Shelf space per day of food
For apartments the scarce thing is room, not money. This table ranks every kit with a published size by the cubic inches it needs for one 2,000-calorie day.
| Rank | Kit | Size | Cubic inches | Days at 2,000 | Cu in per day | Price per day (then) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Premium 240 Serving Package Legacy Food Storage | 3.18 cu ft (volume only) | 5,495 | 48.6 | 113 | $14.37 |
| 2 | Premium 360 Serving Package Legacy Food Storage | 4.77 cu ft (volume only) | 8,243 | 71.9 | 115 | $14.46 |
| 3 | 120 Serving Entree Bucket Legacy Food Storage | 1.59 cu ft (volume only) | 2,748 | 22.9 | 120 | $17.45 |
| 4 | 120 Serving Emergency Food Supply ReadyWise | 11.75 x 9.75 x 14.75 in | 1,690 | 12.3 | 138 | $26.89 |
| 5 | 60 Serving Entree Bucket Legacy Food Storage | 1.23 cu ft (volume only) | 2,125 | 11.7 | 182 | $20.09 |
| 6 | 32 Serving Family 72 Hour Emergency Food Kit Legacy Food Storage | 0.66 cu ft (volume only) | 1,140 | 6.1 | 186 | $18.79 |
| 7 | 15-Day Emergency Food Supply Kit Mountain House | 25 x 10 x 15.75 in | 3,938 | 13.0 | 303 | $37.34 |
| 8 | 30-Day Emergency Food Supply Kit Mountain House | 25 x 20 x 15.75 in | 7,875 | 26.0 | 303 | $36.18 |
| 9 | 52 Serving Prepper Pack Bucket ReadyWise | 11.75 x 9.75 x 12.5 in | 1,432 | 4.7 | 303 | $19.07 |
Cubic inches are length times width times height from the maker page, or the maker's cubic feet times 1,728. Price per day uses the price shown on Nov 5, 2026.
Turning this into shelf inches
A 30 by 12 by 15 inch shelf is 5,400 cubic inches. At about 120 cubic inches per day that is roughly 45 adult-days on paper; at about 300 it is roughly 18. Real cases leave gaps, so the planner's upright fit count is the better guide. Use this table to see which packaging wastes the least room before you open the planner.
Water takes more room than food
One gallon is 231 cubic inches. A gallon a day for one person, the Ready.gov and CDC rate, already needs more room than most food kits here need for a day of calories, before counting the container walls. The water page ranks jugs by how much of their box is water.