Verdict: for one person, the Ready America 70450 Elite 1-Person is the most complete ready-made go-bag here, because it adds a hand-crank light, radio and phone charger, water purification tablets and real tools to the usual food bar and water pouches. Two people starting from nothing can begin with the Ready America 70280 2-Person , and a family of four can look at the Ready America Sustain Supply Comfort 4-Person .

No ready-made kit is a finished 72-hour plan. The American Red Cross says to store one gallon of water per person per day: a three-day supply for evacuation and a two-week supply at home. Every kit below carries far less water than that. None of them include your medications, documents or cash, and the Elite’s hand crank is the only phone charger these makers list. Treat the bag as the frame, then finish it with the checklist further down.

Quick picks

Kit Best for Built for (maker) Water in the kit (maker) Light and radio (maker) Weight (maker)
Ready America 70450 Elite 1-Person Solo go-bag with tools 1 person, 3 days 9 pouches (4.225 oz) plus 50 purification tablets Hand-crank flashlight, AM/FM radio, phone charger 11.5 lb
Ready America 70280 2-Person Basic starter for two 2 people, 3 days 12 pouches (4.225 oz) Two 12-hour lightsticks 7.75 lb
Ready America 70180 1-Person Car, office or second bag 1 person, 3 days 6 pouches (4.25 oz) One 12-hour lightstick 4.2 lb
Ready America Comfort 4-Person (70492) Family of four 4 people, up to 72 hours Six 1.0-liter AquaLiterz plus 4 filter straws Lantern with 3 AA batteries, 8 lightsticks 32.4 lb
Red Cross Deluxe 3-Day 91052 (Search Amazon for American Red Cross 91052 kit ) Solo kit with water container 1 person, 3 days 4 pouches (4 oz) plus a 3.5-gal container Flashlight and pen light with batteries 8 lb
Uncharted SEVENTY2 (Search Amazon for Uncharted Supply Co. SEVENTY2 ) Premium waterproof solo pack 1 person, 72 hours Water bottle plus a filtration system Flashlight and 3-in-1 radio 11 lb

Contents and weights are from each maker’s product page, checked October 5, 2026. Makers note that actual contents can vary from photos, so check the list printed with the kit you receive.

The picks

Ready America 70450 Elite 1-Person: best solo go-bag

The Elite 1-Person backpack covers more of the Red Cross basics than the basic 70180 and 70280 kits. Ready America lists a 3,600-calorie food bar, nine 4.225 oz water pouches, a 50-count bottle of Potable Aqua germicidal tablets, a 33-piece first-aid kit, a NIOSH N95 mask, work gloves, a heavy-duty multi-tool, an 8-inch survival knife, 10 yards of duct tape, a 25-foot cord, a 1-liter water bottle and a document pouch.

Its main extra is a four-function hand-crank unit with a flashlight, AM/FM radio, phone charger and siren. Ready America says one minute of cranking gives 30 minutes of light, 2 minutes of phone talk time or 15 minutes of radio. The maker lists AM/FM only, not the NOAA Weather Radio band, so add a weather radio if alerts matter where you live.

At 11.5 pounds before you add water, it is the heaviest one-person Ready America kit here.

Ready America 70280 2-Person: best basic starter for two

The 70280 is the plain starting point for a couple. Ready America lists two 2,400-calorie food bars, twelve 4.225 oz water pouches, two survival blankets, a 33-piece first-aid kit, two 12-hour lightsticks, two dust masks, four nitrile gloves, a whistle, two ponchos and a tissue pack. The maker rates the food bars and water pouches for a five-year shelf life. The whole bag weighs 7.75 pounds.

The gaps are the ones that matter most in an outage. It has no flashlight, no radio, no multi-tool and no way to treat more water. Budget for a flashlight per person, a battery or hand-crank radio, extra batteries and stored water before you call it ready.

Ready America 70180 1-Person: best light per-person starter

The 70180 is the one-person version of the basic kit and weighs 4.2 pounds. Ready America lists one 2,400-calorie food bar, six 4.25 oz water pouches, an emergency blanket, a 12-hour lightstick, a dust mask, two nitrile gloves, a whistle, a poncho, a tissue pack, an emergency contact card and an 18-piece first-aid kit.

Its small size suits a car trunk or a work locker. Ready.gov advises being ready to shelter at work for at least 24 hours and keeping a kit in the car. It is also an easy way to give each family member a personal bag on top of a shared home kit.

Ready America Sustain Supply Comfort 4-Person: best for a family of four

The Comfort 4 (model 70492) is a full-size family pack. Ready America says it is built to support four people for up to 72 hours. It lists six 1.0-liter AquaLiterz water containers with a five-year shelf life, four survival filter straws, a lantern with three AA batteries, eight lightsticks, a 107-piece first-aid kit, two 2,400-calorie food bars, eight Creamy Chicken meal kits, cookware, four emergency blankets and a Mora carbon knife.

