On 22 September 2026, during Sweden's national preparedness week, SVT's live programme Sverige Live ran a segment titled Försvarsingenjörens tips, a defence engineer's tips. The defence engineer was Oskar Björk, adviser and co-founder at Kapsel. The short answer he gave is this: a household should be able to manage seven days without electricity, running water or heating, and most of what that takes is ordinary equipment you choose once and then leave alone.
He brought a table of it. A water container, a camping stove, a plastic storage box, and a Kapsel.
"Society's resilience rests on everyone, fundamentally, taking care of their own preparedness. That means having some form of preparedness at home."
Oskar Björk on SVT Sverige Live, 22 September 2026. Translated from Swedish.
That is the part people tend to miss. Home preparedness is usually presented as looking after yourself. He framed it the other way around: a household that copes on its own is a household that is not taking up capacity someone else needs more.
The five things a week without power actually needs
Swedish guidance from MCF, the authority for civil defence, is built on seven days. Broken down, a household needs five things covered, and they do not change with the cause of the disruption.
- Water. Around three litres per person per day for drinking and cooking, and a way to make more water safe once the stored water runs out.
- Warmth. A home loses heat quickly once the power is off. Wool layers, a warm sleeping bag and one safe heat source used with ventilation.
- Light. A headlamp beats a torch, because it leaves both hands free.
- Power. A charged power bank keeps a phone alive long enough to receive official alerts.
- Information. A radio that does not need mains electricity. In Sweden, public warnings go out on P4 on FM.
Food sits alongside these. About a week of things that need no fridge and little cooking, chosen from what you already eat so it gets rotated instead of forgotten.
The goal he described is a plain one: being able to solve these things yourself for a week, without having to put the burden on anyone else.
What to sort out this week
- Fill some water containers. It is the cheapest thing on the list and the first one that matters.
- Find your torch and test it. Batteries die in drawers.
- Write the important phone numbers on paper. Very few people know a number by heart any more.
- Keep some cash at home. Card terminals need a network.
- Check the expiry dates on anything you already own. Twice a year, easiest to tie to the clock change.
If you would rather see where your own home stands before buying anything, our home preparedness check goes through eight areas in about two minutes and tells you what is already covered and what is missing.
Watch the segment
Oskar Björk appears in two parts. The episode is available on SVT Play until 6 October 2026, and SVT Play can only be watched from Sweden.
Oskar Björk appeared as an expert on home preparedness. He works as a defence engineer at the Swedish Armed Forces and speaks in his own capacity, not for his employer. SVT has not tested or endorsed any product.
Questions
Who is Oskar Björk?
A defence engineer, and adviser and co-founder at Kapsel. He has chosen, and rejected, every component in the Kapsel system. More on his reviewer page.
How long should a household be able to manage on its own?
Seven days is the level MCF recommends in Sweden. Norway recommends a week, Denmark three days and Finland 72 hours. The seven day recommendation, explained.
Do I need to buy a complete system?
No. Most of what is on the list can be assembled from what a normal home already has, which is why the segment showed a plastic box as well. A system is the version that gets finished, and stays findable in the dark. How to choose between building your own, a kit and a system.
What is Kapsel?
A Swedish home preparedness system. One bag, three capsules and over 30 components, built to cover seven days without power, water or heat, and designed to stand in a hallway rather than be hidden away. Kapsel Core.
Sources: SVT Sverige Live, 22 September 2026. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) on seven days of home preparedness and on water per person per day. Krisinformation.se on public warnings and P4.
Reviewed by Oskar Björk, defence engineer, adviser and co-founder at Kapsel. Last updated 22 September 2026.