Water Preparedness Kit
Three tiers, three budgets, one direction. Every tier covers the same four categories: stored water, water treatment, hygiene under constraint, and sanitation. The difference is depth and duration — not a different philosophy.
Each tier builds on the one below it. Start with the Starter tier — it handles the most common scenarios. Add the Standard tier when you're ready to cover longer outages and add filtration. The Complete tier is for households that want a durable, well-equipped water system rather than a temporary emergency measure.
Each item links to the review page or the guide page where we've done the research. The purpose of this kit page is assembly — not to replace the explanation on each product's page, but to give you a complete list in one place with the right next step for each item.
The four categories
Tier 1
$50–100 · 3–5 day coverage for 1–2 people
The foundation. Covers the most common scenario: a water main break, a utility outage, or a boil water advisory lasting a few days. Lightweight, low cost, no special equipment. Every household should have this baseline before spending anything else.
Store
Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7-gallon × 2
14 gallons of stored drinking water. The Aqua-Tainer's stackable design, carry handle, and built-in spigot make it the standard portable water container. Fill from the tap, date with a marker, store in a cool dark location.
Container reviews →Water preserver concentrate
Extends shelf life of tap water stored in food-grade containers to 5 years without rotation. Add at the time of filling.
Treat and filter
Katadyn Micropur MP1 × 1 pack (30 tablets)
Chlorine dioxide tablets — the most effective chemical treatment available. Treats 30 liters. Bacteria, viruses, Giardia, Crypto (with 4-hour contact time). Fits in a wallet. Goes in every bag.
Tablet reviews →Basic home water test strips
Multi-parameter strips for quick screening (pH, chlorine, hardness, bacteria presence/absence). Not a substitute for certified lab testing, but useful for rapid checks of stored or source water.
Test kit reviews →Unscented household bleach (fresh bottle, 8.25%)
8 drops per gallon of clear water — the EPA emergency disinfection standard. Keep a fresh bottle. Degrades over time; replace annually.
Bleach protocol →Hygiene
Hand sanitizer 60%+ alcohol, large pump bottle
Replaces most handwashing water. Only soap and water is required for post-toilet, food handling, and wound care — hand sanitizer covers everything else.
Full-body wipes, bulk pack (100+)
Zero-water personal hygiene. Goodwipes, DUDE Wipes Body, or medical-grade wipes. One of the most-used items in any multi-day water disruption.
Dry shampoo × 2 cans
Extends days between water-based hair washing. Stock more than you think you'll need.
Sanitation
WaterBOB bathtub bladder × 1
Stored flat in a closet (the size of a folded sheet). Deployed into the bathtub and filled before or during an outage — provides 65–100 gallons for toilet flushing. Every household should own one.
WaterBOB →Bucket toilet seat + heavy-duty bags + clumping cat litter
5-gallon bucket, snap-on toilet seat lid, heavy-duty bags, and cat litter as absorbent. The complete bucket toilet for when flushing isn't possible.
Sanitation guide →Starter tier complete
14 gallons stored, chemical treatment for any source, hygiene supplies, and a sanitation backup. 3–5 day coverage for 1–2 people.
Tier 2 — adds to Starter
$200–400 additional · 14-day coverage for a family of 4
Adds meaningful storage volume, a gravity filter for surface and source water, a portable filter for every kit bag, and the collapsible containers needed for carrying water from a distribution point. This tier handles most extended outages.
Store (upgrade)
WaterBrick 3.5-gallon stackable × 8
28 additional gallons in a space-efficient interlocking format. Under-bed storage, closet rows. Combined with the Aqua-Tainer from the Starter tier: 42 gallons total — the household target for 14 days at 1.5 gal/person/day for 2 people.
Container reviews →Treat and filter (upgrade)
Gravity water filter (household)
A gravity filter — ProOne Big+, Waterdrop King Tank, or Alexapure Pro — treats any surface source without power. The centerpiece of a household water treatment system. Removes bacteria, protozoa, sediment, chlorine, and heavy metals (carbon stage).
