When you think of a safe, a few standard things come to mind, such as relatively wealthy people storing jewelry or passports in a secret part of their home, perhaps a gun safe for firearms, or even a massive and foreboding safe in a bank to protect many people’s wealth and treasures.
A safe in a dorm room might not be the first thing that comes to mind, yet, once one starts thinking about, it’s easy to see how important it is to keep expensive and/or sensitive items safe from the many people who might get access to a student’s dorm room.
Should I Get a Safe for My Dorm?
Yes, it is always a good idea to have a safe for your dorm room. You or your roommates may have visitors to your dorm that you don’t know very well yet, some of whom might turn out to be thieves or opportunists. There are also possibilities of true break-ins.
How to Keep Valuables Safe in a Dorm Room
Sadly, even people who you think you know can fool and betray you. Someone who you might have trusted might turn out to not be as honest or good as you thought they were. They might even just make a poor decision such as borrowing something with the intention of asking you about it, but accidentally damaging it first.
For these reasons and more, it is highly recommended for you to have a secure way to keep your valuables safe in your dorm room. There are several options for doing so.
The main option, of course, is a safe, of which there are several types. Safes vary by size, how secure they are, certain features such as whether or not they are fireproof or waterproof, as well as specialized safes for particular types of items.
There are also locking boxes and locking cabinets, among other options. In this article, we’ll go into greater detail about all these.
Should I Get a Laptop Safe for My Dorm?
A student’s laptop might be one of their most valuable possessions. Not only are they very expensive monetarily, but they also usually contain almost all of a student’s documents and assignments, and oftentimes even their notes. They might have personal projects and a lot of personal information saved on them as well.
Additionally, if the laptop got in the wrong hands, that person might have access to the person’s frequently visited websites such as their bank and other financial websites along with saved passwords.
There are some people who would quickly grab an easily accessible laptop just for the possibility of being able to sell it quickly to get some cash.
It’s very important to store your laptop securely. The best way to do this is to get a safe that is specifically made to accommodate the size of a laptop.
Continue reading for a recommendation for a safe that is ideal for keeping a laptop safe from opportunists and most thieves in a dorm room environment.
Should I Get a Locking Cabinet for My Dorm Room?
There are many important reasons to get a locking cabinet for your dorm room. If you have bank statements, credit card, statements, or other sensitive financial or personal documents, it’s always the best practice to keep these documents organized and secure in a locking cabinet.
You never want to give anyone an opportunity to hack into your accounts or identity nor to steal your private and important documents.
Health documents are also personal and sensitive and should be kept filed in a locking cabinet, as well. There are many reasons for this, including so that people cannot attempt to get prescriptions under your name. You also do not want to reveal information to others that you have the right to keep private.
There is even good reason to keep you school documents in a locking cabinet. An unscrupulous visitor or even roommate may be tempted to steal your work in order to cheat, or possibly to sell to others who would be willing to pay for the opportunity to cheat.
There may even be some who would steal your work or sensitive documents in order to embarrass or “haze” you in some way, or possibly even to blackmail you into giving them money.
Private and sensitive documents, whether they are financial, health, or school-related, should all be kept secure as a matter of general practice, whether they are in your dorm room, your office, or your future home.
Best Dorm Safe for Laptop
The best dorm safe for a laptop would be the BARSKA AX13090. With 4.6/5 stars from 47 reviewers, it is one of the most highly rated safes that is the right size for a laptop computer.
It has an interior space of 13.6” x 19.56” x 7.75”, which would provide ample space for most laptops, even large ones. The exterior dimensions are 15.95” x 19.69” x 7.75”, so at the same time, it won’t take up too much space in your dorm. In addition to the laptop, it could fit some papers and/or folders, as well.
The BARSKA AX13090 has a physical key as a backup, too, in case you forget the combination or have any other need for the key.
It was noted by a reviewer to be an especially good choice for keeping a laptop safe in a dorm room because the size and dimensions are not only excellent for a laptop, but the safe would also fit easily under most beds. Additionally, the safe has holes for a cable lock, for extra (non-permanent) security, such as cabling the laptop safe to a bedpost.
On the other hand, one reviewer noted that the door of the safe is rather heavy and may be difficult to open at times. Another reviewer commented that, although the safe is sufficient for keeping out most troublemakers, it would not, in the opinion of the reviewer, be sufficient to protect against a skilled criminal.
Best Small Safe for Dorm
Based on overall reviews, the best small safe for a dorm is probably the SentrySafe SFW123DSB, which claims to be waterproof and fireproof. So besides keeping thieves or unscrupulous roommates or visitors away from your valuables, it will also protect your valuables from the dangers of fire or water damage.
This model has a dial combination. A dial combination may last longer than a keypad, which always has the possibility of wearing out eventually. If you prefer a keypad combination, however, SentrySafe does have the same safe but with a keypad instead, here.
Both the dial and keypad version of the SFW123 do come with a secondary physical key, as well, in case you forget the combination or in the rare event of a malfunction.
One drawback is that at only 1.23 cubic feet, this safe is limited in space, so you will have to be selective in what you protect in there, though many reviewers said it was plenty of space for them. Be aware, also, that the weight is substantial at 86-87 pounds.
The other drawbacks are that, though far outnumbered by positive reviews, there were some reviewers who had problems with the locking mechanism and also who reported that the contents didn’t survive extreme flooding (Hurricane Harvey, specifically).
On the other hand, another reviewer reported that their safe and its contents did survive the California Camp Fire. With an overall rating of 4.5/5 stars with 3,582 reviews for the dial combination and 4.6/5 stars with 5,978 reviews for the keypad combination, the positive reviews by far outnumber the negative.
Best Locking Box for College
With 4.6/5 stars from 296 reviewers on Amazon, this locking, fireproof file box sold by Tamfile is one of the best locking boxes you can find for your college dorm room to keep your files and documents safe.
It is more than large enough to hold all of your important papers for school, as well as any other important and private documents you would want to keep secure. At the same time, it is lightweight enough to move around easily, and also would fit nicely under a small desk or inside of a closet.
It is a great way to stay organized, while keeping your documents secure from prying eyes. Being fireproof is an excellent bonus, as well.
The main downside of this locking box is that some reviewers noted that the reset button on the locking mechanism was either difficult to use or seemed to break easily.
It’s also important to note that this is a type of locking box, and is not as strong nor as secure as a true safe. It adds a couple of layers of security to protect important documents with the lock and the fireproof material, but will be unlikely to protect against a determined and skilled criminal.
Getting a Safe for a Dorm Room
There are several considerations to make when selecting a safe for your dorm room, including the size and type of safe that you will need. A safe is an extremely important item necessary for keeping your valuables and sensitive items safe in a dorm room environment.
