I need some ideas for a food cache.

I'm at about four months on my food storage. All the closets are full. Got no more room. But still plan on getting more.

It occurs to me that keeping everything here in the house my not be the best strategy. If things get really ugly, I've got all my eggs in one basket. Probably should set up a food cache.

Burial / submersion isn't practical. Keeping supplies with my unprepared friends will be asking for problems. I need a remote location for discreetly pulling supplies as needed. Security could be an issue.

I'm considering renting a small bay at a self storage center. Anyone thought of a better idea???

-- Hawthorne (99@00.com), July 01, 1999

Answers

If things are that bad you should not be wandering too far from the security of your house to drag back supplies. Under the bed(s) is a good place for long-term food storage.

-- Think (about@it.com), July 01, 1999.

I'm going to fill a 55 gal barrel with wheat and set it our as if it were a rain barrel. Its not enough for the six of us, but at least part of the stash will be concealed.

-- Sand Mueller (smueller@azalea.net), July 01, 1999.

This won't help you think of a cache away from home, but I don't want any of my storage somewhere else. I camoflaged a couple of big plastic storage tubs by putting them together with 2 old pillows on tops, covered with a quilt down in the den. Now have a new "couch" down there. Going to make a "daybed" in my sewing room the same way. Under beds are solid with flat boxes of canned goods marked "quilt scraps" and "Christmas tree" box in closet is real beany. Then there's under the house - luckily mine is dry and can be accessed from inside. Inexhaustable storage for water jugs. Problem is the lifetime supply of tp clogging every closed space - it's going to the attic. You really can't tell a "crazy person" lives here. Yet.

-- Scat (sgcatique@webtv.net), July 01, 1999.

Hawthorne; I have an idea that will help you ! If you have a basement use the floor joists for storage. Measure the distance between the joists and cut a 1/2" plywwod sheet 36" long. Then go to get some Rubbermade plastic containers 9-1/2" x 14" . Cut a hole in the plywood so that the container fits in it. Use electrical straps to attach emt pipe to plywood and to the bottom of the floor joists. That way you can raise the plywood to to the level of the joists, and hide your stuff. If you need plans I have them,email me...

Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), July 01, 1999.

I am with you on this one... I don't want everything in one place either - whether fire, or whatever I am beginning to discreetly store boxes/buckets at a more remote metal ag. building with a water source that is within a 20 minute walk from here. Aiming for a 1 month supply cache there. Good luck! Actually the storage unit idea sounds better than stashing more at your house... IMHO.

-- Kristi (securx@succeed.net), July 02, 1999.

once upon a time, i was a hobo, i stashed my stuff,all over town.

-- hoboman (saywhat?@riolink.com), July 02, 1999.

I will rent a storage unit nearby, as I too have filled the house......garage, bedroom, pantry, utility, patio, etc. If I should for any reason lose my home supply (or use up) I would have a back-up. It will be part short term and part long term supplies.

Your lock will be on the door of the storage and only you and your family will know the location and contents. If the outside gate were closed and I could not communicate with the manager....I would use my bolt cutters....which is an item I suggest for all to own...it has lots of uses.

-- rb (ronbanks_2000@yahoo.com), July 02, 1999.

I plan to post a big red sign (in english, spanish, russian, chinese, japanese, korean, etc.) on my "Y2k war room" that reads---THIS ROOM BOOBY-TRAPPED WITH A MOTION SENSOR DETONATION DEVICE (BOMB). ENTER AND DIE!!!!!----

Whether I actually install such a device--- well---???????????

-- ???? (read_my_tips@kaboom.com), July 02, 1999.

They're suddenly slapping up storage places all over town. I'm thinking it's a sign that a lot of people are preparing silently. I hear that storage lockers are notorious for being often broken into. People can rent the unit next to yours and cut the wall. If there's food in yours, even canned goods, a dog can sniff it out. That would be any dog, not just a police dog. If there are house to house searches I'm thinking these lockers will not be overlooked. If you're absolutely out of room, and have no other alternatives, it would probably be better than not continuing to prepare. On the other hand, storing at your friends', even if they eat it all up, would at least give you somebody who really owes you one... I wouldn't dismiss burying, unless you happen to be in an apartment. Do you have room above any cabinets that could be curtained off? Could you find one of those oriental style room dividers to hide some storage? Can you rent a room in a boarding house nearby? (Do they still have such a thing?)

-- Dancr (minddancr@aol.com), July 02, 1999.

