How to equip a home shelter? - list of basic things
Crisis situations such as natural disasters or armed conflicts may occur at any time. For this reason, it is important to prepare yourself and your family in advance for various unforeseen events. It is worth developing an action plan in advance and preparing a shelter that will serve as a safe place in times of danger.
In this article you will learn what the basic equipment of a shelter should include. Preparing in advance and obtaining the necessary resources will give you an advantage that may be crucial to your survival in difficult circumstances.
Basic shelter equipment - what should it contain?
Nowadays, more and more people decide to build and equip home shelters themselves. This is in particular due to the tense situation in Eastern Europe and the growing threat of natural disasters, which are exacerbated by climate change.
However, having a shelter is only half the battle, because it must also be properly equipped. What a shelter should be equipped with depends on many factors, such as: budget, size of the shelter and its design. However, it is important to remember that when it comes to shelter equipment, safety is the priority.
Later in this guide, we discuss the basic equipment of a shelter, but it is worth bearing in mind that each of us has different needs and may require different things.
Long-term food and water supplies
The basis of any shelter's supplies is food and water. The amount of supplies that should be collected depends on a number of factors, such as the target number of people in the shelter, the availability of alternative sources of supply and the expected duration of the emergency.
While there is no universal answer to the question of how much water and food to have in a shelter, it is recommended to gather enough supplies for at least 14 days for each family member.
For a domestic shelter, it is recommended to stockpile around 42 litres of drinking water per person, assuming they use around 3 litres per day. This amount should be sufficient for drinking and cooking for 14 days of shelter stay in an emergency situation. Water for personal hygiene should also be kept in mind. It is estimated that about 1-2 litres of water per person per day is needed.
To store water safely, it is best to use containers designed for this purpose. It is advisable to opt for those that can be folded after use and will then not take up unnecessary space.
When it comes to food, it is a good idea to stock up on products that do not need to be heated, which means that they are suitable for cold consumption. You can, of course, also choose foods that will need to be heated, as it would be good to eat something warm from time to time. In this situation, however, you must also have a cooker in the shelter. It is important that the food stored in the shelter has a long shelf life.
It is worth betting on products such as:
| Use by date | Examples of products |
|---|---|
| Medium- and long-term food (shelf-life of six months to several years) |
|
| Perennial foods (shelf life of several to several decades) |
|
| Food indefinitely |
|
The standard recommendation is to provide around 2,000-2,200 calories per person per day - this is roughly the amount needed to cover the energy requirements for an adult. However, this is not a rule because if you are staying in a shelter with a small space, your physical activity will be very low - in which case you do not need to consume as many calories.
Attention!
- Even if you have plenty of food and water, it is better to ration it from the first day of your stay in the shelter, because it is difficult to predict how long you will stay there.
- In addition to rationing food, its proper storage is also crucial. Most products must be placed in tightly closed packaging, at the optimal temperature and without contact with moisture.
- Please note that storing frozen products in a shelter requires access to a freezer.
Basic medical equipment
The shelter should include basic medical supplies. If you do not have enough knowledge to assemble a first aid kit for a shelter yourself, it is best to buy a ready-made one first aid kit with equipment. It is worth choosing modular first aid kits. These may be first aid kits of different colors and with inscriptions specifying their use. These are first aid kits for specific purposes: for hemorrhages, emergencies, fractures or hypothermia. Depending on this, they are provided with appropriate medical supplies.
Also remember to bring other medical supplies to the shelter that you won't find in a standard first aid kit, such as:
- individual medicines,
- broad-spectrum antibiotic,
- painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs,
- measures against diarrhea, nausea and vomiting,
- electrolytes,
- thermometer.
Basic personal hygiene products
Your shelter must include basic personal hygiene products, which are extremely important in such conditions. Daily hygiene not only improves your well-being, but also helps protect against diseases and infections. Below is a list of essential hygiene items for the shelter:
- stock of toilet paper,
- hygienic tissues,
- disinfectant gel that does not require the use of water,
- body cleansing agents (e.g. in the form of wet wipes),
- brushes and toothpaste,
- quick-drying towels,
- feminine hygiene products (if needed).
Spare clothing
The shelter should be equipped not only with food, water, first aid, but also spare ones clothes. It is worth keeping a spare change of underwear, T-shirts and pants in the shelter.
It is also important to have warm clothing, including a jacket, fleece sweatshirt, pants, socks and a hat, which will ensure thermal comfort on colder days or nights.
Accommodation accessories
Many people have a wrong idea of what a home shelter should look like. You should certainly avoid filling your shelter with furniture, as it takes up valuable space that may be needed to store food, water, medicines, and other essential items.
For example, instead of adding a classic bed for each family member, you can save space and use it for sleeping hammocks, mattresses or foldable camp beds.
Of course, it is worth equipping the shelter with sleeping bags that will ensure thermal comfort at a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius. It is also advisable to take warm blankets and pillows with you.
