What should be in a grab bag for a 5-minute evacuation?
Short answer: 20 items, from A comfort item for each child through to torch. The complete Grab Bag (evacuation in 5 minutes) checklist is written out below — and the exact same 20 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Grab Bag (evacuation in 5 minutes) checklist — all 20 items
- A comfort item for each child
- Baby essentials if needed (nappies, formula)
- Bottle of water each
- Cash in small notes
- Change of clothes per person
- Copy of house and car insurance policy numbers
- House and car keys
- ID and passports
- Insurance and medical documents, copied
- Medications, at least a week's worth
- Pet lead, carrier, and pet food sachet
- Phone and charger
- Phone charging cable AND a power bank
- Photo of family members together (in case you get separated)
- Printed list of important phone numbers
- Small first aid kit
- Snack bars
- Spare glasses or contact lenses
- Sturdy closed shoes
- Torch
Some emergencies give you a weekend of warnings. Others — tsunami sirens, a fire next door, a flood rising fast — give you minutes, and whatever's already in one bag by the door is what leaves the house with you. Nobody assembles documents and medications well while adrenaline is driving.
This is that bag, decided in advance: copies of IDs and insurance, prescription meds, cash, chargers and a torch, water and snack bars, a change of clothes per person and sturdy shoes, and the tiny irreplaceables like a backup of family photos. Pack it once against this list, hang it somewhere grabbable, and hope it stays bored forever.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "copies of documents" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should be in a grab bag for a 5-minute evacuation?
You need 20 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from A comfort item for each child through to torch — and the same 20 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=grab%20bag%20%28evacuation%20in%205%20minutes%29 opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Grab Bag (evacuation in 5 minutes) list (20 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.