Pack an emergency bag (go-bag)

When do I need an emergency bag?

In a gas leak, fire, flood or an evacuation ordered by the authorities, there is sometimes only a little time. That is not the moment to search and pack – the emergency bag is already packed and within reach.

It covers the first 24 to 72 hours away from home. One portable bag per person – even children can carry a light bag themselves.

How heavy should my emergency bag be?

The most important mistake with an emergency bag is packing it too heavy: if you can't carry it, you'll leave it behind when it counts. As a rule of thumb from hiking – among others from the Swiss Alpine Club – an adult's pack weight should be at most around 20 to 25 percent of their own body weight. At 70 kilograms that is about 14 to 17 kilograms as an upper limit. Because a go-bag may be carried for a long time and over long distances, less is almost always better than the maximum.

Children carry considerably less: as a rule of thumb, around 10 to 15 percent of body weight is cited, and many specialist associations even advise a maximum of about 10 percent. These figures are guidelines, not rigid laws – what matters is that every family member can carry their own bag and still walk with it. For volume, a range of about 30 to 50 litres has proven effective; around 40 litres is a good middle value. A larger backpack only tempts you to fill it until it becomes too heavy. The bottleneck is always the carryable weight, not the space.

Water: carry 1–2 litres, treat the rest

A person needs around 3 litres of water per day for drinking and cooking. That is exactly the problem with an emergency bag: water is heavy and cannot be compressed – one litre weighs around one kilogram. Three days of water supply for a family of four would be about 36 kilograms, which nobody can carry on foot. The solution is a combination: a smaller drinking amount of 1 to 2 litres per person directly in the bag, plus a lightweight treatment option to obtain more water on the way.

For treatment, a compact microfilter and disinfection tablets are suitable – ideally both, because they complement each other. Microfilters with a pore size of about 0.1 to 0.2 micrometres retain bacteria and parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, but not viruses reliably. This virus gap is closed by disinfection tablets with chlorine and silver (common in Switzerland as Micropur Forte). Conversely, chlorine and iodine work poorly against Cryptosporidium – which is why the combination of filter and chemical disinfection is the safest solution for the bag. Details and contact times are in the guide "Making water drinkable".

Document folder: copies ready, originals secure

A prepared document folder saves time and nerves in an emergency. A clear separation has proven effective: IDs, driving licence, vehicle papers, vaccination record and land register extracts belong in the folder as simple copies. Family certificates such as birth, marriage and death certificates or the family record book are kept as originals. Contracts, policies, savings books, securities as well as pension and income records can go along as originals or certified copies.

Important is a second backup outside the home: back up copies digitally or deposit them with relatives, a notary or in a bank safe deposit box – in case the home or bag is lost. The folder should be kept in a fixed place that everyone in the family knows. A waterproof sleeve is practical so that rain or flooding does not destroy the papers.

1. Copies: ID/passport, driving licence, vehicle registration, vaccination record, health insurance card, insurance policies
2. Original or certified copy: contracts, savings books/securities, pension/income records, will/advance directive
3. Original (secured separately/additionally): family record book, civil status certificates
4. Important phone numbers on paper (emergency contact list)
5. Everything in a waterproof sleeve; deposit a second copy outside the home

Seasonal adaptation (general expert recommendation)

Officially, neither Alertswiss nor the BBK names a separate winter and summer packing list – they speak generally of "weatherproof and warm clothing". In practice, however, a sensible seasonal adaptation emerges: in winter, protection from the cold counts. Then a lightweight sleeping mat, a bivvy bag or sleeping bag, a warm mid-layer (fleece), a hat, gloves and spare socks belong in the bag – anyone who has to spend the night outdoors otherwise loses dangerously much body heat. In summer, sun and heat protection as well as an increased need for water come to the fore. Adapt the bag when the seasons change.

Packing list Tier 1 – the Alertswiss basis (per person)

The basis follows the two-stage Alertswiss logic: first what can be packed in half an hour, then additions if more time remains.

