Stay Bag (Emergency Kit) List

Your Stay Bag: Because Sometimes, You Have to Hunker Down

A Stay Bag is the modern answer to a bunker. Are we fully encased in concrete? No. Do we have enough supplies to outlast the worst of the radiation? YES.

Whether you’re riding out a power outage, sheltering from extreme weather, or preparing for a worst-case scenario, this kit keeps you safe, supplied, and (relatively) sane.

We’ve made packing your stay bag easy with this interactive checklist. We’ve sorted everything into essential, comfort, and bonus categories, so you can prioritize what matters most—whether that’s survival gear, sanity-saving entertainment, or enough toilet paper to last the apocalypse.

Need more guidance? Check out our full guide to building the ultimate Stay Bag.

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Essential

14 gallons of water per person (Prioritize your water supply. Most people can live for a while without food, but dehydration works fast.)

28,000 calories of non-perishable food (14 days) per person (Consider your sanity while planning. Will twenty consecutive meals consisting only of peanut butter drive you to the brink?)

Scissors

Can opener A can opener! A can opener! My kingdom for a can opener!

Sharp knife

Electric kettle Buy two if you don’t have one in your kitchen already. The Commonwealth is right about this appliance. Trust us. Boil the jug.

Your household’s prescription meds for 14 days

First aid kit Now is the time to invest in an extravagant first aid kit and hope that you only ever need to use its adhesive bandages.

Extra OTC medications

First aid instructional book or survival book

Hand crank radio with USB charger After you check in on the latest disaster updates, you can engage in a high-stakes dance battle.

Hand crank lantern Great for telling spooky stories and toning buff deltoids.

Tool kit including pliers The pliers are for turning off your water and gas in case things have gone very badly during your shelter-in-place scenario! Yay for preparedness!

Local maps

Packing tape A cheap and easy way to seal up window gaps or “wax” your legs during an extended lockdown.

Personal sanitation supplies This includes: moist towelettes, hand sanitizer, a 5 gallon bucket, garbage bags, and plastic ties (For POOP. We are talking about POOP. This is a worst case scenario.)

Electric power bank 1 per person

Paper and pencil(s) 1 per person (At the very least. If your power is out, it’s fair to assume these tools will be the key to your mental health.)

A fire- and waterproof locking document bag Keep all of your important papers safe!

Cash $200-$500 per person (Keep an eye on your totals if your family knows there’s emergency cash. Don’t get caught without funds because your teens have sticky fingers.)

Copies of your important documents in a fire- and water-proof container Find what documents you’ll need in our Important Papers Checklist.

Board games, books, non-digital entertainments Make a near-fatal round of Monopoly a cherished memory. Or maybe pick a cooperative game.

Infant, child, and pet supplies for 14 days Multiply items in the Go Bag List by 5

Extra heating oil, if you have an oil furnace A pain in the butt, but you’ll be laughing when everyone else has no heat and you are toasty warm.

Flashlight 1 per person (Extras will allow you to create footlights for the inevitable puppet theater company that springs into being during your weeklong power outage.)

Extra batteries 10 per person (No one has ever been mad about having too many batteries. Keep in mind: they do go bad!)

N95 masks 5 per person

Emergency blankets 2 per person

Phone charger

Waterproof matches Or lighter

Large pack wet wipes 1 pack per person (Baby wipes can take a “HOLY MOTHER OF GOD” situation to an “Oh golly” situation fairly quickly.)

Wool socks 2 pairs per person (Essential for that puppet theater. Just make sure they stay intact for their intended use.)

Underwear 2 pairs per person (This one is not explicitly about poop, but it could be.)

Beanie 1 per person

Warm coat 1 per person (Nuclear winter is not likely, but it is possible.)

Backup glasses 1 pair per person who needs them (For the nigh-blind, glasses might be even more important than water.)

