Emergency Kits: What You Actually Need
Roughly half of Australian households own no emergency supplies at all. The standard explanation is complacency. Having read a great many kit lists, I think the real reason is that they are unbuyable: forty items, no order, no total, and an unstated assumption that you have $400 and a free Saturday.
Given an unbounded task, most people rationally do none of it.
So this hub is a build order rather than a list. Every stage is useful on its own, so stopping anywhere still leaves you better off. It also tells you which kit to build first, which depends entirely on what your household looks like.
The 10-minute version
- Audit before you shop. Most households already own half of a kit — torches, batteries, blankets, containers, a first aid box. Twenty minutes with a list saves the first $80.
- The first $50 is water, light and a radio. Nine litres per person, a headlamp, and a battery AM/FM radio. Those three cover the three failures that actually happen.
- Build the kit your household needs first. Renters need a cupboard kit; anyone near bush needs a go-bag in the car by October; anyone power-dependent needs the medication and battery problem solved before anything else.
Which kit first
| Your situation | Build this first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Anywhere near bush, grass or scrub | Bushfire go-bag, in the car by October | 72-hour home kit |
| Apartment or rental | 72-hour kit sized to one cupboard | Documents and water |
| Someone on a power-dependent device | Battery/power solution and life-support registration | Everything else |
| Regional, one road in | Two weeks of food and water, plus fuel | Comms |
| Storm-prone suburb | Blackout kit — light, radio, power bank, food-safety thermometer | Water storage |
| Long drives, remote roads | Car kit | Home kit |
Almost nobody needs all of these at once, and trying to build them all simultaneously is why people build none.
Step 1: The audit (free, twenty minutes)
Walk the house with this list before spending anything.
| Item | Usually already in |
|---|---|
| Torch, headlamp | Kitchen drawer, car, camping gear |
| Batteries | Remotes, drawers, toys |
| First aid supplies | Bathroom cabinet, car |
| Water containers | Camping gear, laundry, empty bottles |
| Wool blankets | Linen cupboard |
| Manual can opener | Kitchen drawer |
| Power bank | Bottom of a bag, desk |
| Matches, lighter | Kitchen, barbecue |
| Cotton/denim clothing, leather boots | Wardrobe |
| Esky, ice bricks | Garage |
What is nearly always missing is the same short list: battery radio, stored water, P2 masks, cash, a fridge thermometer, and a week of spare medication.
Step 2: The build order
The first $50
| Item | Indicative price | Why first |
|---|---|---|
| Bottled water, 20–36 L | $10–18 | 3 L per person per day, 3 days |
| Headlamp | $10–20 | Hands free beats a hand torch every time |
| Battery AM/FM radio | $15–20 | ABC Local Radio is the emergency broadcaster. Nothing replaces it |
| Bulk batteries, one size | $10 | Standardise across every device you own |
The next $50
Power bank (10,000 mAh, $25–35), fridge thermometer ($5–8), manual can opener ($5), P2 masks ($10–15), and $200 cash in small notes set aside — EFTPOS and ATMs die with the power.
The next $100
A mid-size first aid kit ($30–50) plus the things retail kits skimp on — saline, non-stick dressings, proper tape, and two wide elasticised bandages ($15–20) which cover both severe bleeding and snake bite. A battery lantern ($15–25), three days of no-cook food ($30–40), leather work gloves ($12–18).
Beyond that
40 L water container with a tap, camp stove and fuel (outdoor use only), esky and ice bricks, wool blankets, a jerry can kept full, two weeks of shelf-stable food, a folding solar panel. Roughly $500–800 for the complete comfortable version.
Full itemised version with weights and storage: The 72-Hour Kit.
What most kits get wrong
No water. The most common omission in pre-made kits, because water is heavy and kills the margin. It is also the most important item.
No radio. People assume the phone covers it. The phone is a torch with a flat battery and no signal.
No spare medication. The omission that most often turns an inconvenience into a medical problem.
Everything takes a different battery. Four devices, four battery types, one of which you never have.
Plasters instead of dressings. Retail first aid kits are optimised to look full, not to treat what households actually present with.
No cash. We all stopped carrying it, and shops that can trade in an outage trade in cash.
Stored somewhere unreachable — the roof space, the back of the shed, behind furniture.
Bought once, never checked. Dead batteries, expired medication, water years past its date.
Candles as the lighting plan. Traditional, atmospheric, and a genuine house-fire risk in a dark house full of people carrying things. A $10 battery lantern is strictly better.
What to skip
Being specific here saves real money.
