|
|
Post by misterdark on Dec 19, 2016 4:03:46 GMT
Ok guys, here is the scenario: You have space for an emergency/patriot/zombie/TEOTWAWKI cache. It is in a secure location. You have supplies and equipment at home, so the expectation is you will only need to access this cache if things Get Really Bad.
You have space similar to a 55 gallon drum. It will be temp stable. What to put in it?
GO.
|
|
|
|
Post by Browning35 on Dec 19, 2016 15:25:30 GMT
I would look at it from the perspective that you're flat busted and starting from scratch. No food, no water, no medical gear, no tools, no knife, maybe the clothes you're wearing are jacked up, no radio, no flashlight, no pistol, no rifle, no ammo, no money and so on. Like you just escaped from a political reeducation center with your jumpsuit and shoes and not much else. The reeducation center is a tongue in cheek thing, but since you can't see into the future to know what you'd need you'd basically have to have a little bit of everything.
|
|
|
|
Post by LowKey on Dec 19, 2016 17:59:47 GMT
I would look at it from the perspective that you're flat busted and starting from scratch. No food, no water, no medical gear, no tools, no knife, maybe the clothes you're wearing are jacked up, no radio, no flashlight, no pistol, no rifle, no ammo, no money and so on. Like you just escaped from a political reeducation center with your jumpsuit and shoes and not much else. The reeducation center is a tongue in cheek thing, but since you can't see into the future to know what you'd need you'd basically have to have a little bit of everything. This. Plus additional supplies based on the concept that you can't go home again. Think INCH over BOB. |
|
|
|
Post by dannusmaximus on Dec 19, 2016 18:27:54 GMT
I would look at it from the perspective that you're flat busted and starting from scratch. No food, no water, no medical gear, no tools, no knife, maybe the clothes you're wearing are jacked up, no radio, no flashlight, no pistol, no rifle, no ammo, no money and so on. Like you just escaped from a political reeducation center with your jumpsuit and shoes and not much else. The reeducation center is a tongue in cheek thing, but since you can't see into the future to know what you'd need you'd basically have to have a little bit of everything. Concur. Given the wide open scenario presented by Mr. Dark, I would proceed with the assumption that you can't be expected to have ANYTHING on hand by the time you get to your cache, and you can't know what time of day/year you will get to it. I will also assume it's just me using the cache. So, defaulting to what is necessary for immediate survival in any situation: 1. Shelter/Clothes In my AO (I assume I'm in my AO for the scenario), weather conditions can range from a foot of snow on the ground and -20F to heat indexes of well over 100F. This makes shelter considerations a challenge. At a minimum, I would want the cache to have one full set of sturdy clothes (long pants, long sleeved shirt, underclothes, hiking socks, hiking boots, work gloves, riggers belt, wide-brimmed hat) in subdued colors. This will give you some protection no matter the weather. Also include a rain jacket and pants (Gore-Tex shells or similar), because wet = misery and potentially dangerous no matter the weather. Also include a full set of mid-weight polypropylene (or similar) undergarments, a beanie cap/baclava and waterproff mittens in case you get there in the dead of winter. A bivvy bag and mummy style survival sleeping bag rated to 40F for sleeping, and a lightweight tarp with 550 cord for overhead shelter rounds out this portion. All of the above should only take up 1/3 of your storage space or less if you vacuum pack items or use compression bags to reduce bulk. 2. Water Two, one-gallon stainless steel containers full of treated, potable water should stay safe to drink almost indefinitely if stored in the given condition. Include at least a gallon of traveling storage capacity in the form of a Camelbak style water bladder or Nalgene bottles (all stored empty) in case you need to fill them and stay on the run. Include a couple of bottles of water purification tablets (they have a lifespan, but take up negligible space in the storage area). Also include a 'drinking straw' style water filter, as well as backpack style portable pump filter (like a MSR Miniworks or similar). The above will probably take up another 1/4 of your storage area. 3. Fire Basic firemaking tools and supplies, with redundancy. Takes up negligible space and is portable. 4. Food This is harder, because EVERYTHING food-related has a lifespan, no matter how well stored. I would pick freeze-dried backpacking style food. Mountain House advertises a 30 year lifespan on their pouches. That would get me well into my 70's, and I doubt if I would be making a run for my disaster cache much past that age! Portable, easy to prepare, no utensils needed, lots of variety to choose from. A weeks worth of freeze dried food is bulky, but probably wouldn't take up much more than 1/2 of my remaining space after the above items 1-3 are stored. 5. Defense Ideally, I would have a basic stripped down SBR, 5.56 caliber, iron sights, sling. 6 magazines worth of good SD ammo. As an alternative (if storage space was an issue) a Glock 19, with 5 magazines worth of good SD ammo. I don't envision myself attempting to live off the land, so my firearms choices are strictly for self-defense. 6. Miscellaneous If my math is right, I have about another 1/4 of my space left for additional storage. I would store first aid supplies equivalent to two of my homebrew 'blow-out kits', as well as basic backpacking supplies (good LED headlamp with spare batteries, multi-tool, compass, etc.). Also include a high quality backpack, internal frame, '3-day' type capacity in case I'm on the run and need to grab my shit and go. Probably won't hurt to include some cash ($500-1000 in $20 bills) and a spare driver's license/passport or other type of ID. I'm sure I forgot some nice to haves, but I honestly think if I was dropped naked, hungry, thirsty, and possibly injured right next to the contents of this cache, in any weather, the items I've listed would keep me alive and kicking for at least a few weeks, as well as let me be mobile with my supplies. Critiques are welcome, of course! |
|
|
|
Post by Browning35 on Dec 19, 2016 20:41:04 GMT
Well Dannus pretty much took the list of stuff I had in an unclear form in my mind and gave it life.
