72-Hour Emergency Kit Checklist (Free Printable)

The short answer

A 72-hour kit holds what your household needs to get through three days without power, running water or a trip to the store: 1 gallon of water per person per day, three days of food that needs no cooking, a flashlight or headlamp for each person, a battery or hand-crank radio, a first-aid kit, warmth, medicines, copies of important documents and some cash. For a family of four that's 12 gallons of water and roughly 24,000 calories of food.

Open the free printable checklist

"Three days" isn't a magic number. It's a planning baseline: long enough to cover most ice storms, outages and boil-water notices around here, and short enough that you can build it a little at a time out of things you already own. Ready.gov recommends supplies for several days, and more if you can. Start with three and grow from there.

How much water and food for your household

These are the common planning numbers: 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking and basic hygiene, and about 2,000 calories per adult per day. Kids need less food, but give them the same gallon of water.

People	Water for 3 days	Food for 3 days (about)
1	3 gallons	6,000 calories
2	6 gallons	12,000 calories
3	9 gallons	18,000 calories
4	12 gallons	24,000 calories
5	15 gallons	30,000 calories

Pets count too: plan water and food for each one.

The 72-hour kit checklist

Check off what you already have. Most families find they have half of it scattered around the house already. The job is getting it into one place and filling the gaps.

1. Water

Stored drinking water: 1 gallon per person per day, for 3 days
Extra water for pets
A way to make more water safe: a pot to boil it in, or unscented household bleach and a dropper (see filter straws vs. tablets)
A filter for fresh water sources, as a backup, not as your main plan

2. Food

3 days of food that needs no cooking or refrigeration: canned meat and beans, peanut butter, crackers, dried fruit, granola bars, food bars
Calories added up for each person (use the table above)
Manual can opener
Paper plates, cups and utensils
Baby formula and food, if needed
Pet food

3. Light, power and information

A flashlight or headlamp for each person (skip candles: they're a fire risk)
Spare batteries, or rechargeable lights kept charged
Charged power bank and charging cables
Battery, solar or hand-crank radio with a weather band
Phone emergency alerts turned on

4. Warmth and shelter

Blankets or sleeping bags for everyone
Warm layers, hats, gloves and sturdy shoes
Emergency blankets for the go-bag and each car
Plastic sheeting and duct tape

5. First aid, medicine and hygiene

First-aid kit
Prescription medicines (ask your pharmacist about keeping a spare week on hand)
Glasses, contacts and solution
Hearing aid and medical device batteries, and a backup power plan for any medical equipment
Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, feminine supplies, garbage bags and ties
Diapers, if needed

6. Documents, contacts, cash and tools

Printed list of family and emergency phone numbers
Copies of IDs, insurance policies and bank information in a waterproof bag
Cash in small bills (card readers go down with the power)
Paper map of your area
Whistle to signal for help
Multi-tool, and a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities (know where your shut-offs are)
Fire extinguisher, and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Make it fit your household

Kids: a comfort item, a deck of cards or a book, and a recent photo of each child in case you get separated.
Pets: food, water, a leash or carrier, vet records and a photo.
Older adults: a written medication list, mobility aids, hearing-aid batteries and spare chargers.
Ice storms (Nov–Feb in Oklahoma): lean on warmth and light, and read our winter power outage guide for carbon monoxide safety.
Tornado season (Mar–Jun): keep sturdy shoes, a flashlight and a whistle where you'll shelter, and know which room that is before the sirens.

Home kit, car kit or go-bag?

	What it's for	What goes in it
Home kit	Staying put through an outage or storm	The full checklist above, including the bulk water
Car kit	Getting stuck or breaking down	Light, warmth, water, snacks, jumper cables, first aid. See the winter car kit checklist
Go-bag	Leaving home fast (flood, fire, evacuation)	What you can carry: a radio, light, some water and food, documents, medicine, a change of clothes

Keep it ready

Every 6 months: check dates on food, water and medicine; test lights and radios; recharge batteries
Replace water you bottled yourself every 6 months; keep store-bought water until its date
Update clothing sizes, medicines and phone numbers
Practice once: flip the main breaker off for an evening and see what you reach for

Get the printable version

Our free 72-Hour Kit Checklist + Winter Outage Plan has check boxes, a water and food calculator for your household, a fridge-door outage plan and a winter car-kit list. Print it, put it on the fridge and work through it. You can also print this page:

Or start with one of ours

If you'd rather have part of it packed for you, here's what our kits cover and what they don't.

72-Hour Go-Bag for Two

$199.95

Weather radio, 2 food rations, 12 water pouches, 2 filter straws, light, warmth, tools and dry bags in one backpack.

See what's inside

Blackout & Storm Bundle

$99.95

Hand-crank solar weather radio, 2 USB-C headlamps, 4 emergency blankets and a fire starter.

See what's inside

Hand-Crank Solar Weather Radio

$49.95

Solar, crank or battery power. AM/FM plus weather band, USB phone top-up, flashlight and SOS alarm.

See what's inside

Straight talk about the Go-Bag: its two Datrex rations hold 7,200 calories. For two people over three days that's about 1,200 calories each per day: enough to keep going, not full meals. Its 12 water pouches hold 1.5 liters, and the filter straws need a fresh water source. So keep stored water and some pantry food at home too. The Go-Bag is what you carry if you have to leave.

Sources

Questions people ask

How much water do I need for a 72-hour kit?

Plan on 1 gallon per person per day, so 3 gallons per person for three days. A family of four needs 12 gallons. Add more for hot weather, pets, nursing mothers or anyone who is sick.

Can I just use store-bought bottled water?

Yes. Sealed, store-bought water is the simplest way to store it. Keep it in a cool, dark place, check the dates when you check your kit, and keep it away from gasoline, paint and cleaning products.

Do I need a radio if I have a smartphone?

It's worth having both. Keep your phone's emergency alerts turned on, but phones need charging and cell networks can be slow or down after a big storm. A radio you can power with batteries, a crank or the sun keeps working when the phone can't.

What's the difference between a 72-hour kit and a go-bag?

A 72-hour kit is everything your household needs to stay put for three days. A go-bag is the part of it you can carry out the door if you have to leave. Most families keep the bulk (water, food, blankets) at home and a lighter bag by the door.

How often should I check my kit?

Every six months. The daylight-saving time change in spring and fall is an easy reminder: check dates, test lights and radios, recharge batteries and update medicines and phone numbers.