Build your grab bag

You probably own some of this already: only buy the gaps. Each price shows when it was checked.

1. A bag you can carry1 Essential

   GOV.UK Prepare suggests packing a “grab bag” of essentials in advance and keeping it somewhere you can easily get to. A rucksack leaves both hands free for children, pets and doors.

   One per household. Any rucksack you already own does the job. A dry bag or a bin-liner inside it earns its place if you live in a flood area: Ready Scotland suggests keeping some of the kit in a waterproof bag in case you need to leave without notice, for example if your home is at risk of flooding. You do not need to buy a special bag.

   Ready-made grab bags, compared →
2. Bottled water6 litresEssential

   Water is on every official list, and the Red Cross puts bottled water in the on-the-move kit as well as the home kit. Sealed shop-bought bottles are the simplest thing to carry and need no preparation.

   GOV.UK Prepare quotes the World Health Organisation’s minimum for survival of 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day; we size at 3 litres. That is heavy in a bag, which is one reason the default is a single day. Each litre weighs about a kilogram, so three days for three people is roughly 27 kg: if the total is more than you can carry, take what you can manage, put the rest in the car, or plan to refill where you are going. Babies and pets are not counted here: GOV.UK notes that extra water may be needed for baby formula, medical devices and pets, and suggests ready-made formula that needs no making up.

3. Food that needs no cookingEssential

   You may be in a rest centre or a relative’s spare room for a day with no way to cook. GOV.UK Prepare asks for non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking; Ready Scotland says food that does not need cooking and will not go off.

   No official list gives a number for a grab bag, so this line is not sized. GOV.UK Prepare’s examples are ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables with a tin opener; ring-pull tins, cereal bars, dried fruit and nuts are lighter. Pack enough for everyone for the days you have set, and choose things your household will actually eat.

   Wayfayrer Ready-to-Eat Meal Pouch

   £7.88

   as of 22 Sep 2026, 22:23 BST · Details

   Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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4. Torch1 Essential

   An evacuation can come at night or after the power has gone off. GOV.UK Prepare asks for a battery or wind-up torch and notes that torches are safer than candles; the Environment Agency’s flood kit lists a torch too.

   The lists say “a torch”; one per bag is our reading. A head torch keeps both hands free for children and bags, which is worth more than brightness here. If it takes batteries, pack spares: GOV.UK Prepare, the Red Cross, Ready Scotland, nidirect and Natural Resources Wales all list spare batteries. If it is rechargeable, top it up whenever you check the bag, and a wind-up torch needs neither.

   Ledlenser HF4R Core Head Torch

   £36

   as of 22 Sep 2026, 22:23 BST · Details

   Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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5. Battery or wind-up radio1 Optional

   GOV.UK Prepare lists a battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut, and Ready Scotland matches it. In a grab bag it is optional: if your phone is working you have the same information, but a wind-up set needs nothing charged.

   One per household if you take one, with spare batteries unless it is wind-up. Skip it if the bag is already heavy and you have a charged phone and power bank; add it if you live somewhere mobile signal drops with the power.

   Rocam Emergency Weather Radio

   £29.98

   as of 22 Sep 2026, 22:23 BST · Details

   Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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6. Charged power bank and cable1 Essential

   Your phone is how flood warnings, family and the council reach you. GOV.UK Prepare lists a portable power bank for charging your mobile phone; the British Red Cross says mobile phone and charger or power bank.

   One charged bank per bag, plus a cable for each phone in the house. Several lists (Environment Agency, Ready Scotland, nidirect, Natural Resources Wales) say a phone charger; for a power bank that means the cable. Top the bank up whenever you check the bag.

   INIU B5 20000mAh Power Bank

   £26.99

   as of 22 Sep 2026, 22:23 BST · Details

   Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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7. First aid kit1 Essential

   GOV.UK Prepare’s flooding page puts a first aid kit in the grab bag, and the Red Cross home kit, Ready Scotland, nidirect and Natural Resources Wales all list one. Small cuts and blisters are easier to deal with when a kit is already in the bag.

   One kit per bag. GOV.UK Prepare suggests items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers. A ready-made kit covers most of that; check what yours includes, and check the dates once a year.

   First aid kits compared →
8. Medicines and a copy of prescriptionsEssential

   If anyone in the house takes regular medication, running out away from home is the real emergency. GOV.UK Prepare asks for enough of the medication you need to keep you going for several days; Ready Scotland adds medical information and prescriptions.

