Kit Library
72-Hour Apartment Kit
The kit built for renters: no garage, no basement, no generator option. Elevator outages, stairwell exits, shared building systems, and everything sized to fit in a closet.
01 · The scenario
The elevator stops. The hallway goes dark.
A severe storm knocks out power to the building. The elevator is dead. The hallway lights are out. Your phone shows 34% battery and the outage map says "estimated restoration: unknown." You are on the sixth floor with groceries that need refrigeration, no flashlight, and a vague memory of where the stairwell is.
Most preparedness content is written for homeowners with garages, basements, and yards. If you rent an apartment, you cannot run a generator, you cannot store 55-gallon drums, and you cannot install a whole-house transfer switch. But you can lose power, water, and elevator access just as easily as anyone else.
This kit is built for the constraints renters actually face: limited storage, shared infrastructure, stairwell-only egress, and no outdoor space. Every item fits in a single closet, a drawer, and a small bag by the front door. Nothing violates a standard lease. Nothing requires permanent installation.
The goal is simple: three days of water, food, light, power for your phone, and the ability to get out of the building safely if you need to.
02 · What to buy
Eight items, one closet
Everything here fits in a single closet shelf, a drawer, and a small bag by the front door. The waterBOB stores flat until you need it. The go-bag hangs on a hook. The rest sits on one shelf.
Item 1 · Water
waterBOB bathtub bladder plus two collapsible jugs
The waterBOB stores flat in a drawer until needed, then fills your bathtub with up to 100 gallons of clean, sealed water in 20 minutes. FDA-approved food-grade plastic with an included siphon pump. Water stays fresh for up to 16 weeks. It requires 15 to 30 minutes of advance notice, so it works for storms, boil-water advisories, and utility shutoffs with warning. For sudden disruptions, keep two collapsible 5-gallon jugs filled and stored under the bathroom sink. Together, this covers both scenarios without permanent floor space.
Item 2 · Food
Three days of no-cook food on one closet shelf
Canned soup, canned chili, canned fruit, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, and a manual can opener (EZ-DUZ-IT or Swing-A-Way). All of it fits on a single closet shelf in a small bin. Choose foods you already eat and rotate them into your regular meals every six months. Include disposable plates, utensils, and a few trash bags. If you already have a No-Cook Food Kit or Pantry Starter Kit, this item is covered.
Item 3 · Power
Compact power station, 300 to 500 Wh
A small LiFePO4 battery station for phones, a laptop, LED lights, and brief refrigerator runs. The EcoFlow River 3 (245 Wh, ~$200), Anker SOLIX C300 (288 Wh, ~$200), or Jackery Explorer 300 Plus (288 Wh, ~$230) are all compact enough to store in a closet or on a bookshelf. Apartment renters cannot use generators, so a power station is the only option. A 300 Wh unit charges a phone roughly 20 times and runs LED lights for days. Keep it charged.
Item 4 · Stairwell go-bag
Small bag by the front door for building evacuation
A small drawstring or daypack on a hook by the front door containing: shoes you can run in (if you are home barefoot), a headlamp, a phone charging cable, an N95 mask (stairwells fill with smoke in building fires), a whistle, your document bag, and a printed card with building management's phone number and your renter's insurance agent. If you can grab one thing on the way out, this is it. The headlamp keeps your hands free for railings in a dark stairwell.
Item 5 · Light
LED headlamp plus a battery lantern
A headlamp (Black Diamond Spot or Petzl Actik, $25 to $40) for hands-free stairwell navigation, and one battery LED lantern for the apartment. The headlamp is the priority: in a dark stairwell on the fifth floor, you need both hands on the railing. The lantern provides room lighting without fire risk. Not candles. Apartment fires are disproportionately caused by open flames during power outages.
Item 6 · Fire safety
Compact ABC fire extinguisher
A kitchen-rated ABC extinguisher (Kidde or First Alert, 2.5 lb) mounted or stored within reach of the stove. Apartment fires start in the kitchen more than anywhere else. Your building may have extinguishers in the hallway, but during an active fire in your unit, you need one within arm's reach. Learn the PASS technique: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side. Check the pressure gauge every six months.
