Germany's go-bag: BBK list
Germany's Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) asks for one backpack per family member, packed to get you through the first days away from home. Here is its checklist item by item, from the BBK's Notgepäck page.
What the BBK says
One backpack per person. The BBK puts the rule this way: „Nehmen Sie für jedes Familienmitglied nicht mehr mit als in einen Rucksack passt.“ In English: take no more for each family member than fits in one backpack. A backpack beats a suitcase because it leaves both hands free.
The bag, called Notgepäck or Notfallrucksack in German, is for when you have to leave fast: a fire, a gas leak, or an evacuation because old wartime munitions were found nearby. Its job is to help you manage the first days away from home, in a shelter or with friends.
Read on 11 Nov 2026 on bbk.bund.de and in the checklists of the BBK guide (edition 11/2025).
The checklist, all 19 items
This is the list from the BBK guide's checklist, sorted into four groups. Brackets add what the BBK website says in more detail.
01Clothes and sleeping
- Warm clothes, rain protection and sturdy shoes
- A change of clothes (for a few days)
- Sleeping bag or blanket
- Sunscreen and a hat
- Work gloves
02Health
- First-aid supplies
- Your own medicines
- Hygiene items (for a few days, including period products and nappies)
- Spares for aids such as glasses or hearing aids
03Food and drink
- Long-life food and a refillable water bottle (food for 2 days in dust-proof packaging)
- Plate and bowl (with cutlery)
- Pocket knife and can opener
- Lighter or matches
04Light, power, papers
- Torch (with spare batteries)
- Battery, solar or wind-up radio
- Charged power bank
- Notepad and pen
- Folder with important documents
- Cash
What you add as you leave
Some things you use every day, so they can't sit packed in the bag. The BBK names six:
- ID card or passport
- Cash and bank cards
- Health insurance card
- Vaccination record (Impfpass)
- House keys, and car keys if you have a car
- Your mobile phone, so you can stay in touch with family
Go-bags per person
1 backpack
One for each family member
No more than fits in a backpack. A family of four keeps four of them by the door.
Source: BBK, Notgepäck
Pack clothes in layers
The BBK calls it the onion principle: several thin layers such as underwear, T-shirts and a fleece or jumper, with a rain jacket or raincoat on top and weatherproof shoes or rubber boots.
Layers let you adjust whether you spend the night in a sports hall or stand outside waiting for a bus.
The document folder
It's one line on the checklist, and the hardest thing to replace after a fire or flood.
01What goes in it
- Proof of who you are, such as your birth certificate and ID card.
- Proof of what you own and are owed: land register entries, purchase contracts, insurance policies.
- School and work certificates, powers of attorney, court decisions.
- Your will, medical reports, vaccination record, password lists, and a few photos you don't want to lose.
02How to keep it
- In a fireproof or waterproof container.
- Ask the issuing office whether you need the original or a certified copy.
- Make a digital copy of everything and keep it in the cloud, on a portable hard drive or on a USB stick.
Source: BBK guide
Go-bag or home supply?
The BBK keeps the two apart.
| Go-bag (Notgepäck) | Home supply (Vorrat) | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Leaving the house fast | Staying home while power, water or shops are out |
| How long | The first days away from home | Ten days if you can, and three days already help |
| How much | What fits in one backpack per person | Water, food, medicines and hygiene for the whole household |
BBK: Notgepäck page and preparedness page.
Numbers for the notepad
A flat phone battery takes your contacts with it. Write these down and put the note in the bag.
| Who | Number |
|---|---|
| Fire brigade, ambulance | 112 |
| Police | 110 |
| Public authorities helpline | 115 |
| Out-of-hours doctor | 116117 |
| BBK citizen service (preparedness questions, Mon to Fri 9:00 to 15:00) | 0800 000 55 43 |
Numbers from the BBK guide (edition 11/2025); citizen service from the Notgepäck page.
Questions people ask
Does the German government have an official go-bag list?
Yes. The BBK, Germany's federal civil protection office, publishes a Notgepäck checklist with 19 items. You pack the bag yourself from it.
How much food goes in a German go-bag?
The BBK website says food for 2 days in dust-proof packaging. The checklist says long-life food plus a refillable water bottle.
Backpack or suitcase?
Backpack. The BBK's reason is that it leaves both hands free.
Where can I download the BBK checklist?
On bbk.bund.de, as a one-page Notgepäck checklist or inside the three-page checklist of the guide „Vorsorgen für Krisen und Katastrophen“. Both are linked in the sources below. They are in German.
How is this different from the 10-day supply?
The go-bag is for leaving. The 10-day supply stays at home for when you can't get out or the shops are shut.
Pack it tonight
Our 72-hour checklist runs in your browser and ticks off what you already have. The Fallback72 book adds the rest on paper that works with the power out: join the list to hear the launch date first.
Read next
Sources
- BBK: Wenn es schnell gehen muss, das Notgepäck (in German) One backpack per person, contents, what to add as you leave, clothing, SOS capsule. Read 11 Nov 2026.
- BBK: Kompakt-Checkliste Notgepäck (PDF, in German) The 19 items.
- BBK: Checklisten zur Vorsorge für Krisen und Katastrophen (PDF, in German)
- BBK: Vorsorgen für Krisen und Katastrophen (PDF guide, edition 11/2025) Go-bag, documents and phone numbers.
- BBK: Vorsorgen für Krisen und Katastrophen Ten days of supplies, three already help.