Grab and go bag

[PeacheyPeach]

What's in your grab and go bags?
What kind of food do you put init and how much would you allocate per person?

Depends where I’m going.

Where are you going?

I'm all for being prepared to have to manage at home for a week or two, but if it gets worse than that where can we, as island dwellers, go?

I keep a small backpack in my car boot that has - spare clothes, old pair of trainers, hat, gloves, soap, toothbrush, medication, sanitary towels, phone charger, long life food like cereal bars, bottled water, a bit of cash, foil blanket and other bits and pieces. I basically thought about what I would need if I had to leave the house in a hurry, for example house fire or emergency hospital admission. It also came in useful last winter when I got stuck in snow and had to spend the night at work, and I've got spare stuff handy if I need a change of clothes at work for any reason.

@DetailMouse I'm just thinking of any situation if I had to leave my home in an emergency,

We have a normal back pack with some snacks (cereal bar, chocolate, fruit pouches), and we always have water bottles filled in fridge, and a 2 litre bottle on the side. The bag itself is what we use as a change bag and contains stuff we would need if we had to leave within minutes (E.g. for a medical emergency). Change of nappies, wipes, pain relief, coins, hand sanitizer, carrier bag, chewing gum, pen and paper, book, small roll of medical tape, wipes, magazine with stickers, tissues, eye mask and ear plugs (we have enough overnight stays it makes it normal for us), my meds. I keep my sons tablet and my kindle charged and stored with the bag and our coats by the door. Not for ease of grabbing purposes, more so I remember where they are.

We usually go out in the car or with the buggy and they both have blankets (plus food, water, and walking boots/hats in the car).

Just a backpack here. Contains a change of clothes, travel toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush etc), large bottle of water, box of cereal bars, torch, batteries, power bank and cables for phones, cash, small first aid kit and photocopies of all important documents - birth certificates, marriage certificate, passports, drivers license etc, pen and small notebook.

I also keep lots of bottles of water and dry snacks in the boot of my car just incase we ever get stuck in a traffic jam anyway. And blankets.

Don’t forget to pack a road map, in case of no power/internet.

Thanks everyone ☺

I can't ever leave my house cos of the pets.

Having a go bag for pets is a good idea. (assuming they are theoretically mobile- not, say tropical fish). I will admit that my cat's bag is hidden under a pile of stuff and I need to reactivate it. But it has a small collapsible litter tray with a small amount of litter, a blanket, a collapsible water bowl and - this is something I need to work on - a harness and lead. Someone gave the latter to me. I also have a carry case that is like a ruck sack so my hands wouldn't be tied up with her travel basket thing for taking her to the vet/cattery. Obviously also some of her preferred kibble food.
A dog would be easier, I think.

Pets is such a hard one isnt it- so emotive and so tricky when they aren’t as portable.

For my dog I have:

Spare lead and harness (non retractable)
Some pouches- about 7 which would stretch her to a week if things were dire
Poobags
Travel water bottle that has a cup thingy on it
A small blanket that could be a bed or towel

Her vaxx and chip/ownership info are all in my ‘grab and go file’.

I have, although I have admitted this to noone - ordered a dog wearing harness thing - like for babies. It seems mad, but I just really feel like I will feel better for it. She’s small, and would struggle with walking at speed or for massively long distances and it would help me to be handsfree if carrying her. Hope I never need it!

Perfectly sensible to have a way to carry your dog. Dogs are companions and morale boosters. Very important. It's not silly at all.
Remember that the Polish government said Ukrainian refugees should bring their pets if they have them. They weren't being twee. They were recognises the importance of pets to anxious people , particularly children. But not just them. A moment spent interacting with a beloved pet is a moment of calm.

I keep a backpack at my parents that contains pjs, underwear, spare jeans, sweatshirt and toiletries.

But i also have a bag in the bottom of my wardrobe as i frequently end up in hospital because of my medical conditions, it contains the same items.

dh and i had a phone call from a friend with a heads up, followed by the police at the door. major forest fire and need to evacuate...20 minutes time.
now the city often hosts weather evacuees and with that in mind our bags don't have food just plain clothing, fanny pack to keep belongings on us, toiletries and simple first aid kit. spare shoes, pj's suitable for a public place.
however our game plan is to take the travel trailer, hook up and go, that night it didn't work as planned. a good dry run. pups were fine, the first to load into the truck with food and leashes.
our bags are gaudy and easy to spot.

Grab and go is important for multiple reasons. Some here mentioned hospital visits, car bags for getting stuck whilst travelling etc. I would add situations such as a gas leak or home fire, sink hole, storm damage etc. you never know when you might need to leave home in a hurry, if only for a short time. I would add a spare set of house keys. You don’t want to rush out an shut the door only to find you cannot get back in again when the coast is clear. Plus some extra money/spare credit Card, documents such as passports, driving, you will need to confirm who you are in many situations to gain assistance from local government.

I have an enormous square scarf too.Folds up really small and light, and can be used as blanket, shawl, towel etc and for carrying stuff either baby-sling style or by gathering up corners

We have two versions:

#Version 1:
Important documents, passports, emergency shelter (bothy), emergency sleeping bag, head lamps, spare dog harness+lead, basic medication
= for "there is a gas leak/flood, leave the building NOW"
= doubles as storage for things I take on (unfamiliar) day hikes

Version 2:

Essentially camping gear for DH and me. I couldn't figure out how to store the camping stuff efficiently and figured this is as good as any option. We would have to add a change of clothes and food for us + dogs but could be out of the door in under 15min if we had to be. = More a "leave the city NOW" set up (we have family we would go to). Realistically, we would travel by car, so could re-assess later on.