Go-Bag and Car Kit: The 20-Pound Evacuation Build
A realistic evacuation bag and car kit: water, calories, documents, light, power, and weather protection at a weight you can carry.
Quick answer
What should be in a go-bag for evacuation?
A go-bag holds about 20 pounds per adult: 2 liters of water plus a personal filter, 2,400 to 4,800 calories of ration bars, copies of documents and cash, a flashlight, a power bank, first aid basics, medications, and one weather layer. Pack it tonight, store it by the exit, and swap seasonal items twice a year.
20-Pound Go-Bag Checklist + Car-Kit Seasonal Swap Card
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The 20-pound weight budget
Evacuation gear you cannot carry is gear you will leave in a hallway. Twenty pounds is the honest ceiling for most adults moving fast, less for kids and older family members.
Weight budget: water 4 to 5 pounds, food 2 to 3, clothing layer 2 to 3, power and light 2, first aid and hygiene 2, documents and misc 1 to 2. That leaves margin for the bag itself.
Split the load: bag versus car
The go-bag holds what you must carry on foot. The car kit holds the heavy, bulky comfort: gallons of water, blankets, more food, a bigger first aid kit, jumper cables, and a paper map.
This split stops the classic mistake of one 60-pound monster bag. The bag gets you out. The car extends you.
Food and water built for movement
Ration bars beat cans here. A 2,400-calorie bar pack weighs about a pound, needs no water or heat, and lasts 5 years. Two per person covers rough eating for 2 days.
Carry 2 liters of water per person and a personal filter or purification tablets. You cannot carry 3 days of water, so carry the ability to make more.
Documents, cash, and communication
Copies of IDs, insurance, medication lists, and key numbers ride in a zip bag. Add $40 to $100 in small bills. Card readers die with the power.
During mass events, texts often go through when calls fail, so agree on one out-of-area contact everyone texts. Write that number on paper in every bag.
The seasonal swap
A go-bag is not finished, it is maintained. Twice a year, swap the weather layer (sun hat and electrolytes in summer, gloves and a warm hat in winter), check food dates, and recharge the power bank.
The download includes a seasonal swap card you can tape to the bag so the whole check takes 10 minutes.
- 1Set two phone reminders a year, on the clock changes.
- 2Swap the clothing layer for the season ahead.
- 3Check ration bar and medication dates.
- 4Recharge the power bank and test the flashlight.
- 5Re-zip, re-shelve by the exit, done.
The product pack for this guide
Each pick maps to a checklist line above. Read the when-to-skip note before buying: the fastest way to waste money on preparedness is buying gear for a problem you already solved.
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Emergency Food Ration Bars Case (2,400 calories each)
Emergency Essentials
- Best fit
- The calorie core of every go-bag and car kit
- Why it helps
- Dense, cheap calories that ignore heat, cold, and time. No cooking, no water cost, 5-year shelf life.
- When not to buy
- They are fuel, not fine dining. If your evacuation plan centers on the car, add real freeze-dried meals for morale.
Ready Hour 72-Hour Survival Food Kit
My Patriot Supply
- Best fit
- The car-kit food layer with actual meals
- Why it helps
- Three days of add-water meals that live in the trunk, so the go-bag stays light while the car carries comfort.
- When not to buy
- Needs water and a heat source to shine. Pair it with stored water and the folding stove or skip it.
65W Power Bank with 15W Solar Panel
My Patriot Supply
- Best fit
- Phone, headlamp, and radio charging on the move
- Why it helps
- Several full phone charges plus a solar panel for multi-day events. In an evacuation, a live phone is navigation, news, and family contact at once.
- When not to buy
- If every family member already carries a charged bank, one more is dead weight. Weigh the bag.
Survival Gear Collection
My Patriot Supply
- Best fit
- Filling single-item gaps: light, fire, tools, first aid
- Why it helps
- One category page for the small stuff this checklist calls for, so you buy the 3 items you lack instead of a 50-item kit you do not.
- When not to buy
- Do not browse without the checklist in hand. The bag has a weight budget and gadgets eat it fast.
Go deeper
Evacuation Pro System
Your household will be able to leave in 15 minutes with the right 20 pounds per person and a written plan for where, how, and what to grab.
- Decision triggers: when to go, before anyone tells you
- Weight budgets by person: adults, kids, elders
- The bag-versus-car split, line by line
- Documents, cash, and digital backups that travel
Common questions
Where should the go-bag live?
On the exit path: a front closet, the garage door shelf, or the bedroom if you sleep far from the exit. Not the attic, not the basement, not the car trunk in summer heat (medications and bars suffer).
Do kids need their own bags?
School-age kids can carry a small bag with water, snacks, a light, and one comfort item. It keeps them calmer and saves your weight budget. Toddler supplies ride in the adult bags.
What about pets in an evacuation?
Add a leash or carrier by the exit, 3 days of food, a collapsible bowl, and a photo of you with the pet in your documents bag in case you get separated. Many shelters require proof of ownership.
Is a premade 72-hour backpack worth it?
As a starting skeleton, yes. Every premade kit still needs your medications, documents, cash, and correct clothing sizes. Buy the skeleton, then personalize it the same week.
Sources this guide leans on
Planning information, not professional medical, legal, or engineering advice. In any life-threatening situation, call 911 first.
Keep building
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