Jodie Weston
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Anyone who lives in hurricane country knows that hunkering down is a way of life when a big storm is predicted. As a matter of fact, in the southern United States, hurricane parties are common. When a hurricane is eminent, friends and family gather in a storm proof area, bringing food, drink and amusements to help while the time away until the storm passes.
According to the Urban Dictionary, there is even a game called “Hunker Down”:
Hunker Down game is a game played at hurricane parties. You watch the weather report and every time the weatherman or news guy says “hunker down” you take a shot. By the time the electricity is out, you don’t even care any more.
Okay, that may be an extreme and may be making light of a serious situation but still, during most emergencies we should be able to hunker down in our own homes, surrounded by the items that we have put in place to insure our comfort and safety.
In the preparedness community, hunkering down is typically referred to as “bugging in”. To me, staying in your home for an extended period of time while waiting for the danger to pass makes good sense. Unless a situation is dire (and the local authorities say it is time to GO), I simply cannot imagine leaving familiar surroundings for parts unknown.
With this in mind, today I would like to share with you a list of items to include in an emergency comfort kit. These are items that you probably already own although they are likely spread throughout your home in one place or another. Today we are going to gather these items together and store them in a bucket, large plastic tub, or even a box so that we can get to them quickly when the call to hunker down arrives.
Note: This list assumes all of your regular preps (food, water, first aid and such) are already in place and accounted for. With that in mind, let’s have some fun with this.
16 Items To Help You Hunker Down in Comfort
Below you will find a list of 16 items to help you hunker down – or bug-in – in comfort, whether in your own home or someone else’s. The list is in no particular order and most certainly is not all-inclusive.
1. Coffee and Hot Chocolate
Can you imagine anything more comforting than a hot cup of coffee in the morning and a warm cup of hot chocolate at night. Of course this assumes that you have emergency cooking gear in place (camp stoves, butane burners, fire pit, rocket stove).
2. Bar Soap
If you have ever gone 5 or 6 days without a shower, you will appreciate the need for some bar soap and a washcloth to keep you fresh while stuck in your bug in location. Liquid soap is nice – and it has many uses – but bar soap is more compact and will last a lot longer in an emergency.
3. Deodorant
As with bar soap, some deodorant will help insure that the others in your group enjoy your company.
4. Toothbrush, Toothpaste and Floss
Are you detecting a recurring theme here? Personal hygiene will make you feel better and in the case of a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss, will prevent dental problems from festering and giving you problems in the future.
5. Shaving Gear (Guys)
Ditto.
6. Makeup (Gals)
Ditto x 2. But more than that, I would by lying if I told you that looking good was not important, regardless of the circumstances.
7. M&Ms
Now we are getting serious. Everyone loves M&Ms and they store well. Seal them up in a mason jar and they will be consumed before they get stale. Guaranteed to solve chocolate cravings!
8. Spirits
Pick your poison. Mine is cheap red wine (so that I can make Survival Sangria with my freeze-dried fruit) and the Survival Husband’s is Grand Marnier (he has expensive tastes).
9. Board Games, Playing Cards, Crossword Puzzles
These things are typically buried in the back of a closet somewhere. When the time comes, who wants to go on a search and rescue mission? My favorites are Ticket to Ride, Mexican Train, Rummy Cube and Sudoku. What are yours?
Crossword puzzles can be great if you are good crossword solver. If you have a lot of people with you then you can share crossword clues and do a single crossword together.
Board game classics like Clue, Monopoly, Chess, are great but remember to include some games that people of all ages can play if you have young children in your household.
10. Pen and Paper
Some of my best ideas have come from making notes by candlelight. Create a journal, make lists or simply write for the sake of writing.
11. Coloring Books and Crayons
Not just for children! How long has it been since you have tried to stay within the lines?
12. A Teddy Bear
I still have a teddy bear. Do you?
13. Paperback Books
Although you may have plenty of ways to charge your electronic devices and gizmos, an old-fashioned page turner will take you back to simpler times. Plus, when you are done, you can pass the book along to one of your companions.
14. Blanket or Down Comforter
Staying toasty warm when the heat is off requires a blanket or comforter. It is even more fun if you have someone to share it with.
15. Warm Socks or Slippers
Like cuddling up in a blanket, padding around in warm socks or slippers is a lot more comfortable than wearing shoes. Why not?
