Printable checklist
A 3-day, 2-week, and 3-month checklist you can print, check off, and keep in the pantry. Start with what you already have; buy the gap, not the whole list.
Water and dry-food quantities are planning rates, not a nutrition standard. The checklist saves in your browser; it is not sent to us.
Per person: 3 gallons of water and 4.5 lb of dry food for 3 days; 14 gallons and 21 lb for 2 weeks; 90 gallons and 135 lb for 3 months. For four people, the 3-month reserve is 360 gallons of water and 540 lb of dry food.
The 3-day tier is a go-bag. The 2-week tier is a home supply. The 3-month tier is a reserve that needs a rotation sheet. Pick the tier that matches the gap you are trying to close.
Choose a horizon, check what you already have, and print the page. The checkboxes stay in this browser until you reset them.
Check what you already have. The checklist saves in this browser; nothing is sent to us.
3-day go-bag: 3 gallons of water and 4.5 lb of dry food per person. For four people, that is 12 gallons and 18 lb.
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A 3-day go-bag is for evacuation. A 2-week supply is for a storm or outage. A 3-month reserve is a home project with dates and rotation.
Count the water, dry staples, canned protein, and tools on your shelf. The gap matters more than the total.
Buy one week at a time in the order you will eat. Put the oldest food in front and check the shelf once a month.
The tiers are not interchangeable. A 3-day bag does not replace a 3-month reserve, and a 3-month reserve is too heavy to carry.
| Horizon | Water per person | Dry food per person | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 3 gallons per person | 4.5 lb dry food per person | Evacuation or a go-bag. Ready-to-eat food, no cooking required. |
| 2 weeks | 14 gallons per person | 21 lb dry food per person | Home supply for a storm, outage, or short disruption. |
| 3 months | 90 gallons per person | 135 lb dry food per person | A household reserve with rotation, not a go-bag. |
The dry-food number is a planning weight for staples such as rice, oats, beans, lentils, pasta, and flour. It is not a calorie target or a balanced diet.
The Red Cross recommends a 3-day supply for evacuation and a 2-week supply for home. Ready.gov recommends at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food and one gallon of water per person per day. The 3-month tier is our planning horizon, not a government standard.
Water, ready-to-eat food, a manual can opener, utensils, a way to cook outdoors, allergy-safe foods, infant formula or pet food if needed, and a date label for every lot. The checklist above groups them so you can buy the gap instead of the whole list.
Ready.gov recommends at least one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. That is 3 gallons for 3 days, 14 gallons for 2 weeks, and 90 gallons for 3 months. Climate, activity, pets, and medical needs can raise it.
At the planning rate of 1.5 lb of dry food per person per day, a 3-day supply is 4.5 lb of dry staples. The 2-week supply is 21 lb, and the 3-month reserve is 135 lb per person. These are planning weights, not a nutrition standard.
It depends on the food and how it is stored. Use the FDA FoodKeeper for storage times, date every lot, and rotate the oldest first. Discard damaged, swollen, or rusted cans; do not rely on a single shelf-life claim.
Add pet food and allergy-safe foods for your household. For medical diets, follow your care team; this page is not medical or dietary advice. The checklist has a special-needs group so these items do not get lost.
Once a month, for about ten minutes. Rotate food you are close to eating, replace self-filled water every six months per Ready.gov, and update the dates on the checklist.
The water line and the several-day food minimum are Ready.gov's. The 3-day and 2-week tiers are the Red Cross's. The 3-month horizon and the 1.5 lb dry-food rate are ours. They are planning assumptions, not government standards or a certification. How we estimate a three-month reserve explains each rate, what is excluded, and how the sources are checked.
| Source | What it establishes | How this page uses it | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEMA / Ready.gov — Water | At least one gallon of water per person per day for several days; replace self-filled water every six months. | Sets the water quantities in the checklist. | |
| FEMA / Ready.gov — Food | At least a several-day supply of non-perishable food that needs no refrigeration or cooking. | Sets the ready-to-eat and no-cook items. | |
| American Red Cross — Survival Kit Supplies | A 3-day supply for evacuation and a 2-week supply for home; one gallon of water per person per day. | Sets the 3-day and 2-week tiers. | |
| USDA CNPP Food Plans | Weekly food baskets and monthly costs by age and sex. | Reference for the full plan's food groups; the 3-month horizon is ours. | |
| FDA FoodKeeper | Storage times for 650+ foods and cold-storage safety. | Sets the first-eat and best-by prompts for rotation. |
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