In Australia, we are no strangers to natural disasters. From floods and cyclones to wildfires and earthquakes, there is always the potential for disasters and extreme weather to strike. Australian weather is unpredictable and the need to evacuate to safety can be sudden and urgent. There’s no time to think about what to grab or where you’ll go. That’s why it’s important to have a Go Bag ready at all times. In this post, we save you a metric tonne of stress and time in preparing a Go Bag with our Essential Go Bag Checklist, made for Australia. Remember to get your free downloadable pdf checklist at the end!
Personal insights for packing your Go Bag
When we evacuated flooding in Tasmania 2022, we had just minutes to get out before the road was cut off. Luckily we had a Go Bag packed, for ourselves and our two dogs. We put on our gumboots, threw the bag and the dogs in the car and headed out to a friend’s place.
The event itself was chaotic and stressful enough. I can’t imagine what not being prepared would have felt like. Here are our top insights for packing for something like this:
- If you’re packing to move to a Cyclone Shelter, pack as light as you can. Conditions may be cramped.
- If you’re packing for an Evacuation Centre, you’ll have more personal space and can bring a bigger bag.
- You’ll have even more room to carry a bigger Go Bag if you’re heading to a friend’s place. Don’t assume they’ll have everything you need. Especially if you’re turning up with little notice!
- Priotise and pack the essentials first – everything you’ll need in your specific circumstances to mee your basic human needs and no more.
- Tailor the rest of your pack based on the facilities where you are headed, the local conditions, and your personal needs.
- Don’t forget special needs and pets.
- Get your pack last. After you’ve eyeballed everything you want to put in it. But have an idea of how big your Go Bag should be (so you can carry it comfortably) before you begin.
What is a Go Bag?
Go bags, also known as ‘Go to Bags‘, or ‘Grab and Go Bags‘, are a survival kit with the supplies you need to evacuate in a natural disaster or other emergency situation.
They are called ‘Emergency Go Bags’, ‘Grab and Go Bags’ or ‘To Go Bags’, because they are designed for immediate evacuation – when you need to leave your home and travel to safety at short notice.
A Go Bag is there to help you evacuate safely to a shelter, evacuation centre or family or friends house. In Australia, you most likely to be evacuating because of flooding, a bushfire emergency or cyclone. Or you may be caught up in extreme and unexpected wild weather.
Your Go Bag is typically packed with 24 hours to 3 days worth of provisions, depending on your situation. It’s enough to get you through the disaster or emergency and its immediate aftermath. The intention is that after 3 days you can return home. Or move to more suitable temporary accommodation.
What to put in a Go Bag in Australia
What you put in your Go Bag depends on your Emergency Plan.
Top of your list when putting your Emergency Plan together is deciding where you will evacuate to. Once you do decide, you can pack the right Grab and Go bag items.
Think about these three evacuation destinations:
- An evacuation centre or public shelter
- A friend or family’s home or hotel / motel accommodation outside the danger zone
- A location outside the area completely.
Pick which option you’ll take, before preparing your Go Bag.
Option 1 is a last minute ‘skin of your teeth’ evacuation scenario. With Option 2 and 3, you have time and the means to travel. Let’s look at each.
Evacuating to an Evacuation Centre, Cyclone Shelter or refuge
Evacuation Centres and Cyclone Shelters in Australia are set up for your safety. But we’re going to be honest here. They have basic amenities.
Evacution Centre
Evacuation Centres provide short term accommodation (up to three weeks) for people that cannot return home (due to damage to or destruction). Because they are longer term, Evacuation Centres have more space. But they still apply restrictions on what you can take into the centre. Pack with this in mind.
Cyclone shelter
Cyclone shelters are 24 hour facilities, to give people refuge through the emergency event. They usually have limited amenities. You might find uninterrupted power supply (lights, communication), toilet facilities, and seating. And that’s about it.
In a Cyclone Shelter, you may only have a small area of seating space. All your belongings (including food, water, medications and clothing) should fit in a bag small enough to fit under a seat.
You will need to pack light.
Cyclone Shelters can be cramped with strict rules on what you can take in. It’s common for them not to allow cooking equipment and pets for example. But there might also be no food available, so you will need to carry whatever food you need.
In essence, if you’re going to a Cyclone Shelter your Go Bag needs to be small enough to carry and store with you. You will need the essentials – food, water, clothing and personal sanitation items – for 24 hours. A shortlist of Go Bag essentials is best. We’ll get to that list down below.
Remember that cyclones can cause significant destruction. You don’t know what you’ll be returning home to. For this reason, always take your mobile phone and critical documents that prove your identity and help you access banks, insurance and other recovery services.
Staying with friends or family – what to pack
You may need to pack less in this situation, although you have the opportunity to pack more. The irony!
