Home Survival Kit List | 53 Essentials
A comprehensive home survival kit list with an accompanying guide and PDF checklist.
BY SEAN GOLD, UPDATED:
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Survival kits, also known as disaster kits, emergency kits, bug-in kits, or 72-hour kits, are meant to sustain people during emergencies and disasters. Basic tools, food, and water are all usually a part of these kits. The disaster survival kit is the cornerstone of any prepper’s contingency plan. It is an in-place kit designed to sustain survival for yourself and your family.
While we call it a kit, it is not necessarily stored all in one place, and we actually encourage spreading out your resources inside your home. In this guide, we go over the essential items, some additional gear we suggest, and situation-specific resources. Lastly, we share a checklist that’ll help keep you organized as you navigate your household’s preparedness.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Home Survival Kit Essentials
The survival kit essentials, with our recommended gear for each area. Outfitting yourself with most of these will give you the resources to tackle almost anything, including emergencies, disasters, and SHTF.
Food
A few days without food will cause you to feel the effects. A few weeks, and you will not be around anymore. Food storage is imperative for a survival kit because it is hard to obtain after a disaster. While hunters and anglers bring great skills to the table in this area, there may not always be time or opportunity to look for food. You want to start with a three-day supply (at the very least) and then work your way up from there. Food storage items we use and suggest:
- Back Stock Your Pantry: Stocking all the food in your pantry with longer shelf lives can be an easy way to chip away at food storage.
- Canned Foods: Some canned foods are better than others. (The best canned foods for survival kits)
- Freeze Dried Food Storage: Augason Farms 30-Day Premium Bucket (see why Augason Farms is the best-reviewed food storage company)
- Manual Can Opener – Swing-A-Way Crank Opener (you can see why this is the best-reviewed can opener here)
Beyond these basics, you’ll want to check out our full pantry stockpile plan to be fully prepared.
Water
You can only live a few days without water, and you should have a plan to store, filter, and purify it. Water is very heavy at 8.3 lbs per gallon. This poses a problem when creating mobile kits, like a car kit or bug-out bag. In-home survival kits don’t have this problem, so stocking up is one of the easiest ways to knock this element of the kit out. You want water for the entire family for three days. Ongoing water collection solutions are also a great way to tackle water storage, using rain collection barrels or your very own well. Check out our water storage guide to make all of the math easy.
- Back Stock Your Pantry: Buy extra bottled water to start your water storage plan.
- Emergency Water Storage: WaterBOB – Great for disasters, this thing instantly turns any bathtub into a disaster water reservoir.
- Water Filter: Waterdrop Gravity (See why this is our favorite filter) – This filter has the capacity and longevity to sustain a family with clean water for a few years.
- Water Purifier: Potable Aqua (See why this is our favorite tablet) – Iodine tablets for purifying water storage. For being so small and cheap, there is no reason to overlook these in a survival kit.
Fire
A traditional lighter works just fine for most in-place survival kits, as long as you have enough of them and a backup method.
- Lighter: BIC Classic – A bundle of Classic BICs lasts a long time and gets the job done effectively and on budget. (See why this is still our favorite budget lighter)
Shelter & Security
- Waterproof Tarp: Whiteduck Heavy Duty Tarp – Tarps are invaluable for patching holes in roofs and can also help collect water. (See why this is the best survival tarp)
- Survival Blanket: Arcturus Survival Blanket – Having extra household blankets is great for cold-weather areas as well. (See why this is the best survival blanket)
- Survival Bivy: Life Bivy Sleeping Bag – Camping sleeping bags are more comfortable, but a survival bivvy will always get the job done. (See why this is the best-reviewed bivy)
Safety and security supplies that are directly related to your home can be essential. For categorical reasons, tactical security items like firearms are listed alongside tools further below.
- Fire Extinguisher: First Alert Home1 – Keep extinguishers in the kitchen, garage, and any other room with the potential for fire. (See why this is the best basic fire extinguisher)
- Security Safe: SentrySafe Fireproof/Waterproof Safe – Fireproof is optimal, but at least go for a fireproof bag if you just stick with a regular security safe.
- Door Reinforcement Kit: Door Armor MAX – Shore up your entry points. (See why Door Armor is the best door reinforcement kit)
- Security Cameras: Blink Outdoor 4 – Creating your security network is easier than you think these days. Cameras are a great deterrent for an ‘opportunist’ thief, and you can easily set up WiFi, CCTV, or hybrid setups on your own. (See why Blink topped our prepper security camera review)
Nav/Tech/Comms
The main subcategories here are Communication, Navigation, Lighting, and Power Generation/Storage- as you may have guessed. These are all tied together in that they help you gather information in some way. Energy storage and power generation are a bit shoe-horned in here, but their importance is most closely related to lighting and communications.
