I watched the video below yesterday and got to pondering just how possible it is to hide our precious survival supplies after a real disaster, something like an solar flare or all-out civil war, comes to mind. Lesser concerns, such as a lengthier power outage or tornado, need not apply.
Go ahead and watch it if you like, but my summary is that you need consider how and where to hide supplies such as gasoline, firearms, food, tools, a generator, solar panels, precious metals, and even livestock. Really, any of major item you might want to avoid being looted or stolen from you count. Here’s the 11 items you must hide immediately when SHTF:
Now, I shouldn’t act like I have no plans for just such a scenario, but my “plans” leave a lot to be desired, that’s for sure. For instance, there’s no way I can hide ALL of our food storage foods, even if I wanted to. After all, we’ll have to get into it each and every day, which means I’ll inevitably leave some of it exposed. And that’s to say nothing of my (or other’s) laziness weeks or months down the road as I/we continue to get into our hidden food storage foods, wherever that ends up being. Of course, this could be true of any survival item I’m trying to hide which we expect to get into regularly.
And what about something like gasoline, which was also mentioned in the video above? You can honestly add any fuel you might want to stockpile, including propane tanks, charcoal, diesel, and even firewood. Personally, I’d never even considered how I might hide gasoline or propane tanks should I find the need. After all, it’s not like you can bury it like a traditional cache. But I’d suspect you could hide such containers in the woods and cover it with enough branches and leaves that it would be difficult to spot. You could probably also paint the traditional red cans camouflage or really any drab color. Maybe such containers could be partially buried, too, though I’m not sure about how safe doing so may be. That said, if you live in a more traditional home, such as the suburbs or condo or apartment, then good luck hiding any stored fuel from anyone.
And don’t get me started on hiding solar panels, a generator, or vehicles as hiding any of them would be all but impossible from anyone who takes time to look. That is, they’re large and tend to stand out drastically. But then I guess if you have the land and inclination, then it’s possible. The only problem is that such items may be inaccessible when needed. Imagine stashing your 12kw generator in the middle of ninety acres and then deciding you need it ASAP. Anyway, my guess is that these items are going to be nearby your primary shelter, which makes hiding them exceedingly unlikely.
Hiding livestock is another interesting concern. We have chickens, ducks, and guineas, and they’re all loud and roam our acreage. Sure, I could keep them cooped, but if we also assume that bird food will be scarce during such times, I’d have to let them free range so they could feed themselves. But keeping them cooped isn’t a great plan either because the coop is clearly visible from the road. I can only imagine how much more difficult this problem will be for those with four-legged livestock to care for. Now, before you go and tell me I need to slaughter them all before we get to such a point, I still have the pesky problem of a giant chicken coop that may attract unwanted attention, even if it is uninhabited. Therefore, I may have to consider concealing the entire coop so people can’t tell what it was or, worse, possibly tearing it down, which I don’t see me doing no matter what. Anyway, it’s a problem that I don’t have a solution for.
Smaller items, like alcohol, firearms, and precious metals, may lend themselves to being hidden more easily, though I can also imagine that you’ll want greater access to such items when times get tough. Even so, it can’t hurt to hide a portion of these supplies as a “just in case” or fallback option.
The truth is that there could be hundreds of items that may prove useful during a SHTF scenario. Sure, I wrote a book about the 101 items to grab, but you don’t have to be a seasoned prepper (or a rocket scientist) to figure out what you’re probably going to want and need when times get tough. Just go look through your pantry, closets, and drawers for a start. Stock up on the stuff you use regularly, such as toilet paper, medications, and soap. My guess is that dozens of mundane items would become hot commodities when they can’t be easily had in the foreseeable future.
Now, what about where to stash items? Factors, such as temperature and humidity drastically affect longevity of nearly everything you use and rely upon, especially food. Critters and insects can wreck havoc on a number of items, too, not just food storage. And it’s not so easy to simply dig a hole and dump a bunch of stuff inside. It will all be ruined by the end of the week! Even a shed or detached garage isn’t a great spot as they’ll certainly be scrutinized by looters or worse.
Which brings me to my last point: who are you trying to hide supplies from? Is it your nosy neighbors or your brother-in-law who wants to spend the entire time telling you that penny stocks are back in fashion? Or is it the traditional cat burglar? What about gangs of looters? Or, worse, how about a home invasion? If people are truly desperate (and not merely looking for drugs or something they can pawn) what are the odds that they’ll leave empty-handed? My guess is that they’ll make you and yours squeal no matter what, even if you don’t anything hidden.
Yes, there is some usefulness to hiding caches of supplies, but I wouldn’t go overboard. It’s difficult work, and even if you think you’ve done a good job, odds are good that a truly determined criminal will find it or, at minimum, make you talk. My suggestion is to never let it get that far, which means you’ll have to take your security and safety to new heights…and that’s a post for another day.
What do you think? Am I wrong? Did I miss something? Let me know below.
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