The Master Evacuation Kit List

evaclistThis is the second post in a series, the first post covers Evacuation Preparedness basics and can be read here.

Previously, I briefly introduced the Mother of all Evacuation Lists.  This list is the result of reviewing well over 100 Bug Out Bag, 72 Hour Kit and G.O.O.D. bag lists and building a master list from them.  The new master list can be found here. The link will take you to a Google Spreadsheet which is what we’ll be using for now.  I’m hoping to get feedback from readers on other items that should be included which I’ll add to the list.  By the end of the series I’ll post an excel file that you can download and store or share.  In the meantime, feel free to share the link to the spreadsheet.  In this post we’ll start going over the list and get familiar with it.

Categories

Everything on the list is broken down into categories.  We have Food, Shelter/Bedding, Fuel, Personal, Defense/Hunting, Misc, Medical, Documents/Money, Address/Phone Lists, Communication, Navigation, Info Carsds, Nuclear/Bio/Chem, Don’t Forget List, Fishing Equipment, Light, Books, Winter Clothes, Automotive, Water, Food Prep/Eating/Cleanup, Tool Kit, Equipment and Clothing.  Over the next few posts we’ll break each of these categories down and discuss the types of items that you might include in your Evac Kits from these categories.

Organization

When I put this list together the goal was to provide an all-inclusive list that each person could pare down to what made sense for themselves.  There will likely be many things on this list that you don’t feel a need for.  You shouldn’t feel like you have to go buy everything on the list or anything like that.  The idea is that you can reliably make a personalized list for yourself from this one and know that most everything has been considered – by over 100 people who felt that their list was good enough!  Due to this goal, this list is organized a bit differently than others that you’ll find.

One of the first things you might notice is that there are no quantities given.  The reason for this is that the quantity needed/desired can be very different from person to person and you should consider the item and multiple scenarios and determine how much you need.

The next thing you might notice is that many lists have a prioritization system – this one does not.  You will need to decide for yourself how much of a priority each item should have.  There is also no indication as to which container things should go in.  We’ll talk about containerizing in a later post, but some of the items on the list should go into your BOB, others should be stored in a category container such as Fishing Equipment, others might be in a rifle case containing a rifle and cleaning equipment. This is also something you’ll need to decide for yourself.

There are also a few categories that may not make much sense – Address/Phone Lists is a list that you keep in your BOB that contains the phone and address of several important contacts you may need while you’re evacuated.  We’ll be providing a list you can fill out and print in a later post.  There is also a ‘Don’t Forget List’, this is a list of things that you aren’t going to keep pre-staged but that you must not forget when you are rushing around trying to evacuate.  It’s a customized check list for before you leave the house – we’ll be providing a downloadable worksheet later in the series.  Finally, the Info Card contains vital information for a family member.  Each family member should have one in their BOB with the parents/guardians having a copy of all them in their BOB or Document Case.  We’ll also be providing a downloadable worksheet for this.  Several of these lists are such that you’ll need to update them on a regular basis, like every 6 months.

Over the next few posts we’ll be going through the items in the categories and discussing their use and why they’re included.  Once we’ve done that, we’ll discuss Kit Inventories – reviewing our kits on a regular basis to make sure they’re ready to go.

The next post in this series is here: Evacuation Preparedness List Review Part 1

12 Replies to “The Master Evacuation Kit List”

  1. Sorry folks, I messed up the public link in the post today. It’s fixed now! It was fine in yesterday’s post but I apparently copied in the wrong link when I wrote this one.

  2. Sorry folks, I messed up the public link in the post today. It’s fixed now! It was fine in yesterday’s post but I apparently copied in the wrong link when I wrote this one.

  3. Great list to work from. You achieved your goal of a master multi-user list. I just wanted to jot down a few other suggestions:
    QuikClot
    Copy of eyeglass RX
    Epinephrine (EpiPen)
    Orajel
    BodyGlide (prevents blisters and chafing)
    Thanks for all your research!

  4. Recommendations for babies: formula on-the-go packets (*Similac* makes them), basic baby bottle(s), no-spill water bottle adapter (*Gerber* makes a great one) or even a straw, diapers and wipes (disposables and cloth), portable infant foods (*Plum* screw-tops need no dishes, squirt it out onto the spoon, *Sprout* is a ziploc-type pouch that is BPA-free) pacifiers (a must!), bibs, some sort of infant carrier (*Bjorn* carrier, *Moby* wrap, *Kelty* backpack). Sun hat, hoodie, socks, shoes, blanket, toy, books. Infant acetominophen, ibuprofen (diversify sources! Think: Tylenol and Motrin massive recall.) Plan adult supplies to ensure it's safe for baby: baby-safe bug spray, suscreen, baby-appropriate adult foods – applesauce packs, pudding, oatmeal. Freeze dried yogurt melts are great for older kids. *Kashi Go Lean* is very high in protein and can be softened with formula/water. For babies <1: no fish, no honey, no nuts. Don't forget your good, all-terrain stroller. Don't have kids? Doesn't matter. You never know who you'll need to help, including taking on a baby.

  5. OK, this is going to look like a criticism but it isn't. I love a list like this, complete and thought provoking. The problem is you couldn't fit all this stuff in a U-haul truck. If TSHTF you “may” try to take all or most of this stuff with you but soon enough you will be forced to leave it behind. Everyone should have a backpack that is light enough to carry for 10 miles a day or so with the essentials. If you need to decide in minutes/seconds what to take then at least you have the important things with you. If you live in tornado alley, flood plain or along the South and East coasts where they have hurricanes consider renting a small storage unit some distance away for your supplies. If you live outside of these areas perhaps a cache at an alternative site will work. It is not hard to imagine scenarios where it is necessary to “get out of Dodge” but it is next to impossible to know every possibility. But if the situation calls for a quick decision and moving fast on foot you need to be ready. And if the situation calls for long term survival at an alternative location you may well need all the things on the list. Somehow you need to prepare for both and everything in between.

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