Nav & Comms
- Emergency Radio/Light/Charger: NOAA CR1009 Radio (See why this is the best emergency radio) – The old battery-powered radio you keep in the drawer gets a much-needed upgrade with solar and crank power options.
Lighting
- Flashlight: GearLight Flashlight (Budget pick from our review on best emergency flashlights) – Stash a flashlight in every room that you spend time in, and have enough for all family members.
- Headlamp: ThruNite TH20 Pro (from our best survival headlamp review) – Hands-free lighting so you can get more done around your home.
- Tea Candles: Stonebriar Tea Candles (See why these are the best emergency candles) – Set as many of these up as you need whenever the lights go out. It doesn’t get much cheaper as far as light sources go.
Power Generation & Storage
- Batteries: Tenergy Premium Pro Rechargeable Batteries – Stocking up on standard batteries is smart, but rechargeables are clutch for emergencies and survival. (See why these are the best rechargeable batteries for disasters and survival)
- Spare Cell Phone Charger: Nothing in the modern era will make you panic like a dead cell phone during an emergency.
Medical & First Aid
A solid first aid kit should be a cornerstone piece of your preparedness.
- Basic First Aid Kit: 299-Piece First Aid Kit
- Prescription Medication: Don’t get caught without your meds! Stock these just as you would food, and for at least the same period.
Tools & Tactical
- Paracord: TOUGH-GRID Paracord (See why this is our preferred paracord)
- Duct Tape: Gorilla Tape 35 Yard Roll (See why this is the best duct tape for survival)
- Tool Collection: Whether you have an entire workshop or just a basic home repair toolbox, tools will come in handy during most disasters.
- Survival Knife: ESEE Izula Fixed Blade Knife (See why this is the best survival knife)
- Home Defense Shotgun: Winchester, Benelli, Remington, Mossberg- select one that you can practice with, take care of, and respect. A pump action makes for a good choice since the racking sound is a great deterrent.
- Ammunition: PSA Ammo Deals – Get ammo for your home defense weapons at huge discounts.
- Spare Keys: If you only have one set of keys, get some spares made immediately.
- Sewing Kit: Singer Survival Sew Kit – Repairing textiles and other gear can extend their useful life. (See why this is our favorite survival sewing kit)
Clothing & PPE
Having the clothes on hand to be able to respond to disaster events is important. It’s also necessary to be able to protect your airway and hands from some high-impact survival events.
- Work Gloves: Mechanix Wear Material4X M-Pact Gloves (See why these are our best-reviewed survival gloves)
- Wet Weather Clothes: Have clothes ready for extreme wet weather.
- Winter Clothes: Have appropriate winter clothes, which you can layer to keep warm.
- N95 Masks: 3M N95 Masks (now that there are no mask shortages, get the real thing)
- Nitrile Gloves: TitanFlex Nitrile Gloves – protect your hands from contamination with the most durable nitrile gloves we’ve reviewed.
Hygiene & Sanitation
Poor hygiene can be a surprising enemy when you and your family are in survival mode. Sickness and infection were the biggest killers in pre-modern times, and any long-term emergency situation would surely take us back to these conditions. Toilet paper is often a subject of ridicule when it comes to prepping, but seriously, who likes to run out of toilet paper?
- Feminine Supplies: You want a healthy supply of feminine hygiene supplies that is at least equivalent to your food storage levels.
- Bleach and Other Solvent Cleaners: Killing bacteria is the goal here, and these can get it done. Bleach can also double as a way to clean water and keep it potable.
- Toilet Paper: Cottonelle 60 Roll Case – get whatever brand you fancy, this one just happens to be our favorite (after much deliberation). Toilet paper can get rushed and stock out of the store quickly during disasters, although it is not usually relevant.
Documents & Personal Items
Documentation and your personal effects are often overlooked when planning for emergencies. Don’t skip over these essential items for your bug-in kit.
- Fireproof Bags: Fireproof/Waterproof Document Bag – Keep these inside your safe with your information inside for a quick grab-and-go solution.
- Bank Information: Records and account numbers are important to have to access your banked emergency fund.
- Birth Certificates: These are important enough to stash in the fireproof bag.
- Social Security Cards: Another identifying piece of information you don’t want to lose.
- Passports: If you have one, it is an important document.
- Medical History: Immunization records and medical documents can be important in certain situations.
- Emergency Plan: TruePrepper Emergency Plan – We’ve done all the hard work. Print the plan. Fill it out. Share with family. Practice.
- Survival PDFs: Download PDFs from our free survival PDF library.
- Survival Guide: SAS Survival Guide – Actual books are great too, if you have the space. (see why this is the best survival guide).
- Cash Stash: Stash some money in your bug out bag.
