How much water should a 72 hour kit include?

ready.gov recommends one gallon, about four litres, per person per day for drinking and sanitation, so a household of four needs roughly twelve gallons for three days. The UK Prepare campaign cites 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day as the minimum. Include pets in the count.

Is 72 hours actually enough?

It is the official baseline from ready.gov, the UK Prepare campaign, and the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, sized for the most common disruptions. Once it is covered, extend toward roughly two weeks at home with a rotating pantry of food you already eat. Baseline first, then buffer.

What is the difference between a 72 hour kit and a grab-and-go bag?

The 72 hour kit is the full home supply, built for sheltering in place, which is the most likely case. The grab-and-go bag is a small portable subset, water, snacks, torch, power bank, copies of documents, and medication, packed in case you ever have to leave quickly.

72 Hour Emergency Kit Checklist: The Official Baseline

By Clarity Books editorial team · 4 min read · Updated: June 10, 2026

A complete 72 hour emergency kit covers water, food, light, warmth, communication, cash, medication, and copies of key documents, enough for every person and pet for three days. That target comes from ready.gov, the UK Prepare campaign, and the EU Preparedness Union Strategy. Build it in one weekend, then check it twice a year.

Who sets the 72 hour target

The 72 hour figure is not a survivalist invention. It is the shared baseline of three official sources. In the United States, ready.gov has long recommended a kit covering at least three days. In the United Kingdom, the Cabinet Office launched the Prepare campaign in May 2024, asking households to cover roughly three days of food, water, and batteries. In March 2025, the European Commission published the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, recommending every household be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.

Three governments arriving at the same window also sizes the job for you. You are not provisioning a shelter for a season. You are covering one long weekend without mains power, running water, or open shops, and most households can assemble that in a single weekend of focused effort.

Water, food, and light

Water comes first. ready.gov recommends one gallon, about four litres, per person per day for at least three days, covering drinking and sanitation. The UK Prepare campaign cites the World Health Organisation figure of 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day as the survival minimum, with around 10 litres per day more comfortable once basic cooking and hygiene are included. Count every person and every pet, and add extra for baby formula or medical devices if those apply to you.

Food means at least a three day supply of non-perishable items that need no cooking: ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit, and vegetables, plus a tin opener, the item kits most often forget. For light, plan a torch per person with spare batteries rather than relying on candles; a head torch keeps your hands free.

Communication, cash, medication, and documents

When power and mobile networks drop, information and payment both get harder. The UK Prepare campaign list includes a battery or wind-up radio, a portable power bank for phones, and spare batteries for everything that needs them. Add a written card of key phone numbers, because the contacts in your phone are only useful while the phone has charge.

Keep some cash in small notes, since card terminals fail with the power. Set aside several days of any essential medication where your prescriber allows, with copies of prescriptions, and include a basic first aid kit: plasters, bandages, antiseptic, and gloves. Finally, keep paper or offline copies of key documents such as identification, insurance details, and emergency contacts.

Storage, the grab-and-go bag, and the twice-a-year check

Store the kit somewhere every adult in the household can name without thinking, and pack a smaller grab-and-go version, a subset of the same list, in case you ever need to leave quickly. The main kit stays at home, because staying at home is by far the most likely scenario.

A kit is maintained, not finished. Twice a year, check expiry dates, rotate the food and water, test the torches, and refresh the documents and contact card. If you want this checklist sequenced into a weekend build order with your region's alert systems and hazards included, our Ready For Anything series, our own catalog of regional editions, are written to do exactly that.