What to put in an Emergency Backpack

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The 6.2 magnitude earthquake last week reminded me that it's time to re-assemble my emergency backpack.  I actually had one before but every now and then, I would take out an item.  Like when I forget to withdraw cash, I ended up getting from the emergency stash. And when I get hungry at night,  I got snack supplies from there too. 😂   I used the individual items for all sorts of self-declared emergencies until all what was left was just the bag! 😂  

Anyway, I did a quick research on what to put in an emergency backpack coz I think the content of my first emergency backpack was just food, water, whistle, flashlight... and more food.  Ok, it was mostly food.  Haha...    

While I was browsing through the lists, I realized some lists are so long that I couldn't imagine how all the items would fit in a backpack (requires more like a trolley 😆 ).   Plus if you had a lot of items, the weight could actually affect your mobility in an emergency situation.  So I came up with a trimmed down list which I might further trim down if they won't fit in a small backpack.  

Sharing with you my bare minimum list for an emergency backpack:

• Alcohol 
• Candies
• Candle + a box of matches
• Clean Metal Can (dual purpose - for drinking and cooking)
• Compact blanket
• Duct Tape
• Emergency Contact Information
• Extra set of car/home keys
• Face Mask
• First Aid Kit
• First Aid Guide
• Flashlight + batteries
• Food like power bars
• Medications (if any)
• Money - bills and coins
• Paracord
• Pocket Knife or multi-purpose tool
• Pocket Radio + batteries
• Personal Hygiene items
• Protective gear e.g. cap, raincoat
• Small resealable bags 
• Something for inspiration e.g. spiritual items
• Tissue and wipes
• Towel (lightweight)
• Trash bags
• Water
• Whistle

And then for basic supplies that you need to have, Red Cross recommends the following:

For evacuation purposes:

- 3 days' supply of water at 1 gallon per person per day 

- 3 days supply of food e.g. non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items

For the house: 

- 2 weeks' supply of water at 1 gallon per person per day 

- 2 weeks' supply of food e.g. non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items

I know I wouldn't be able to keep myself from digging into the food supplies in some way or the other but this time, I will try hard to replenish after so I don't end up carrying an empty backpack (!) in an emergency situation. 😂   Or maybe, I could schedule reminders when I could dig in - such as before the food items expire! 😜  😂