Other Survival Kits
Other kits that you have on hand are part of your emergency survival kit by default. Think of your emergency survival kit as a term that is an umbrella for all of your preparedness supplies. Bug out bags, a get home bag, and even your everyday carry loadout are all part of your general preparedness, and therefore part of your whole-home survival kit.
Suggested Items
We’ve covered the survival kit essentials, but as we said earlier, there isn’t a perfect survival kit. Your situation, specific resources, and possible threats vary from the next person’s. In this section, we list additions that are not essential but could be extremely helpful during a specific emergency.
- Generator: Durostar DS4000S – Generators are great for when the power goes out. 3000 running watts is a good amount to keep the essentials powered up. (see how this tested the best in our generator review)
- Generator Fuel: Depending on your generator choice, you’ll need plenty of fuel to keep it running (shoot for 3 days and grow your storage from there).
- Rain Collection Barrels: FCMP 50 Gallon Rain Barrel – Collected rain, though not immediately potable, is a versatile water supply in an emergency. (See why FCMP has the best rain barrel)
- Camp Stove: Gas One GS-3400P – A trusty camp stove will give you yet another option to quickly prepare meals. (see why this is the best survival stove)
- Grill and Stove Fuel: If you have a propane grill, get some spare propane. Camp stove? Get extra camp stove fuel.
- Handgun: The preferred handgun that you are trained on (see ours here). This can complement or be in place of other weapons.
- Baseball Bat: Cold Steel Brooklyn Smasher – a home defense bat is a great non-lethal option for close quarters.
- Sharpener: Spyderco Sharpmaker – Extend the life of your bladed tools. (see why this is the best sharpener)
- Gun Cleaning Kit: Universal Gun Cleaning Kit – take care of your weapons.
- Hurricane Lamp: Lamplight Oil Lamp (from our best oil lantern review) – Better than tea candles for extended and brighter light.
- Ferro Rod: Bayite 6″ Ferrocerium Rod (see why this is our favorite ferro rod)
- Magnifying Glass: Carson MagniFlip (see why this is our favorite magnifying glass)
- Portable Hard Drive: Load a portable hard drive with your favorite survival manuals and maps of the area.
- Ham Radio: Baofeng UV-5R – backup communication methods that don’t rely as heavily on infrastructure can definitely come in handy. See why this is the best ham radio for preppers and other options.
- Bug Spray: Repel 100 (see why this is the best DEET repellent)
- Hand Sanitizer: During a pandemic, this is an essential item for your kit, home, car- everywhere.
- Bucket Commode: Camco Toilet Bucket – an all-in-one solution for when the sewer system breaks. This bucket proved the best in our bucket toilet review.
- Portable Bidet: Brondell Travel Bidet – Save on TP and have a versatile solution with a travel bidet that topped our bidet review.
- Anti-diarrheal Tabs: Loperamide Hydrochloride – Diarrhea can become a real problem during emergencies, and it’s relatively cheap to stockpile the best anti-diarrheal tablets.
- Tree Saw: Bahco Laplander – cut away debris or make a wilderness shelter (see why this is the best survival saw)
- Garbage Bags: Hefty L&C Contractor Bags – you need a solution for your trash, so why not get the best from our trash bag review?
- Construction Adhesive: Gorilla Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive
- Zip Ties: Gardner Bender HD Zip Ties (See how these tested as the best survival zip ties)
Situation-Specific Supplies
Essentials and suggested additions have been covered, so this is the area where you will find everything else that could be useful for your survival kit. These extra supplies will help you in very specific situations, are less versatile, and may take up a lot of space. Even still, they could be the difference makers in an emergency, so it could pay off to consider adding these.
- Electrolyte Mix: Liquid IV Hydration Powder – Stress and hard work getting through a disaster can quickly dehydrate anyone. Combat this with an electrolyte mix.
- Bleach: Use for hygiene, sanitization, water treatment, and other sterilization uses.
- Coffee: The little routines in an emergency can help, especially if we have a developed dependency on them! The caffeine in coffee can be helpful if you need to stay awake for any reason.
- Rifle: Hunting rifles, assault rifles, and other long-barrel weapons can be versatile, intimidating, and useful for home security or extreme survival situations.
- Security System: We are fans of DIY security systems, incorporating improved door hardware, outdoor deterrents, and custom camera systems as the first line of home defense.
- Construction Supplies: Sheets of plywood, 2x4s, deck screws- the list goes on, but construction supplies can be useful in plenty of disaster and emergency situations. The downside is that they take up a large amount of space.
- Tinder/Fatwood: TinderQuik – start fires easier (check out the other best tinder and fatwood we tested)
- Firewood: Whether you stack it bark up or bark down, firewood can be handy to have, even if you don’t have a traditional indoor fireplace.