Soap

Heatwave supplies Key heatwave supplies: sunblock, lightweight UPF long sleeve shirts, hats, fans, towels, generators, and coolers

Snowstorm supplies Key snowstorm supplies: kitty litter, extra clothes, blankets, and a generator or power bank

Nuclear attack supplies Key nuclear attack supplies: extra clothes, toilet supplies, bottled water, multiple hand crank lanterns, and internetless entertainment

Bioterror supplies Key bioterror supplies: N95 (or better) masks, air purifiers, activated charcoal capsules, tape, and plastic sheeting

Drought supplies Key drought supplies: rain barrels, iodine tablets, filters, and clean containers

Pandemic supplies Key pandemic supplies: goggles, masks, OTC medications, disposable hazmat suits, nitrile gloves, and an electric kettle.

Hazmat supplies Key hazmat supplies: PPE, rags, kitty litter, air purifiers, and flood barriers/spill containment tools/spill kit

Zombie supplies Key zombie supplies: firecrackers, baseball bats, isopropyl alcohol, bandanas, glass bottles, and matches

Comfort

Cutting board

Portable toilet powder Nuclear attack means confining yourself to a single room, which may not have a toilet.

Menstruation supplies

Toilet paper 5 rolls per person (We love a tidy apocalypse.)

Quick drying towels

Cleaning supplies

Sleeping bag 1 per person

Long sleeve tops 2 per person; hooded is ideal (If you are anti-hood, think about your life. You are on the wrong side of history.)

Long pants 2 pairs per person

Warm gloves 1 pair per person

Scarf 1 per person (Definitely drafted into service as the curtain in your puppet theater.)

Duct tape One roll? Two rolls? Your duct tape supply may be directly correlated with your survival success.

Plastic sheeting

Hand sanitizer

Extra device chargers

Extra batteries Yes, more batteries. Admitting that we have a problem is the first step, but we’re not ready.

Extra pet supplies Extra litter box, cat litter, pee pads, dog poop bags, indoor grass patch potty, and other pet sanitation items, as needed.

Bonus

Photo albums

Dishes and utensils

Stool softener or fiber capsules Emergency food is famously dense. Be ready.

Sleep aids

Room spray Yes, we are giving you bombastic side eye.

Camping toilet

Full set of toiletries Including: q-tips, hair brushes, dry shampoo, moisturizer, fingernail clippers, nail file, mouthwash, wash cloths, tampons/pads, and any other items your family uses on a regular basis

Wool base layer (top and bottom) 1 per person (Consider this your apocalypse uniform. Those old timey prospectors who made long underwear the center of every outfit are our fashion icons.)

Tarps

Mattresses and pillows & pillows. 1 per person. (Share if you must! Make sure your space is big enough for your group to get some sleep if you’re confined to one room during a nuclear attack.)

Rope or paracord

Eye masks And ear plugs (Sleep makes you a better thinker. Give your brain a chance.)

Generator A stealth essential! Generators give you more options during an extended power outages.

Lidded trashcan

Additional water Hydrate! Stay clean! Be well!

Extra underwear

Candy Can you survive for two weeks without candy? Know thyself.

Folding chairs

Small valuables or personal mementos, family photos

Art supplies Without art supplies, your puppet theater might not reach its full potential.

Extra notebooks and pens

Comfort substances of choice i.e.: booze, weed, CBD oil, kava extract, lavender oil, chamomile tea bags…

Multivitamins Great for maintaining a routine, which will make everyone feel a little better.

Multiple copies of the same play or scene books Puppet theater? Real theater? Fun either way!

Extra buckets Use your imagination.

Odor eliminators

Air fresheners

Family activity book

Dress up box We’re not trying to force anyone into putting on a play. It just seems like something you might want to do if you had a lot of time on your hands.

Musical instruments The play needs a score, obviously.

Songbooks We’ll see ourselves out.

Privacy screens/room dividers

Pop-up changing tent

Extra hand crank lanterns or other non-electric light sources

Stay Bag (Emergency Kit) List

Your Stay Bag: Because Sometimes, You Have to Hunker Down

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