72 Hours.
No Panic.
If the power goes out, the roads close or the shops run short, could your household look after itself at home for three days? That's the advice, and it's simpler than it sounds. Here's what it means, what you need, and the free tools to get it done calmly.
What the 72-Hour Advice Means
Have enough at home to look after everyone in your household, pets included, for at least three days without power, running water, deliveries or a trip to the shops. It isn't new and it isn't a doomsday stockpile. Australian emergency services and the Red Cross have recommended it for years.
3 days of essentials
The Red Cross Get Packing advice covers three days of essentials for your household, with a kit review every year.
Red Cross: Get packing ↗Stay home for three days
Think about what everyone in your house would need if you had to stay home for three days, with at least 10 litres of drinking water per person.
Get Ready QLD: emergency kit ↗Longer if you could be cut off
Advice varies by state and by hazard. If you live rurally or remotely, or could be isolated by flood or fire, plan for more than three days. Always follow your local emergency services.
Know your warnings →The 72-Hour Basics
Six things cover almost every household. Most of it is already in your cupboard. Tick off what you have, then fill the gaps.
Water
- Plus about 2 L each a day for cooking and washing
- A family of four needs 36 L just to drink for three days
- About 1 L a day for each pet
- Store it sealed, out of the sun, and mark the date
Food
- Tins, crackers, cereal, long-life milk, peanut butter
- Food that needs little or no cooking
- A manual can opener
- Foods your family already eats, so you'll rotate them
Light & Power
- A torch or lantern for each person, and spare batteries
- A charged power bank, plus a solar panel to top it up
- A battery or wind-up radio for emergency broadcasts
- No candles near kids, curtains or bedding
Health & Hygiene
- A first aid kit and at least a week of regular medicines
- Toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitiser, bin bags
- A backup toilet plan if water or sewage stops
- Masks, gloves and any glasses or hearing aid batteries
Documents & Cash
- Copies of ID, insurance, prescriptions and medical details
- A USB or cloud copy, plus a waterproof pouch
- Some cash in small notes, and spare keys
- Key phone numbers written on paper, not just in your phone
Kids, Babies & Pets
- Nappies, wipes, formula and bottles for three days or more
- A comfort toy, games and snacks for the kids
- Pet food, water, a lead or carrier and vet records
- Any special needs: mobility aids, dietary needs, chargers
Build It Over Three Shops
You don't need to do it all in one trip, and you shouldn't. Add a little to your normal shop over the next few weeks and you'll be covered without stripping a single shelf.
Water and food
Bottled water or containers to fill, plus three days of no-cook food your family likes and a can opener.
Light, power and first aid
Torches, batteries, a power bank and radio, a stocked first aid kit and a top-up of regular medicines.
Hygiene, papers and the extras
Toilet paper, wipes and bin bags, copies of your documents, and what the kids and pets need.
Write the month on everything you store, keep it together in one spot, and use the oldest first. Check it every six months (set a reminder in your phone) and replace what you've used.
Work Out Your Household's Numbers
Tell us who's at home. The calculator starts at 72 hours, but you can slide it out to two weeks or more. Your home-brand supermarket list, with a cost estimate, and the PrepPro kit options both update underneath.
What Does Your Household Need?
Enter your household and how long you want to be ready for. The numbers update as you go.
Estimates based on common Australian preparedness guidance: at least 3 L of drinking water per person per day. Hot weather, illness, babies and heavy work all need more. Always check official advice for your situation.
Stock up at your local supermarket
No special gear needed. Here's a home-brand shopping list for your household, built from the numbers above. Buy a little each shop: no panic buying, no empty shelves.
PREPPRO AUSTRALIA · HOUSEHOLD BUNDLES
Your household. Your essentials.
Set your household and duration in the calculator above. Your bundle updates automatically below — then adjust quantities or untick anything you do not need. Save 10% on 5 or more eligible items, or 15% on 10 or more.
Change household or duration ↑What else do you already have?
Enter water already stored above. Enter empty containers and bladders here once only. These count toward reserve capacity when filled. Enter existing treatment and filtration gear to avoid duplicates.
Your editable bundle
Choose an alternative product where offered, change its option or quantity, or untick it. Price and coverage update immediately. Household changes reset the suggested selection.
10% off eligible bundle products with 5 or more eligible items, or 15% off with 10 or more. Applied automatically when you add your selection. Cannot combine with other discount codes or automatic discounts. Shipping and final totals are calculated at checkout.
View cart →Coverage of your remaining needs
Containers arrive empty. Reserve figures assume they are filled and exclude RO/filter throughput. Use confirmed drinking-water-suitable containers and fittings for treated water; the bladder listing does not confirm potable-contact suitability. Keep untreated source water separate until appropriately treated. Capacity is not a water-quality guarantee.
Ration quantities cover the full remaining calorie target by default. Untick full-duration food for a three-day reserve. Biscuits are an emergency reserve, not a varied diet: plan familiar shelf-stable meals and check allergens. Baby and pet food are separate.
Power-bank planning uses an estimated 50 Wh usable per fully charged 20,000 mAh bank; actual output varies. USB-charge before use. Small built-in solar panels are supplementary, not a daily recharge guarantee.
Staying Put or Heading Out?
This page is about riding it out at home, which is what most emergencies ask of us. If you're told to leave, you need a lighter kit you can grab in minutes.
Your 72-hour home supply
Water, food, light, power and hygiene for everyone at home for three days or more. Everything on this page.
Back to the basics ↑Your 72-hour go-bag
A backpack for each person with water, food, a torch, first aid, documents and a change of clothes, ready by the door.
Go-bag checklist →Checklists, Plans and Guides
Everything else you need to finish the job. All free.
Rather Have It Sorted in One Go?
Our ready-made kits cover the essentials in one box, or build your own and save 10% on 5+ items and 15% on 10+.
Sources: Australian Red Cross · Get Ready Queensland · National Emergency Management Agency. This page gives general guidance only. It does not replace official advice. During an emergency, follow directions from your local emergency services. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
Photos: Steve Doig, 0xk, Jonathan Chng, Steven Ungermann, MIROV, Jeremy Bishop, Cabri Caldwell, Micah & Sammie Chaffin, Glenn Carstens-Peters, Joshua Bartell, Tawseem Hakak, Mat Napo, Kelly Sikkema and Wavie Hu on Unsplash. Back to the Survival Hub