Medical Preparedness · Medical Bag and Supplies
Medical Bag and Supplies: the medical half of your kit.
A first aid kit treats injuries. A medical bag keeps an existing health routine running away from home. This category covers the second kit.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
Planning guidance, not medical advice. This section helps households prepare for medical continuity during disruptions. Work with your doctor, pharmacist, and specialist for your household's specific medical needs.
What this category covers
The first aid kit and the medical bag do different jobs.
A medical bag holds what someone needs to keep their usual health routine going away from home: prescriptions, the medication list and copies of records, device chargers and batteries, glasses, hearing aid batteries, and personal care items.
Federal lists agree on the contents. Ready.gov's kit includes prescription medications, nonprescription medicines, prescription eyeglasses, and contact lens solution.1 CDC's guidance for people with disabilities adds at least a one-week supply of all prescription medications, a cooler for refrigerated medicines, and batteries and portable chargers for adaptive equipment such as hearing aids.2
Keeping it ready is the harder part. CDC suggests checking emergency kits every six months so the contents stay current and functional.2
What these guides do not cover
- The first aid kit itself: First Aid Kits and OTC Medications
- Which medicines to take or how much. Your prescriber and pharmacist decide.
- The general household emergency kit: Kits
- Carrying prescriptions through travel and evacuation: Travel and Evacuation Prescriptions
Where to start
Four steps to a medical bag you can trust.
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Pack by category.
Prescriptions and copies, nonprescription medicines, devices and power, documents, and personal care.
Medical Bag -
Plan for anything cold.
A cooler and chemical ice packs for refrigerated medicines.3
Refrigerated Medications
Guides in this category
Guides in this category. Pack in order.
Medical Bag Without First Aid
A five-category packing guide: prescriptions, documentation, monitoring supplies, device accessories, and personal medical items, with a twice-yearly review.
Read the guide
Home Medical Supplies
The supplies to keep at home for a multi-day disruption.
Guide coming soon
Related guides elsewhere in Medical Preparedness
Common questions
Planning questions, answered plainly.
What is the difference between a first aid kit and a medical bag?
A first aid kit treats new injuries. A medical bag keeps an existing health routine running away from home: prescriptions, the medication list and records, device power, vision and hearing items, and personal care supplies.
What medications should go in a medical bag?
CDC's disability preparedness guidance suggests at least a one-week supply of all prescription medications and a cooler for refrigerated medicines.2 Ready.gov's kit list adds nonprescription medicines.1 Ask your prescriber and pharmacist how to build the supply.
How often should I check my medical supplies?
CDC suggests checking emergency kits every six months to make sure all contents are current and functional.2 Check sooner whenever a prescription or device changes.
Sources
- Ready.gov (FEMA). Build a Kit. https://www.ready.gov/kit. Accessed October 6, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Building an Emergency Kit (Disability and Emergency Preparedness). https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/people-with-disabilities/build-a-kit.html. Accessed October 6, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prepare Your Health: Prescriptions. https://www.cdc.gov/prepare-your-health/take-action/prescriptions.html. Accessed October 6, 2026.
Connected guides
Medical Bag and Supplies connects to the rest of your plan.
First Aid
The hands-on half: emergencies, wounds, burns, and the household kit.
Medications and Prescriptions
Supply, storage, and refills.
Medical Documents and Records
The paperwork in the bag.
Medical Devices and Power
Batteries and chargers for equipment.
Dental, Vision, and Hearing
The most overlooked supplies.
Kits
The household kit the medical bag sits beside.