Only things I would really add to that would possibly be copies of diplomas or certificates to get a job and maybe a phone number list of people important to you since you might not have your phone and most people don't memorize phone numbers these days.
Your house might be burnt down or the area in which you live might have just suffered a natural or man-made disaster and you need to relocate to your brother's house out of state.
On the flip side because of the way society is going with their aversion to guns if you did have a couple guns in there I feel like the current state the government is in that they could look at this as a 'Terrorist Cache'. People have been arrested and investigated for the discovery of caches just like the one you might be planning. There's obviously no criminal intent with the one your planning, but that doesn't prevent LE or Federal agencies from viewing it as one.
So in that view I would almost want it to be as sterile as possible with nothing in there to trace it to me.
Just depends on what you think might happen if it's discovered.
|
|
|
|
Post by scbrian on Dec 19, 2016 21:33:26 GMT
Either that or go completely the other way. Label it: Property of misterdark If Found contact at 555-555-5555 Tough for anyone to consider it a terrorist cache if it's labeled 10 ways from Sunday.  |
|
|
|
Post by LowKey on Dec 19, 2016 22:21:24 GMT
Either that or go completely the other way. Label it: Property of misterdark If Found contact at 555-555-5555 Tough for anyone to consider it a terrorist cache if it's labeled 10 ways from Sunday. ..,or plant the container with firearms and ammo separate from the one with everything else. Plausible deniability... |
|
|
|
Post by Browning35 on Dec 19, 2016 22:38:59 GMT
Either that or go completely the other way. Label it: Property of misterdark If Found contact at 555-555-5555 Tough for anyone to consider it a terrorist cache if it's labeled 10 ways from Sunday. Or that. Couple different ways that you could go with it. With the Obama-mites on their way out and with where you live them thinking that it's a cache meant for terror rather that just a bunch of hurricane supplies is probably low. A few instances where people were arrested and investigated for gun caches popped up on my first search to see how much room a 55 gallon drum had in its interior. |
|
|
|
Post by dannusmaximus on Dec 20, 2016 0:16:53 GMT
One of the issues I ran into when conducting this little thought experiment is that there is actually a LOT of specificity when it comes to what types of goods/gear you might need access to. My list reflected more of the 'man on the run' from zombies/gubmit/aliens. Needed supplies cached for a very localized disaster like a tornado? Well, honestly, none. I've got plenty of friend and family from spitting distance to 200 miles away that would be happy to put me up and help me get back on my feet, with everything from cash to clothes. Infrastructure would still be in place, so no need for backup copies of passports, large amounts of cash, etc.
Regional disaster (like an earthquake)? Again, unless everything I owned burned to the ground, as well as everything all my friends and family own, I wouldn't necessarily need access to a cache. Help would be coming, and infrastructure would be repairable (although it might take time).
EMP attack, alien invasion, etc.? If I needed to leave my house, I would pack all the same shit I had buried at the cache, without all the trouble of actually making the cache!
Having my cover blown as a 5th Column agent who is working against an oppressive regime which had taken over? That's where my cache would shine. Because in that case you're leaving RIGHT NOW in your pajamas. You would need EVERYTHING until you could quickly relocate to another place or lay low long enough to slip away safely.
As far as guns and ammo, a single gun with roughly a box of ammunition (in the case of the Glock 19) shouldn't raise too many eyebrows. A rifle? Maybe, but it would be minus several 'evil' features (no scope, no foregrip) and you could always put 20 round magazines instead of those deadly 30 rounders in your cache. Might give you some plausible deniability if it was not set up for MAXIMUM DEADLINESS AND DANGER!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by omegaman on Dec 20, 2016 3:03:32 GMT
The question really is what is the cache intended for? For me, if it came down to a cache, then shit has really gone sideways. I would go all Jason Bourne. Reliable carbine with mags stuffed and in a bandolier or chest rig. Operator preference on weapon specifics. I like the idea of a short barrel, suppressed, and 300 yd capable with a non-descript bag to carry it in. Glock 19 with a concealable holster. All purchased FTF w/o paperwork. First aid gear, mountain house, and water. Proper "John Doe" civilian attire and durable woodsy stuff, too. Boots. Cash. Burner phone. ID of someone that looks like you. Maybe some tools to help get into locked stuff...that belongs to you, right;)
Back to food, I would have something you could eat immediately. Don't know what kinda shape you'll be in. Jar of peanut butter, bottle of water, and a poncho liner would get you straightened out right quick.