A family or friend’s home won’t have restrictions on space and what you can bring in. But it’s probably not a good idea to assume they’ll have everything you need. Especially if you’re turning up without much notice!
It’s best to pack water, some food, clothing, personal medical and hygiene items, cash and important documents if heading to a friend or family home.
If you are leaving the area completely, think about travel time, transport means and destination. You may need a Bug out Bag instead of a Go Bag if your journey is long or you are travelling by car (or on foot).
Why do we need to prepare a Go Bag?
Australian governments and fire and emergency services are now advising people to have a Go Bag ready for natural disasters and emergencies.
Floods and severe weather are intensifying. And weather conditions can change quickly. With climate change, it’s getting harder for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to predict just how severe or intense a weather event might be.
This means that in a severe weather event you may need evacuate without much warning.
Making a Go Bag is now a critical part of your family’s emergency preparedness.
Severe weather can also cause cascading failures in supply chains and essential services like food, power, water supply and communications.
Australians saw this in the 2020 bushfires.
When the essential services that we rely on fail, things can be thrown into chaos. It may also be difficult to get help or rescue from scarce emergency service resources. We’re big advocates of planning and packing your Go Bag to be as self-reliant as possible, if this happens to you.
If you need more reasons, you’ll find them in our article “Why do we need to prepare a Go Bag?”.
Are you vulnerable?
We recently faced an extreme weather event in Tasmania that knocked all grid power and communications out for 5 days. The BOM predicted strong winds but what eventuated was much worse. We didn’t need to leave in a hurry, but some in the community lost their roofs and did need to evacuate unexpectedly.
Many Australian’s have been in a similar situation.
The truth is, we are all vulnerable to unexpected weather events. Even if you don’t live in a flood zone, cyclone area or bushfire zone. Severe weather is worsening, with unprecedented rainfall in 2022 in some parts of Australia and record heat since 2020. Scientists like the CSIRO expect this to continue.
As the weather intensifies, its important to prepare, where-ever you are in Australia. Don’t let your optimism bias make you think an emergency evacuation can never happen to you.
The benefits of having an Emergency Go Bag
If you’re an Aussie, you need a Go Bag so you can make a decision about your safety as early as possible and evacuate to a place of refuge quickly. A Go Bag can help:
- take the stress out of a very tense situation
- increase your chances of surviving well
- reduce the impacts of disaster on your physical and mental well being
- empower you to look after yourself, so you can help others.
- promote your personal recovery after a disaster.
With a Go Bag ready, you know your basic human survival needs – food, warmth, shelter, water – are catered for. No matter where you are.
In extreme circumstances, a Go Bag may be the difference between evacuating in time or the alternative – where you end up in a survive or die proposition.
What goes in a Go Bag? (the essentials)
What are the essential supplies to keep the human body going? Which of these won’t be available in a shelter or evacuation centre or family or friends place?
These are the things you’ll need to carry with you!
We have pulled together a list of essential items, using resources from local state governments and Australian fire and emergency services.
We’ve also used our own Emergency Go Bag packing as an example.
‘Essentials’ are exactly that: the items that should be in every go bag. Here is your essentials list:
Water and hydration
Always make provision for your own drinking water, no matter where you are going. Even if you think there will be water at your destination, it’s a good idea to pack it anyway.
Ideally, you need 3 litres per person per day. Pack bottled water in your car instead of in your bag and leave them there. If you have to travel on foot, grab as much as you can to take with you.
We also suggest adding water purifying tablets or a life straw to your first aid kit, in case drinking water is contaminated. If you’re unfamiliar about how to purify water to drink, it’s a crucial survival skill to have.
Lighting
Most evacuation centres and shelters will have communal lighting. Even if it’s from a backup generator. So there is no need to pack loads of equipment here. Your bag should just have a headlamp and a torch. Lighting will help you get to your shelter. It will give you some independence and flexibility when communal lighting is turned off.
Don’t forget the spare batteries for both these items!
Multi tool
A multi-tool like a swiss army knife has multiple uses and that’s why it should be in your grab and go bag. Make sure your choice of multi tool can cut (scissors and blade), fix a loose screw and open a tin can. If it has pliers and tweezers, even better!
First aid kit
An off the shelf first aid kit is all you need in your go bag. Get first aid kit in a soft, pliable shell or case so you can pack it easily. Make sure your kit has basics for cut, burn and break injuries like medical tape, band aids, bandages, and sterile wipes. Saline solution is also handy to flush wound and eye injuries. Make sure there are gloves, a sling, tweezers, scissors and tourniquet for serious injuries.
Don’t forget the antiseptic for bacterial infections. Wound infections from dirty flood waters can be common.
You should also provide for any prescription medication and items such as hearing aids, glasses, sleeping aids and mobility aids.
