72 Hour Home Emergency Survival Kits

Everything your household needs for the first 72 hours of any emergency - packed, ready, and built to last.

Seventy-two hours. That's the window emergency management experts consistently point to as the most critical period after a disaster strikes. The first three days are when outside help is most limited, when resources are most stretched, and when having the right supplies at home makes the biggest difference.

FEMA recommends every household maintain a minimum 72-hour emergency supply kit. These kits are designed to meet exactly that standard, and go beyond it.

72 Hour Emergency Survival Kit Collection

How to Choose the Right 72 Hour Emergency Kit

The 72-hour standard exists for a simple reason: after a major emergency, the first three days are when roads may be closed, stores may be empty, power may be out, and emergency services are stretched thinnest.

FEMA and the American Red Cross both recommend every household keep supplies to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours and that need isn't rare. NOAA counted 27 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the U.S. in 2024 alone, the second-highest number on record.

A complete 72 hour emergency kit covers the same foundation no matter whose name is on it: food and water for every person, first aid, light, communication, shelter and warmth, and hygiene. Every kit in this collection is built on that foundation with US Coast Guard-approved food rations and water, no cooking, no rehydration, 5-year shelf life, packed into organized, portable backpacks. The differences come down to who and where your kit is for.

For families, the Guardian Go Bag is our most complete option, sized for 2 or 4 people with the deepest water supply, while the RapidShield covers the same 72-hour foundation at our most accessible price and adds safety goggles for every family member. If hurricanes are your main risk, the StormShield is built for riding out the days after landfall at home. For apartments and city living, the Urban Escape Gear and StealthShield pack the full standard into compact, carry-out-the-door form. And the Junior ReadyPack gives kids their own kit to carry sized for small shoulders and designed to pair with a family kit, because children who have a role in the plan feel calmer in the moment.

So here's a question worth sitting with: if an emergency kept you home, or sent you out the door, tonight, how many of those seven categories could you cover from what's already in your closet? Most families discover the honest answer is one or two. A packed kit closes that gap in a single decision, and every kit here leaves room for the personal layer only you can add: medications, copies of documents, and the small comforts your family would want.

Read Our 72-Hour Family Emergency Plan Guide