Tin foil hat/off
|
|
|
|
Post by NamelessStain on Dec 20, 2016 12:10:33 GMT
Many of you have good lists (as I should expect from this group), but I would add a few...
As many have said:
- Clothes, firearms and ammo, fire making supplies, freeze dried foods (maybe a week worth), shelter supplies, tools (axe, multitool, shovel, hammer, nails, etc), cordage (various), water treatment (filters, drops, etc), PMs and cash. All of the examples are about what I would add to my barrel.
Add:
- Passive food collection items (yoyo reels, snares, traps, jugging supplies, etc).
- Water storage devices, collapsible.
- Food preserving items such as salt, vinegar, and case of mason jars if I planned to be more stationary like operating out of a BOL.
- Basic foods but in bulk of at least 25# each. Rice, beans, cornmeal, flour, oils.
- Wood gas stove. Efficient and fuel should be readily available.
Finally...
- One Omegaman, break glass in case of emergency! Not sure if he will fit, but worth a shot.
|
|
|
|
Post by Browning35 on Dec 20, 2016 15:04:58 GMT
Is this thing going to potentially buried, or just sitting in a corner of someone's garage or basement? If you're going to bury it try this construction ...  |
|
|
|
Post by LowKey on Dec 20, 2016 18:27:59 GMT
Is this thing going to potentially buried, or just sitting in a corner of someone's garage or basement? If you're going to bury it try this construction ... I like that setup, but I'd suggest throwing an entire bag of mothballs in that space to discourage critters taking up residence. Obviously you'd need metal containers just in case, as plastic isn't "gnaw" proof. |
|
|
|
Post by misterdark on Dec 21, 2016 4:35:34 GMT
The question really is what is the cache intended for? For me, if it came down to a cache, then shit has really gone sideways. I would go all Jason Bourne. Reliable carbine with mags stuffed and in a bandolier or chest rig. Operator preference on weapon specifics. I like the idea of a short barrel, suppressed, and 300 yd capable with a non-descript bag to carry it in. Glock 19 with a concealable holster. All purchased FTF w/o paperwork. First aid gear, mountain house, and water. Proper "John Doe" civilian attire and durable woodsy stuff, too. Boots. Cash. Burner phone. ID of someone that looks like you. Maybe some tools to help get into locked stuff...that belongs to you, right;) Back to food, I would have something you could eat immediately. Don't know what kinda shape you'll be in. Jar of peanut butter, bottle of water, and a poncho liner would get you straightened out right quick. Tin foil hat/off Bingo. You guys are good. This would be a "crap it is 3am I gotta MOVE" all the way to "a tornado tore up my house" kit. I plan to have it cover every offsite emergency, from tornado to Wolverines. Bear in mind, I will be able to update/restock this at least once a year. It is going to be in a fairly temp-stable environment. It is in a secure enough place I don't have a problem leaving a firearm in there. Currently, and in line with what everyone is recommending, I am storing: 4 L water in stainless bottles several water bladders Food, various. From Mainstay rations to Chef-boy-ar-dee, I am covering enough for one person for 2 weeks, or a family of 4 for a few days. Shelter. 4 MSS bivys and patrol bags. Also 2 silnylon tarps and 2 milsurp ponchos. And 4 space blankets, but in 95% of my AO weather, just the bag and bivy will be enough. Misc: 1 change of clothing for a family of 4. This is where being able to access it regularly will help, as I have 2 young 'uns who are still growing. So this year, the sweatpants and jacket are too big, in 6 months they will be too small. Life goes on. HAM radio set. I have been on the fence about storing a fairly expensive radio and solar charger set in something I might only see once a year, but the fact that it can monitor almost everything, and chat on some really long range frequencies, gives it a berth in the kit. The fact I have 2 of them helps. Also, basic survival gear: firekit, water catchement and purification, headlamp, multitool, folding saw, fishing kit, snares, solar charger, bag of doritos, monocular, tripline, 8mm rope, carabiners, figure 8's, signaling mirror, and all the other stuff we all put in a kit. Planning on a fully stocked basic BOB to ride in the cache, ready to go. Medical. I have a fairly well stocked STOMP pack that I will be putting in the kit. So, if someone shows up with more skill than I, they can do lifesaving things. Ammo. Yes. also some gear to help ammo do it's job. Misc: Cash, coin, and a burn phone. Added these after the suggestions on the thread. Good call. Thanks to everyone who posted, this is still "in development", so I am still open to suggestions! |
|
|
|
Post by LowKey on Dec 21, 2016 8:57:14 GMT
Think about some lifeboat (SOS) rations like Mainstay. Say one "pack" per person.
Very calorie dense, no cooking required, doesn't really care about storage temps, ridiculously long shelf life.
|
|
