72-hour kit vs. 2-week supply: what’s the difference, and which do you need?
A 72-hour kit and a two-week supply are not two answers to the same question. One is what you carry out the door when you have to leave. The other is what keeps your household going when you stay put and help is slow to arrive. Most families need both, and the American Red Cross says so directly.
The short answer
Keep a 3-day (72-hour) kit you can grab and go, and build toward a 2-week supply at home. The Red Cross recommends a “3-day supply for evacuation” and a “2-week supply for home,” with one gallon of water per person per day. Ready.gov asks for supplies to last “several days.” Oregon asks every household to be ready for at least two weeks.
What the official sources say
| Source | How long | Water |
|---|---|---|
| Ready.gov (FEMA) | Supplies to last “several days,” because “you may need to survive on your own for several days” | One gallon per person per day, for drinking and sanitation |
| American Red Cross | 3-day supply for evacuation; 2-week supply for home | One gallon per person, per day |
| Oregon Office of Emergency Management | At least two weeks of food, water and supplies (“2 Weeks Ready”) | Enough for two weeks |
Oregon explains the longer number plainly: after a major disaster, it could take days or even weeks for first responders to reach everyone. The state points to the threat of a magnitude 9.0 or larger Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami. Every household that can look after itself is one fewer household waiting for help.
Why the two numbers are different
72 hours is about weight and speed. A go-bag has to fit in a car or on your back while you leave in a hurry. Three days of water for one person is three gallons, about 25 pounds. That is already a lot to carry, which is why three days is the practical ceiling for a kit you move.
Two weeks is about how long help can take. If roads, power and water are down across a whole region, stores and relief take time to reach every street. At home, weight doesn’t matter. You can store jugs in a closet and canned food on a shelf, so the limit becomes space and money, not your back.
What it looks like for a family of four
Using the one-gallon-per-person-per-day guideline. Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon.
| 72-hour kit | 2-week home supply | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 12 gallons (about 100 lb) | 56 gallons (about 465 lb) |
| Food | 36 meals that need no cooking | 168 meals, mostly foods you already eat |
| Where it lives | Bags or a bin by the door or in the car | Pantry, closet, garage shelves |
| Light and power | Flashlight or headlamp, extra batteries, phone power bank | The same, plus a way to recharge for two weeks |
| Cooking | Not needed | A safe way to heat food and boil water if the power is out |
| Sanitation | Wipes, garbage bags and ties | Enough bags and supplies for two weeks of trash and toilet waste |
Ready.gov’s basic kit list fits both: water, food, a battery or hand-crank radio and a NOAA weather radio, a flashlight, a first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle, dust masks, plastic sheeting and duct tape, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties, a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, a manual can opener, local maps, and a phone with chargers and a backup battery.
How to get from three days to two weeks
- Build the 72-hour kit first. It covers both cases: you can take it with you, and it is your first three days at home.
- Add water next. Water runs out first and matters most. Stored jugs go in a cool, dark place, away from fuel and chemicals.
- Buy one extra of what you already eat. A second can of soup or bag of rice each grocery trip builds a two-week pantry without wasted food. Rotate oldest first.
- Solve heat and cooking. Two weeks without power means you need a safe way to boil water and warm food. Never run grills, camp stoves or generators indoors.
- Plan for trash and toilets. It is the part most people forget, and after a week it is the part everyone notices.
How it plays in Finton
GAME MECHANICS, NOT REAL-WORLD ADVICE
- The pantry is your two-week supply. At midnight every family member eats one meal and drinks about 3 liters from the pantry. Stored water is one of the homestead needs, and it asks for 42 gallons.
- The backpack is your 72-hour kit. What you carry is what you have when you are away from home, and the pack has a weight limit.
- Leave for a few days and the ration breaks down. If you are gone a day or more (hunting, in jail, in the hospital, or drafted), your family eats and drinks more than the plan. Scared people eat, and young kids don’t understand what a ration is.
Sources
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Build a Kit
- American Red Cross: What do you need in a survival kit
- American Red Cross Store: Basic 3-Day / 72-Hour Emergency Preparedness Kit
- Oregon Office of Emergency Management: Individual Preparedness (2 Weeks Ready)
This guide is general information for preparedness. Follow official guidance and your local emergency managers, and call 911 in an emergency.