- Freeze-dried “survival food” buckets. Expensive per calorie, and you will not eat them. Supermarket shelf-stable food is cheaper, rotates naturally, and tastes like food.
- Giant multi-tools and knife sets. One decent knife, already in your kitchen.
- Tactical anything. Camouflage does not improve outcomes. Being findable does.
- Water filters as a household’s primary water plan. Store water; filters are for when you are away from a stove.
- A generator, for most households. The money is better spent on water, light, food and a power bank — unless someone is genuinely power-dependent, in which case size and site it properly.
- A second kit before the first one is finished. Depth beats breadth.
Storage, weight and rotation
Storage rules:
- One location for the bulk, near an exit, reachable in the dark. Test that claim with the lights off.
- Grab bags by the door, or in the car boot through fire season.
- Inventory taped to the lid, dated.
Weight matters more than people expect. Water for a family of four for three days is 36 litres, which is 36 kilograms. That lives on a cupboard floor, not in a bag. Personal grab bags stay under about 10 kg so everyone — including children — can carry their own.
Rotation schedule:
| Interval | Do this |
|---|---|
| Every six months (daylight saving is a good anchor) | Rotate water, check batteries, check food dates |
| Every twelve months | Full unpack, test every device, re-scan documents, update the medication list, check children’s clothing still fits |
| Before fire season | Go-bag in the car, fuel above half, second exit route driven |
| After any use | Restock immediately. A kit raided for camping and never refilled is the most common failure of all |
Household-specific additions
Generic lists stop at the generic. Yours should not.
- Babies and toddlers: formula, bottles, nappies, wipes, a comfort item — three days’ worth plus one.
- Medication-dependent: a week of everything in original packaging, a written list of drugs and doses, your pharmacy’s number.
- Power-dependent devices: register as a life support customer with your energy retailer, and solve the battery question before storm season.
- Pets: food, water, bowls, lead, carrier, litter, medication, and a photo of each animal. See Evacuating With Pets.
- Elderly or reduced mobility: medication, mobility aids, spare glasses, hearing aid batteries, and a written plan for who collects them.
- Renters: everything must fit one cupboard and move in a car boot.
What it costs, summarised
| Tier | Spend | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, 90 min | Written plan with triggers, contacts on paper, documents scanned, photo inventory of the house, water filled when a warning is issued |
| First $50 | ~$45–68 | Water, headlamp, radio, batteries |
| Solid | ~$200–260 | The above plus power bank, first aid, bandages, lantern, masks, gloves, three days of food, cash |
| Comfortable | ~$500–800 | Water storage, camp stove, esky, wool blankets, two weeks of food, solar charging |
| Only if power-dependent | $1,200+ | A portable power station sized to the device, or a properly installed generator |
The free tier prevents more harm than everything below it combined, and it is the tier almost nobody does.
The drill: the shopping-list hour
- Twenty minutes. Audit with the table above. Tick what you own.
- Five minutes. Write the gap list — only what is missing.
- Five minutes. Sort into the build order and set this month’s budget. Fifty dollars is a legitimate answer.
- Twenty minutes. One shop. A supermarket plus one of Bunnings or Kmart covers nearly all of it.
- Ten minutes. Pack into one box, inventory taped to the lid, dated.
- Two minutes. Two calendar reminders: six-monthly rotation, twelve-monthly full check.
Then test it: flick the main breaker and try to find and use the kit in the dark. Everyone discovers something.
Frequently asked questions
What should be in an emergency kit in Australia?
Water at 3 litres per person per day for three days, a headlamp, a battery AM/FM radio, spare batteries in one standard size, a power bank, a first aid kit with real dressings, a week of prescription medication, P2 masks, cash in small notes, copies of documents, and three days of food that needs no cooking.
What should I buy first if I only have $50?
Water, a headlamp, a battery radio and a pack of batteries. That covers the three failures that actually occur: no water, no light, no information.
Are pre-made emergency kits worth it?
They are a starting point, not a finished product. Most contain no water, no radio and no medication, and their first aid contents are weighted towards small plasters. Buy one and add to it, or build your own from the list above.
How much water should I store?
Three litres per person per day for drinking, minimum three days — 9 litres each, or about 36 litres for a family of four. Store washing and toilet water separately, and fill the bath when a warning is issued.
Where should I keep it?
One location near an exit that you can reach in the dark, with an inventory taped to the lid. Grab bags by the door or in the car boot during fire season. Not the roof space, not the back of the shed.
Do I need a generator?
Most households do not. The money is better spent on water, light, food and a power bank. A generator or portable power station is worth it when someone depends on mains power for a medical device — and then it must be sized, sited outdoors and used correctly.