72 Hour Home Emergency Survival Kits

Seventy-two hours. It's the number every emergency agency lands on, and there's a reason.

The first three days are when outside help is thinnest. Roads are closed, crews are triaging, and nobody is coming to your street yet. What you have at home is what you have.

These kits are built to that standard. Food, water, first aid, light, and shelter for three days, packed and ready to store.

Worth knowing: 72 hours is the floor, not the goal. It's the standard for evacuation. If your plan is to shelter at home, both FEMA and the Red Cross suggest working toward two weeks of water where you can store it.

Start here. Add your medications, your documents, and water on the shelf beside it.

72 Hour Emergency Survival Kit Collection

Find the right 72-hour kit

Choose based on who you're preparing for and the kind of emergency coverage you need.

FOR FAMILIES

Guardian Go Bag

2 or 4 person

Everything a household needs for three days - food, water, first aid, shelter, light. The one we'd hand a friend.

See Guardian → STARTER KIT

RapidShield

2 or 4 person

A strong 72-hour foundation with essential emergency supplies at a lower price.

See RapidShield → FOR KIDS

Junior ReadyPack

Child (ages 6-12)

A child-sized emergency kit designed for kids who can carry and manage their own supplies.

See Junior ReadyPack → CITY & APARTMENT

Urban Escape Gear

1 person

Low-profile, portable preparedness for city living, apartments and getting home on foot.

See Urban Escape Gear → HURRICANE READY

StormShield

2 or 4 person

Hurricane-focused coverage for outages, unsafe water, sheltering at home or evacuation.

See StormShield → ONE PERSON / HOME

SureStep

1 person

A lighter full emergency kit designed for one person sheltering at home.

See SureStep →

How to Choose the Right 72 Hour Emergency Kit

Why 72 hours?



After a major emergency, the first three days are when roads may be closed, stores are empty, power is out, and emergency services are stretched thinnest.

FEMA and the American Red Cross both recommend every household be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.

And the need isn't rare. NOAA counted 27 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the U.S. in 2024, second only to the record 28 the year before.



What does a complete 72-hour kit cover?



Seven categories, regardless of whose name is on the bag:

  • Food
  • Water
  • First aid
  • Light
  • Communication
  • Shelter and warmth
  • Hygiene

Every kit here is built on that foundation, with US Coast Guard-approved rations and water. No cooking, no rehydration, 5-year shelf life, packed into organized backpacks.

The differences come down to who the kit is for and where you live.


Which 72-hour kit fits?


Guardian Go Bag. Our most complete, sized for 2 or 4 people with the deepest water supply.
RapidShield. The same foundation at our most accessible price, and it adds safety goggles for every family member.
StormShield. Built for the days after a hurricane makes landfall, at home.
Urban Escape Gear. The full standard in a compact, carry-out-the-door form for apartments.
Junior ReadyPack. A kit a child carries themselves, sized for small shoulders, meant to pair with a family kit.


Is 72 hours enough?

It's the floor, not the goal.

Seventy-two hours is the standard for evacuation. If your plan is to shelter at home, both FEMA and the Red Cross suggest working toward two weeks of water where you have room to store it.

Start here. Then add to it.



A question worth sitting with


If an emergency kept you home tonight, or sent you out the door, how many of those seven categories could you cover from what's already in your closet?

Most families find the honest answer is one or two.

A packed kit closes that in a single decision. 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