Tourist stove and dishes
If you do not want to eat only canned food or other food that can be eaten without cooking in the shelter, it is definitely worth purchasing camping stove. You can choose an electric one, but remember that if the shelter uses an external power source and a possible failure occurs, this type of stove will become useless.
An alternative is to purchase a gas, spirit or solid fuel stove. However, it must be taken into account that limited ventilation is often a problem in shelters. Such stoves emit exhaust fumes and can only be used if you have a separate, well-ventilated room at your disposal, preferably.
When you decide on an alcohol, gas or solid fuel stove, you must also remember about an adequate supply of fuel. This requires additional space in the shelter, which should be taken into account. If your shelter has a small area, it is always better to allocate it to the basic equipment needed to survive in a crisis situation.
Don't forget about dishes and cutlery. You can choose ready-made tourist sets that consist of a bowl, a cup and a spork, which can also be used as a spoon, fork and knife. Remember, however, that dishes need to be washed, which consumes water. An alternative is disposable paper dishes.
Handy tools - multitool, knife, penknife
Handy tools - multitool, knife. In a home shelter, it is worth having basic tools to independently perform minor repairs, maintenance and other activities. You can, of course, buy a toolbox, but for minimalists we recommend knives, multitools and pocket knives.
The knife can be successfully used for cutting materials or cutting food. However, pocket knives and multitools are very complex tools that are equipped with many functions, such as: pliers, scissors, bottle opener, file, and even a wood saw.
Spare light source
Even though your shelter may be connected to your home's electrical system or equipped with a power station or generator, having additional light sources is always a good precaution. A failure of the electrical network, generator or station may deprive you of lighting. Can be used for emergency lighting in a shelter LED camping lamps with a power of 300-500 lumens. Two such lamps will be enough to illuminate the room for a long time. It is also worth equipping yourself with an additional light source flashlight manual, frontal or angular.
Important documents
When evacuating to a shelter, you can easily forget to take important documents. The best solution is to keep copies of them in a safe place or save scans of them on a pendrive. Below is a list of the most important documents:
- personal documents: ID card, passport, health booklet, results of specialist tests, information about previous surgeries, chronic diseases, blood group,
- documents confirming ownership of a house, works of art, bonds, cars,
- pet vaccination books,
- insurance policy.
Entertainment in the shelter
When staying in a shelter for a long time, it is important to take care of entertainment and relaxation to maintain your well-being and mental health. For this purpose, it is worth equipping the shelter with various forms of entertainment tailored to your tastes and preferences. For example, these may be: books, board games or playing cards.
Power sources
When equipping your home shelter, don't forget to stock up on batteries or accumulators for your devices. Be sure to keep the batteries in their original packaging until you need them. Thanks to this, they will be protected against moisture, which may have a negative impact on their durability. It is also recommended to place them in a tight plastic container.
It is also a good idea to place a power generator in a home shelter, but only if certain conditions are met. The generators produce toxic exhaust gases, so it is necessary to allocate a separate, ventilated room with an airtight door for them. If you can't find an additional room, it's better to choose one power station. It is safer to use because it does not produce toxic fumes.
What else is worth taking to the shelter?
Please remember that the above list is only a suggestion and your equipment should be tailored to your individual needs. In addition to the items listed above, it is also a good idea to bring things to the shelter such as:
- battery or crank radio - will allow you to keep track of the current situation and receive rescue instructions,
- garbage bags – useful for throwing used cans and other waste,
- fire blanket or fire extinguisher - in the event of a fire, they will be able to extinguish the fire,
- tourist toilet - necessary when it is not possible to connect the shelter to the home sewage system or the main septic tank,
- children's supplies (if you have them) - take diapers, wet wipes, formula, favorite toys and other necessary items for children to the shelter,
- animal supplies (if you have them) – provide your pets with food, bowls, favorite toys or a litter box (for cats).
The most important thing is to equip the shelter with all the items that will provide you and your loved ones with comfort, safety and the ability to survive in difficult conditions.
Offer of products intended for shelter equipment at Militaria.pl
In the Militaria.pl store you will find a wide selection of products that will help you equip your shelter and ensure the safety and comfort of yourself and your loved ones during an emergency.
We provide a large selection of long-term food that is not only nutritious and compact, but also tasty. Canned goods, snacks, crackers, freeze-dried and dried food - these are just some of the products you will find in our offer. Thanks to them, you will be sure that even in difficult times you will not lack energy and essential nutrients.
Our offer also includes necessary medical supplies, including first aid kits with ready-made equipment. Thanks to this, you will be prepared for every eventuality and will be able to provide first aid to yourself and your loved ones.
In a shelter, not only safety is important, but also comfort. We offer various types of accommodation accessories that will provide you with a warm and comfortable rest even in the most difficult conditions.
We also have flashlights and lamps. Our offer also includes practical tools, such as knives, multitools and pocket knives, which will prove useful in many situations.
