Checklist
The UK emergency kit checklist, and what it leaves out
The Government now asks every household to manage for three days on its own. Here is what that means in practice, how much of each item to keep, and the gaps in most official lists.
What the Government asks
The UK Government's preparedness campaign, now called Be Ready, asks households to be able to look after themselves for about three days in an emergency. The reasoning is practical: if most homes can cope for three days, emergency services can reach the people who cannot. The address gov.uk/prepare now redirects there.
Three days is also the planning horizon used across Europe, where governments ask citizens to be self-sufficient for 72 hours. It is a sensible minimum. It is not a maximum.
The three-day checklist
Most official guidance, in the UK and elsewhere, covers the same core items. This is that list, with the detail that makes each one work.
| Item | Why it matters | Get this right |
|---|---|---|
| Drinking water | The first thing that runs out, and the hardest to improvise | Sealed water for day one, plus a filter or tablets to treat more |
| Food that keeps | Shops empty fast when deliveries stop | Ready-to-eat or needs only hot water; 2,000 kcal per adult per day |
| Torch | Candles start house fires in power cuts | A head torch per person leaves both hands free |
| Radio | Official updates when mobile data and broadband fail | Wind-up or solar, so it never needs batteries |
| Batteries and a power bank | Phones are torch, map and contact list | A charged 20,000 mAh bank gives several phone charges |
| First aid kit | Minor injuries become serious when help is slow | A proper kit, not a box of plasters, and someone who can use it |
| Medicines | Pharmacies may be shut or empty | A week of regular prescriptions, plus pain relief and rehydration salts |
| Copies of documents | Insurance, ID and contacts when devices are dead | Paper copies in a fire-resistant, waterproof wallet |
| Cash | Card machines and cashpoints need power and networks | Small notes and coins, enough for three days |
| Warm clothing and blankets | Most British homes lose heat fast without power | Wool and down beat cotton; a blanket per person |
How much, for your household
Quantities are where most home-made kits fall short. For three days:
| Household | Drinking water (3 L/day) | Calories (2,000/day) | Head torches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 people | 18 litres | 12,000 kcal | 2 |
| 4 people | 36 litres | 24,000 kcal | 4 |
| 6 people | 54 litres | 36,000 kcal | 6 |
US emergency planners suggest closer to 3.8 litres per person per day once basic hygiene is included (see our water guide). Few homes keep 18 litres of drinking water, which is why a filter and purification tablets belong in every kit: they turn a bath, a water butt or a stream into drinking water.
Ten things most lists leave out
- A way to cook. Shelf-stable food is easier with boiling water. A compact gas stove, used outdoors, boils a litre in minutes.
- Water treatment. Stored water runs out; a filter and tablets mean you can make more.
- Warmth without heating. Most gas boilers need electricity. Plan for insulation and layers, never portable gas heaters indoors.
- Light for every person. One torch per household is a recipe for arguments in the dark.
- More power than a phone. A portable power station keeps a router, a fridge or medical equipment running.
- A carbon monoxide alarm. Power cuts are when people improvise with stoves and generators. A battery alarm is cheap insurance.
- Sanitation. If water stops, so do toilets. Waste bags with gelling powder and a bucket toilet solve an unglamorous problem.
- Period products. Easy to forget, hard to find when shops are shut.
- A paper map and plan. A printed map centred on home, meeting points and phone numbers that work without a signal.
- A bag to leave with. A home kit is not a grab bag. If you have to evacuate, the essentials need to be packed and by the door.
Keeping it ready
A kit bought in a hurry fails quietly in a cupboard: flat power banks, expired dressings, water past its date, a stove with no gas. Put a date on everything. Charge batteries every three months. Replace self-bottled water twice a year. Review the kit when your household changes: a new baby, an elderly parent, a pet.
Build it or buy it
You can build a sound three-day kit yourself for a few hundred pounds from an outdoor shop and a supermarket. If you have the time, do it: any kit is better than none.
People buy ours for three reasons. Every item is chosen, tested and sized to the household; it arrives packed so the first things you need are on top; and we keep it current, replacing anything before it expires. Our T+3 Go Bag is the three-day kit made properly.