What should be in a 72-hour emergency kit?
Updated October 6, 2026
Short answer
Ready.gov's basic kit starts with one gallon of water per person per day and several days of non-perishable food. It adds a battery-powered or hand crank radio, a flashlight and a first aid kit. Extra batteries and a whistle follow along with a dust mask and a manual can opener.
What does Ready.gov actually list?
Ready.gov advises at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days for drinking and sanitation. The Government of Canada frames its own kit around at least 72 hours and two litres of water per person per day. The four kits on our shortlist each state three days as the maker's figure.
- Water: at least one gallon per person per day for several days
- Food: at least a several-day supply of non-perishable items
- A battery-powered or hand crank radio and a flashlight
- A first aid kit and extra batteries
- A whistle, a dust mask and a manual can opener
- A cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
Do ready-made 72-hour kits include water and food?
Three of the four kits pack both. Ready America's 2 person kit holds two 2400-calorie food bars and 12 water pouches with a stated 5-year shelf life. The Red Cross Deluxe kit packs a 6 pack of food bars and 4 water pouches of 4 oz.
Preppi lists water and food as included in the Prepster. The Seventy2 swaps stored water for a bottle and a filtration system. Kit contents and item counts are claims by the maker. A buyer must treat or filter water with the Seventy2 since none is stored in the pack.
Which kit has a radio and a first aid kit?
Ready America's kit has no radio and leaves that item to the buyer. The Seventy2 and the Prepster both bundle one. Weights are the makers' own figures and the Prepster weight is the Shopify variant weight.
- Uncharted Seventy2: a 3-in-1 radio flashlight and first aid in an 11 lb waterproof roll-top pack of 24 items
- Ready America 2 Person: a 33-piece first aid kit and no radio at 7.75 lb
- Preppi Prepster Backpack: a NOAA radio and a solar phone charger plus a 50+ piece first aid kit at 12.8 lb
- American Red Cross Deluxe 3-Day: a first aid zip pouch and a collapsible 3.5-gallon water container
What is still missing from a boxed kit?
Compare the maker's content list with the Ready.gov list before buying. A whistle or a dust mask or a manual can opener is small to add. Extra batteries and a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery are also on the Ready.gov list. The Ready America kit has no radio.
From our shortlist
1-person 72-hour system in a floating waterproof 32L pack with a water filter.
Entry-level 2-person 72-hour backpack with food bars, water pouches and first aid.
1-person version of the Prepster in a hands-free canvas and leather backpack with NOAA radio.
1-person 3-day Red Cross backpack with a collapsible 3.5-gallon water container.
Related questions
Why is it called a 72-hour kit?
The Government of Canada recommends a kit that lasts at least 72 hours. Ready.gov speaks of several days of water and food without naming a number of days. The four kits on this list each state three days for one or two people. That figure is the maker's own claim.
Is a 2-person kit enough for a family?
Ready America's kit states two people for three days with 12 water pouches of 4.225 oz each. At one gallon per person per day that is far below the Ready.gov figure for water. A family would add stored water at home and treat a boxed kit as the grab-and-go layer.
Does a 72-hour kit need a radio?
Ready.gov lists a battery-powered or hand crank radio in its basic kit. The Seventy2 bundles a 3-in-1 radio flashlight and the Prepster bundles a NOAA radio. Ready America's 2 person kit has none according to the maker. A buyer who picks that kit adds a radio separately.
More questions
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