The best disaster kit backpacks are a first line of defense in any disaster situation, allowing quick access to critical items such as food and water rations, shelf life, battery-powered flashlights, and first aid kits for survival. It’s also good to pack one of the best survival knives in your pack. Our evaluation focused on recommended supplies, capacity, materials, and ease of use.
After more than 15 hours of research and real-world testing, our top pick goes to the Ready America Deluxe Emergency Kit. It offers coverage for 4 people (tops on our list), 3 days of emergency food ratios, and a large cache of emergency supplies including power stations, emergency blankets, and other life saving items.
Top 7 Best Disaster Kit Backpack Compared
#1 Ready America 70280 Emergency Kit – Top Pick
WHY WE LIKE IT: This emergency kit is solid across the board, including a basic 33 piece first aid kid, 2x 2,400 calorie food bars, and 12 emergency drinking water packets. It’s ideal for 2 people and will last up to 3 days in any emergency situation.
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- Excellent starter bag
- 5-year food and water shelf life
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- Child-sized backpack
- Flimsy backpack quality
- Small first aid kit
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This survival kit’s shelter gear is solid without question, offering a compact blanket retaining 90% of body heat, along with a poncho, two face masks, and two pairs of gloves. Quenching thirst is also no issue with 12 drinking water packs in pouch containersr to save space.A 33-piece first aid kit also offers the basic essentials for small cuts and wounds, including bandages, wound closures, and gauze. It is a great kit of survival gear.
A 5-year shelf life on food and water keeps your backpack useful for a long time, letting you stash it away in a trunk or storage space without fear of expiring. Food rations can even withstand temperatures up to 149 F, preventing spoilage on long road trips. Our confidence in using this disaster kit really flew with this news. It can support two persons per day for up to three days. Check out more cool backpacks.
#2 Ready America Deluxe Emergency Kit – Honorable Mention
WHY WE LIKE IT: This family survival kit contains all of the essentials for 4 people, with three days worth of supplies including an emergency power station, Aqua Blox drinking water, Mayday Industries emergency food rations, and a 107-piece first aid kit. It is an excellent choice for larger groups of 4 in more.
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- Good for 4 people
- 3-day emergency food ration
- 107 piece first aid kit
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- Flimsy zipper
- Some users reported leaking water container
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This kit’s food and water carried a 5-year shelf life, perfect for stowing away in car trunks with no fera of spoilage. A monstrous 107-piece first aid kit contains everything needed to care for light bodily injury, including your standard fare of band-aids, sterile gauze dressing, and nitrile gloves. We love the fact all accessories are stored in transparent pouches, enclosed in a clamshell case with zipper for quick access. A large cache of emergency supplies is also included, like emergency blankets and 12-hour light sticks to survive in the pitch-black wilderness or extended power outages.
An emergency power station is included, powering four critical functions in one unit, including a cell phone charger, siren, radio, and flashlight. Crank handle pulls help generate power for lighting, talk time, and radio usage. The bells and whistles in this kit makes us really confident in bad situations. After several mentions on this list, we find that Ready America is one of the best overall brands that sells some of the best emergency disaster backpacks you can find on the market. You may also want the best backpacking backpacks.
#3 Sustain Supply Co. Premium Emergency Survival Bag/Kit –
WHY WE LIKE IT: This emergency bag and survival kit features a 2-person capacity and 72 hours worth of critical items, including 12 servings of food, 2 Aqua Waters, and more than 50 accessories. It is a solid choice for two people facing instant survival mode within 72 hours of a disaster, such as power outages and road impeding road slides with no immediate way out.
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- Good for 2 people
- Water filtration system included
- Food rations for two people for three days
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- Basic first aid kit
- Only one emergency blanket
- Non renewable power source
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Both food and water ratios have a 5-year shelf life, eliminating fear of spoilage for years to come. One of our favorite additions is food making equipment for burning random marshmallows or wild meat, including a portable stove, two fire starter kits, and a ferrocerium rod. Two bowls and utensils are also included. Bonus points for its water filtration system with a 16 oz capacity, good with purifying natural water in rivers and streams.
Lighting is a strong suit, with three different lighting options including snap lights, a flashlight, an LED lantern, and a Ferrocerium rod. This first aid kit has fewer accessories than our #1 pick. It meets the basics with ointment, bandages, pain relievers, and bath wipes to keep you fresh and clean and maintain personal hygiene. Make sure that you also have the best sleeping bag.
#4 Emergency Zone Urban Survival 72-Hour Bug Out/Go Bag Survival Kit – Best for Evacuees
WHY WE LIKE IT: This survival kit includes a simple black backpack, 5-year shelf life food and water, water purification, first aid reference guide, and basic hygiene items. Its nondescript appearance and resource guide is best equipped for non-natural disaster related evacuees with no wilderness training.
