Preparation kit: Best essential items to keep in an emergency grab bag

What would you save from a burning building?

It’s a question that usually rounds off a light-hearted quiz, but what if you were faced with a literal fire? Or a flood? Or another catastrophic event or emergency that meant you had to leave home in a hurry?

When time is low, can you trust yourself to think practically through the panic as you race around grabbing the essentials?

That’s why having an emergency bag ready to go at a moment’s notice is useful, especially if you live somewhere at risk of flooding, fires and power cuts.

An insurance policy of sorts, there should be enough clothes, water and supplies to last three or four days. If you have kids or pets, you’ll need to make separate bags for their things too.

The government has reiterated this advice through the Prepare website with Deputy PM Oliver Dowden advising people to make “sensible safeguards” by building up their kit on an ad-hoc basis, rather than stockpiling, like we saw in 2020 when the pandemic first hit.

While there are pre-made emergency bags available to buy online, curating a personalised one will be of more comfort in a crisis. You can include extras like your favourite biscuits, family photos and precious jewellery alongside the necessities. Barring your phone, most tech can be left at home - if there’s an emergency you may be unable to charge your devices meaning they’ll become dead weight to lug around.

Official government suggestions on what to keep ready in a kit include:

To help build your kit, we’ve created a list of the basics to pack. From waterproof matches to first aid supplies, see the essential edit below.

Lifesystems Mountain First Aid Kit

A lifeline for mountaineers, this first aid kit has been created with the help of expedition doctor Hugh Montgomery and members of the British Special Forces medical team.

Keep it handy and rest assured that you’ll have all the essentials with you. Logically organised and clearly labelled, you will find contents including crepe and woven bandages, plasters, burn gel, antiseptic wipes and more.

Buy now £46.05, Amazon

Victorinox Huntsman knife

With a history that stretches back 125 years, a Swiss Army Knife is the perfect useful tool for all. The utility knife has it all, from a selection of blades, a can opener, a screwdriver, mini saw, tweezers and more.

Buy now £44.00, Victorinox

Lifesystems Stormproof, Waterproof And Windproof Matches, Pack Of 25

Regular matches may not cut it in rainy conditions or if there's a flood. Lifesystems' set of 25 comes encased in a watertight container with three strike panels to use. They're windproof too, and will burn for up to 20 seconds at a time.

Buy now £9.99, Amazon

Anker Power Bank, PowerCore 26800mAh

Anker is one of the best-known names for bringing power to the people, and when you reach for this charger, you’ll soon see why.

The 337 offers mammoth levels of capacity with 26,800mAh power to keep your devices in excellent working order. There are three USB ports including one with PowerIQ for high-speed charging.

Available in black and white (which might be easier to spot in a camping scenario), it offers a week’s worth of mobile phone charging.

Not only is it powerful but it’s light too at just shy of 500g, so easy to slip into a bag ready to use when you need it most.

Buy now £45.99, Amazon

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

It may not be possible to lug around untold litres of water in your emergency bag. While you should have fresh drinking water handy, a filter means you can make other liquids safe. This one weighs just 57g and will be able to make up to 4,000L safe for consumption.

Buy now, Amazon

Duronic Wind UP Solar Powered Radio

Save battery power and include a wind-up radio in your go kit. This one uses a hand crank operation to keep juice topped up and there's a solar panel for backup power too.

Buy now £19.99, Amazon

Phizz 3-in-1 Hydration, Electrolytes & Vitamins

Best for: daily use

Think of Phizz like taking your daily Berocca, except with even more added benefits. Unlike other effervescent tablets on the market, Phizz functions as both a daily multivitamin as well as a fantastic rehydration remedy. The brand’s science-backed formula helps to triple water intake, deliver natural energy, and support the day-to-day workings of your immune system.

There are four flavours to choose from, including your classic orange, apple and blackcurrant, mixed berry, and mango. Simply pick whichever flavour tickles your fancy on any given morning, pop it into a bottle of water and be on your merry way. Phizz is suitable for vegans and vegetarians and is halal, dairy, soy, and gluten-free. It also doesn’t contain any artificial colours or flavours. Good stuff.

Buy now £13.50, Amazon

Luminoodle LED Rope Lights

This useful gadget combines two emergency must-haves: lights and rope.

The piece is fitted with LED lights inside, giving off 180 lumens of light that can be strewn around nearby trees for overhead lighting or to help you find your way home in a power cut. A USB battery pack powers it and can be coiled together in the carry bag to create a camping lantern.

The rope light is available in 5ft and 10ft lengths with a battery option included.

Buy now £17.99, Amazon

LED Gloves with Lights

The great outdoors may be beautiful, but it sure can be dark. Forget faffing around one-handed with a torch and upgrade to these clever one-size gloves instead. Fitted with LED lights, they allow you to grapple with the contents of your tent freely.

Unlike a headtorch, they won’t blind fellow campers whenever you look at them. Once the long-lasting lights start fading, the batteries can be easily replaced by loosening the case with a screwdriver.

Buy now £8.99, Amazon

Sea to Summit Reactor Plus (Compact) Thermolite Mummy Liner

Made from cosy yet lightweight Thermolite, Sea to Summit’s design is less of a liner and more of a warm-weather sleeping bag. It’s offered in a mummy shape to conform to popular sleeping bag shapes with a box foot to give you extra wiggle room. It packs down to minute proportions in its own stuff sack and is machine washable too, so keeping it looking and smelling fresh is as easy as slinging it in with your next wash.

Buy now £54.99, Amazon

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