Emergency Kit Checklist: What to Pack (and Skip)

An emergency kit isn't a bunker or a tactical loadout. It's just a box — one you build once, store, and forget until you need it. This guide is the calm, practical version: exactly what to pack, what to skip, and how to keep it ready, based on FEMA's Ready.gov and American Red Cross lists.

No fear-marketing, no "survival" upsells. Just the things that genuinely help your household get through a storm, blackout, or evacuation without scrambling.

The quick version

- Build one home kit plus a smaller grab-and-go bag (and a basic car kit).

- Core items: water, food, radio, flashlight, first-aid, batteries, chargers, copies of documents, cash.

- Skip the marketing traps: tactical gear, gas masks, pricey freeze-dried "buckets."

- Store it in one easy-to-carry container and check it twice a year.

1. The core kit — the essentials

This is the FEMA Ready.gov baseline — the items that cover most situations (Ready.gov — Build A Kit):

• Water — one gallon (≈4 L) per person per day, several days' worth
• Food — several days of non-perishable food you'd actually eat
• Battery or hand-crank radio (a NOAA weather radio in the US)
• Flashlight (and a head-torch)
• First-aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle (to signal for help)
• Dust mask (for contaminated air)
• Plastic sheeting + duct tape (to shelter in place)
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, plastic ties (sanitation)
• Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
• Manual can opener
• Local maps (paper — phones die)
• Phone with chargers + a backup battery

That's the whole foundation. Most of it costs little and you may already own half.

2. Build two kits (plus a car kit)

Ready.gov recommends keeping more than one kit:

• Home kit — the full list above, for sheltering in place.
• Grab-and-go bag — a smaller, lighter version by the door, in case you have to leave fast (this is the "go-bag" or "72-hour kit" people search for: enough to cover the first three days away from home).
• Car kit — water, a blanket, a torch, a phone charger, and basic first-aid. Outages and storms often catch us on the road.

3. Personal and household extras

The core list is generic — make it yours:

• Medications — a few days' supply of anything essential, plus a copy of prescriptions.
• Important documents — copies of ID, insurance, and medical info in a waterproof bag (or saved securely online).
• Cash — small bills; card machines and ATMs go down with the power.
• Children — formula, nappies, comfort items, a small game.
• Seniors or anyone with medical needs — mobility aids, spare glasses, device backups.
• Pets — food, water, a carrier, and any medication.

Not sure what your specific household needs? The free Resilience Score takes about three minutes and builds a personalised picture of your gaps — including your kit. → Take the Resilience Score

4. What you can safely skip

A big part of a calm kit is *not* buying the wrong things. For ordinary households facing storms and outages, you almost never need:

• Tactical or military-style gear — it's marketing, not readiness.
• Gas masks — irrelevant to the situations you'll actually face.
• Expensive freeze-dried "survival buckets" — overpriced, and you won't enjoy the food. Ordinary tinned and dried food does the job for a fraction of the cost.

Spending less on the right things beats spending more on the dramatic ones. (See our guide to a low-cost approach for more.)

5. Store it — and keep it ready

• Pack items in airtight plastic bags, and put the whole kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers (a plastic bin or a duffel bag).
• Store it somewhere cool, dry, and easy to reach — not buried in the back of a loft.
• Check it twice a year (tie it to the clocks changing): rotate water and food, test the torch and radio, refresh batteries and medications.

A kit you built once and never check is only half a kit. Ten minutes, twice a year, keeps it real.

Your printable emergency kit checklist

• [ ] Water — 1 gal / 4 L per person per day
• [ ] Non-perishable food + manual can opener
• [ ] Battery / hand-crank radio
• [ ] Flashlight + head-torch + extra batteries
• [ ] First-aid kit
• [ ] Phone chargers + backup battery
• [ ] Whistle, dust mask
• [ ] Plastic sheeting + duct tape
• [ ] Sanitation: towelettes, bags, ties
• [ ] Wrench/pliers, local paper map
• [ ] Medications + copies of documents + cash
• [ ] Extras for children, seniors, pets
• [ ] Grab-and-go bag + car kit
• [ ] Stored in one container · checked twice a year

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a basic emergency kit?

Water, non-perishable food, a radio, flashlight, first-aid kit, extra batteries, phone chargers, copies of documents, cash, and sanitation items — the FEMA Ready.gov baseline.

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

They're the same idea: a smaller, portable kit (often a backpack) holding roughly three days of essentials, ready to grab if you have to leave home quickly.

How much does an emergency kit cost?

Less than the marketing suggests. Most of it is everyday items you may already own; you can build a solid kit gradually rather than all at once.

Where should I store my emergency kit?

Somewhere cool, dry, and easy to reach — and keep a grab-and-go version near the door and a basic kit in the car.

Your kit is one piece — pair it with a power-outage plan, a family emergency plan, and a proper water supply. To see exactly where your household stands in three minutes, take the free Resilience Score.

Sources

• Ready.gov — Build A Kit · Ready.gov — Low and No Cost Preparedness
• American Red Cross — survival kit / emergency-preparedness guidance