Guide, Australia
Bug out bag list for Australia: a sourced 72-hour go bag checklist
A bug out bag, or go bag, is a pack you pick up when you have to leave home. For 72 hours it needs water, 3 days of non-perishable food, light, a battery radio, a first aid kit and medicines, clothes, documents and cash, and a way to charge your phone.
Last reviewed: 1 November 2026. We sell bags and kit for this, and we say so up front. Here is how Holdline Provisions chooses: we describe what an item does and the specs the supplier documents, and we do not add claims the supplier has not made.
Australian Red Cross research found that only one in three Australians (35%) were prepared for emergencies. It surveyed 2,011 adults between 26 June and 10 July 2025, and 22% gave "it won't happen to me" as a reason. The release does not define "prepared", so read it as the Red Cross's own measure. A packed bag by the door puts you on the right side of that number.
Go bag or bug out bag?
Official Australian pages say emergency kit and go bag. "Bug out" is the term people search for, so we use both. The difference is the job. A home kit is for staying. A go bag is for leaving.
Get Ready splits it the same way. Its kit list is headed "Pack an emergency kit", and a separate line says "If you need to leave, make sure you take:" a short list. The Salvation Army has 2 checklists, headed "Emergency Go Bag" and "Blackout Bag". For the broader picture, see our go bag and bug out bag guide.
The official kit, then the leaving list
Get Ready lists clothes, woollen blankets, toiletries and toilet paper, sunscreen and hand sanitiser, medicines and a first aid kit, water, non-perishable food and a can opener, a battery-operated radio, and a torch with spare batteries. If you need to leave, it says to take your mobile phone and charger, important documents, valuables, cash and bank cards, and medicines.
The NSW Rural Fire Service adds a waterproof bag for valuables, emergency contact numbers and a change of clothes for everyone. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services adds a portable phone charger and cable, sturdy gloves and cooking equipment. We use these official lists as the base for the checklist below.
The checklist by category
Quantities below are for one adult for 72 hours (3 days), and every quantity comes from an official page. Where no page gives a number, we give none.
Water
- [ ] 9 litres, which is 3 litres per person per day (Get Ready, NSW RFS) times 3 days. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services says "Fresh water for three days (10 litres per person)".
Food
- [ ] 3 days of non-perishable food (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
- [ ] A can opener (Get Ready, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
Light and radio
- [ ] A torch and spare batteries (Get Ready, NSW RFS). A headlamp keeps your hands free, which is our suggestion.
- [ ] A battery-operated radio. The ABC says to set your local ABC station on it. See our emergency radio guide for how to tune in.
First aid and medicines
- [ ] A first aid kit (Get Ready, NSW RFS, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
- [ ] Your medicines and prescriptions (Get Ready, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
General information, not medical advice. We do not list what goes inside a first aid kit. Follow the kit's own list and the advice of your doctor or a first aid trainer.
Clothing
- [ ] Warm clothing and shoes, and sturdy gloves (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
- [ ] A change of clothes for everyone (NSW RFS)
- [ ] Woollen blankets (Get Ready, NSW RFS). If you add emergency blankets, we repeat only the supplier's documented specification.
- [ ] Sunscreen and hand sanitiser (Get Ready)
Documents and cash
- [ ] Important documents in a waterproof bag (NSW RFS). Queensland Fire and Emergency Services names passports, driver's licence, insurance papers and birth and marriage certificates. The Salvation Army lists licence, passport, Medicare card and insurance.
- [ ] Emergency phone numbers written down (NSW RFS, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
- [ ] Cash and bank cards (Get Ready)
Power and charging
- [ ] Your phone and charger (Get Ready), plus a portable phone charger and cable (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services). AusNet asks for fully charged power banks with the correct cables.
- [ ] Extra batteries (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
Comfort and children
- [ ] Toiletries (Get Ready, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
- [ ] Special requirements for infants and older people (NSW RFS)
- [ ] When leaving, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services also lists blankets or sleeping bags, pillows, toys and games
Pets
- [ ] Pet supplies including food, toys, bedding and medication (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services)
- [ ] RSPCA ACT's free Ready To Go pet kit, and an evacuation plan that includes your pets. Its page says: "If you cannot evacuate with your pets, have a clear message prepared to alert emergency services of your pet's location."
