Since the Government's Be Ready campaign, ready-made emergency kits are everywhere, from £30 car kits to £250+ family survival bags. Some are useful. Many are padded with filler. Here's how to decide whether to buy one and how to pick a good one.
Build or buy? The short answer
| Build your own | Buy ready-made | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Usually cheaper, as you already own much of it | You pay for items you may already have |
| Quality | You choose each item | Often budget torches, radios and first aid supplies |
| Time | An afternoon | Minutes |
| Best for | Most households | Gifts, cars, grab bags, people short on time |
The Government's advice doesn't require a ready-made kit: gathering what you already have and filling the gaps is enough. Our 72-hour home kit shows exactly what to get.
When a ready-made kit makes sense
- For the car: a compact winter car kit lives permanently in the boot.
- As a grab bag: a packed rucksack by the door is easier to buy than to assemble.
- As a gift: for elderly parents, students leaving home or new homeowners.
- If you'll never get round to it: a decent kit you own beats a perfect one you never build.
What to check before you buy
- People and days: "72-hour kit for 2" should mean enough food and water for two people for three days. Many don't.
- Real items, not "pieces": a "250-piece kit" might count every plaster and safety pin separately.
- Water: many kits include only purification tablets or a few small pouches. You'll probably need to add bottled water.
- Food expiry dates: emergency ration bars should last 5 years. Check the date on arrival.
- Light, radio and power: a wind-up radio with USB charging is far more useful than candles and matches.
- UK-specific: UK plugs, UK emergency numbers and UKCA or CE marking on electrical items.
- Recent reviews: read the latest 1–3 star reviews to spot broken torches or missing items.
Red flags
- Fire starters, knives and "tactical" gear in a kit sold for a family home: it's built for camping, not power cuts.
- No list of contents on the listing.
- Survival-themed marketing with fear-based claims.
- Prices far above the cost of the items inside.
The best of both
Many people buy a ready-made grab bag or car kit, then add the things kits always miss: water, medicines, a power bank, cash and copies of documents. Use our printable checklist to spot the gaps.
Where to find ready-made kits
Each of our kit pages has a "Buy it ready-made" section linking to current options on Amazon UK, with what to check for that type of kit:
- Ready-made 72-hour home kits
- Ready-made grab bags
- Winter car kits
- Flood protection kits
- Power cut kits
- Power station and solar bundles
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a ready-made emergency kit?
No. UK advice is to be able to cope for at least three days, and most households can do that by gathering what they already own and buying a few missing items.
Are ready-made emergency kits good value?
Some are, especially compact car kits and grab bags. But many include low-quality items or filler, so it's often cheaper to build your own.
What do ready-made kits usually miss?
Enough drinking water, your own medicines, a charged power bank, cash, copies of key documents and anything specific to babies, pets or elderly relatives.