Creating a Survival Cache

I decided to create a few “survival cache’s”. First – what is a survival cache? Generally, a survival cache is a buried or hidden container that is filled with supplies that can be accessed when needed.

Why would I want to have a cache? Well, pretty much all of my supplies are located within my home. If something should happen and my home was destroyed or I was forced to leave it – the amount of supplies available would be diminished greatly. Should my home be destroyed – all would be lost. If evacuation was necassary  – limited supplies would need to be taken.

Where to put them?  Well – I am not going to tell you where mine will be going. I will tell you where a survival cache can be put. Often they are placed on your property hidden via burying. They are also placed along evacuation/bug out routes to be accessed when needed during traveling. Whether buried next to a “unique” tree or in a totally vacant field – it is very important that you can find your cache when needed. A GPS is ideal as you can program the location of the cache as a way-point in the navigation system. Special marking at the location can also be used – such as spraying yellow paint on two tree’s to mark that the cache is in between them. Just be careful that however the cache is marked – that you will be the only one to recognize its significance.

What to put in them? Anything you may want or need to access is the simple answer.  From food, to weapons to medical supplies – the options are wide open. Obviously long storage life is required. Often a survival cache will contain numerous things – here is an example list:

• first aid kit
• MRE’s
• small fire starting kit (matches/lighters)
• knife
• duct tape
• handgun
• ammo
• spare clothes

The supplies stored in the cache depends on the size of the container.

Speaking of containers………..

What container to use for the survival cache? Common containers are homemade PVC enclosed tubes. Inexpensive and simple to make – components are available at your local Home Depot of Lowe’s store. It is very important to silicone all of the pieces together to make sure it will be waterproof.

My first one is pictured below:

Other potential containers are military ammo cans:

Another very good container for this situations are the 5 gallon buckets. Read more about what you can store in them here.

If your supplies are running  low – if you are evacuating your location – knowing of those supplies in your cache’s are available will be very comforting.

This article first appeared on modernsurvivalonline.com