Many preppers like to fantasize about bugging out, but bugging in is the most likely scenario many of us will face if SHTF. Bugging in is essentially sheltering in place, and trying to weather whatever disaster is happening. People think about their bunker in their backyard, but most people will be in their house. What if you live in an apartment though? Can you bug in at your apartment? We say yes, you certainly can. Bugging in at an apartment has its limitations and challenges that you need to plan for and prepare for, but there are some other pros that should be considered as well.
Advantages of Bugging in at an Apartment
People won’t expect an apartment to have a year’s supply of food, or other resources. Neighbors can be an asset if you have a bunch of like minded individuals. If you can identify, or gather a group of preppers together, you could be in a really good position if SHTF.
Limitations and Challenges of Bugging In at an Apartment
There are certainly more limitations and challenges of bugging in at an apartment than there are advantages, but it is still doable. There are just additional things you need to consider and be prepared for. If you’re in a shared apartment, like in student housing or with roommates, there are a bunch of other challenges. If this is your situation, you’ll want to check out our our article Prepping in Student Housing where we discuss the challenges of prepping in those circumstances, and how to overcome them.
Another challenge is home maintenance. Many apartment complexes either rely on a maintenance staff, or a handyman service to fix things that break. It’s not your building, so its generally not your job to take care of it and keep it functional. It its where you’re staying though, and there isn’t anyone else there to fix it and take care of it in a disaster, you’ll be in trouble if you don’t have the tools to take care of it yourself. If you don’t have a basic tool kit, you’ll want to start to get one together.
Defense
Weapons that won’t shoot through 4 walls and kill 7 neighbors. Hollow points and shotguns are your friend. We also recommend having quiet defensive options as well. Our favorite quiet firearm is a suppressed 300 blackout shooting subsonic ammo. It can be movie quiet. We also recommend having a good bow, crossbow, or other non-firearm weapon, especially in an urban setting where a shot could be heard by hundreds if not thousands of people. Bugging in in a city environment is about flying under the radar.
Fortification
If you’re bugging in at an apartment, I strongly recommend stocking up on sandbags. Sandbags are compact when empty and can stop bullets when full. They can also reinforce structures, divert floods, and provide additional insulation when needed. Sand bags are used in war zones and by militaries throughout the world. If SHTF, your neighborhood could be a warzone.
Bugging in Essentials
Whether you’re bugging in at an apartment, house, cabin, or anything in between, you’ll still need answers to all the essentials. We have identified 10 categories that are the most important that people should have, or be working to have, answers to.
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
- Defense
- Heat
- Clothing
- Tools
- First Aid
- Safety
- Communications
These are just categories, and everyone will have slightly different options and answers to each of these items. We have created an extensive list that expands each of these categories with our recommendations and what we use.
Transportation
Transportation doesn’t make my original bugging in list, as transportation is traditionally more of a bugging out consideration. If you’re bugging in at an apartment though, you’ll want to be ready to get out of there if needed. There are more variables and possible hostilities in an apartment. You need to be ready to get out. I would plan on having an alternate means of transportation available to you. When I was living in an apartment, I built an electric bike. The battery had a 20 mile range, and I could pedal after the battery ran out.
Storage
Apartments generally have less square footage than a house. There also aren’t options for sheds our other outbuildings. You need to take advantage of all your storage options. Empty closet space is your enemy. Make sure you use all the space on a shelf, from top to bottom. Storage bins or totes are great for this, and we’ve tried dozens and have the results from those experiments available in our article- Best Storage Bins for Preppers.
Incognito Prepping and Living
You’ll want to make sure you have food and water to withstand whatever may be happening outside, but you also don’t want all of your neighbors to know just how prepared you are. Pantries and closed closets are your friends. Keeping things out of the view of guests is crucial. On that same note, you’ll want to make sure you’re not bringing in huge loads all at once. Bringing in a dozen barrels of wheat will draw attention to yourself. Buy things little by little and secret them away.
Conclusion: Bugging in at an Apartment is Challenging But Doable
There’s nothing easy about bugging in. If you’re in a situation like that, you’ve already left the realm of what is ideal. I personally would rather bug in at a house rather than an apartment, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be done. I lived in apartments for about 10 years of my life, and it was always my goal to be able to bug in if need be.
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