The plan

• Two or three places we could go, in different directions
• Meeting point if we get separated
• Transport sorted if we have no car

Every six months

• Medicines, food and water in date
• Power bank charged, batteries working
• Clothes still fit (especially children's)
• Numbers and documents up to date

What official advice doesn't cover

• A UK "bug out" plan for war. There isn't one. UK advice for radiation and most emergencies is to stay put unless told otherwise.
• How heavy a bag should be. No official figure.
• Long-term living away from home. Sweden says those unable to evacuate on their own will be helped, with somewhere to stay and food at the destination. UKHSA's radiation advice mentions being sent to a rest centre after checks; follow official instructions on the day.

No bag can promise safety. A packed bag by the door means that if you're told to go, you can go in minutes, calmly.

Related guides

• Grab bag list UK: what to pack if you have to leave home
• Keeping household documents safe and to hand
• Travel disruption: what to carry and what to do if you're stranded
• Pet emergency plan UK: a checklist for dogs, cats and small pets

Free tools

• Emergency cash calculator
• Make a household emergency plan (free)

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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