By the author of The Tower and How to Prep When You’re Broke
Some folks keep their nightstand minimalist, with just a lamp and a clock. Others clutter it with pretty decorative items, sentimental pictures, and the latest book they’re reading.
Then there’s the prepper’s nightstand, which is equipped for a wide variety of middle-of-the-night emergencies.
Imagine this:
You awaken in the middle of the night and something just isn’t right. Maybe you hear someone fumbling at your front door. Maybe the dog is barking his normally lazy head off at the back of the house and you know something is awry. Maybe you awaken to the sound of the smoke alarms and the smell of smoke.
What do you do?
That all depends on what you keep on your nightstand.
Set up to survive anything that goes bump (or crash) in the night.
There are a few items that are by-the-bed essentials. Some of them could save your life in the event of a midnight emergency. There are many varieties on the same theme, so below, you’ll find a list of suggestions for each type of prep.
I keep my kit tucked in a drawer, while my flashlight and firearm rest on top overnight. There are no small children in my household, but my firearm goes on my person or in the safe when tiny tots are visiting.
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Here are some things to consider for your own nightstand.
A home defense item
Depending on your personal philosophy and where you live, keeping a home defense item within easy reach is important. In some countries, you aren’t allowed to have personal defense items, so consider things that could have other uses:
- A gun and extra ammo: My household is all adults, so a loaded firearm is always at my side at night without it needing to be locked away. Please, if you’re going to do this, you must know what you’re doing. Consider taking some shoot/don’t-shoot classes to help you improve your judgment. If you aren’t adept and well-practiced with firearms, you may want to go with a non-lethal option. Read on for some ideas.
- Pepper spray: Self-defense sprays are not legal everywhere, so you might want to check your local rules and regulations. Some popular and reliable brands are Mace and Sabre. (Don’t go cheap on this purchase.) I like this pepper gel instead of spray because it clings to your assailant without getting in the air like an aerosol spray. People with asthma shouldn’t use pepper spray, as just a tiny bit of it inhaled could cause a life-threatening reaction.
- Bear spray: In places where the sprays above are not legal, you might want to watch out for pesky bears with this bear spray that has a whopping 30-foot range. This was part of my strategy when I lived in the boondocks in Canada, where it was a perfectly reasonable thing to possess and might serve as an “I grabbed the closest thing I saw” weapon of opportunity.
- Stun gun: You have to be careful with things that require direct contact. If you aren’t strong, it is not only possible but likely, that it will be taken away and used on you. This being said, many people rely on stun guns like this one. I own one of these tactical stun flashlights.
- Tasers: These are not legal everywhere, but most work by shooting an electrode at your attacker. If you miss, however, you won’t get a chance to reload. This one calls itself a stun gun, but acts like a taser, allowing you some distance between you and an intruder.
- Baton or bat: Some people are fans of striking objects. You can use a tactical baton like this. (Other types of batons can be found at gun stores) or a good old-fashioned baseball bat for this. (If you are in a place that limits your ability to have something that is a “weapon” then be sure to keep a glove and ball in the vicinity of your bat. Keep in mind that this could go the way of the stun gun and be taken away from you if you don’t know what you’re doing.
A Cutting Implement
I don’t recommend using a knife for self-defense unless you’ve been trained to do so, but there are many reasons that a cutting implement should be in your bedside drawer. For example, in the event of a fire, you can quickly cut the screen of your window to make your escape.
You can go with:
- Camping knife
- Exacto
- Pocket knife
On the same note, if you sleep on the second floor, an escape ladder is essential.
Medications
For those who suffer a life-threatening condition, medication should be kept close at hand. Some examples of necessary medications would be:
- Heart pills
- Chewable aspirin
- Epi-pen
Phone
Many folks keep their cell phones charging on their nightstands for emergency phone calls or flashlights. And, for those of you who still have them, a good old fashioned landline extension can work too.
Alarms
Intruders dislike noise. They don’t want all the neighbors to know that something is going on. Therefore keeping something close at hand that is loud enough to alert the world to your plight is a great idea.
- Emergency whistle
- Personal alarm (This one makes a noise with the same decibel level as an ambulance or fire truck)
- Car keys if you have an alarm on your vehicle – this is good because it annoys the entire neighborhood
- Panic button if you have a monitored alarm company
Lighting
You should always have some kind of emergency lighting on your nightstand in case you have to check things out in the middle of the night. This is of particular importance if you have a firearm. You need to know who you are shooting at to prevent a terrible accident.
- Gun-mounted light: For this reason, a light that attaches to your gun is a great idea. I have this one for my Glock. I’m saving up for this one which has 800 lumens of blinding brightness and a strobe to disorient a prowler.
- Flashlight
- A flashlight app on your phone
- This is the flashlight on my nightstand. It is a tactical flashlight bright enough to blind someone with 900 lumens. It also has a disrupter strobe.
Clothes and Shoes
You should have clothes and shoes close at hand. You want shoes that will protect your feet if you have to run outside in the middle of the night, and also protect you from embedding broken glass in your feet, à la Bruce Willis in Die Hard, in the event of a natural disaster. (Or Hans Gruber. Whichever comes first)
I keep some hard-soled, slip-on shoes by the bed and a hoodie hangs on the bedpost. Depending on what you sleep in and the climate, you might need some sweatpants and a coat nearby as well.
Documents/Physical copies
Lots of people keep physical documents in their nightstands.
- Grab and go binder with copies of everything
- ID
- Address books
- Emergency phone numbers
- Written health information, including a list of medications you take, pre-existing conditions, doctor’s contact information, and allergies.
- Wallet (which will have cash and ID)
Pet Supplies
If you have furry friends, you may want to have things close at hand for them in the event of a fire.
- Cat carrier
- Leashes
On this note, I strongly recommend the stickers you can get to put on your doors that let responders know there are pets inside, as well as the kind and the number. (We have these on all our entrances.)
Special Items
There are other things that may be unique to your situation, but absolutely necessary in the event of an emergency. Think about anything you would be hard-pressed to function without.
- Eyeglasses
- Hearing aids
- Dentures
Before I had LASIK surgery, my vision was so poor that I’d have been completely lost without my glasses within reach. Corrective eyewear is also important if you intend to use a firearm for protection.
What do you keep on your prepper’s nightstand?
Do you keep these things beside your bed? What do you keep nearby at night just in case of an emergency? Did I miss anything vital?
Share it in the comments section below.
About Daisy
One Response
All sound advice. I would like to add that if you have to scream for help, ie to the neighborhood, don’t call for help, instead yell FIRE! Many who hear a call for help may not respond as ‘I don’t want to get involved, or I am afraid or whatever’. The call of FIRE threatens everyone and they are more likely to assist as they do not wish a fire to spread to their home. It creates more self interest motivation.
Also, having a light mounted on a pistol is a good option, its with your firearm, and you can hold it with two hands vs one hand for the flashlight and one for the pistol. Of course training with it is important as well.