It weighs 32.4 pounds, which is a lot for one adult to carry, so plan who takes it in an evacuation. The kit also includes a wood stove, fire starters and a ferrocerium rod. NFPA lists wood among the fuels that make carbon monoxide when they burn incompletely, so cook on that stove outdoors only, never inside the home or garage.

American Red Cross Deluxe 3-Day Kit (91052): best solo kit with a water container

The Red Cross Deluxe 3-Day Emergency Preparedness Kit (Search Amazon for American Red Cross 91052 kit ) is made by Acme for the Red Cross Store, which says it is approved by the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. It is built for one person for three days and weighs 8 pounds.

It is the only kit here with a 3.5-gallon portable water container, so you can fill it from your stored supply as you leave. It also has the fullest hygiene kit, from toothbrush and soap to shampoo and deodorant. The list also covers a flashlight with batteries, a pen light, a multi-tool, a six-pack of food bars, four 4 oz water pouches, a rescue blanket, and a first-aid pouch with a CPR mask.

Uncharted Supply Co. SEVENTY2: best premium waterproof solo pack

The SEVENTY2 Survival System (Search Amazon for Uncharted Supply Co. SEVENTY2 ) is a one-person, 24-item system in a waterproof 600D tarpaulin backpack. Uncharted lists a water filtration system and water bottle, a 3-in-1 radio, a flashlight, emergency rations, a Mylar survival tent, a heat pack, stormproof matches, a first-aid kit, a multi-tool and an air filtration mask. Uncharted gives the pack a 32-liter capacity and an 11-pound total carry weight.

Choose it when you want a weatherproof bag you may actually carry on foot and a way to treat found water. Its food is listed only as “emergency rations,” so check the calorie count against your needs.

What every ready-made kit leaves out

Put each kit next to the Red Cross and Ready.gov lists and the same gaps keep showing up:

  • Water. The pouches cover the trip out, not three days. Store the rest at home; the Aqua-Tainer 7-gallon review covers one container.
  • Medications, documents and cash. The Red Cross lists a 7-day medication supply, copies of personal documents, extra cash and contact information.
  • A NOAA Weather Radio. Ready.gov lists a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert. Only the Elite 1-Person and SEVENTY2 pages list a radio, and neither says it covers the NOAA weather band. The Comfort 4 lists an “emergency power station” without saying what it does. The Midland ER310 review covers one crank, solar and battery option.
  • Phone power and utility tools. A phone charger and backup battery (only the Elite lists a phone charger, on its hand crank), a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, and a manual can opener.

How to build your own 72-hour kit

Ready.gov suggests storing items in airtight plastic bags and packing the whole kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers, such as plastic bins or a duffel bag.

Core supplies (Red Cross and Ready.gov basics):

  • Water: one gallon per person per day, three days for an evacuation bag
  • Food: a three-day supply of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food
  • Flashlight and extra batteries
  • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, plus a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
  • First-aid kit (the first aid kit picks compare three)
  • Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
  • Multi-purpose tool, plus a wrench or pliers for utilities
  • Whistle and dust mask
  • Sanitation items: moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties
  • Copies of personal documents, extra cash and contact information
  • Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
  • Emergency blanket and local maps

Add for your household: glasses and contact lenses, hearing-aid batteries, baby supplies, pet food and water, extra car and house keys, a change of clothes and sturdy shoes, and games and activities for children. Depending on local hazards, the Red Cross also lists rain gear, work gloves, plastic sheeting, duct tape and household liquid bleach.

If you add a battery power station for phones and lights, the 500W vs 1000W power station guide covers sizing.

How to choose a 72-hour kit

  • Count people first. Maker kits are rated per person. A 2-person kit split between three people is a 2-day kit.
  • Check weight before water. The maker weights run from 4.2 pounds to 32.4 pounds before you add a gallon per person per day. Make sure the person carrying the bag can manage it.
  • Read the food list. Ready America lists food bars by calories, while Uncharted lists only “emergency rations.” Compare them with what your household will actually eat.
  • Plan upkeep. Ready America rates its food bars and pouched water for five years. Ready.gov advises replacing expired items and rethinking your kit every year as your needs change. Write the purchase date on the bag.
  • Decide where it lives. Ready.gov suggests kits for home, work and the car, and says everyone in the family should know where the home kit is kept.

Which 72-hour kit to buy

Buy the Ready America Elite 1-Person for the most complete solo go-bag, the 70280 as a basic frame for two, the 70180 for a car or office, and the Comfort 4-Person for a family of four. Choose the Red Cross Deluxe for its water container and hygiene kit, or the SEVENTY2 for a waterproof pack with filtration. Then add water, medications, documents and a weather radio. For the wider home supply list, use the home emergency kit checklist .

Sources checked