32% increase in ‘Doomsday Preppers’ building bunkers and safehouses
The pandemic has felt like something out of a film, hasn’t it? Worldwide panic, healthcare reform, government breakdown. All we need is The Rock to save the day and we could have a Hollywood blockbuster on our hands!
While lots of people were panic buying toilet roll during the first UK lockdown, there were those out there who had long been preparing for an eventuality like this. We are, of course, talking about ‘Doomsday Preppers’ (a.k.a. survivalists).
Preppers are people who anticipate and attempt to adapt to what they see as conditions of difficulty and survival (ranging from low-level crises to extinction-level events). These events may make food and basic utilities low in stock, may mean that government assistance is unavailable or useless, or may even result in the public having to be completely self-sufficient.
According to preppers and survivalists alike, events such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic are mid-level crises and should be taken as a sign to prepare for what might come in the future.
Earlier this year, we conducted our biannual customer survey to learn more about why people are purchasing their building materials and what projects they are working on or planning, and found that the number of customers working on doomsday projects, such as bunkers and safehouses, has increased by 32% since June 2019.
The results from the study reveal that out of those who were buying to start ‘Doomsday Prepping’ projects, 42% of people were building storage sheds to house food, supplies, and safety equipment, 35% were buying building materials to create their own underground bunkers (e.g. in their basement), and 18% were building safehouses separate to their own properties. It seems that the events of the pandemic may have prompted more people to start ‘prepping’.
With this in mind, we’ve partnered with a real-life ‘Doomsday Prepper’ to create an expert’s guide to preparing for doomsday and more!
An expert’s guide to ‘Doomsday Prepping’
Where to start:
When it comes to survivalism and tactical preparedness, the best place to start is to figure out what you want to be prepared for.
Each level of crisis will need a different level of prep, for example if you’re preparing for the possibility of losing your job, having back up assets is a good place to start, whereas something more serious will require a higher level of prep.
Take a look at the “pyramid of preparedness”; begin with the essentials of prepping, then look at temporary setbacks, weather turns/economic downturn/injury, disaster/total collapse, before moving on to SHTF (Sh*t Hits The Fan) prep (a major cataclysmic event, be it natural or man-made.)
- Assess what you already have.
If you have assets in savings (or like a lot of preppers, are investing in assets like silver, gold or crypto), a first aid kit in your car, or a store of produce in the event you’re unable to leave the house, you’re on your way to becoming a prepper! Once you’ve assessed what level of preparedness you want to reach, take a look at what things you already have as you may be more on the way to being prepared than you first thought.
- Get your affairs in order.
Once you’ve figured out what you want to be prepared for, it’s time to get your affairs in order, whether that means investing in valuable assets, slowly procuring long-life food, or planning and practicing your routes to safety should a high-level crisis occur. The key to being prepared is to plan, it isn’t all about stockpiling food and weapons, creating ‘go bags’ etc. You have to be prepared for more regular scenarios as well as the high-level scenarios we all hope will never happen.
- When the SHTF.
Also known as ‘doomsday events’, SHTF events are what preppers are commonly associated with. Preparing for these events requires a high level of planning, think food and water stores, energy generation, off-grid waste disposal, ‘go bags’ and ‘bug out’ plans. Make sure you do your homework on the best kinds of products to use for these events, if you’re building a bunker, storage shed, or off-grid home entirely out of wood, consider if that would be the right material to use if disaster strikes.
- You can never be over prepared.
So, you’ve made your lists, you’ve checked them over, you’ve done your homework, you have everything in order and feel fully prepared for any scenario. So, what now? You can put your feet back and relax knowing you’re ready, right? Wrong.
Preparedness never stops – you have to constantly check if your food source is stocked, your water sources aren’t contaminated, your bunkers are structurally sound, and so on. You have to continue investing in valuable assets (if you’re prepping for an economic disaster), ensure you know where your ‘go bags are’ and what your plan is should a high-level crisis occur. Life is constantly changing and you have to ensure that you are prepared enough to adapt to these changes.
Some top products for ‘Doomsday Prepping’ constructions – i.e. bunkers or safehouses.
- Rockwool RWA45 Acoustic Sound Insulation Slab: This insulation is sound-proof, fire-proof and keeps the warmth in. Perfect for avoiding being heard and protecting from the elements during a crisis.
- Celotex Insulation Board: This is used in almost every house in the country to retain heat. Will keep people warm during the apocalypse.
- Marine Plywood: This material is also used in shipbuilding and can withstand a battering from the elements!
- Celcon Blocks: These blocks are used to create a solid building structure. They are lightweight and therefore easy to handle and install.
- Acoustic Plasterboard: This acoustic plasterboard can be used in walls and ceilings to deaden noise.