In your basement or garage ( only if you live in an area that doesn't get super cold, to avoid freezing and rupturing cans ), frame out the walls with 2X4's or 2X6's, then create shelves within the new walls. Once the shelves are in, stocked with your emergency supplies and you have made a diagram of where each item is, drywall the walls. IMPORTANT: use drywall screws instead of nails so that you can remove sections of the walls when needed. Once done, hang things on the walls, like rakes and shovels in the garage or put "stuff" in front, etc. to help complete the disguise.

If things really look bad, I would also have spackling tape and spackling compound on hand to really complete the job properly and maybe even put a coat of paint on it.

Stash anything from food to firearms. Works great.

-- (Minuteman@Concord.com), July 02, 1999.

Sorry... I also think your new walls ned to be made to look "old". An obvious new wall may look suspicious to a looter or other jackbooted thug types.

-- (Minuteman@Concord.com), July 02, 1999.

do you have a root cellar? If not- can you put one in?? You can store quite a bit in a good root cellar. Otherwise- for stuff that won't freeze- or rather, freezing won't hurt- you can pick up an el-cheapo metal storage garden shed- and fill er up! Or- build a treehouse!

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), July 02, 1999.

Don't get me started on the spackling thing again, OK? I'm considering 1 or 2 small caches located in the direction that I plan to travel, for example I may have to hike 120 mi if the roads become inaccessible. Some light packs with dry clothes, a hobo stove, bic lighter, and some good liquor(just kidding) light snacks could go a long way.

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), July 02, 1999.

Minuteman-

<< Once the shelves are in, stocked with your emergency supplies and you have made a diagram of where each item is, drywall the walls.>>

Have you read Bud Mcfarlane, Jr.'s new book "House of Gold"?

Sounds a lot like his ideas for stashing, which saves the lives of one of the major characters and her child.

Very good idea.

Blessings...Mercy

-- Mercy (DivinMercy@aol.com), July 02, 1999.

Mercy,

I have not read the MacFarlane book yet. But I will now - thanks.

The "inside the wall" storage is a good place to put a one month or more supply cache specifically in the event that your unprepared neighbors decide to raid your house. You can temporarily bug out, then return when they have taken your stuff. Even if it's a long time before you return, you will know that unless your home is burned down, you will have a "startup kit" waiting. Unless they work for BATF, I don't beleive they will think to knock holes in your walls looking for food and supplies

-- (Minuteman@ Concord.com), July 02, 1999.

Don't be surprised if people knock out the walls. I remember a policeman (talking about "ordinary" thieves) saying that if you can think of a place to hide something, a thief can think of finding it there. I agree, that it is better than not doing anything, but nothing is 100%. I plan to try to disguise the door into our storage room. It is metal and has a good lock on it, but I would rather it not even be noticable. I think the root celler idea with inside access is probably the best idea and if we didn't have our storage room to use, we would certainly look into doing some digging.

-- winna (??@??.com), July 02, 1999.

We have a friend in our church who is doing a small mission ( a bookstore) in town, lives on almost nothing. Decided to help support him by providing low cost food storage at his place..he is one of our backups. He has lots of storage, we have a partner.

We also have one of those cartop carrier boxes on top of the car and keep simple camping equipment, backpacking food, 10 essentials and spare stuff in there. Handy for quick weekend outings also.

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), July 02, 1999.

Hawthorne:

If things get VERY BAD, then expect that desperate people will be searching EVERYWHERE for food and water, provisions and amenities. They will probe and dig and break into EVERYTHING to satiate their needs.

Those who have separate shelters filled with provisions might lose their carefully prepared contents. It's a no-win situation WTSHTF unless you are prepared to fire weapons against intruders.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), July 03, 1999.

My choice is in the Diggables thread. I don't want to waste bandwidth.

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), July 03, 1999.

I got you all beat..he he. I'm a cannibal.there is an endless supply of you guys walikng around. Screw the canned goods, I want to eat your brains.

TR

-- tony richter (killert@ptialaska.net), May 06, 2003.

Those of you possibly thinking of using metal buildings sheds or storage sheds had better think twice. They both get awful hot/cold and that can affect a lot of storageables. At the moment our supplies are in our basement, but I have a sister and mother here in town and use a corner of an unused basement room, northwest, to store items. We have a small piece of land outside town a few miles. We plan to move there this fall or spring and intend to build a root cellar anyway. One that connects to basement unobtrusively as possible is in our plans. We have a neighbor planning on doing the same thing; except he has put a cheap fiberglass tornado shelter undergroung that WE even had a hard time to spot. Right size, you could put a LOT in those things, especially if that is all you are going to use it for.

-- dulcie anders (amccartney@wownet.com), May 06, 2003.