10 Items that should be in every survival bunker

The constantly increasing population of the world combined with its many problems has been pushing more and more people to invest in survival bunkers. Only ten years ago this tiny industry was mostly building backyard, single-room hideaways but today, there is a huge demand for enormous multi-leveled luxury bunkers for the world’s elite.

(A bunker of this size should be used for no more than 4 people for a maximum of a week)

It doesn’t matter how big and luxurious a bunker is, if it doesn’t have all the necessary items and pieces of equipment, then that underground swimming pool is going to turn into a cold and stagnant mess really quickly. The size and quality of the interior come second to the necessary things that allow people to survive down there, and here are 10 items that should be in every survival bunker.

1) Food

Starting with the obvious, but also one of the most complicated. The type of food you have, the form it’s stored in, and its quantity should depend on how many people are in your bunker, and how long you intend to stay down there. The longest-lasting type of food you can possibly have is freeze-dried which can last for up to 25 years, but is also the most expensive and would last longer than you could stay underground for.

(An American MRE lasts for 5 years, but also contains no fibre and high amounts of salt, which can lead to constipation if you eat nothing else for a few days)

Dehydrated food can last for up to 10 years and is an excellent choice for anyone looking to stock up and leave it there until it’s needed. Canned food and dried goods like rice and wheat can last for years, but the other problem is having to restock the bunker regularly. If your food supply goes bad after 5 years, how often would this require a full change of goods to ensure it lasts for long enough when you need to start eating it?

2) Water

The other most important thing but also one of the easiest to secure, at least in the short term. The average person drinks about 3.5 liters of water per day, which is about 3/4 of a gallon, so a standard plastic 50-gallon barrel would last one person for about 2 months. However, the problem comes with stagnation and allowing air into the container. When water comes out of whatever is holding it, air needs to replace the volume inside the container, which means air containing all kinds of nasty things getting into your water supply. The process of water turning bad normally takes at least a couple of weeks before it goes bad, but there are ways to stop this.

If a large water tank is being used, it will need a heating element or chemical filter of some kind to kill any bacteria. The other option is to use a large amount of smaller containers, like a 50-gallon barrel, but share one for the whole bunker so they experience minimum chance of exposure to the air. It’s also worth stocking water purification tablets just in case something goes wrong with your water supply.

3) Power

It is the most complicated of all and also the most expensive. The issue with power is that there are only two forms available when in a bunker, batteries or a fuel-burning generator. The main problem with batteries is that they won’t last for very long on their own, and will need a renewable source on the surface to keep them going. There are numerous problems with this as being in a bunker in the first place suggests the surface is unsafe, and relying on something that could break like a wind turbine or water wheel is not a good idea. Solar panels can also break or become covered with debris, and as with wind will only create power at certain times. The only way to safely rely solely on electricity would be by using a water wheel or vortex turbine on a river that flows consistently throughout the year, but this would still require maintenance from the outside, and a single floating log could end everything.

(Generators always create some type of harmful emission, which will need to be sent directly outside)

Any kind of generator that burns fuel will create dangerous emissions that will need to be blown directly outside so they don’t poison everyone in the bunker. This isn’t that difficult to do but the problem then lies with the fuel itself. Petrol has a storage life of 6 months, and diesel lasts for between 6 and 12 months, with both of these estimates based on the fuel being stored in a sealed container. When opened and exposed to the air, the fuel storage life will halve to 3 months for petrol and 6 for diesel. This will further halve again if the temperature they are stored in is 30°C, with the warmer the room the shorter the fuel’s lifespan. Gas-burning generators are the other option, but these are not only big but consume large amounts of gas and are dangerous to run continuously for long periods of time.

It should be noted that a single power source to run an entire bunker is something that will only be needed in a large bunker with more people. For something small like a backyard bunker or something designed for a handful of people for up to a week, a generator is often unnecessary. Just for the purposes of survival, the only electricity needed would be lighting which could easily be achieved with a decent supply of batteries and lanterns, with the stove running on a small gas bottle with ample ventilation.

4) Entertainment

This one may not seem necessary to people’s survival, but it is. Imagine being stuck in a single room the size of a large bedroom with 3 other people for one week. Nowhere for privacy, nowhere to exercise properly, and nothing to do but talk and wait. This creates a massive psychological strain on people and anything longer than a few days begins to turn into something serious. If someone is mildly claustrophobic, then this will be made many times worse when they realize they can’t leave the room they’re in.

