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Checklist · mapped to prepare.campaign.gov.uk

72-hour emergency kit for UK homes

The UK government's Prepare website lists what to keep at home for an emergency lasting a few days: a power cut, a water outage, or being told to stay in. Here is that list, item by item, with one product for each that we checked on Amazon.co.uk, how much you need for 72 hours, and a grab bag for when you have to leave.

the kit covers three days at home
72h
drinking water per person per day (WHO)
2.5–3L
kit and grab-bag lines, item by item
16

Products checked by their Amazon.co.uk page title on 11 October 2026. No prices: they change daily.

AdLinks marked Ad go to Amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you; it never decides what we list. We show no prices: the store shows the current one.

Start here: light

If you buy one thing today, make it a torch: it's first on the Prepare list, and Prepare says torches are safer than candles. A rechargeable head torch leaves your hands free.

Rechargeable head torch on Amazon.co.ukAd

Opens Amazon.co.uk in a new tab. It shows the price and stock.

The home kit, line by line

Left: what Prepare suggests, in our words. Right: our pick and why. Lines marked "Our addition" aren't on the government list; we say so wherever we go beyond it.

  • Prepare list

    A battery or wind-up torch. Prepare says torches are safer than candles.

    One per person who might be moving around the house, plus a lantern for the room you'll stay in.

    • Rechargeable head torch

      Leaves both hands free; charge it from the power bank. Keep a battery torch as well for when it runs flat.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Blukar Head Torch Rechargeable, 2000L LED Headlamp

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Rechargeable head torchAd

    • Battery LED lanterns (2-pack)

      Light a whole room on AA batteries without the fire risk of candles.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Lepro Camping Lights, Collapsible Camping Lantern Battery Powered, 2-Pack

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Battery LED lanterns (2-pack)Ad

  • Prepare list

    A portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.

    20,000 mAh covers several phone charges. Keep it charged: set a reminder to top it up every few months.

    • Power bank, 20,000 mAh

      Several phone charges with a built-in USB-C cable; Prepare lists a power bank for your mobile.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Anker Zolo Power Bank, 20,000mAh 30W Portable Charger with Built-in USB-C

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Power bank, 20,000 mAhAd

  • Prepare list

    A battery or wind-up radio for updates during a power cut (a car radio works, but in severe weather it may be safer to stay in).

    Write the frequencies of your local and national stations on paper and keep them with the radio, as Prepare suggests.

    • Wind-up and solar radio with torch

      AM/FM news with no batteries or mains, plus a torch and a USB output, per its listing.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Mesqool Wind Up Radio Solar Powered, 5000mAh Emergency Hand Crank AM FM Radio with Flashlight

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Wind-up and solar radio with torchAd

  • Prepare list

    Spare batteries for torches and radio, and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.

    Match the sizes to your torches and radio. For medical equipment, ask your provider for the approved backup.

    • AA batteries (20-pack)

      Spares for the lanterns and radio; listed with a 10-year shelf life.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Amazon Basics 20-Pack AA Alkaline High-Performance Batteries, 10-Year Shelf Life

      View on Amazon.co.uk: AA batteries (20-pack)Ad

  • Prepare list

    A first aid kit, including waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape and tweezers.

    Check a ready-made kit against that list and add what's missing (often the thermometer and eyewash).

  • Prepare list

    Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene when the water is off.

    A bulk pack of wipes plus a bottle of sanitiser per bathroom.

    • Wet wipes (bulk pack)

      Hygiene when the water is off; add hand sanitiser from the supermarket.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: by Amazon Ultra Sensitive Baby Wipes, 99% Water, 1080 Wipes

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Wet wipes (bulk pack)Ad

  • Prepare list

    Bottled water. There is no standard figure, but Prepare quotes the World Health Organisation's minimum of 2.5–3 litres of drinking water per person per day, and 10 litres a day to cover basic cooking and hygiene too.

    For 72 hours: at least 9 litres per person to drink (3 × 3 L), up to 30 litres for comfort. Two 10-litre containers cover drinking water for two people.

  • Our addition

    Not on the Prepare list.

    Tablets are a backup for when stored water runs out. Follow the dose and wait time on the pack.

  • Prepare list

    Non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables, and a tin opener. Don't forget food for pets.

    Three days of tins your household actually eats, rotated into the cupboard before they expire. Ration biscuits are optional.

    • Manual tin opener

      Prepare names it alongside the tinned food. A cheap one in the kit beats hunting for the kitchen one in the dark.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Amazon Basics Manual Can Opener, Soft Grip Handle

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Manual tin openerAd

    • Emergency food biscuits (tin of 20)

      Our addition: long-life, no cooking, no tin opener. Tinned food from your cupboard does the same job.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Original Flavour Emergency Food, High Energy Biscuits, 20 Pack Tin

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Emergency food biscuits (tin of 20)Ad

  • Prepare list

    Baby supplies such as nappies and formula. Ready-to-feed formula is best, as you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles.

