Federal guidance says the gear that actually matters for a real disaster is water, food, medicine, lighting, and sanitation — not armor, bunkers, or oversized knives.
A power outage, a flooded road, or a week without running water rarely arrives with a warning. The supplies that carry a household through those days are ordinary, cheap, and boring — which is exactly why the tactical armor and thousand-dollar bunkers get skipped. The list below separates what Ready.gov actually tells US households to store from the gear that looks impressive in a photo and does nothing in a crisis.
What Supplies Does A Real Emergency Kit Actually Need?
Ready.gov’s build-a-kit guidance centers on water, nonperishable food, medicines, first aid, lighting, communications, sanitation, and cash — enough for at least three days, and longer if you live somewhere remote or hard to reach.
Here is what belongs in the bin, with the numbers that matter:
- Water: at least 1 gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. That figure covers both, so storing only drinking water leaves you short.
- Bottled water: keep it sealed in its original container in a cool, dark place. Self-filled food-grade containers need replacing every six months.
- Food: several days of nonperishables, plus a manual can opener if you’re relying on cans.
- Medical: a first-aid kit, prescription medicines, extra eyeglasses, and supplies for infants, pets, or anyone with a disability.
- Light and power: flashlights, spare batteries, a phone charger or backup battery, and a hand-crank or battery radio that picks up NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts.
- Sanitation and shelter: moist towelettes, garbage bags, plastic ties, a dust mask, plastic sheeting, and duct tape.
- Navigation and shutoffs: a whistle, local paper maps, and a non-sparking wrench or pliers for gas and water shutoffs.
- Everything else: cash, waterproof matches, sleeping bags or warm blankets, soap, paper goods, and pet supplies.
Ready.gov also recommends building separate kits for home, work, and vehicle, with the work kit sized to shelter in place for at least 24 hours. Pack each in airtight plastic bags inside one or two easy-to-carry containers, and make sure everyone in the household knows where it lives. If you’d rather buy components than assemble them piece by piece, this tested zombie survival gear roundup matches real-world kits against the federal list.
How Do You Treat Water You’re Not Sure About?
Boiling is the simplest reliable method: bring water to a rolling boil for one full minute, then let it cool before drinking. Use treated water for drinking, food prep, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and making ice.
Let suspended particles settle first, then strain the water through a coffee filter or a clean cloth. The bleach method works too, but only with the right bottle. Ready.gov’s build-a-kit guidance requires regular unscented household bleach at 5.25%–6.0% sodium hypochlorite — never scented, color-safe, or cleaner-added bleach. Add 1/8 teaspoon per gallon, stir, and wait 30 minutes. If there’s no faint chlorine smell, repeat the dose and wait 15 more minutes; if the smell still doesn’t appear, throw the water out.
No method here proves a commercial filter removes every chemical, fuel, salt, or radioactive contaminant. Check a filter’s actual certification before trusting it with anything beyond cloudy water.
Which Survival Gear Is Mostly Hype?
Tactical clothing, armor, giant knives, gas masks, bunkers, and gadget multi-tools are low priority for most households. None of them replaces water, medicine, an evacuation plan, or basic training.
| Gear Category | What It Actually Delivers | Better Use Of The Money |
|---|---|---|
| Tactical armor and plate carriers | Protection only for a specific hazard, and only when properly certified | Adds heat, weight, and maintenance; spend on water storage instead |
| Oversized survival knives | Cuts things; solves nothing else | A can opener and a solid first-aid kit |
| Gas masks and tactical respirators | Nothing without hazard-specific cartridges, fit testing, and replacement schedules | Dust masks and plastic sheeting for shelter-in-place |
| Bunkers and extreme stockpiles | Relevant to narrow risks only | Evacuation routes, a communication plan, sanitation |
| Novelty survival cards and solar gadgets | Marketing claims, rarely tested specs | Flashlights, spare batteries, a NOAA weather radio |
| Unverified water purifiers | Unknown removal claims | Boiling, plus certified filtration you can document |
A dust mask or cotton shirt helps filter air, per Ready.gov, but neither is a fitted respirator. Weapons deserve a plain warning: they carry legal, storage, and escalation risks, and they don’t replace a single item on the supply list.
What Do People Get Wrong When Building A Kit?
The most common mistakes are storing only food, forgetting sanitation water, and assuming a phone will work. Each one leaves a real gap.
- Skip the phone assumption. Keep a radio, spare power, written contacts, maps, and cash.
- Don’t mix bleach with other cleaners, and don’t use formulas outside the specified concentration.
- Rotate everything: food, medicines, batteries, water. Heat, freezing, humidity, allergies, mobility needs, and pets all change what you store.
- Keep it accessible. A kit buried behind holiday decorations is a kit you won’t use.
The federal list adapts to any household — kids, older adults, people with disabilities, pets, and vehicles included. Adjust quantities to your climate, medical needs, and how far you are from help.
Common Questions
How much water should one person store?
At least one gallon per person per day, and that gallon covers both drinking and sanitation. A three-day minimum is the federal baseline, but households in remote areas, hot climates, or regions with unreliable water systems should store more — often a full two weeks.
Does a water filter replace boiling?
Not automatically. Boiling for one full minute kills pathogens reliably, while a filter’s performance depends on its certification and the specific contaminants it claims to remove. Check the documentation before relying on a filter for chemical, fuel, or salt contamination.
Is a gas mask worth buying?
Rarely for a household kit. A respirator only works when it’s fitted, matched to a specific hazard, and outfitted with the correct cartridges on a replacement schedule. Ready.gov treats a dust mask and plastic sheeting as basic shelter-in-place supplies, not respiratory protection.
Sources
- Ready.gov. “Build a Kit” Source for water quantities, kit contents, water treatment, and storage guidance.
- Ready.gov. “Emergency Supply Kit Checklist” Printable checklist supporting the core supply list.
- Ready.gov. “Supply Kit Checklist” Updated checklist reflecting current kit recommendations.