The Disaster-Ready Home
Creek StewartStep-by-step sheltering-in-place manual. Food, water, heat, sanitation, and security for when you cannot leave.
Amazon
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Safes and Secure Storage
Small Safes
Personal safe
Personal safe
Under thirty litres, keypad or key, and a bolt-down kit so it leaves with nothing. The size a first safe usually is, and the size most of them stay.
0.41 cu ftKeypadBolts down
SentrySafe X041E, 0.41 cu ft, bolt-down kit
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Wall safe
Sits between studs, closes flush and hides behind anything hung on the wall. Capacity is low, and the fire rating belongs to the box, not to the wall.
Between studsFlush fitKeypad
Fireproof in-wall safe, 25.6 in
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Quick-access biometric box
Opens on a fingerprint in the dark, without a code anyone can watch you type. Bedside or desk drawer, for the one thing you want in seconds.
Fingerprint0.85 cu ftInterior light
Tenamic biometric safe, 0.85 cu ft
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Bolt-down cash box
Under ten litres, anchored through the base to a floor joist or a shelf. Theft only and no fire rating, which is the trade for the size and the price.
Under 10 LAnchors downNo fire rating
Yuanshikj steel security box, 0.23 cu ft
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Medium Safes
Home safe, 50 to 100 litres
Free-standing and bolted to a concrete floor. Holds documents, cash and a modest amount of metal in one place, which is where a household safe starts.
50 to 100 LBolts down1 hour fire
SentrySafe SFW205GQC, 2.05 cu ft
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Fireproof file chest
UL Classified for thirty minutes and ETL verified against water. Hanging files inside, and light enough for one person to carry out of the house alone.
30 min ULHanging filesPortable
SentrySafe HD4100, 0.65 cu ft
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Fire and water safe
The gasket seals under immersion as well as against heat, which is the rating that matters once a fire is out and the water is still standing in the room.
1 hour fire24 hour waterGasket seal
SentrySafe SFW123GDC, 1.23 cu ft
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Cabinet safe with shelves
Nearly a hundred litres on removable shelves, so folders stand upright instead of stacking. Reaching the bottom shelf does not mean unloading the top one.
3.47 cu ft30 min at 1700FRemovable shelves
TIGERKING fireproof safe, 3.47 cu ft
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Large Safes
Tall floor-standing safe
Sold as a gun safe because that is who buys the shape, but what you pay for is volume: two hundred litres behind one door, and racks that come out for shelves.
200 L and up30 to 60 min fireBolts down
Kodiak KBX5629, 42 long guns
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Floor safe
Set into concrete with a flush lid. The hardest kind to remove from a building, and the best fire protection of any of them without being rated for it.
Set in concreteFlush lidHardest to remove
Protex IF-3000C in-ground floor safe
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Long gun safe
Eighteen long guns standing up, or the same volume in shelves for everything else. Fire and water rated, with an electronic lock and a key behind it.
18 long gunsFire and waterElectronic lock
Wasatch 18EGW, 18 long guns
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Extra-large home safe
Extra-large home safe
Ten cubic feet behind a pegboard door, opened by fingerprint. Large enough to be the only safe in a house, light enough that two people can still place it.
10.5 cu ft60 min fireFingerprint
AltiKeep biometric safe, 10.5 cu ft
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Bags and cases
Fire resistant document bag
Coated fibreglass with a double zip and a silicone seal. Rated for short exposure rather than for a whole fire, which is what a document bag is for.
FibreglassWater resistantA4 size
ROLOWAY fireproof document bag, 15 x 12 x 5 in
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Portable travel safe
A slashproof mesh bag that locks shut and anchors by its cable to something fixed. The answer to a hotel room or a rental, where the safe shares its code.
5 litresSlashproofAnchors
Pacsafe Travelsafe GII, 5 L portable safe
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Portable lock box
A steel shell under fifteen litres with a cable to anchor it to something heavier than itself. Locks a phone and a wallet away while you are not with them.
Under 15 LSteel cableCombination
Master Lock 5900D travel safe
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Hard waterproof case
Crushproof and sealed against water, with foam cut to whatever it has to hold. Sized so documents lie flat inside rather than folded down to fit the lid.
11.8 x 8.9 inCrushproofFoam
Pelican 1400 case with foam
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What to consider
- UL ClassificationIndependent lab testing only. UL Classification is the standard; without it, a fire claim is just marketing.
- Duration and temperatureMinimum acceptable: 30 minutes at 845°C.
- What it protectsPaper survives below 175°C.
- ETL VerificationETL Verified, tested by Intertek: submerged, contents stayed dry. Without it, "waterproof" is just a label.
- Submersion duration24 to 100 hours depending on model. Hoses and sprinklers damage as much as the fire; do not skip this rating.
- Key lockNo batteries, no codes to forget. The tradeoff is a key that can be lost, copied or found. Best for a simple portable chest.
- Dial combinationMechanical, no batteries, slower to open, reliable over decades and immune to electronic attack. The classic choice for a large home safe.
- Digital keypadFast, programmable, usually backlit. Runs on AAA batteries, replaced yearly; insist on a backup key override.
- Biometric (fingerprint)Fastest, 1 to 2 seconds, nothing to remember or lose. Best where speed matters. Confirm a backup entry method exists.
- Bolt it downUnbolted, a safe is just a heavy box someone carries out. Bolt anything under 23 kg; weight alone is not security.
- Steel gaugeLower gauge number, thicker steel. 14-gauge is excellent, 16-gauge is standard and adequate, thinner than 18-gauge is decorative.
- Pry resistancePry-resistant hinge bars, concealed hinges and live-locking bolts decide how long a safe resists a crowbar. Interior hinges cannot be attacked from outside.
- Drop testETL Verified drop testing confirms the lock survives a fall from 4.5 m.
- Size for what you needBigger draws more attention and hides less easily. A compact safe well hidden often beats a large one in the master bedroom closet. Size to what you actually store.
- DocumentsBirth certificates, passports, deeds, insurance, wills, power of attorney, ID and marriage or divorce papers. Everything that proves who you are and what you own.
- Cash and precious metalsCash in mixed denominations, gold and silver coins or bars. Both are heavier than expected; factor the weight into placement and floor support.
- Digital backupsEncrypted drives and SD cards holding scanned documents, photos, financial records and a password vault. Confirm the safe is ETL Verified for media.
- High-value small itemsJewellery, watches, spare keys, temperature-sensitive medication, anything irreplaceable that fits.
- Hidden beats obviousThe best placement is one nobody thinks to search: behind a panel, inside furniture, under a shelf. A burglar is on a clock, and every second spent looking is a second closer to leaving.
- Smaller can be smarterA compact safe tucked out of sight beats a large one sitting in plain view. The master bedroom closet is the first place anyone looks.
- Avoid the obvious spotsMaster bedroom, office and garage are checked first. Laundry rooms, pantries, utility closets and children's rooms rarely are. Think like someone with 10 minutes.
- Ground floor, interior wallGround floor, interior wall, for fire safety: upper floors risk collapse, garages and attics see temperature extremes that degrade contents over time.
- Tell almost nobodyThe fewer people who know it exists, or where, the better: service workers, guests, social media included. A habit, not a one-time decision.
- Distribute your assetsOne safe is a layer, not the whole system. Add a chest at a relative's home, a deposit box elsewhere, or an encrypted cloud backup. One point of failure loses everything.
- Split by priorityA primary safe for daily items, a portable chest for grab-and-go copies, a quick-access safe for what you need in seconds. Three roles, three locations.