Gravity filter reviews →Sawyer Squeeze portable filter × 2
One per adult ready bag. 100,000-gallon filter life. Lightweight, reliable, the standard portable filter for evacuation and outdoor use. Removes bacteria and protozoa — pair with chlorine dioxide tablets for virus coverage from suspect sources.
Portable filter reviews →Hygiene (upgrade)
No-rinse body wash + no-rinse shampoo caps
Cleanlife or Medline no-rinse body wash for sponge bathing without any rinse water. No-rinse shampoo caps for full hair washing in under 5 minutes, zero water. Hospital-grade products used in post-surgical and nursing home care.
Collapsible wash basins × 2
For the three-basin dishwashing method and sponge bathing. Fold flat for storage. One wash, one rinse; or one per bathroom for grey water capture.
Sanitation (upgrade)
Restop or Cleanwaste waste bags × 12
Self-contained waste bags — the right supply for evacuation kits and vehicles where a bucket toilet isn't practical. 12 bags covers one adult for about 4 days.
Collapsible water containers × 2 (5-gallon)
For carrying water from distribution points during extended outages. HydraPak Seeker or equivalent — store flat in a ready bag or closet shelf until needed.
Standard tier complete
42+ gallons stored, gravity filter, portable filters, no-rinse hygiene, and a full sanitation system. 14-day coverage for most household sizes.
Tier 3 — adds to Standard
$500–1,500+ additional · Long-term household water independence
Moves from emergency preparedness to genuine water independence. Rain collection extends supply beyond storage. Water testing confirms safety. For well owners, backup power or a hand pump removes the single point of failure. The emergency toilet kit handles multi-week scenarios with dignity.
Collect
Rain barrel system (55-gallon with first-flush diverter)
A 55-gallon barrel connected to one downspout with a first-flush diverter. For irrigation and grey water use — extends grey water supply for toilet flushing and garden irrigation without using stored drinking water. For potable use, treat collected water first.
Rain barrel reviews →Test
Comprehensive water lab test kit (mail-in)
Tap Score, National Testing Laboratories, or SimpleLab — certified mail-in testing for bacteria, lead, nitrates, arsenic, and PFAS. Know what's in your water before an emergency reveals it.
Test kit reviews →Well owners — backup pump
Deep well hand pump (Simple Pump or Bison Pump)
For the 43 million households on well water. A hand pump installed alongside your existing electric pump means water with no power, indefinitely. The most valuable single investment for well owners.
Hand pump reviews →Well water test kit (bacteria + nitrates, annual)
Annual coliform and nitrate testing — the minimum for private well owners. Well water is your responsibility; no utility monitors it for you.
Testing guide →Sanitation (extended)
Portable folding camp toilet or cassette toilet
A purpose-built portable toilet — more stable than a 5-gallon bucket, closer to normal for elderly and mobility-limited household members. Cassette toilets add a flush mechanism and holding tank for the closest-to-normal experience.
Enzyme-based odor control (large container)
For multi-week sanitation scenarios. Enzyme treatments break down waste and control odor far more effectively than cat litter alone at extended use levels.
Solar camp shower (5-gallon black bag)
Heats water in sunlight; provides a gravity-fed shower at 2.5–3 gallons per use. For warm-weather outages and extended scenarios where morale depends on real showers.
What this kit doesn't replace
A gravity filter you don't know how to maintain, water tablets you don't know how to use correctly, and stored water you haven't tested your consumption against — these are supplies, not preparedness. The kit page points to the products. The guides on this site provide the knowledge.
Run the 12-hour drill
Test your supplies before an emergency does. Turn off your water for a Saturday and find the gaps.
Learn the treatment methods
Tablets, bleach, boiling, UV, and filtration — how each works, what it handles, when to layer them.
The full water section
All 27 guides — from how much water to store to building a gravity filter and running the home water drill.
Affiliate disclosure: New World Survival earns a small commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Our recommendations are based on research, independent assessment, and the same criteria applied throughout the Water section. Links do not influence which products appear here. We recommend what we'd put in our own kits.