72-Hour Emergency Food Supply: How Much to Store and What to Buy
Ready.gov/FEMA recommends at least 3 days of food and water, and the European Commission at least 72 hours. Plan about 2,000 kcal per adult per day and 3 to 4 liters of water per person per day. Mix no-cook ration bars with freeze-dried meals, and use our calculator to size it for your household.
On this page (7)
Store at least 3 days of food and water for everyone in your home. That is the Ready.gov/FEMA recommendation in the US, and the European Commission asks EU citizens to be ready for at least 72 hours. This guide shows how much to store, what to buy and how to keep it ready, with a calculator for your household.
How much food do I need for 72 hours?
About 6,000 kcal per adult: 3 days × 2,000 kcal, as a general reference. Needs vary with age, size and activity, so adjust up for physical work and cold weather.
| Household | Calories for 3 days | Water for 3 days (3 to 4 l a day) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 adult | 6,000 kcal | 9 to 12 l (2.4 to 3.2 gal) |
| 2 adults | 12,000 kcal | 18 to 24 l (4.8 to 6.3 gal) |
| 4 adults | 24,000 kcal | 36 to 48 l (9.5 to 12.7 gal) |
The water figures cover drinking and rehydrating food, as a rough guide. Freeze-dried and dehydrated meals take their water from the same supply you drink from.
How do I calculate it for my household?
Enter people, days and calories, and the calculator converts the total into pouches, ration bars and water. It defaults to 2 people, 3 days and 2,000 kcal.
Total energy: 0 kcal
That is 0 freeze-dried pouches or 0 2,400 kcal rations
Water (drinking and rehydrating): 0 liters
A guide only: 2,000 kcal/day is a general reference for an adult; adjust for age and activity. FEMA and the European Commission recommend supplies for at least 72 hours.
How to read the result:
- Total energy is what your supply must provide. Check it against the calories on the labels, not the number of servings.
- Pouches assumes a set number of kcal per freeze-dried pouch. Change it to match the meals you buy; the Beyond Chicken Alfredo lists 710 kcal.
- 2,400 kcal rations matches bars like the Mayday 2400.
- Water is the total for drinking and rehydrating. Store it, or plan how you will get it.
You can also use the calculator on its own page: emergency food calculator.
What food works best in a 72-hour kit?
Food that needs no cooking, or only water, and keeps for years. In an outage you may have no power, no gas and little clean water.
| Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Ration bars | No water, no cooking, dense calories | Monotonous; not a real meal |
| Freeze-dried meals | Real meals, quick, light | Need water, ideally hot |
| Dehydrated buckets | Big supply in one container | Usually need cooking |
| Canned food from your pantry | Already at home, ready to eat | Heavy; shorter life; needs an opener |
A mix works best: bars for the first hours or for a go-bag, freeze-dried meals for proper meals, and your normal pantry as the base.
Think about morale too. Three days of the same bar is hard going, especially for children. A couple of familiar meals and snacks make an outage easier, and they are easy to rotate into normal meals before they expire.
Which products fit a 72-hour kit?
Ration bars for no-water calories, a freeze-dried meal for real dinners and a 72-hour bucket if you want it done in one purchase. Here are the options in our US catalog, with the math.
Mayday 2400 Calorie Emergency Food Bar (12-pack)
28,800 kcal · 10 years
6/10 · DryFoodLab scoreManufacturer photo of one 2,400-calorie vegan bar (SKU 73552). The linked listing is a case of 12 (SKU 73561); its outer carton is not shown.
One adult for 3 days needs 6,000 ÷ 2,400 = 2.5 bars, so 3 bars. A case of 12 covers 28,800 kcal, enough for 4 adults for 3 days (24,000 kcal) with some to spare.
Pros
- 2,400 kcal per bar; 12 bars = 28,800 kcal
- No cooking, water or preparation required, per the listing
- Vegan; 10-year shelf life claim
Cons
- Bar weight not published
- Not a varied diet
- Best for
- Go-bags, cars and the first hours of an outage
- Skip it if
- Your only food for longer outages
Specifications
| Units | 12 |
|---|---|
| kcal per unit | 2,400 |
| Total kcal | 28,800 |
| Shelf life (years) | 10 |
| No cooking | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
S.O.S. Rations 3600 Calorie Emergency Food Bar
3,600 kcal · 5 years
5/10 · DryFoodLab scoreThe S.O.S. package is sold for 72 hours, but its 3,600 kcal gives 1,200 kcal a day. Treat it as a survival minimum or pair it with other food. According to the listing, it is approved by the US Coast Guard.
Pros
- Sold as a 3-day, 72-hour package
- 3,600 kcal in one pack
- 5-year shelf life claim
Cons
- 3,600 ÷ 3 = 1,200 kcal a day, well below the 2,000 reference
- Weight per bar not published
- Best for
- A car or workplace kit
- Skip it if
- Full daily calories
Specifications
| Units | 1 |
|---|---|
| kcal per unit | 3,600 |
| Total kcal | 3,600 |
| Shelf life (years) | 5 |
Three pouches give 3 × 710 = 2,130 kcal, about a third of one adult’s 3-day need. Pair them with ration bars and pantry food for the rest.
