Ops Challenge: The 5-Minute GoBag Grab

GoBag.One™ | GoBag or Stay Home™

Five minutes is forever on a stopwatch and nothing in a real evacuation. This drill makes speed normal. When the clock starts, you move from couch to curb—bags on, pets controlled, doors secured, vehicle staged, comms sent. Do it clean now so panic doesn’t write your plan later.

Key Takeaways

Speed comes from staging: Labels, door-side placement, and rehearsed roles beat strength and heroics.
Light is fast: If you can’t carry it at a jog for 60 seconds, it’s too heavy. Trim it.
Decide then move: Trigger criteria, routes, and rally points are chosen before the drill—not during.

Main Points

Objective: In under five minutes, evacuate the household to the curb/vehicle with GoBags, EDC, pets, documents, water, and comms. Doors and utilities are secured. A status text is sent to your out-of-area contact.

Pre-Stage (Anytime Before the Drill)

Bag staging: All GoBags live by the exit (off the floor on hooks if possible). Name tag, weight tag, and last-rotated date on each bag.
Door kit: Wedges, tape, marker, spare keys, and a mini flashlight on a lanyard hanging by the exit.
Docs pouch: Waterproof sleeve with IDs, insurance, contacts, and a USB of scans—inside the primary adult’s bag.
Pet kit: Carrier/leash pre-staged; small food/water pouch clipped to it. Practice loading calmly.
Vehicle: Tank above half, paper map in door pocket, small cash in glove box, headlamp in console.

The 5-Minute Timeline (Example)

T+00:00 — Start timer. Call: “Go! Five-minute evac.” Each person grabs shoes, jacket, bag.
T+00:30 — Primary adult: grab docs pouch + water bottles. Secondary adult: pets on leash/in carrier.
T+01:00 — Doors sweep: windows closed, stove off, thermostat set to safe. Kill lights on the way out.
T+01:30 — Stage bags at the door. Verify each person’s EDC: phone, wallet/ID, keys, meds.
T+02:00 — Load-out to curb/vehicle. Heavy bags first. Kids/pets controlled.
T+03:00 — Quick route check (primary/alternate) and status text to out-of-area contact: “Evac now, route Alpha, ETA 25.”
T+04:00 — Final door: lock, wedge removed, note taped if coordinating with neighbors/family (“Evac to Rally 2”).
T+05:00 — All accounted for. Timer stops. Start engine and verify comms charging if rolling out.

Roles (Assign Beforehand)

Lead: Calls the drill, timekeeper, final door.
Comms: Sends status text and monitors radio (AM/FM/NOAA).
Pet/Junior: Loads animals and assists kids or elder.
Logistics: Documents, water, meds, and quick utility sweep.

Pro Tips

90-second bag test: Wear your loaded bag and jog in place for 90 seconds. If anything jabs, squeaks, or loosens, fix it.
Keep it quiet: Tape loose straps and zipper pulls. Noise attracts attention at 1 a.m.
Color code: Use small colored tags for roles (red—lead, blue—comms, green—logistics). In the dark, you still know who’s who.
Med reality: Daily meds live in a labeled grab tin by the exit; rotate monthly so it’s always current.
Rally discipline: If comms fail, everyone knows Rally 1 and Rally 2 by name and map—no new decisions at go-time.
Quarterly rotation: Change for season—layers, gloves, sun gear, and battery chemistries.

Score It (After-Action Review)

Time: Under 5:00 pass; 3:30 is excellent.
Forgets: −1 each (keys, meds, docs, pet kit, water).
Weight: Aim < 20% bodyweight for adults; < 10–15% for kids.
Comms: Status text sent? Radio functional?
Vehicle: Fuel > 1/2, map ready, charger present.

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Ops Challenge: The 5-Minute GoBag Grab

Key Takeaways

Main Points

Pro Tips

Score It (After-Action Review)

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