- Axe/Hatchet: Estwing Camper’s Axe – This will help you get firewood and get through walls, in extreme cases. (see why this is the best survival axe)
- Fishing Supplies: Best Glide Survival Fishing Kit – tackle and kit will help you stay prepared if you live relatively close to a body of water. (see why we like this survival fishing kit and other options)
- Meals, Ready to Eat (MRE): US Military MRE – Prepackaged meals with a chemical heater- great for any survival kit and proven by the military. (See why this is the preferred reseller in our best MRE review)
- Survival Seed Vault – Open Seed Vault 32 – renewable food at its finest if you have a green thumb. (see why this is the best survival seed vault)
- Snares: USGI Trip Wire – Trapping and snaring may require a license in your area. Please check locally to learn the rules and risks before you deploy snares. (See why this is our best-reviewed snare wire)
- Conibear Traps: Bridger Conibear Traps – Again, check locally for rules and risks before deploying a conibear. (See why Bridger is the best conibear trap).
- USB Drive: Verbatim ToughMAX – Load a USB drive with your favorite survival manuals, maps of the area, and more. (See why the ToughMAX is ideal for preppers and other options in our USB thumb drive review.
- Insurance Documents: With many regional disasters, it can be a race to file insurance. Being prepared with your documents can make sure you’re at the front of the line.
- Compass: Suunto A-10 Compass – navigate and plot your maps. (See why this is the best survival compass)
- Local Maps: Print copies of local maps. Here’s how you download them for free.
- Signal Flares: Orion Safety Flare Gun – Designed for marine emergencies, flare guns are versatile on land as well. (This is our upgrade pick from our emergency flare review)
- Whistle: SOL Slim Rescue Howler – Whistles make getting attention easy (see why this whistle is the best in a close race)
- CB Radio: Uniden PRO401HH – HAM and two-way radios get all the attention, but CB can be an alternative choice that doesn’t require a license.
- Walkie Talkies: Motorola T470 – Talk to members of your group up to 35 miles away with a solid two-way radio. (See why this is the best walkie-talkie we’ve reviewed)
- Water Main Shutoff Tool: Water Meter Curb Key – An important tool for very specific emergencies. Similar in importance to a sillcock key.
- Binoculars: Bushnell Waterproof/Fogproof 10X Binoculars
- Rope: There are plenty of other cordage options besides paracord.
- Bullion: Platinum, silver, gold – money that you can hold is still worthwhile even when the main currency crashes.
- Hidden Safe: Whether it’s a gun cabinet or a false soda can that you keep a USB in, diversion safes are great deterrents for theft and are usually unexpected.
- Iodide Tablets: iOSAT Potassium Iodide Tablets – Usually found in our specialized kit for those with radiation risk, this one makes sense in a general preparedness kit with its low cost and small package. Protect your thyroid from absorbing radiation during the most terrible emergencies. (See why iOSAT is our preferred iodine tablet)
- Shaving Supplies: Van Der Hagen Safety Razor – Straight razor vs safety razor vs disposables is a personal choice, but we like the versatility of the safety razor after reviewing survival shaving supplies.
- Sting Kit: Sting-Kill – Take the bite out of a sting quickly (See why this is the best sting remedy)
- Extra OTC Medication: Over-the-counter meds should be a part of your first aid kit, but stocking extras is a good idea.
- Trauma Kit: Trauma IFAK – Use only if trained.
Home Survival Kit Checklist
A perfect survival kit doesn’t exist- what is right for you depends on your situation and risk tolerance. That said, we have a pretty good starting point for you: our comprehensive checklist.
Our checklist is available as both a PDF download and as a Google Sheets/Excel file where you can check off items yourself, and even add and subtract items from the checklist.
Printable PDF Checklist
If you are looking for the simplest way to print and use the checklist above, download our printable PDF version. It is two pages long on 8.5″ x 11″ paper and makes creating a home survival kit extremely easy. Once you open the home survival kit PDF checklist in your browser, you can either print it directly or save it through your browser.
Excel / Google Sheets Checklist
If you are looking for a comprehensive way to track your survival kit contents, open our Excel / Google Sheets version. The sheet is shareable, and you just need to copy it to your own Google Sheets account or download it to Excel to edit it. We also keep the best-reviewed item for each category linked to simplify shopping for any equipment you may find yourself missing.
The Next Step
Once you have a solid plan and kit for basic in-place survival, you should bolster your plan and kit for additional threats and provide longer sustainability. You also need to forge a bug-out plan and kit as well, so that you have options in the event of a disaster. Components of your survival kit can be used in the bug out kit, but redundancy in your equipment is always smart.
I choose to have separate bug out bags for my family so that they are a grab-and-go solution. Learn everything you need to construct a solid bug out bag here: Bug Out Bags.
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
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