16. Essential Oils
The last item on my list is a selection of essential oils. My favorite soothing essential oil is lavender (see The Miracle of Lavender Oil: 25 Amazing Uses for Survival). Not only does it smell heavenly, but lavender, as with many other essential oils, can be a stress reliever and will bring a sense of calm to one’s soul. Other good essential oils include rosemary, clary sage and rose.
The Final Word
Emergency preparedness is serious business. Having the right stuff and the right skills can be a deal breaker when it comes to survival.
On the other hand, we all need to lighten up sometimes. By writing this article I want to give you permission to indulge yourself. Think about the things you would miss the most if stuck at home for a week or two. These are the nice to have items, not life or death items, do it or die items.
The list I have provided is mine. Yours may be different. Care to share an item or two from your own list? Here is the deal. As soon as it is published, I will randomly select one comment to this article and send that reader a copy of my soon-to-be published e-Book, The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage.
Now how cool is that?
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Bargain Bin: Remember this rule of thumb: first purchase what you need to get by and later, as budget allows, add the extra items that will enhance and add dimension and depth to your existing survival gear.
Ticket To Ride: I love love love this game. It is a bit pricey but still, it is less than a dinner out for two at a modest restaurant. The entire family will get hours of fun from this popular board game.
Bicycle Canasta Games Playing Cards: This timeless classic will keep the entire family occupied when the power it out. Playing cards or board games should be in everyone’s preparedness pantry.
Pressman Original Travel Rummikub Game: I purchased this travel version for a recent trip and we whiled away an entire rainy afternoon playing. (I lost most rounds).
Mexican Train Dominoes: You can purchase this set or simply use a set of dominoes that you already own. Instructions can be found on the internet such as here: How to Play Mexican Train.
NOW Foods Lavender Oil: Lavender oil is my personal favorite. It can be used in salves and skin lotions or directly on the skin, right out of the bottle. It has a sweet, balsamic, floral aroma which combines well with many oils including citrus, clove, patchouli, rosemary, clary sage and pine. Its benefits include balancing, soothing, normalizing, calming, relaxing, and healing.
Top 14 Essential Oil Set: This well-priced set included Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Spearmint, Orange & Tea Tree.
Quikclot Sport Brand Advanced Clotting Sponge: A must for any first aid or emergency kit, Quikclot Sport stops moderate to severe bleeding until further medical help is available.
Israeli Battle Dressing, 6-inch Compression Bandage: This is another inexpensive, yet critical item for your first aid kit. Combat medics, trauma doctors, and emergency responders all recommend this Israeli Battle Dressing (IBD) for the treatment of gunshot wounds, puncture wounds, deep cuts, and other traumatic hemorrhagic injuries.
Solo Stove: Emergency Survival Stove: The Solo Stove is perfect for cooking beans and rice using just a pot, some water and biomass as fuel. A step up is the EcoZoom Versa. Remember when I spoke of redundancy? I have both plus a Volcano II collapsible stove. I suppose you could say that going hungry is not high on my to do list.
Chemical Light Sticks: Pick your size (length) and pick your color. Just be aware that if color does not matter, some colors are cheaper than others. Be sure to read Lighting Your Way With Chemical Lighting.
Dorcy LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: Don’t let the price lead you to think this wireless flood light is wimpy. I have two of these and feel that these lights are worth double the price. Using D-cell batteries, the Dorcy floodlight will light up a dark room or a dark stairway in an instant. I can not recommend these enough.
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61 Responses to “16 Items To Help You Hunker Down in Comfort”
Unless you relish the idea of pulling your own teeth, I’d leave off the M&M’s. I’ve lost 5 teeth to that particular addiction. Once I learned what was destroying my teeth, I quit eating them and have had no more problems. If you must have something sugary, find something that doesn’t glue itself to your teeth, no matter how much you brush.
Don’t forget a supply of your daily medications… and maybe some tranks for any nervous nellies.
Gaye, I am concerned that the thread thru the replies at least hint that everyone is prepping for a natural bad storm like some experience most winters, or others face in the spring tornado season. Over the years I have read your work I have felt you are preparing for a fare more serious and long term event. I don’t know if the story of the orchestra continued to play while the titanic sank is true, but it seems we may be doing something similar, will you please comment
Pat – To be perfectly honest, I feel that I am personally well-prepped for an act of nature. The consequences of an earthquake or tsunami or extended power outage in my area may not be pleasant, but I feel that I can handle the stress and put my mental and physical preps on autopilot if something like that were to happen.
