Go Bag Builder

Go-Bag Builder Skill

A go-bag is the difference between grabbing one packed bag and leaving in two minutes, versus running around gathering meds and documents while the situation worsens. Generic "72-hour kit" lists fail real households because they ignore the specifics that matter most — the baby's formula, the insulin that needs cool storage, the pet, the passport, the mobility aid — which are exactly the things you can't improvise in a hurry. This skill builds your go-bag: tailored to who's in your household and the hazards you actually face, with a grab-in-two-minutes core, and maintenance so it's not expired when you need it. It complements official preparedness guidance for your region, which it points to.

What This Skill Produces

• A personalised packing list: the standard essentials PLUS the household-specific items — per-person medications and copies of prescriptions, baby/child needs, pet supplies, mobility/medical equipment, and the hazard-specific additions for your area
• The grab-in-2-minutes core: the subset that must leave with you no matter what (meds, documents, phone/chargers, cash, keys, glasses) — so an evacuation isn't a scavenger hunt
• Storage and maintenance guidance: where to keep it, how to store meds/water/ batteries that expire, and a rotation reminder so the kit stays current
• Per-person and per-pet appendices: individual needs so nobody's essentials are forgotten, including for family members who can't advocate for themselves

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

• Who's in the household: adults, children (and ages), infants, elderly, anyone with medical/mobility needs, pets
• Where you live and the likely local hazards (or pair with [[hazard-risk-map]] to find them) — flood, wildfire, quake, hurricane, extended outage, etc.
• Critical dependencies: prescription meds (and refrigeration needs), medical equipment, formula, service animals
• Constraints: budget, storage space, whether some people would evacuate separately

Framework

1. Start from the household, not a template. Enumerate every person and pet and their non-negotiables — the medications, the equipment, the formula, the comfort item for a scared child. These are the items that can't be bought en route and that generic lists miss; they're the reason to build a personal bag.
2. Layer in the hazard-specific gear. A wildfire bag (masks, goggles), a flood bag (waterproofing, water above all), a cold-climate bag (warmth), an earthquake bag (sturdy shoes, gloves) differ. Add the items your likely hazards demand rather than packing for disasters you'll never face.
3. Define the grab-in-2-minutes core. Not everything is equally urgent. The core — meds, the [[emergency-doc-kit]], phone + charger/battery, cash, keys, glasses, whistle, a day of water — must be grabbable in one motion. Everything else is the fuller bag. Two tiers, clearly marked.
4. Solve the expiry problem. The reason go-bags fail: expired meds, dead batteries, stale water, outdated documents. Store what expires so it rotates (a note on the calendar, meds you cycle through), and put a maintenance date on the bag. A go-bag is a habit, not a one-time purchase.
5. Plan the people who can't pack themselves. Infants, elderly relatives, anyone with a disability, and pets each get an appendix so their essentials — and copies of their medical/care info — are in the bag. Also: where the bag lives so anyone in the household can grab it, and a smaller version for the car/work if relevant.