Item 7 · Documents
Waterproof document bag with renter-specific items
A waterproof zip bag containing: renter's insurance policy number and agent phone number, a copy of your lease (including the landlord's emergency contact), building management's after-hours number, copies of IDs, medical insurance cards, current medication list, and one printed photo of each household member. This bag lives inside the stairwell go-bag. If you are displaced, these documents speed up every recovery conversation.
Item 8 · Detection
Battery-powered smoke and CO combo alarm
Your building is required to have smoke detectors, but they may be old, poorly maintained, or hardwired models that stop working during a power outage. A battery-powered combo smoke and CO alarm (Kidde 10-year sealed battery, $25 to $35) gives you independent detection that works regardless of building power. Place it outside the sleeping area. CO risk in apartments rises when neighbors use fuel-burning appliances during outages and the ventilation system is down.
Full kit estimated cost
$345-$580
The power station is most of the cost. The budget version below brings the total under $120.
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03 · What not to buy
Skip these
Portable generators
You cannot safely run a generator in an apartment, on a balcony, in a hallway, or in a parking garage. CO from a generator on one balcony can enter neighboring units through windows and HVAC. An average of 100 people die each year from generator CO poisoning (CPSC). A power station is the only safe option for apartment dwellers.
Propane or kerosene heaters
Fuel-burning heaters in apartments create CO risk for you and your neighbors, violate most leases, and are prohibited by most building codes for multi-unit dwellings. If you lose heat, layer clothing, use sleeping bags, and close off unused rooms to concentrate body heat. If temperatures become dangerous, go to a warming shelter.
Candles
Apartment fires caused by candles during power outages are a persistent pattern in fire department reports. Multi-unit buildings mean a fire in one unit threatens everyone. LED lanterns and headlamps are brighter, safer, and last longer.
55-gallon water drums
A 55-gallon drum of water weighs over 450 pounds and takes up significant floor space. Most apartment floors are not designed for concentrated point loads like this. The waterBOB distributes weight across the entire bathtub footprint, and collapsible jugs take near-zero space when empty.
04 · Budget version
The whole kit for under $120
The budget version skips the power station and uses public or workplace charging. The waterBOB, food, and safety items stay identical.
Water storage
Same items. Already affordable.
Food supply
Store-brand canned goods.
Power station
Skip. Use a large power bank and public/car charging.
Go-bag + headlamp + lantern
Basic headlamp and drawstring bag.
Fire extinguisher
Same item. Already inexpensive.
Document bag
Gallon zip-lock bag.
Smoke/CO alarm
Same item. Non-negotiable.
Budget total
05 · When to upgrade
Worth it when the budget allows
Priority 1
Renter's insurance (if you do not already have it)
Typically $15 to $30 per month. Covers your belongings, temporary housing if displaced, and liability. Without it, you replace everything out of pocket after a fire, flood, or storm. Your landlord's policy covers the building, not your stuff.
$15-$30/monthPriority 2
Portable water filter
A Sawyer Squeeze or LifeStraw filter lets you treat water from any clean-looking source if the waterBOB runs dry or you could not fill it in time. Small enough to store in the go-bag. Extends your water supply indefinitely if you have access to a source.
$25-$35Priority 3
Larger power station (500 to 1,000 Wh)
If you can afford and store a larger unit (Anker C1000 or Jackery 1000 v2), it runs a small refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours and keeps phones and lights going for several days. Still fits on a closet shelf.
$350-$500Priority 4
Know your neighbors
Not a purchase. Introduce yourself to your floor neighbors before a crisis. During a power outage, knowing who lives alone, who has medical devices, and who might need help checking on an elderly resident turns a building full of strangers into a building that functions. This is the single most valuable upgrade in any apartment kit.
Free06 · Maintenance
A kit you actually maintain
January and July. Two checks a year keep the kit current.
07 · Save it
The companion checklist
Every item in this kit, with maintenance intervals, in a checklist you can save to your dashboard and run through twice a year.
Save it to My Readiness and it stays current across devices.