You are correct that I prep for a much more devastating and universal disruptive event. The global economy is quite fragile and some time, somewhere, we just might be blind sighted by a cyber attack including a man-made EMP or terrorist event. Am I am prepped for that? Not really.
Yes, I can live off grid but like many, I have become so dependent upon technology as a way of life that I cannot begin to fathom the consequences.
Doing the best we can is all we can do. Heck, given my age, something like this may not happen in my lifetime. I can only hope that through my work, the younger generations will get wise to the ways of the world, and prepare themselves for the possibility if not probability, that sometime within the next 20 years, life as we know it will change.
Wow, thinking about this makes me realize I need to lay in a supply of my dog’s favorite bones. He gets a new one around once a week/10 days. Sooner if I’m sick and need him to lay quietly on the floor for a few hours.
My wife and I will have to shelter in place due to both of our disabilities. God forbid we’re stuck in our apartment building with a seriously bored dog! I wonder what the average shelf life of a bone is?
When I was younger we experienced a major winter storm that shut things down for a long time. My baby brother was still in diapers and the disposables ran out so Mom had to use the hand towels from the bathroom for diapers. So I have cloth diapers,rubber pants and diaper pins in my preps. Cloth diapers can be washed and reused in an emergency.
If we are talking comfort here let’s not forget a HERC oven. Why? because it bakes!!! Who wouldn’t feel better about their situation with a nice warm chocolate chip cookie in hand! You could bake inside in the comfort of your shelter with tea candles and eat fresh warm bread, roasted chicken, pies and cakes, If someone had a birthday you can still have cake! Comfort foods make all the difference in bare bones surviving and experiencing real peace and comfort and the ability to think clearly in a bad situation.
I must have my slippers and fuzzy socks. You can also make Battleship Shots with some shot glasses, 2 pizza boxes, a marker and your favorite drink. A round or 2 of this and you won’t care if the grid is down. 😉
I would include my Kindle
I also love my Kindle, but in the ice storm a couple of week’s ago, since the power was out our router was out and the company we get Internet from also had no power. It never occurred to me that we would have no Internet access when we had no power. Our cell phones worked just fine, bu
t Kindle content was limited to stuff I had previously downloaded. I have gotten in the habit of checking books from our library and using the “read in browser” option. I guess that is one more thing I need to add to my prepping for bad weather list: download some content before the power goes out.
the key here is to have at least some of the things that bring comfort to you & those with you and make you feel human…be it the Bible, M&M’s or the fixin’ for chocolote chip cookies….yum yum…a bottle of Crown Royal…..those comfort items with help keep you & yours from going bonkers… remember stay cool…
I was “stuck” at home for 2 months this year due to an injury. Only got out to go to the occasional doctor appointment. I discovered that I have all I need with the exception of eggs. To me, eggs are a comfort food and even if I don’t eat them every day, if I run out I am stressed. I only went to the grocer 4 times in the 2 months so I would say I am pretty well set for a bug in – food and water stored; crafty things stored; lots of books needing to be read. If I have to bug out, I have my bags packed and ready to go. I always keep my gas tank topped off – don’t let it get below 1/2 a tank. I have a car emergency kit and working on upgrading it. I also have a place to go that is out in the country and a relatively safe place to park myself. My friend is also a prepper so we will be OK for the time being.
Something that I would suggest after reading these comments: make sure you have a spare set of glasses. Keep up on your dental and vision doctoring. The last thing you want is to lose teeth or vision in an emergency. I have talked to my doctor about stocking up on antibiotics. He is thinking about it but did not have a recommendation on how to store it long term. I think if it is 1/2 strength it would be better than none in an emergency situation – am I wrong? Any suggestions on this and other meds for that matter?
Leal — regarding antibiotics:
Sulfa antibiotics are a worthwhile addition to your kit. They are usually available as powders that have a very, very long shelf-life (as long as they are kept dry) and were the mainstay for field use in the 30’s and 40’s. Should your stock of “modern” antibiotics run out or go bad, you’ll have an excellent back-up.