Is a pre-made kit good enough?

As a starting point, yes, but they are typically light on water, contain generic food and lack anything specific to your household. Treat a bought kit as a base to add to rather than a finished solution, and open it to confirm what is actually inside.

How many days should a kit cover?

Three days is the published minimum for a basic kit, with many agencies now recommending two weeks of supplies at home. A grab-and-go bag is usually built for three days; the two-week target applies to sheltering in place rather than to what you carry.

Do you need a separate kit for the car?

A smaller one is worth having, since being away from home during a disruption is common. Prioritise water, a torch, a blanket, basic first aid, a charger and any medication. Heat cycling in a car degrades supplies faster, so check it more often.

What about a radio when everyone has a phone?

Phones depend on cellular networks and power, both of which fail in exactly the situations a kit is for. A battery or hand-crank radio receives emergency broadcasts independently of any network, which is why it remains on official lists despite seeming outdated.

Outlast Blog

What Should Be in an Emergency Kit?

Updated July 22, 2026 · 6 min read · The Outlast Team

TL;DR. Ready.gov’s basic kit is water, non-perishable food, a battery or hand-crank radio, torch, first aid kit, extra batteries, whistle, dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape, sanitation supplies, a wrench to turn off utilities, a manual can opener, local maps and a charged power bank.

The official list is short, specific and mostly ignored in favour of buying a pre-made bag. Building it yourself has one substantial advantage: you know what is in it, where it is and whether the batteries work, none of which is true of a sealed kit bought three years ago.

What does the official basic kit contain?

Water at one gallon per person per day for several days, a several-day food supply of non-perishable items, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a torch, a first aid kit, spare batteries, a whistle to signal for help, a dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape, moist towelettes and refuse bags for sanitation.

Add a wrench or pliers for turning off utilities, a manual can opener, local paper maps and a portable charger for your phone. That final item has become one of the most important on the list and is absent from many older published versions.

What do people most often forget?

Cash in small denominations, since card systems fail without power or connectivity. Prescription medication and copies of prescriptions. Spare glasses. Paper copies of insurance documents and identification. Anything specific to infants, elderly household members or pets.

The manual can opener deserves its own mention because it is genuinely funny until it is not. Households with a fortnight of tinned food and no way to open it are common enough that the item appears explicitly on the official checklist.

Outlast app showing an offline emergency kit checklist with household-specific additions — Checklists are only useful if they work without a connection, which is when you need them.

How should the kit be stored?

In one or two easily carried containers, kept somewhere every adult in the household can find in the dark. Store it away from heat and damp. Keep a smaller version in the car and a minimal one at work, since emergencies do not wait until everyone is home.

Accessibility beats completeness. A well-stocked kit in a loft behind Christmas decorations is worse than a modest one by the front door, because the scenario where you need it is frequently the scenario where you have two minutes to leave.

Want the checklists on your phone without a signal? Outlast keeps every list and procedure offline.

How often should you check it?

Twice a year is a common recommendation, tied to clock changes so it is easy to remember. Check food and water dates, test the torch and radio, replace batteries, and update documents and medication. Also revisit whether the contents still match your household.

That last point is the one most missed. Kits assembled when children were toddlers still contain nappies years later, while the medication a family member started taking last year is absent. A kit describes the household that built it, not the one that owns it now.

Key takeaways

The official basic kit is a short, specific list rather than a general suggestion.
A manual can opener and a hand-crank radio are both on it and both commonly missing.
Add cash, medication, spare glasses and paper copies of key documents.
Store it where anyone can find it in the dark, not where it is most out of the way.
Review twice a year, and check the contents still match your current household.

Frequently asked questions

Is a pre-made kit good enough?: As a starting point, yes, but they are typically light on water, contain generic food and lack anything specific to your household. Treat a bought kit as a base to add to rather than a finished solution, and open it to confirm what is actually inside.
How many days should a kit cover?: Three days is the published minimum for a basic kit, with many agencies now recommending two weeks of supplies at home. A grab-and-go bag is usually built for three days; the two-week target applies to sheltering in place rather than to what you carry.
Do you need a separate kit for the car?: A smaller one is worth having, since being away from home during a disruption is common. Prioritise water, a torch, a blanket, basic first aid, a charger and any medication. Heat cycling in a car degrades supplies faster, so check it more often.
What about a radio when everyone has a phone?: Phones depend on cellular networks and power, both of which fail in exactly the situations a kit is for. A battery or hand-crank radio receives emergency broadcasts independently of any network, which is why it remains on official lists despite seeming outdated.

The Outlast Team
Household Emergency Preparedness, BigBalli. We follow Ready.gov, FEMA, CDC and Red Cross guidance and keep it usable offline. General preparedness information, not emergency advice for a live incident.