People do desperate things when they lack their normal conditions, and humans are never meant to live underground as a species. The things that people would lack from their normal conditions would have to be made up for with various entertainment options. Anything like books, board games, electronics, and anything that would take people’s minds off their situations would be a necessity. The longer people remain underground, the more they would need to distract them.

5) Air

The problem with this one is that power would be needed for anything longer than a couple of days to cycle the air from outside through the bunker. Depending on why you are in a bunker in the first place, the air from outside might need to pass through a carbon filter before people can breathe it, which would require a constant source of power. Depending on the size of the bunker and how many people are in it, you can often safely stay there for a day or 2 without cycling air, if you have to, but the carbon build-up will get risky.

(The amount of spare filters and whether or not you need a carbon filter will depend on whats happening on the outside)

There are manual air pumps available which you can use every few hours to bring in more air from outside, but whatever you do, make sure there is a carbon detector inside the bunker, preferably one with a small alarm. The only effect a carbon buildup will have on a person is to make them feel tired, and when they fall asleep they will suffocate, so monitoring the air quality within the bunker is a must.

6) Spare components

Relying on a single air filter to hold out long enough is never a good idea, and what happens if part of your power supply or air pump malfunctions? There is something in the American army called Murphy’s law, which states that if something can go wrong, then it will go wrong. This should be considered when you have a single piece of equipment your survival depends on, but it doesn’t mean needing to have a load of spare generators lying around. Research the equipment you’re using, find out which parts are most likely to fail, and stock your spares accordingly.

7) Exit Equipment

If you have to run into an underground survival bunker for a few days there will be a good reason for it. This could be anything from a storm to the next World War, but whatever the reason is, there’s a good chance that things on the outside won’t be the same as they were when you went in. The things you have ready for when you leave the bunker should depend on what you are likely to find on the outside.

(A standard Bug-out bag you can buy online, but a good example of what to include in a bunker-leaving kit)

A good example would be a bunker built within tornado territory that would only need to be used for a day or two. Upon leaving the bunker it’s likely clearing tools would be needed to move debris and move through the wreckage, like shovels, crowbars, and fire axes. Also, things like water purifiers and clothing designed for the weather are essential, but the things you have ready for when you leave should be tailored to what you expect to find.

8) Weapons

This one is only essential for certain scenarios, or high crime areas. Weapons would only be needed if you are likely to need them, which sounds silly but it isn’t worth stocking a few machine guns for a backyard storm shelter. If you are likely to have to go hunting when you leave the bunker or expect someone to attack you then basic hunting and defensive firearms would be a good idea, depending on where you live and how legal they are.

(The US AR-7 survival rifle, a compact and light-weight gun designed for survival situations)

The other risk comes with people attacking your bunker if they become desperate enough. If people are starving or have a time limit to get somewhere safe, it’s likely they would try and take what you have by force, but this would only apply to certain situations and areas.

9) A really strong front door

The only thing separating you from everyone on the outside and your bunker will be the main door. The larger luxury bunkers have vault-style blast doors that can withstand things that would never be used against them, but there is the risk that someone might try and break it down. Bunker security doors are normally very strong and designed to quickly ruin drill tips and other devices that could damage them, with the only real dangers coming from explosions or a thermal lance.

The chance that someone would have enough explosives to break down a bunker door, and actually be willing to use them is very small, but people involved in certain crimes might have a go at breaking through. The only thing they could use that would pose a threat would be a thermal lance, but these are often large and difficult to get hold of. The way to stop people from using such equipment is to position the bunker door so there isn’t much room in front of it, such as having the main entrance on the side wall instead of the end of a corridor or stairs.

10) A better-than-average first-aid kit

If you’re in a bunker then you won’t have the option of going to the hospital, which means anything that happens will need to be dealt with using the things on hand. This doesn’t mean having a separate infirmary room with an operating table, but all forms of injury would need to be catered for. Any kind of cut, breakage, or infection would need the appropriate medicine, and people’s conditions should also be taken into account when stocking the bunker.

An unopened vial of insulin kept in the fridge can last for up to 4 weeks but becomes less in higher temperatures. Also, things like inhalers and any kind of medicine that need to be regularly taken should be on stand-by but never stored in the bunker itself. A bunker bug-out bag should be on hand ready to be filled with all the things in the house that have a short lifespan, but these should only be things like medicine and health-related things, as everything else should be ready and waiting for when you enter.