    Buy these where you normally do; nothing here to add from Amazon.

    Nothing to buy online for this one.

  • Prepare list

    Enough of the medication you need to keep you going for several days, and a paper copy of the instructions for any medical device.

    A weekly organiser keeps several days ready; ask your GP or pharmacist about holding a small buffer.

  • Our addition

    Not on the Prepare kit list. The Food Standards Agency says electric and induction cookers won't work in a power cut, and that camping stoves, barbecues or bottled gas stoves can heat food, most of them outdoors only.

    Only if you have somewhere safe to use it outside. Never in a tent or closed room: the NHS warns camping stoves and barbecues indoors can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

    • Butane camping stove

      For hot food and drinks when electric hobs are off. Outdoors only unless its manual says otherwise.

      On Amazon.co.uk as: Green Haven Portable Camping Stove, 4 Butane Gas, Carry Case

      View on Amazon.co.uk: Butane camping stoveAd

How much water for 72 hours

Prepare says there's no standard figure, because emergencies vary, and quotes the World Health Organisation: a minimum of 2.5–3 litres of drinking water per person per day, and 10 litres a day to also cover basic cooking and hygiene. Baby formula, medical devices and pets can need extra.

Water for three days by household size
HouseholdDrinking (3 L/day)Comfortable (10 L/day)
1 person9 L30 L
2 people18 L60 L
3 people27 L90 L
4 people36 L120 L

Bottled water from the supermarket counts. Refillable containers are cheaper over time: two 10-litre jerry cans hold three days of drinking water for two people.

The grab bag

Prepare suggests keeping what you'd need if asked to leave quickly in a spare bag, the "grab bag", and keeping your household emergency plan with your important documents. If you're escaping a fire, take nothing at all.

  • Prepare list

    Important documents (Prepare suggests keeping the household emergency plan with passports, birth certificates and insurance papers so they're quick to gather).

    Copies, not originals, in a waterproof bag; add a list of phone numbers and your medication on paper.

  • Prepare list

    A torch and a way to charge your phone, from the home kit.

    Keep the head torch and power bank in the bag so the bag is always ready.

    Nothing to buy online for this one.

  • Our addition

    Not on the Prepare list.

    A whistle and foil blankets weigh almost nothing.

  • Prepare list

    Prepare's advice for disabled people and carers: your regular medication (in a waterproof container if you can) and the instructions for any medical device you rely on.

    Glasses, chargers, some cash, a change of clothes. If there's a fire, Prepare is clear: leave and take nothing.

    Nothing to buy online for this one.

The parts you can't buy

  • Write down 105 (the power cut number in England, Scotland and Wales; 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland), the numbers you'd need and your local radio frequencies, on paper, and keep them with the kit.
  • Fill in the government's printable household emergency plan and keep it with your documents.
  • Check whether anyone at home is eligible for the Priority Services Register.
  • Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water.
  • Swap numbers with neighbours and plan to check on anyone who might need help, especially in a power cut.
Building it up over time

Prepare's own suggestion is not to buy everything at once but to add to the kit when you can. A sensible order: torch and batteries, power bank, water, radio, then food and first aid. Rotate tins into your cupboard before they expire, and recharge the power bank and head torch every few months.

Want the fridge-freezer and router to keep going too? That's a job for a portable power station, not a power bank.

Questions

What does the UK government say to put in an emergency kit?

Its Prepare website suggests a battery or wind-up torch, a power bank, a battery or wind-up radio, spare batteries, a first aid kit, hand sanitiser and wet wipes, bottled water, non-perishable food that needs no cooking with a tin opener, baby supplies if needed, and enough medication for several days.

How much water should I store for 72 hours?

Prepare quotes the World Health Organisation's minimum of 2.5–3 litres of drinking water per person per day, and 10 litres to also cover basic cooking and hygiene. For three days that is at least 9 litres per person to drink, and up to 30 litres for comfort.

What is a grab bag?

A bag packed in advance with what you'd need if asked to leave home quickly: copies of documents, medication, a torch, a phone charger, some cash. Prepare suggests keeping these items in a spare bag. If you're escaping a fire, take nothing.

Do I have to buy everything at once?

No. Prepare suggests adding to your kit when you can and building it up over time. Start with a torch, a power bank and water.

Where should I keep my emergency kit?

In one place that's easy to find in the dark, as Prepare advises, with your written list of phone numbers and radio frequencies.

Keep going

16 products, each matched by its Amazon.co.uk page title; we never guess a listing.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these pages, read on the date shown. If a maker changes its page, its page wins.

See all 6 sources