Grab bags
Bug out bag UK: what to pack, and what's illegal to carry
Most bug out bag advice is American. In Britain you're more likely to leave for a flood, a fire or a gas leak than to head for the hills, and some of what US lists include is illegal to carry here.
What a bug out bag is for
A bug out bag, grab bag or go bag holds what you need to leave home in minutes and look after yourself for about three days. In the UK the realistic reasons are floods, fires, gas leaks, chemical incidents and building evacuations. The bag should be packed, by the door, and light enough to carry for an hour.
What to pack
- Water for the first day, and a filter or tablets for more.
- Three days of light, calorie-dense food.
- A head torch per person and spare power.
- A wind-up radio.
- Warm layers, a waterproof, and a reusable emergency bivvy.
- A first aid kit and a week of your medicines.
- Copies of documents, cash, a paper map and key phone numbers.
- Hygiene items, including period products.
- Phone chargers, and a signal-blocking pouch for a spare phone and keys.
UK law: what you can't carry
This is where US checklists go wrong. Under section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, carrying a bladed article in public is an offence without a good reason. The exception is a folding pocketknife with a cutting edge of three inches or less that does not lock. The Government's own guidance on carrying knives sets out the rules. So:
- A small non-locking Swiss Army knife is fine.
- Locking multi-tools, fixed-blade knives and hatchets belong at home or in a car for a specific job, not in a bag you carry around town.
- Nothing may be carried for self-defence. Pepper spray is illegal to possess in the UK.
We sell multi-tools and hatchets in our home kits and deliver them only to adults who show ID. The Go Bag carries a non-locking knife for exactly this reason.
Keeping it ready
Date everything. Charge power banks every three months. Swap clothes for the season. Check the bag when your household changes. A bag packed in a panic and forgotten for three years is a bag of flat batteries and expired food.