A 72-hour kit should contain enough water, food, and essential supplies to keep you self-sufficient for three days after a disaster. The baseline is one gallon of water per person per day (three gallons total per person), non-perishable food, a flashlight, a first aid kit, and copies of important documents. Beyond that core, the specifics depend on your household: medications, infant supplies, pet needs, and your local climate all shape what goes in the bag.
Water: The Most Important Item
The CDC recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for three days. That gallon covers drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene like brushing teeth. For a family of four, that’s 12 gallons, which is heavy (about 100 pounds), so many people split their water supply between a stay-at-home kit and a grab-and-go bag with a smaller amount plus a portable filter.
Store water in food-grade containers in a cool, dark place. Rotate your supply every six months. If you’re caught without stored water, know that you can purify water by boiling it at a rolling boil for one minute or using purification tablets.
Food That Needs No Cooking or Refrigeration
The best emergency foods are ones you can eat straight from the package. Canned meats, fruits, and vegetables work well since they’re already cooked and last two years or longer on a shelf. Peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, trail mix, jerky, and dried fruit are lightweight, calorie-dense options that don’t need water or heat to prepare.
If you want more variety, pack items that only need hot water: instant oatmeal, dried soups, instant rice, and powdered drink mixes. MREs (meals ready to eat) are another compact option. Don’t forget a manual can opener if you’re packing canned goods.
Include comfort foods too. Hard candy, cookies, instant coffee, and tea bags help with morale, especially for kids. If anyone in your household has food allergies, is diabetic, or follows a restricted diet, plan specifically for that.
Light, Power, and Communication
A reliable flashlight is non-negotiable. For most emergency situations, look for one in the 300 to 600 lumen range, which is bright enough to illuminate a full room or a dark street. Models with multiple brightness settings let you conserve battery when you only need enough light to read or move around a house. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries (18650 or 21700 size) hold a charge for up to a year with minimal loss, making them a better long-term choice than standard alkalines.
A hand-crank or solar-powered radio that receives NOAA Weather Radio alerts is critical when cell towers go down. Many newer models include a built-in battery bank (around 5,000 mAh) that can charge a phone, plus USB-C charging and a solar panel, giving you three ways to generate power. Pack an extra cell phone battery or portable charger as a backup.
First Aid Kit Contents
A well-stocked first aid kit covers wound care, pain relief, and basic protective equipment. The American Red Cross recommends including:
- 25 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
- Sterile gauze pads (3×3 and 4×4 inch) and roller bandages
- Adhesive cloth tape
- Two absorbent compress dressings for larger wounds
- Antibiotic ointment packets
- Antiseptic wipes
- Hydrocortisone ointment for itching and rashes
- An instant cold compress
- Tweezers and a non-mercury thermometer
- Two pairs of nonlatex gloves
- Two triangular bandages (useful as slings or tourniquets)
- A printed first aid instruction guide
Add any prescription medications your family takes, with at least a three-day supply. Keep a spare pair of glasses or contacts if anyone needs them. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and any allergy medications round out the kit.
Sanitation and Hygiene
When water lines break or power goes out, sanitation becomes a real problem fast. Pack moist towelettes, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, soap, and garbage bags with plastic ties. The garbage bags serve double duty for waste disposal and waterproofing gear. Include toilet paper, feminine supplies, and any personal hygiene items you use daily. A small bottle of bleach (unscented) can disinfect surfaces and, in an emergency, treat water.
Clothing and Warmth
Pack one complete change of clothing per person: a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, sturdy closed-toe shoes, and underwear. If you live somewhere cold, add wool or merino base layers, wool socks, and a warm hat. Wool retains warmth even when wet, which makes it far more useful than cotton in an emergency.
Each person needs a sleeping bag or warm blanket. Compact emergency mylar blankets weigh almost nothing and reflect body heat, but they’re a supplement, not a replacement for real insulation. A fleece or wool blanket used as a sleeping bag liner can add several degrees of warmth. If you have room, a lightweight down jacket stuffed into your kit serves as both outerwear and an extra insulation layer for sleeping.
Documents, Cash, and Tools
Store copies of your most important documents in a waterproof container inside your kit: government-issued IDs, insurance policies, bank account information, medical records, and vaccination records for every family member. Include emergency contact numbers written on paper, since your phone may be dead when you need them.
Keep cash in small bills and coins. ATMs and card readers won’t work during a prolonged power outage. Even $100 to $200 in small denominations can make a significant difference for buying gas, food, or supplies.
A few tools round out the kit: a non-sparking wrench or pliers for shutting off gas and water valves, duct tape, plastic sheeting (for sealing windows if you need to shelter in place), a whistle for signaling rescuers, local maps in case GPS is unavailable, and waterproof matches or a lighter.
Supplies for Infants and Young Children
Babies and toddlers need their own dedicated section of the kit. The CDC recommends packing at least one large pack of diapers, two packs of baby wipes, diaper rash cream, and resealable plastic bags for dirty diapers and clothes. For formula-fed infants, ready-to-feed formula in single-serving containers is the safest option because it doesn’t require clean water to prepare. Pack bottles, nipples, and bottled water for mixing if you also carry powdered formula.
For breastfeeding families, include disposable nursing pads, breast milk storage bags, a small cooler with ice packs, and a manual breast pump in case of power outages. All families with young children should add age-appropriate baby food and snacks, infant pain reliever with acetaminophen, a bulb syringe, an infant thermometer, a baby carrier, a portable crib if space allows, extra blankets, and at least two pacifiers.
Pet Supplies
If you have pets, they need their own three-day supply of food, water, and any medications. Pack bowls, a leash, waste bags, and a copy of vaccination records, since emergency shelters that accept animals typically require proof of vaccinations. A recent photo of your pet helps with identification if you get separated.
Keeping Your Kit Ready
A 72-hour kit is only useful if everything in it still works when you need it. Mark your calendar to inspect and rotate supplies every six months. Replace food and water on that schedule, check battery charges, verify that medications haven’t expired, and swap out clothing for the upcoming season. Update documents whenever you change insurance policies, bank accounts, or addresses. Store the kit in an accessible spot, not buried in a garage or attic, so you can grab it and go within minutes.