When you’re a prepper, one of the things that are valued is storage. However, not every home comes with storage pre-built. In that case, the prepper has to make the decision of ordering a kit or making one themselves.
Most of the time, there is significant debate regarding the kind of shelter that a prepper uses. There are those that are fully immersed in the survivalism life that they consider anything that isn’t built by hand a mockery of the lifestyle. However, it is important to note that everyone has their own ways of doing things.
Just as anyone can choose to just build things themselves, others have the equal right to purchase pre-built kits that merely need a bit of assembly. Each option comes with its own benefits and pitfalls. Let’s take a closer look:
Buying a Shelter Kit
There are now available shelter kits that can be ordered from a store. These normally come in a variety of measurements so there’s a lot to choose from. It’s pretty much like ordering a whole house online, if it comes down to it. The kit then arrives after a certain amount of time and the buyer has the option to:
- Have it installed professionally
- Install it themselves
Here a few pros and cons to buying a shelter kit:
Pros
They’re already built and can be installed for you
This is great news for preppers that aren’t very handy. This means that they get a place to store their stockpile without having to worry about doing the dirty work themselves.
Depending on the time of year, there are massive discounts to buying one
If you’re interested in getting a lot of savings in, there are a lot of companies that sell shelter kits that go on massive sales. You just need to know when.
Cons
Settling
Settling is what happens when the material (usually wood) dries up and warps. This can create massive gaps on the flooring and the wall—even the ceiling. This means that your shelter isn’t doing its job so it’ll have to be fixed or replaced.
Costly
While in certain times of the year certain companies go on sale, on every other day of the year, shelter kits can be pretty pricey.
Building the Shelter Yourself
This is usually what a lot of extreme survivalists tend to do. When the goal is to be self-reliant, it makes no sense to have to order (relying) on an outside source for your personal safety. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Pros
Costs Less
Most preppers will use locally sourced material for their shelters. This means that they’ll be able to support local and spend significantly less than something that needs to be shipped in.
Sturdier
When you know what you’re doing, a built from the ground up shelter can last years without having to be repaired. Think of the underground bunker in Blast from the Past.
Cons
Requires a lot of planning
Building your own shelter is no small task. It is something that will require significant effort. You will need to ensure that your materials, tools, permits, and other documentations are all above board. The last thing you want is having the law come down on you about this.
