The EU's minimum is 72 hours: every household able to cope on its own for three days. Most national guides use that figure. A few ask for much more. If you are wondering which to follow, the answer is simpler than it looks: start with three days, then grow the parts that run out.
Who plans for how long
| Period | Guides |
|---|---|
| 3 days | 20 of 24, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Czechia, the UK and Ireland |
| 7 days | Sweden, Estonia |
| 10 days | Germany |
| 14 days | Austria |
Seventy-two hours reflects how long it can take for organised help to reach most people after a large disaster; our post on why 72 hours explains the background. The longer periods come from countries that plan for long winter outages and, in Sweden's case, for war. Sweden's guide is titled In case of crisis or war.
What scales and what doesn't
Going from three days to ten doesn't mean buying three of everything. Most of a kit is equipment you need once, whatever the period.
| Buy once | Grows with the days |
|---|---|
| Torch, radio, first-aid kit, can opener, power bank, camping stove, blankets, sleeping bags, document pouch | Water, food, medication, stove fuel, batteries, toilet paper and bin bags, nappies, pet food |
So a longer stock is mainly a bigger cupboard of consumables. That is good news for your budget, and a challenge for your storage space.
Water: the biggest jump
Germany and France plan 2 litres per person per day, Sweden and the Netherlands 3 litres. For two adults:
- 3 days: 12 to 18 litres
- 7 days: 28 to 42 litres
- 10 days: 40 to 60 litres
- 14 days: 56 to 84 litres
Beyond a week, bottles take a lot of room. Five guides (Germany, Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Slovakia) list empty water containers with lids, to fill from the tap when a warning comes. That way you store bottled water for the first days and add tap water when you need it. See our guide to emergency water containers.
Food: from cold to cooked
For three days, food you can eat cold is enough: tins, crispbread, nuts, ration bars. For a week or more, it gets monotonous and expensive, which is why the longer-horizon guides also list dry staples such as rice, pasta, oats, lentils and milk powder. Those need a way to cook.
Germany's food calculator (the BLE Vorratskalkulator) gives amounts per person per day. Scaled to ten days for one person:
| Food group | Per day | 10 days |
|---|---|---|
| Grain products (bread, rice, pasta) | 330 g | 3.3 kg |
| Vegetables and pulses | 400 g | 4 kg |
| Fruit and nuts | 250 g | 2.5 kg |
| Dairy | 250 g | 2.5 kg |
| Eggs, meat, fish | 120 g | 1.2 kg |
| Fats and oils | 33 g | 330 g |
| Drinks | 2 L | 20 L |
Cooking and fuel
Thirteen guides list a camping stove with fuel, including all four of the longer-horizon countries. For two adults over three days we suggest a stove and two gas cartridges; for a longer stock, add cartridges in proportion to how much you plan to cook. Use it outdoors or with good ventilation. More in camping stoves for emergency cooking.
Medication
All 24 guides list personal medication. Germany asks for at least 10 days of your regular medicines, Sweden for a month of prescriptions. If you plan beyond three days, this is the item to sort out first, with your doctor or pharmacist.
Hygiene and toilet
Over a few days you can manage with wipes and a little water. Over a week without water pressure, the toilet becomes the problem. Germany, Sweden and Poland list a bucket with a lid or a camping toilet, and ten guides list strong bin bags to line the toilet when it can't be flushed.
A sensible order
- Build a complete 72-hour kit first. It covers most emergencies.
- Extend water and medication next: they are the hardest to replace.
- Add dry staples, a stove and fuel as you shop, a little each time.
- Rotate the food into your normal meals so nothing expires. See rotating your emergency food stock.
Our checklist lets you choose 3, 7 or 10 days and recalculates the quantities for your household.