   Not sized here: it depends entirely on who takes what. Pack several days’ supply of any regular medicines, in the original packaging where you can, and follow the pack or your pharmacist rather than anything you read online. Add a copy of each repeat prescription, and if anyone relies on a medical device GOV.UK Prepare says to keep a paper copy of its instructions. If you have them, keep back-up batteries or a charger for that equipment in the bag (GOV.UK Prepare, Ready Scotland). For medicines that must stay cold, see keeping fridge medicines safe. If nobody takes anything, tick this off.

   If someone relies on medical equipment →
9. Important documents in a waterproof bag1 Essential

   Proving who you are, where you live and what you are insured for is what makes the days after an evacuation go smoothly. The Environment Agency’s personal flood plan lists the paperwork and says to protect it in a waterproof container; the British Red Cross says copies of important documents kept in a waterproof bag.

   One waterproof pouch. The Environment Agency’s flood kit line is simply “important documents and contact information”, and its flood plan names passports, driving licences, medical cards and insurance documents among the papers to protect in a waterproof container. The Red Cross, Ready Scotland and nidirect all say copies; Ready Scotland’s examples are insurance policies, birth certificates and photo ID. Copies mean the originals are not lost if the bag is. GOV.UK Prepare’s flooding advice is to store important documents in resealable water-tight plastic bags. Separately, the Environment Agency says to move important documents and possessions, laptops and important photos included, somewhere high up in a waterproof container.

   Fireproof and waterproof document bags compared →
10. Paper list of important phone numbers1 Essential

    A phone can run flat, and the numbers in it go with it. The British Red Cross on-the-move kit lists a paper copy of emergency contact numbers in case your phone loses power, Natural Resources Wales’s flood kit lists important telephone numbers, and GOV.UK Prepare says to write important phone numbers down on paper.

    One sheet per bag: family, your GP, your insurer and policy number, Floodline (0345 988 1188), and 105 for a power cut (in Northern Ireland, 03457 643643 for a power cut and 0300 2000 100 to report flooding). Add a copy of your household emergency plan, which Ready Scotland asks for, and a list of regular medication, which GOV.UK Prepare asks for. Our Family File is one place to keep it all.

11. Some cashEssential

    Card machines and cash points can be down in the same event that sent you out of the door. The British Red Cross puts cash and bank cards in its on-the-move kit; nidirect says cash and credit cards.

    No source names an amount, so this line is not sized. Enough for a taxi, a hot meal and a phone top-up is the idea; smaller notes and some coins are easier to spend than one large note. This is a Red Cross and nidirect item, not on the GOV.UK Prepare or Ready Scotland lists, which is why some checklists miss it.

    When the card machine is down →
12. Spare house and car keysOptional

    A spare set means the bag is complete even if your usual keys are wherever you left them. The British Red Cross, Ready Scotland and nidirect all list spare house and car keys.

    One spare set per household if you have one. Optional if your usual keys always live in the same place. If the bag holds spare car keys, keep it out of view and away from the front door: police.uk says thieves fish for car keys through the letterbox. Your everyday door and window keys still belong where everyone can find them in a fire, as GOV.UK Prepare advises.

13. Warm layers and waterproofs2 setsEssential

    People leave in what they are wearing, and floods and storms are usually wet and often cold. GOV.UK Prepare asks for warm waterproof clothing; the Environment Agency says warm, waterproof and dry clothing and footwear.

    One set each: a warm layer and something waterproof, plus dry socks and a change of underwear for each day you have set, in a bag they stay dry in. Coats and warm layers scale with people, not days. For a baby, pack spare vests and sleepsuits; for sleep, the Lullaby Trust says not to wrap babies up too much, even in a cold room, and that babies don’t need hats indoors. A thermal base layer packs smaller than a jumper if space is tight.

    Thermal base layers compared →
14. Wash kit and sanitary suppliesOptional

    A night in a rest centre is far more bearable with a toothbrush. nidirect lists toiletries and sanitary supplies; Ready Scotland lists toiletries, hand sanitiser and wet wipes; Natural Resources Wales adds face masks and hand sanitiser; the British Red Cross lists hygiene products as an optional extra.

    One small bag per household, not sized. Sanitary products and anything specific to a person come first; a shared toothpaste, wipes and hand sanitiser cover the rest. Travel sizes are enough for the days this bag is meant for.

15. Spare glasses, contact lenses or hearing-aid batteriesOptional

    Only if someone wears them, but then it is the difference between managing and not. The British Red Cross, Ready Scotland and nidirect all list spare glasses or contact lenses. Ready Scotland adds spare hearing aids with batteries.

    One spare pair per person who needs them, and spare batteries for anyone with a hearing aid; an old prescription pair of glasses is fine. Not on the GOV.UK Prepare list, so easy to forget.

We don’t add these up: each price is shown beside its item, and you’ll probably only need some of them.