This Is The One Thing You Definitely Need In Your Apocalypse Shelter

Whether you think of the mindset as survivalist, prepper, or just plain common sense, there's no doubt the preparedness movement has been gaining steam in recent years. Once marginalized as a subculture fearing (perhaps irrationally, many thought) the end of the world, prepping has now gone mainstream. You can pick up your own cheap setup of essentials by searching for prepper kits on Amazon or you can go all out and buy the $250 "Safe" model from preparedness startup Judy, whose three-days worth of supplies for a family of four come in a safety-orange-yet-somehow-chic waterproof bin (Oprah even named it one of her "Favorite Things"). 

But come on, what do people really need to have in their bug-out bag to get through whatever the end of the world is going to throw at us? Grunge recently set out to find the answer by surveying 518 Americans, all of whom were asked the same difficult question: What is the one thing you definitely need in your apocalypse shelter?

A whopping 49.03 percent of respondents were keeping things simple and choosing bottled water. It's a smart decision; humans can go on for a surprisingly long time on little or no food, but water is a non-negotiable. With water comprising 60 percent of the human body, we're in real trouble if our supplies run out. According to Business Insider, a week is a "generous estimate," and one made based on end-of-life patient observation. An active adult — even one hunkered down in a bunker — has a much more pressing need and would likely not make it much past the three- to four-day mark. 

So some water is better than none but what's ideal? In other words, how many trips to Costco do we need to make to do this sheltering thing right? FEMA advises one gallon per person, per day and goes on to (somewhat ominously) warn us to never ration water when supplies are low. Drink what you need today, they say, and hope you can secure more tomorrow. Hopefully, your emergency won't be quite as dire, but we'll share some of the other top answers in case you want a preparedness jumpstart.

At 11.58 percent, MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) came next, unsurprisingly. Per Science Alert, humans can reportedly go up to three weeks without food, though why would you want to, now that you can dig into everything from chicken tetrazzini to "homestyle" chicken and noodles MREs? Yep, a smart addition to any apocalypse shelter. 

Rounding out the top six answers are first aid kits (7.72 percent of respondents), a chemical toilet (8.69 percent), basic hand tools (10.04 percent), and edged weapons (8.11 percent). If those choices didn't cover what respondents had in mind, they also had the option to offer up alternatives, and many did, noting the need for such practicalities as medications, books, and items to start fires. On the spiritual front, several people answered that the Bible would be their No. 1 pick, while others went a little more ... earthly, by noting their need for guns and ammo — likely quite handy in an end-of-the-world scenario. A few folks were especially candid in their inability to survive on MREs and Dasani alone, and straight up told us they're not going anywhere without their wine, chocolate, cigarettes, or beer. Not a bad way to wait out the apocalypse.