3-Day Blackout Checklist

💡 Power & Light

2-3x LED lanterns (collapsible, 90+ hour runtime)
1x Headlamp (hands-free lighting)
24-pack AA batteries
24-pack AAA batteries
2x 20,000mAh power banks (pre-charged)
1x Solar charger (optional, if you have balcony access)

💧 Water & Hydration

1 gal/person/day Stored water (7+ gallons for 2 people, 3 days)
1x Water filter (LifeStraw, Sawyer Mini, or similar)
1 pack Water purification tablets (backup)

💡 Pro Tip: Store water in stackable containers (WaterBricks) under sinks, in closets, or under beds. Fill your bathtub if you get warning of an outage (40-60 gallons backup).

🍝 Food & Cooking

12-15 cans Protein (tuna, chicken, beans)
2 jars Peanut butter (high calories, long shelf life)
1 box Crackers or hardtack
12-pack Energy bars (Clif, RxBar, KIND)
1 bag Trail mix or nuts
6-pack Sterno canned heat (apartment-safe cooking)
1x Small pot/pan for heating food
1x Manual can opener

⚠️ Rotation Strategy: Buy, store, eat, replace every 6-12 months. This is normal food, not "doomsday rations."

🛏️ Shelter & Warmth

2x Sleeping bags or wool blankets (rated to 20°F if possible)
20-pack Hand warmers (HotHands or similar)
1 set Thermal underwear/base layers
1x Beanie and gloves
1x Battery-powered fan (for summer outages)

📡 Communication

1x Emergency radio (AM/FM/NOAA, solar + hand crank + battery)
1x Whistle (loudest way to signal for help)
1x Physical contact list (phone numbers written on paper)

📱 Phone Strategy: Use airplane mode aggressively. Turn on once per hour to check for signal. With power banks, you can keep one phone alive for 5-7 days.

🛡️ First Aid & Hygiene

1x Comprehensive first aid kit
7-day Prescription medication supply
1 box Imodium (diarrhea = dehydration = emergency)
1 box Benadryl (allergic reactions)
100-pack Wet wipes (baby wipes or camping wipes)
2-3 bottles Hand sanitizer
1x 5-gallon bucket + trash bags + kitty litter (emergency toilet)
1 set Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap
As needed Feminine hygiene products

🔧 Tools & Miscellaneous

1x Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife
1 roll Duct tape
1x Fire extinguisher (kitchen-rated)
1x Door wedge or security bar (renter-friendly)
$100-200 Emergency cash (ATMs won't work without power)
Copies Important documents (IDs, insurance, contacts)

✅ Total Storage Space Required: ~5-6 cubic feet (fits under sinks, in closets, under beds)
💰 Total Cost: $270-380 for complete 72-hour kit
⏱️ Shelf Life: Most items last 6-12 months to 5+ years with proper rotation

🧭 Take This Further — Two Tools Built for This

FREE APP · iOS & ANDROID

FieldScout

This checklist, in your pocket — and working with no signal. FieldScout is our free offline survival app: interactive checklists, offline maps of your own neighborhood, an encrypted document vault, and mesh-radio comms. All of it runs with no internet and no cell service.

Get it free → prepper.blog/fieldscout

LIVE GRID INTELLIGENCE

GridWatch

Know it's coming before it reaches your block. GridWatch monitors 17 federal and primary data feeds — FEMA, NOAA, USGS, NERC, and more — around the clock and sends one plain-English daily intel brief, so you're never the last to hear a grid threat is developing.

See today's status → gridwatch.prepper.blog

⚡ 3-Day Blackout Checklist