1. Immediately: mobile phone with battery/power bank and charging cable
2. Immediately: passport and/or ID
3. Immediately: personal medication
4. Immediately: wallet with cash in small notes and cards
5. Immediately: food and drinks for one day (bars, 1–2 L water)
6. More time: battery-powered FM/DAB+ radio, torch/head torch, spare batteries
7. More time: spare underwear, hard-wearing, weatherproof and warm clothes and shoes
8. More time: first-aid kit / emergency pharmacy
9. More time: toiletries and towelling, hygiene mask
10. More time: document folder (family record book, land register extracts, policies, pension/income records, savings books/securities/will, smaller valuables)
11. More time: if children are along, toys

Packing list Tier 2 – expanded for the family

1. Water treatment: microfilter (0.1–0.2 µm) plus disinfection tablets
2. Survival blanket per person, lightweight bivvy bag
3. Multi-purpose knife, lighter/waterproof matches, some cord/tape
4. More food (2 days, edible without water: bars, nuts, dried fruit)
5. Spare glasses, personal hygiene (period products)
6. For babies: food, nappies, wet wipes
7. For children: their own light backpack, familiar cuddly toy, own water bottle
8. For pets: leash/carrier, food, vaccination record (see "Pets in an emergency")
9. Spare key, notepad and pen

Packing list Tier 3 – special cases (winter, children, summer)

Tier 3 is a general expert recommendation, not a federal specification. Add situationally what suits the season and family situation.

1. Winter/cold: lightweight sleeping mat, sleeping bag or bivvy bag
2. Winter/cold: additional warm layer (fleece), hat, gloves, spare socks, hand warmers (optional)
3. Children: child carrier or buggy depending on age
4. Children: extra food, nappies, change of clothes, something soothing (cuddly toy, small game); a child carries only what they can manage (approx. 10 % of body weight)
5. Summer/heat: sun protection (headwear, sunscreen), plan for more drinking water
6. Summer/heat: light, airy but weatherproof clothing

Maintenance: the half-yearly check

An emergency bag is only as good as its current contents. Officially, "regular" checking is recommended – in practice a fixed rhythm has proven effective, for example once or twice a year, easy to remember at the clock change. Check the expiry dates of food and medication, replace batteries and charge the power bank, check the condition and seasonality of the clothing and, with children, adjust the clothing sizes – children quickly outgrow packed clothes. Replace used or expired items immediately (rotation principle). Store the bag in a fixed, quickly accessible place that everyone knows.

1. Expiry dates: check food and medication, replace expired items
2. Replace batteries, charge the power bank
3. Clothing: adjust condition, season and – for children – size
4. Water/treatment: check tablet expiry, check filter function
5. Fixed, quickly accessible storage place, known to everyone in the family

Common mistakes

1. Packing the bag too heavy, so that leaving quickly fails (rule of thumb for adults: max. approx. 20–25 % of body weight)
2. Wanting to carry too much water instead of 1–2 litres plus a filter and disinfection tablets
3. Relying on the filter for virus protection, which a 0.1–0.2 µm microfilter does not provide
4. Storing the emergency bag scattered instead of ready in a fixed place
5. Not replacing expired medication, batteries or disinfection tablets
6. Important documents only digital – without a paper copy and without a waterproof sleeve
7. Packing a child's backpack too heavy or with outgrown clothing
8. Forgetting children and pets when planning

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Alertswiss Emergency plan & go-bag list
• FOCP
• Guide: 72-hour plan for the family Set meeting points and roles
• Guide: build emergency supplies The supply for staying at home
• Guide: make water drinkable Filter, tablets, boiling in detail
• Guide: build up a cash reserve Cash for the first days
• Guide: caring for pets in an emergency Transport and supplies for animals
• Guide: Getting around in an emergency Routes and transport when on the move
• Scenario: gas leak Get out of the building immediately
• Scenario: flooding Evacuation during a flood
• Guide: Emergency preparedness for people with special needs Medicines, mobility aids & documents in emergency bag