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Things to Include in your GO BAG!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Go Bag Essentials // Pugs & Pearls Blog

With Hurricane Irma still fresh in our memories, June 1st marked the beginning of hurricane season! Each year we are admonished to not wait until the last minute and prepare for disasters well in advance. Blake and I have started a habit of auditing our Go-Bags each year on the first day of hurricane season. 

What is a Go-Bag you ask? A Go-Bag is a bag/box/bin full of supplies that you can grab-and-go in case of an emergency. I've also heard people call these 'Bug Out Bags'.

Last weekend we went out to dinner with some friends and we all started talking about what was in our Go-Bags. It was actually a really fun conversation, and I got several ideas from the other girls for things to add to my bag. 

I thought I'd share with you what was in our bags and see if any of you had suggestions for other things I might be missing! 

To begin with, we put off getting these bags together for years! The idea of going to the store with such a long list was so overwhelming. To make it easy on ourselves, we purchased an emergency disaster kit from Amazon. It's not the highest quality, but definitely got us started. The backpacks are very large, and they had plenty of room for us to add our extra stuff.

That kit includes:
- First Aid Kit
- Food Rations
- Ponchos
- Space Blanket
- Flashlight
- Utility Knife
- Body Warmers
- Waterproof Matches
- Clean Drinking Water
- Glowsticks
- Whistle
- Work Gloves
- Water Bottle
- Masks
- 2 Backpacks

Things we added:
- Clothing His and Hers (2 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of underwear and a sports bra.) 
- Toilet Paper
- Tampons
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes 
- Chapstick
- Hair Ties
- Bar Soap
- Dry Shampoo
- SPF 70 Sunscreen
- Hand Sanitizer
- Wet Ones Wipes
- Bug Spray
- Duct Tape
- Scissors
- Disposable Gloves
- Tarp
- Towel
- Collapsible Dog Bowls
- Batteries 
- Trash Bags
- Water Purifying Kit
- Deck of Cards
- Extra Phone Charger
- Food (non salty, high protein)

Copies of Important Documents (stored in water tight ziplocks):
- Passport / Driver's License
- Social Security Cards
- Birth Certificates
- Marriage License 
- Wills and Medical Directives 

Things To Grab: 
- Dogs
- Leashes
- Dog Food (which I already have in a small portable container.)
- Water Jugs (which obviously don't fit in the backpacks.) 
- Any Current Medications

This is not a definitive list, just what we have included in our emergency kit! FEMA has a great PDF you can download with their recommendations. Leave a comment below if you are well prepared for a disaster! I'd love to hear your suggestions for things to include in our bags. 
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15 comments

  1. This is so scary and I'm sorry you even have to think of it at all. At least you are well prepared though!

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    1. It is definitely scary when a hurricane is heading your way, but every place has it's own disasters that you need to prepare for!

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  2. I think it's really interesting what become a necessity depending on where you live. I have absolutely 0 need to have a hurricane go bag, but in Ohio we're advised to have a few items in our cars in case we get stuck in the snow in a storm. (Blanket, extra clothes, water & food, flares, first aid, etc.) Also, during tornado season, it's smart to have food and fresh water stored in the basement.

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    1. Yes, exactly! These bags aren't just for Floridians!

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  3. I can’t believe it’s already that time again! Thank you for the reminder, we need batteries! xAllie
    www.theallthatglittersblog.com

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    1. You are welcome! That's why we are making it a yearly tradition to go through our bags and update them. Things do expire, and family needs change too!
      Thanks Allie!

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  4. good for you for being so prepared!! that is awesome. if disaster strikes, I would grab my cat, my husband, and wine. I won't tell you in which order ;)

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    1. Haha, that's awesome! Yes, if it came down to it-i'd be happy with getting out with just us! But, if I can make it easier on us, I'm going to do it!

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  5. Eeek! That's awesome that you guys are prepared. And come to think of it, we should all have something like this - at least copies of important documents in case god forbid, a fire breaks out...

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  6. Such a great list and good for you being prepared! We had to evacuate during Sandy back when we lived in Hoboken and it is much smarter to have the essentials prepared than scurrying around trying to get everything together.

    www.blushmagnoliablog.com

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    Replies
    1. It's hectic enough, make it easier on yourself!
      Thanks Elizabeth!!

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  7. After the scary hurricane season last year this is definitely something that I need to put together! I'm bookmarking this post so I can work on mine. Thank you for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Gentry! Glad I could help!
      Even if it's just a few things, you will thank yourself later!

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  8. These are great ideas!! San Antonio isn't usually affected by hurricanes but last year we had friends from Corpus Christi evacuate and come stay with us. It is a scary thing to have happen!!

    Katherine | www.oneswainkycouple.com

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Hello!

Hi friends! I'm Kristen, and this is the Life and Style of an early 30's Floridian living the Best Life Ever, with her husband and three pugs. Runner | Avid Reader | Small Shop Owner

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