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Useful places to start

What should my household do first during an outage? A private, fixed-choice plan for the household systems an outage can disrupt. How much water should I store? A drinking and cooking baseline, confirmed extra water, container capacity, and filled weight. Is my fridge or freezer food still usable? A refrigerator/freezer timeline that hands off from elapsed time to temperature evidence. How long will my battery last? Runtime from constant watts or measured 24-hour energy, with a separate running-output check.

Calculators Evacuation planning

Can I safely carry the emergency kit I am building?

Compare a real kit weight with the carrying target you set.

About 2 minutes You’ll need: kit category weights and your carry-tested target

Emergency kit weight calculator for household preparedness

Saves on this devicePrivacy & options

Calculations run in this browser; inputs stay out of analytics. A draft saves here after your first change unless you turn saving off. You choose separately whether to save a result to My Household Plan or copy a permitted share link.

Carrying plan

Count only people who will actually carry a bag. Do not assign critical supplies to someone without confirming the plan works for them.

A user-set planning target, not a medical recommendation.

Complete kit inventory

The calculator converts liters of water to pounds and adds the weights entered for every other category.

Total water carried across all bags. One liter weighs about 2.2 lb before the container.

Weigh the actual shelf-stable food and packaging.

Include necessary medications, devices, chargers, and accessibility items.

Include layers, rain protection, blankets, or other climate needs.

Phones, radio, lights, batteries, cables, and power banks.

Copies, keys, cash, maps, hygiene items, and hazard-specific tools.

Weigh every backpack, tote, or portable container before filling it.

Make portability part of the emergency plan

A complete supply list is not portable until the household can move it along the real route. Keep shelter supplies and evacuation bags as related but distinct layers.

  1. Inventory the actual packed items and weigh each category, including containers and bags.
  2. Set a carrying target from a realistic test, then distribute supplies around capability and critical access.
  3. Practice the route, stairs, transit, weather layers, pets, and communication plan, then revise the load.

Common questions

What percentage of body weight should an emergency bag be?

This tool does not use a universal body-weight rule. Health, age, mobility, conditioning, terrain, heat, bag fit, and distance vary. Set a target through a realistic carry test and qualified guidance when needed.

Should I remove water to make the kit lighter?

Water is heavy, but safe water is essential. Consider the hazard, evacuation route, refill reliability, treatment limits, vehicle or staged supplies, and official instructions before changing the amount.

Is a go-bag the same as my shelter-at-home supply?

No. A portable kit supports evacuation or immediate movement. A shelter supply can hold more water, food, sanitation, and comfort items. Plan both around local hazards.

Plan first. Buy what is missing.

Check compact lighting and manual tools for your kit

Weigh your existing gear first and pack only what the intended carrier can manage. These documented examples are not selected from your calculator answers.

Black Diamond

Spot 400 Headlamp, black, SKU BD6207320002ALL1 (US)

Listed light output and modes
400 lm maximum; 200 lm medium; 6 lm low — source for Listed light output and modes, checked 2026-10-05 (opens in a new tab)
Power source
Three AAA batteries included or separately sold BD 1500 rechargeable Li-ion battery — source for Power source, checked 2026-10-05 (opens in a new tab)
Listed weight
86 g with AAA or 72 g with BD 1500 battery — source for Listed weight, checked 2026-10-05 (opens in a new tab)

When to consider another option An existing flashlight or headlamp that is comfortable, tested, and ready with spare batteries.

Read the fit and limitations

OXO Good Grips

Soft-Handled Can Opener (SKU 28081)

Opening method
Manual rotary can opener with large cushioned handles and an oversized turning knob. — source for Opening method, checked 2026-10-04 (opens in a new tab)
Listed dimensions
7 × 2 × 3 in — source for Listed dimensions, checked 2026-10-04 (opens in a new tab)
Manufacturer care instructions
Hand wash the can opener. — source for Manufacturer care instructions, checked 2026-10-04 (opens in a new tab)

When to consider another option Ready-to-eat pouches, pull-tab cans, or other foods that do not require this tool.

Read the fit and limitations

Manufacturer-source research; no hands-on testing.

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