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- Best for evacuees
- Discrete-looking backpack
- Includes resource guide
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- Flimsy straps
- No fire-making tools
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This backpack’s urvival gear is pretty diversified, including everything from multi-tool knives to survival whistles. Its first aid kit is bigger than average, with 118 pieces in total, narrowly squeaking by Ready America’s 107 pieces. Two included water filtration straws, which filter up to 396 gallons of water, pretty neat for those without access to a potable source of water. Weather protection is also covered with two reflective sleeping bags, two emergency ponchos, one tube tent, and two hand warmers.
One of our favorite points is its non-descript appearance, with dull gray stitching on black – not unlike many with bright red color and large ‘EMERGENCY’ lettering. All items are neatly packaged, encased in clear bags for easy retrieval. Another is its Emergency Guidebook with best practices on preparedness, with information on setting up an emergency plan and how to administer first aid. This is the only kit in our list to offer this. Also check out the best backpacking tent.
#5 Camoredy Medical First Aid Bag – Best Budget
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WHY WE LIKE IT: This survival kit backpack features ten organized pockets for storing small emergency items and generous load capacity. It is a reliable option for anyone who prefers to customize their kits depending on the types of natural disasters or unforeseen events they think they may find themselves in.
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- Best DIY earthquake kit
- Distinct red color and markings
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- Does not include any first aid items
- Thick shoulder straps
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This first aid bag is constructed using wear-resistant fabric with S-shaped padded shoulder straps for less pressure on the shoulders. Cushioning is solid, and side mesh pockets make it easier to store supplies., it feels good when carried for extended periods in both dry and wet weather.
A first aid bag over a stocked 100+ first aid piece kit allows users to customize their supply. Some disaster kit backpacks,may carry too much of one item, which may not be applicable in specific disaster situations. Emergency preparedness is made more accessible with this kit. The best camping tent is also a must to be ready.
#6 72HRS Backpack Essential Emergency Kit – Best Value
WHY WE LIKE IT: This emergency kit comes with 48 5-year shelf life 125ml water bottles, four 3600-calorie food rations, and a full suite of first aid products, including an average-sized 111-piece kit. It is a basic option for anyone looking for coverage during earthquakes, storms, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
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- 5-year shelf life
- 4 3600-calorie food ratios
- Storage for 1-2 people
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- No fire starter
- Ugly design
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This emergency kit delivers with its 3600 calorie emergency food rations, comprising of 9 wrapped 400-calorie bars that can withstand temperatures of 86 degrees to 140-degrees Fahrenheit. Shelter items are also included, such as thermal blankets and hooded rain ponchos, all of which are waterproof and lightweight for comfort. Bonus points for its AM/FM radio.
Search and rescue items are included, including an emergency whistle and dust masks, particularly useful out in the open with no immediate help nearby. Dust masks also help in contaminated areas. All in all, it is a basic, no-frills kit for all types of emergencies. The best headlamp and best water purifiers for camping are also important.
How We Decided
Choosing the best disaster kit backpack can mean the difference between survival and struggle-mode in disaster situations. Having critical triage items on the ready to cover an open wound or start a fire could radically change how you approach it. Also having small but useful items like waterproof matches can save you a headache if your regular matches get wet. Don’t forget the best camping and hiking gear.
In determining the best disaster kit backpack to buy, you should consider person capacity, the number of days, survival gear, food and water rations, first aid kit size, and storage capacity for one’s items, including medication and cash. Our selected picks cover 2 to 4 people for up to 72 hours, which is ample time to recover and retrieve missing supplies during an evacuation or seek refuge during a natural disaster. If you want to be ready for a natural disaster, you might want to pick up the best earthquake kit to take with you.
Your disaster kit backpack should be well-rounded, carrying an even mix of survival gear (knives, can openers, etc.), food and water rations, and your standard bandages, wraps, and gauze. Exceptions occur with regular trips to hot environments, where water-heavy kits like the Everlit Earthquake Emergency and the 72 Hrs. Backpack Essential Emergency kit may be more useful. If your kit is missing essential rations, take a look at the best disaster food kit too. Your ideal disaster backpack may not come with everything you may need. For example, consider investing in a hand crank emergency radio or portable weather radio if your backpack doesn’t already include one. Duct tape and plastic sheeting can also be used together to create a makeshift shelter. If you want a first aid kit without the backpack, take a look at the best disaster first aid kit instead.
Disaster Kit Backpack Buying Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Capacity
Except for the Camoredy bag, most kits on our list offer a 2 or 4-person capacity. - Food and Water
The best disaster kit backpacks are stocked with up to 72 hours of food and more for water. Humans can live for weeks without food, but only within days without water. As a best practice, look for disaster kits with a week’s supply water. A general rule of thumb is one gallon of water per person per day. Most kids carry a 4 to 5-year shelf life on foods before needing to be replaced, allowing you to confidently stow it away in a car trunk or closet without fear of spoilage. - First Aid Tools
First aid tools such as bandages, gauze, and wraps are critical to protect against infection caused by bug bites, scrapes, cuts, and other wounds out in the wild.