We recommend you add insect repellent and sunscreen to your first aid kit. Both of these can be critical in Australian conditions.
Your first aid kit should come with a first aid manual. Pack that too!
Food preparation
Your food preparation will be situation dependent. Pack enough food for the circumstances you will be going into. And enough food for each family member.
Non perishable food items such as freeze dried foods are best for emergency situations. They’re lightweight, last forever, and retain plenty of nutrients.
We’ve written a separate article about what foods store well for long term survival if you want a longer list of Go Bag food ideas. And we also share the best ways to store food to extend their shelf life.
If evacuating to 24 hour cyclone shelter, pack protein bars, muesli bars, jerky, trail mix or dried fruit. Choose non perishable food that is high in protein and will keep you full for longer. Avoid high salt foods. Ready made and packaged items avoid the need for any cookware, plates or other containers.
If you’re headed to an evacuation centre, there is likely to be some food available. If you have dietary requirements however, these may not be catered for. It’s a good idea to plan for this.
At the same time, if you’re headed to an evacuation centre you may need to plan to stay a little longer. Having some of the foods you are used to can provide comfort in this environment.
You may not need to pack non perishable food for your survival if you’re heading to a family or friend’s place. But it might be a good idea to turn up with some extra provisions just in case.
You can learn more about how to pack food for emergencies in our posts ‘Learn the fascinating truth about freeze dried food in 60 seconds’ and ‘How to store food using mylar bags with oxygen absorbers’.
Communications
The first order of communications is your mobile phone. Your phone will help you stay connected to emergency warnings from State Emergency Services and the government. Social media community pages on facebook and twitter can keep you up to date as things happen in your area.
A Telstra prepaid phone card can also be a good idea. If your phone provider’s network goes down, you will have a backup.
Remember to take a spare phone charger, especially if you’re headed to an evacuation centre for several days.
But what happens if severe weather takes out the power and internet? This is a pretty common scenario in Australia and you plan for it!
A small radio is therefore the second most important thing to pack for communications. You can either chose a hand crank radio, which does’t need spare batteries. Or pack spare batteries with a portable, battery-powered radio.
Personal hygiene
Hygiene is just a personalized selection of toiletries and sanitary items you and your family need and value. Evacuation centres will have toilet paper, soap and paper hand towels.
At a minimum, pack baby wipes (personal hygiene), toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant and a hair brush. This way you can clean yourself if there’s no running water, clean your teeth and avoid body odour.
Ladies, forget the make up! If you’re headed to a shelter or evacuation centre, you’ll likely have too much other stuff to carry and nowhere to apply it anyway!
Clothing and warmth
Based your clothes on local weather conditions. The right clothes will help you maintain a healthy body temperature, in hot or cold weather.
We suggest packing at least 2 changes of inner clothing even if you’re headed to a 24 hour cyclone shelter. Recovery conditions can be unpredictable. You may not have immediate access to appropriate or dry clothing after the storm passes.
If you’re in wet conditions, a rain slick or weather proof jacket is a must. If you’re in a bushfire zone, fire retardant or wool clothing is more suited.
A space blanket (also called a ‘mylar blanket’ or ’emergency blanket’) is something we recommend having in most survival kits. They magically keep you cool when its hot, warm when it’s cold and dry when it’s wet. Because, science.
Cash
We can think of multiple instances recently where power and communication networks have failed during emergencies. So plan as though you will not have access to internet, ATMs of EFTPOS for days afterwards.
Make sure you have enough cash to last at least 3 days. We suggest $200 per adult and $50 per child per day. Carry small bills, as change may be hard to find.
Important documents
A lot of Australians still have hard copies of important documents / cards. Our licenses, passports, marriage certificates, birth certificates and medicare and private health care cards are all in hard copy.
You should take these with you.
Consider also taking a copy of your home insurance policy.
Write down the critical phone numbers in your phone. Write down the numbers of family, friends, your home insurer and your bank. If your phone dies and you can’t charge it, you won’t have access to these numbers.
Think about how you’ll safely store these documents in all weather. A waterproof document pouch is a great idea. We talk more about storage below.
Spare keys
If you’ve ever turned your home upside down looking for your keys, you’re not alone. I’m a chronic forgetter of where I’ve put my keys. I think it’s hereditary.
But, running around your house looking for your keys is the last thing you need to be doing in an evacuation. Thats why having a spare house key and a spare car key in your Go Bag is pure gold.
Free Emergency Go Bag PDF checklist
You can download our Essentials Go Bag Checklist pdf for free! Our checklist covers all of the essential items that we’ve cover above.
You will save hours preparing your Emergency Go Gag with this list!
