Go Bags and Kits

This is the first real decision, and there is no single right answer. A pre-packed 72-hour kit gets you to "prepared" in one purchase, which matters enormously if the alternative is putting it off for another year. The honest trade-off is that mass-produced kits are assembled to a price. The torch is usually serviceable, the first aid contents are basic, and the "food" is often a few energy bars rather than anything you would want to eat for three days. Treat a bought kit as a chassis, not a finished build: keep the bag and the bulky items, then upgrade the components that actually matter under pressure.

Building your own takes more effort up front but produces a bag that fits you exactly. You choose a rucksack that suits your back and your storage space, then add components you have selected and tested. In practice the strongest setups I have seen are hybrids — someone starts with an affordable empty 40-litre bag, drops in a quality water filter and a proper first aid kit, and fills the gaps with items their household already trusts. The point is not to spend the most money; it is to end up with a bag you understand and can carry.

Whichever route you take, weight is the constraint that catches people out. It is easy to keep adding "just in case" items until the bag is too heavy to move quickly. A useful discipline: once the bag is packed, walk a kilometre with it. If you are struggling at the kerb, you will be struggling far more during a real evacuation with adrenaline and possibly children or pets in tow. Strip back to what earns its weight.

Start with the non-negotiables that civil protection guidance lists for everyone: water and a means to purify more, shelf-stable food that needs no cooking, a torch with spare batteries, a power bank, a basic first aid kit, and copies of important documents in a waterproof wallet. Add a small amount of cash in low denominations, because card terminals and ATMs fail in a power cut. These items cover the overwhelming majority of realistic UK scenarios — flooding, a prolonged outage, or a fast evacuation — without any specialist gear.

Then layer in what is specific to your household, because this is where generic kits fall down. Medication for anyone with a chronic condition, formula and nappies for a baby, food and a lead for a pet, spare glasses, and warm layers appropriate to a British winter. None of this is exotic, and all of it is the difference between a bag that technically exists and one that genuinely keeps your family functioning for three days.

Finally, think about information and contact. Keep a written list of emergency numbers and a couple of key contacts on paper, because you cannot assume your phone will survive or stay charged. A small wind-up or battery radio is worth its space when the mobile network is down, as it was for many during recent storm-related outages. The recurring lesson from real emergencies is mundane: the people who coped best were rarely the ones with the most gear, but the ones whose modest kit was packed, accessible and already familiar.