Your three-day emergency kit for a UK home.

Think in needs, not in products.

The official Be Ready campaign uses three days of household supplies as a starting point. Your own list should cover food, drinking water, light, warmth, information and personal needs. Our packages are equipment shortlists; they do not supply everything on that list.

Try a paper exercise before choosing a kit. Imagine an ordinary evening with the lights, home internet and usual cooking arrangements unavailable. Write down the tasks that become awkward. Those tasks are a better buying brief than a long list of impressive-looking gadgets.

What goes in a three-day emergency kit?

Think in everyday tasks: drinking, eating, seeing in the dark, staying warm, receiving information and meeting personal needs. For each task, write down the supply, where it will be kept and who will use it. A kit is easier to maintain when the list explains the purpose of each item.

Use the campaign’s drinking-water baseline of 3 litres per person per day for three days as a starting calculation. That is 9 litres per person for drinking only. Cooking, hygiene, pets and additional individual needs require separate planning; our food-and-water guide includes a household calculator.

• Food and drinking water: familiar supplies, plus any household-specific needs.
• Light and information: a torch, suitable batteries or charging arrangements, and a way to receive trusted updates.
• Phone charging: a compatible power bank and cable, checked against the device.
• Personal needs: first aid, medicines, hygiene supplies, warm layers and baby or pet essentials.

Make three small lists.

Sort your notes into things already available, things to replace or check, and things missing. A working torch you already own can move straight into the first column. A cable with the wrong connector belongs in the second, even if there are several spare cables in the drawer.

Keep a fourth space for arrangements that cannot be bought: who knows where the supplies are, who could help a neighbour, and how you would contact someone if your phone could not connect.

• Available: useful supplies and equipment you can find and use.
• Check: condition, expiry labels, batteries, charging and compatibility.
• Missing: a short, prioritised list rather than a complete replacement shop.

Give everyday supplies their own space.

Put drinking water, familiar long-life food, hygiene products, warm clothing and household-specific supplies on your plan. Keep any arrangements for medicines or essential equipment with the people and providers responsible for them.

Think about access as well as storage. A container on a high shelf is not useful to everyone in the household. A bag that is easy for one person to carry may be unsuitable for another. Decide where items can be reached without relying on a single person.

Use a bundle as a starting point.

Minimum through Ultimate give different equipment selections and dated totals. Read each item, remove anything you already own and check quantities. A more expensive selection is not a substitute for a household plan.

Before following an Amazon link, check the listing variant, supplied accessories and current price. Compare the completed list with your original tasks: what practical gap does each purchase fill? If you cannot answer that question, leave the item for another day.

Make the plan easy to maintain.

Label a sensible storage place and agree who will check the list. Read the dates and care instructions on the items themselves. Our household checklist can help you organise the task, but it cannot inspect equipment or know when your circumstances change.

Revisit your arrangements when a person joins the household, a device is replaced or everyday routines change. The aim is an understandable, usable collection that fits your home.

Is a three-day kit the same as a 72-hour kit?

The two phrases refer to the same length of time. Neither is a certification that a bag will cover your household. Check the contents and quantities against your own plan rather than relying on a package name.

Our equipment packages can be edited before you shop. They do not include your drinking water, everyday food, prescribed medicines or every personal supply. Use the separate checklist to complete the whole plan and follow the official source for current guidance.