great idea - checklists on paper and on your phone

We are learning to LABEL every box and have PRINTED check lists ( useful if only one person is home and packing.) Also, should pre-pack our "GO" bags.

All the priority 1 and 2 stuff on the check list:
*Kids and comfort items
*Pet and carrier
*Records and documents
*Pictures, valuables, and heirlooms.
*Computer towers
*72 hour kit

Extra clothes, food, amusement, and recreational items if time allows (priority 3 items. Non-critical items that can be purchased after I get where I'm going)

EDIT: I've found that under stress, people tend to get stupid. A paper checklist with items, locations, responsibility, and priority (1=irreplaceable needed for survival/recovery, 2=irreplaceable emotional and difficult to obtain supplies, 3=quality of life and easily obtainable after evacuation).

I like those priorities!

Does anyone else store empty bins to fill with gear in case of a sudden bug out?

Heavy duty cardboard moving boxes and packing tape from HD. I store them flat and wrapped in plastic. They're so cheap, and available that they can be treated as consumable instead of durable supplies.

I seem to have a bunch of plastic milk crates kicking around the old homestead. They are handy for a lot of things, including bugging out. A lot of my gear is more or less permanently stored in plastic bins (Action Packers are my fave) and could be transported readily. The bins are most often used in transporting gear to the location of field projects.

and big duffels. fill them quickly, sort stuff later.

0 to 10 Minutes
Each person has a "go" bag with flashlights, clothing, toiletries, rain gear, etc. always packed. This takes only the time to get it to the car.
There's also a Family Go bag (a big duffel) with other stuff (food, water, tools, batteries, radio, additional chargers/charging cables, additional toiletries, sanitation supplies, some other useful stuff). This also takes only the time required to get it to the car.
There's stuff in every car already, always - ratchet straps, flashlight and batteries, first air kits, etc.

10-30 Minutes
+meds (just sweep the whole darn shelf into a bag)
+more water (already stored in 1 gallon containers in basement)
+spackle bucket and tall kitchen trash bags. (toilet)
+laptops & chargers
+backup USB disks (there's one for everyone's computer)
+sleeping bags & pads, extra blankets.
+important documents from fire safe
+Baofeng UV-82 radio kit

30-45 Minutes
+selected photo albums/books
+selected personal memorabilia
+cats in cat carriers/cat food

45-60 Minutes
+washer fluid for car (extra gallon)
+2.5 gallon gas can (always filled with constantly rotated stock)
+battery pack (jumper box, stored on charge always)
+rope (100')
+chain saw/fuel/oil (I built a tool box that holds everything I need for a chainsaw)

This is the best info I have seen on bugging out. It is part of the site "Listening to Katrina."

Bugging Out - Theory and Practice