Pros
- 710 kcal and 39 g of protein per pouch
- Ready in 10 minutes with water
- 10-year shelf life claim
Cons
- Needs water; amount not on the listing
- Single-pouch listing with no usable weight
- Best for
- Hot dinners during an outage
- Skip it if
- No-water situations
Specifications
| Format | Pouch |
|---|---|
| Units | 1 |
| kcal per pouch | 710 |
| Protein (g) | 39 |
| Prep (min) | 10 |
| Shelf life (years) | 10 |
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Freeze-dried | Yes |
Augason Farms 72-Hour 4-Person Emergency Food Supply
25 years
6/10 · DryFoodLab scoreThis bucket is built around the 3-day minimum. It is not freeze-dried, so store a way to cook and extra water with it.
Pros
- Sized by its name for 4 adults for 3 days
- 25-year shelf life claim
- Listed at 5,897 g (13 lb)
Cons
- Dehydrated, not freeze-dried: meals are cooked
- No calories in our data
- Best for
- Families who want the 72 hours covered in one purchase
- Skip it if
- Households without a way to cook
Specifications
| Format | Bucket / kit |
|---|---|
| Units | 1 |
| Weight per pouch (g) | 5,897 |
| Shelf life (years) | 25 |
| Freeze-dried | No |
Need more than 72 hours? The 4Patriots 4-Week + 72-Hour bundle adds a month-long dehydrated kit to a 72-hour one. See all buckets in emergency food kits.
How do I build a 72-hour kit step by step?
Size it, pick the food, add water and tools, then store and rotate.
- Count people and days. Start with 3 days; add pets separately.
- Set calories. 2,000 kcal per adult per day as a reference, adjusted for your household.
- Choose a mix. For example, for 2 adults: 4 Mayday bars (9,600 kcal) plus 4 freeze-dried pouches like the Beyond Alfredo (2,840 kcal) = 12,440 kcal, just over the 12,000 kcal target.
- Store water. 18 to 24 liters for 2 adults over 3 days, plus extra for freeze-dried meals if you rely on many of them.
- Add tools. A manual can opener, spoons, a pot and a way to heat water if you can store one safely.
- Label and store. Cool, dry and dark, with the purchase date on everything.
- Rotate. Check once a year and replace food nearing its date.
What mistakes should I avoid?
The biggest mistake is counting servings instead of calories. Here are five more to watch for:
- Trusting the kit name. A “72-hour” label does not guarantee 2,000 kcal a day. The S.O.S. Rations 3600 pack gives 1,200 kcal a day; check every label.
- Buying food that needs a stove you do not have. Dehydrated buckets like Augason Farms and 4Patriots are usually cooked. If you have no safe way to heat water, favor ration bars and no-cook pantry food.
- Forgetting the water for rehydration. Freeze-dried meals need water from the same supply you drink.
- Storing the kit in a hot car or attic. Heat shortens shelf life. If a kit must live in a car, check it more often.
- Ignoring special diets. Babies, older relatives, pets and anyone with allergies need their own food in the kit. Read ingredient labels before you buy.
Once your 72 hours are covered, you can grow the supply toward a week or more with long-life kits. Compare the options in the best freeze-dried food.
How long will my 72-hour kit last on the shelf?
As long as its shortest-lived item. In this guide, that ranges from 5 years for the S.O.S. Rations 3600 to 25 years for the Augason Farms 72-Hour bucket, per their listings. Heat swings in cars and garages shorten any claim. Read how long freeze-dried food lasts for storage tips, and see food with a 25-year shelf life if you want to buy once and check rarely.
Frequently asked questions
How much food do I need for 72 hours?
As a general reference, about 2,000 kcal per adult per day, so 6,000 kcal per adult for 3 days. Adjust for age and activity; the calculator on this page does the math.
How much water do I need for a 72-hour kit?
Plan roughly 3 to 4 liters per person per day for drinking and rehydrating food. For one adult over 3 days, that is 9 to 12 liters (about 2.4 to 3.2 gallons).
What is the best food for a 72-hour kit?
Food that needs no cooking or only water. Ration bars like the Mayday 2400 need no water at all; freeze-dried meals need water but are quick to prepare.
Is a 3,600-calorie ration pack enough for 72 hours?
The S.O.S. Rations 3600 package is sold as a 3-day pack, which works out to 1,200 kcal a day. That is well below the 2,000 kcal general reference, so treat it as a survival minimum.
Does FEMA recommend 72 hours or more?
Ready.gov/FEMA recommends at least 3 days of food and water. The European Commission recommends at least 72 hours. You can build beyond that once the basics are covered.