When it is time to go
The bag only works if the rest of the plan does. The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services evacuation checklist is short, and it is worth reading before you need it. Before leaving, it says to fill the vehicles with fuel, check the evacuation or meeting place location, and check your evacuation routes. When leaving, it says to:
- Take the emergency kit with you.
- Contact your out-of-town contacts.
- Turn off mains power, gas and water.
- Locate your pets as planned, and lock the home.
The Red Cross RediPlan page puts the idea simply: "Pack an emergency kit to stay safe and support your recovery". Stay informed along the way. The ABC says to tune in to your local ABC station for emergency warnings, and the Australian Warning System tells you how serious a warning is.
Australian extras
Sun and heat. Get Ready lists sunscreen in the kit. That is the only sun or heat item we found on the official pages we read.
Smoke. We give no smoke or mask advice of our own. Use your fire service's pages and the Get Ready pages for anything fire-specific.
Fuel and cash. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services' evacuation checklist says, before leaving: "Fill vehicles with fuel". AusNet's outage kit asks for cash in case ATMs and electronic payment systems are not working.
Distance. The Queensland plan asks you to name 2 meeting places and to check your evacuation routes. If you live somewhere remote, check how far those are before you need them.
One bag each, plus a family bag
Water is the part that adds up. At the Get Ready rate of 3 litres per person per day, 3 days of water comes to:
| People | Water for 3 days |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9 litres |
| 2 | 18 litres |
| 4 | 36 litres |
| 6 | 54 litres |
That is our arithmetic. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services' 10 litres per person is a little higher. For a household, a split that works is this, and it is our suggestion: each adult carries their own water, clothes and torch, and one family bag holds the shared items, such as the first aid kit, the document pouch, the radio and the power bank. Children can carry their comfort items. See our emergency go bag checklist for a printable version.
| Where it lives | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Each adult's bag | Their own water, food, clothes, torch, medicines, phone and charger |
| Each child's bag | Comfort items such as a blanket or toy, and a change of clothes |
| The family bag | First aid kit, document pouch, battery radio, power bank and cables, shared toiletries |
If you have a pet, add a pet bag with the supplies from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services list: food, toys, bedding and medication.
Make it a family job. The NSW Rural Fire Service says to keep the kit where everyone in the household knows about it, so show every adult and child where the bags live, and what each person carries.
Choosing the bag
Litre size is the capacity of the main compartment. A bigger bag holds more, and weighs more once you fill it. Try it on loaded, because fit matters more than the number on the tag. A rain cover keeps your documents and charger dry. Colour is your choice, so pick one you can spot in a hallway at night.
For sizing, read our guides to the best 60 L backpack and how many days a 60 L backpack holds.
Keep it current
Check the bag every 6 months. That interval is our suggestion, not an official rule. The NSW Rural Fire Service says to "Prepare an emergency survival kit before the bush fire season starts", so also check it before your local hazard season. On each check, swap out food and medicines near their dates, test the torch and radio, and update your documents and cash.
FAQ
How heavy should it be? We do not give a weight, because no official page we read does. Water is the heavy part. Pack it, lift it, and walk around the house with it on. If you cannot carry it, split it.
Where should I keep it? The NSW Rural Fire Service says to store its kit in a waterproof container, in a spot that is easy to reach and that everyone in the household knows about.
What about pets? Start with the RSPCA ACT Ready To Go kit and include your pets in your evacuation plan.
Next step: Build your go bag. Browse bug out bags, or start from a 72-hour kit and add a bag.
Sources and last checked
Opened and read on 1 November 2026.
- Get Ready: bushfires, Get Ready Queensland (Queensland Government). No date shown on the page.
- Emergency survival kit, NSW Rural Fire Service. No date shown on the page.
- Emergency document wallet, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, September 2021.
- Be prepared for a disaster, The Salvation Army Australia (a charity, not a government body). Packing guide labelled 2025.
- Your outage kit, AusNet. No date shown on the page.
- Six months on, Australian Red Cross warns no room for complacency, Australian Red Cross, 15 September 2025.
- Prepare for emergencies, Australian Red Cross. No date shown on the page.
- Australian Warning System, AFAC. No date shown on the page.
- Ready To Go pet kit, RSPCA ACT. No date shown on the page.
- ABC Emergency, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. No date shown on the page.
