72-hour evacuation kit
A bag you can grab in ten seconds is worth more than a basement of supplies you cannot carry. Calm, sourced, personalisable in 90 seconds.
Almost every evacuation in Europe — wildfire, flood, gas leak, fire-alarm building — is decided in the first ten minutes, not the day before. The single biggest predictor of who leaves cleanly is whether one bag exists, lives by the door, and is up to date. The list below is the universal half; the wizard adjusts the rest to your household.
Why this kit, not a generic 72-hour list
A 72-hour evacuation kit is not a survival kit. It is "what you would miss in the first three days away from home." Documents, medications, a change of clothes, a phone charger, and the means to be reached. It changes depending on whether children, pets, or someone with limited mobility lives with you. Generic checklists ignore this; ours adjusts.
What this kit usually contains
A representative slice of the kit a typical European household receives for this scenario. Quantities are tuned to your household and climate when you run the personaliser. Estimated total cost for the items below: €393.
| Item | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cold-weather layers per personcritical Thermal underwear, fleece, wool hat, gloves, thick socks — one full set per person, kept together in a labelled bag. |
adults + childrenCount sets | €50 |
| Medical-ID braceletcritical A worn medical-ID bracelet listing condition, medication, allergies, and an emergency contact. |
1 unit | €15 |
| Pre-packed evacuation bag (per adult)critical A 25-35 litre backpack pre-packed and labelled by the door. Target weight: <=12 kg. |
adults bags | €60 |
| Evacuation chair or spare canecritical A folding stair-descent evacuation chair if a wheelchair user lives upstairs; otherwise a spare cane or rollator parts kit. |
1 unit | €120 |
| Water purification tabletscritical Chlorine-dioxide tablets that make almost any clear water safe in 30 minutes. |
(adults + childrenCount) * days * 2 tablets | €12 |
| Drinking water reservecritical Sealed potable water in cool, dark storage. Split across multiple containers — if one spoils, the rest survives. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 2 * days L | €12 |
| Shelf-stable no-cook food (3 days)critical Nuts, bars, tinned fish, peanut butter, dried fruit. Food that needs no heat, no fridge, and almost no prep. |
(adults * 2000 + childrenCount * 1500) * days kcal | €35 |
| Manual can openercritical A simple, reliable can opener that does not need power. Keep one in the kitchen and one in the evac bag. |
2 units | €6 |
| Basic first-aid kitcritical Adhesive dressings, sterile gauze, tape, gloves, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic, paracetamol/ibuprofen, ORS sachets. |
1 kit | €25 |
| Headlamp + spare batteriescritical A hands-free LED headlamp per person, plus enough spare batteries for one full set. |
adults + childrenCount units | €18 |
| Battery / hand-crank radiocritical A small radio that works without mains power and receives AM/FM and (where available) NOAA/EBU emergency bands. |
1 unit | €30 |
| Disposable hand warmers Air-activated hand-warmer packs, 6–10 hours each. Keep in pockets, gloves, sleeping bag. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 4 packs | €10 |
Three habits this week
- Pick a spot by your front door this week. A shelf, a hook, anything visible. That spot is where your bag lives. If it is in a closet, it is not really a go-bag.
- Photograph your important documents tonight and back them up to a service you can reach from any phone. Bag space is precious; cloud copies are not.
- Run a five-minute drill once. Pick a Sunday. Time yourself from "go" to "out the door with the bag." The first time will be embarrassing. That is the point.
Personalise YOUR 72h evac kit — 90 seconds
The list above is the universal half. The wizard asks 6 short questions about your home, household and climate, then adjusts the items and quantities.
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