If you want the ‘whole hog’, download the Ultimate Go Bag Checklist for Australia just below. It covers everything you need to customise and fully ‘kit out’ your Go Bag. Oh, and it’s free too 🙂
Customising your To Go Bag
Give serious consideration to whether you need these additional items below. Think about what type of accommodation you will evacuate to, and how you will get there. And don’t forget to include pets in your emergency plan!
Storage
Firstly, lets discuss the backpack itself.
You won’t want to be evacuating in a hurry with a trash bag filled with your most important belongings.
A small backpack sized backpack is what you need.. A 40 litre or 50 litre Go Bag should be enough.
But here’s the thing – you won’t know until you have all of your items gathered together! So don’t buy the bag until you have all of your supplies! Buy your backpack at the end. That way you can eyeball what you need to put in it. And have a better idea of the size pack you need.
Resealable bags or other form of waterproof storage are essential items for your backpack. The pack itself may not be waterproof. Ziplock bags give you a place to separate dirty or wet clothes from dry ones.
You’ll also have electrical equipment like your phone, radio, chargers and batteries to keep dry. Ziplock bags are ideal for this.
Shelter and bedding
The Evacuation Shelter will provide a roof over your head, so there is no need to include things like tarps and tents in your go bag.
If you’re going to be without shelter overnight, take a look at our Bug out Bag list. It includes shelter and bedding provisions.
For a ‘Go To Bag’, we suggest one light-weight, all weather sleeping bag per person. Even if you’re going to an Evacuation Centre. Personally, it’s just more hygienic.
If you’re heading to a shelter and you’re particularly susceptible to cold, pack an extra wool blanket and waterproof jacket too.
Pet supplies
Pets need emergency supplies too! Pack some water and food for your pet, as well as a water / food bowl, a lead and toy.
A crate can also help keep your pet safe and secure if you’re travelling by car. Putting an old shirt that carries your scent into the crate with your pet can help calm them deal with the stress of an evacuation.
If you are pawrents to a very special pooch with a lot of needs, consider packing a Dog Go Bag for your favourite furry friend. They’ll love you for it! 🐾🐾
It’s also a good idea to find out beforehand if the destination you’re headed to takes pets. Some shelters don’t allow them.
Items that you can’t prepare in advance
The idea with a Go Bag is avoid a situation where you’re trying to gather and pack what you need at the last moment. But there are always some items you can’t pack beforehand. It’s better you spend the time you have gathering just these items, rather than trying to pack everything on this list.
Think about grabbing:
- Personal keepsakes – your most treasured photos or family heirlooms
- Valuables like jewellery
- prescription medication or medical aids that you use every day.
What does the Ultimate Go Bag look like?
Survival kits are personal. The best Go Bag for you is based on the external conditions you’ll face, your evacuation options, your personal needs, and your family situation.
While an essentials list will cover your human survival needs, it’s not tailored for these factors.
Our Ultimate Go Bag Checklist can help you customise your Go Bag, with more items, suggestions and ideas. It’s a list to select from, rather than one to check off item by item.
If you want the comprehensive list, so you’re ready for any eventuality, check out our article Is it Smart to have a Go Bag in Australia?
Or check out our free, downloadable Ultimate Go Bag Checklist (pdf document)!
In A Nutshell
Now is the time to start packing your Go Bag! Make sure at a minimum that you pack all of the items on our Go Bag Essentials checklist. This ready made list is yours for free with no strings attached and will save a metric tonne of time. Having a Go Bag ready to go can make all the difference to your safety in an emergency or natural disaster. And in Australia, the latter are becoming more common and intense. Once you’re packed, you’ll know that if something does happen, you don’t have stress – just grab your Go Bag and evacuate safely.
(Oh, and if you want the full monty checklist, just grab the Ultimate Go Bag Checklist instead! 🙂
FAQs
What’s the difference between a Go Bag and Bug out Bag?
Go Bags and Bug out Bags are often used interchangeably and believed to be for the same purpose. But this is a mistake.
Bug out Bags are for a ‘bug out scenario‘ rather than for immediate evacuation to a shelter or friends home.
A Bug out Bag list is more comprehensive than a Go Bag list because Bug out Bags provide for different circumstances. They also include different first aid kit items, different food stuffs, as well as more lighting and communications equipment and extra batteries to power these.
A bug out bag will contain items such as a makeshift ground pad for sleeping, tarpaulin or tent for shelter. Other important bug out bag essentials include items like metal cooking utensils, as well as tools and protective gear to survive in an outside environment.
In the US, Bug out Bags carry self defense tools like pepper spray. But this is a highly contested category here. Australia is a different survival environment, and some of these items (like pepper spray) can be illegal to hold or carry.
If a Bug out Bag is what you’re after and you want to know more, check out our ultimate Bug out Bag list.
