# Question...one of many



## tnladywolfe (May 31, 2014)

If you have not guessed by now I am new to all prepping so I have many questions and here is one of them. I don't have a BOL, I am working on that, and I am worried that if I store all preps here and I have to leave then I have to leave all the things here. I thought about a storage facility somewhere but I have heard that the gov can take that if an "emergency" came up so I am thinking that isn't such a great idea. Then I thought of my mom's house and she has said NO. My step dad was a prepper and she is trying to get rid all his stuff, yes, it kills me. No, she won't give to me but I can buy it. So do I just make cache all over the place. I need help as you can probably tell by now. Are there any good prepping books out there? I am prepping for me and 2 adult daughters.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

I for one like the idea of caches but that all depends on where, what, and for how long. I for one would cache some ammo/food along egress routes and possibly some weapons. The ammo I would simply store in the ammo cans that are used by the military and carefully hidden and camouflaged vice buried because of the need to get them quickly. Placing the ammo can and some MRE's and water in a small pack and then wrapping it well to protect from weather, insects, and animals. This would require periodic checks and replacement. As far as other methods of Cache here is a reference document to consider. It's a bit dry to read but there are many more references with drawings out there on the WWW to look at. My simple rule is "A lot of little treasures are harder to take from me, than one big treasure" so I will spread my stuff around accordingly. Some will never be recovered, some will get found or destroyed... but a small kit with the basics to let me start over (knife, seeds, fish hooks, string, fire starter, meds, water purification -iodine-) will seem like a gift from God when you have had to flee with nothing from the place your stuff was.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...fLBMsBoFAbJied79g&sig2=xGCQtDqtPQM8U5u5nhObtw


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Since your mother is getting rid of your father's preps, can you get them for free? 
Do to my age and some physical impairments, I figure I have no choice but to Bug In. My plan is to make my house look like its already been looted and hide as best as possible. I'm on the edge of town and roads are pretty much going to be blocked by traffic. Right now the only thing that would cause me Bug Out is a chemical spill or the like, a nuke that was too close, or if ice caps melt and the water is 2500 feet above normal sea level.


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## tnladywolfe (May 31, 2014)

On the cache I know to do it along a route but, I know this sounds silly, where? On public or private land and if private should I sneak on someone else's land/farm to dig a hole, that might get me shot at. I know all of this sounds "blonde" but I am the type of gal that loves specifics and as much as possible. Growing up a Marine Corp brat I have learned to love the details. Thanks for the link.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

How far do you plan to bug out to. How many people going with you? What is the area you are in and bugging out to where/how far would you like to go. What is your physical condition and I don't mean just being female, that's not a plus or minus if your in shape. What are you willing / able to do to survive if it comes to that? Any young kids/children. You probably know many of the answers you seek, you just need to think about it some, but asking questions doesn't hurt. Common sense will go a long way, just try not to think with your heart/emotions to much as those will conflict with what you may need to do!


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

No reason to think about a cache until you decide on a bug out location. You have to look at the pluses & minuses of where you live. What scenarios would cause you to leave your home? 

Think about the inner city people that all they own is in a shopping cart. You can do a two wheel cart & move alot of gear depending on terrain & distance. Wildfire is about the only thing that would make me bug out. 

An option very few think about if bugging out to a church.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

To get an idea of where/how people cache today I will recommend something my family did for fun for many years. Go to Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site It is a simple little treasure hunt deal that is global. The cache idea is basically the same...obviously without the posting on line to the world. However I would make sure your daughters could get to them in the event you weren't with them. And HH I disagree about not thinking about it until you have a BOL. I think its never to early and it could be simply based on which direction will I have to run and what will I need. I'm not talking about a months worth of food... just some basics.


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## tnladywolfe (May 31, 2014)

My mom will only sell the step dad’s preps and not give them away to anyone. The only thing that would make me leave is if I could not live in this house, govt doing house to house searches for supplies, or chemical. I workout 6 days a week so I think I am in pretty good shape. If I have to bug out then I will go as far as necessary to get somewhere safe and most likely back home in the mountains. My dad use to play a treasure hunting game when we were kids and now I see that he was just preparing so the future. I have done it a few times with my girls when they were smaller. I have routes planned for two BOL. One is back home and the other is way north, not pinpointed that one yet, of my location now. I am still working out the details and thanks for everyone asking me question that I need to think about. There are things I can’t do cause I either don’t have the know, tools or strength to do some things but I will work on those things later. One step at a time.


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

I'm not a big fan of bugging out. Long-term preps are usually not something easily transported in a bag. That being said, sometimes folks have no choice. Try to think about your situation in particular. What are you prepping for? How long are you trying to prep for? What special circumstances do you have to consider? What have you accomplished already? These are questions just to help you start thinking about not wasting money or resources on things you don't/won't need. Once we narrow it down, we can start tailoring your preps to suit your needs.


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## sparkyprep (Jul 5, 2013)

Always a good idea to keep supplies spread out. If you keep everything in one place, you run the risk of loosing everything you have in one attack, one fire, one storm, ect. Diversify!


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## tnladywolfe (May 31, 2014)

Would it sound bad if I said that I was prepping for anything from economic collapse to tornadoes to a winter snowstorm? I am really stuck on the BOB right now. I am trying to find a bag that has enough room without looking military cause I want to blend in. I don't have any way to protect me and my kids if I had to except with a baseball bat. I am working on this as I am looking for a gun safety class. I do have some water and buy that every time I go to the store. I am reading a lot and I don't have money to waste so I am trying to be very careful about what I buy and how much. As far as the how long question I would guess about 6 months to a year worth of supplies. That is why I asked about caches cause I didn't want all my eggs in one basket.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Quit buying bottled water. Its expensive. If you buy 2L juice bottles rinse them when empty then fill with water & add about 3 drops of unscented Clorox bleach to each bottle.


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## Just Sayin' (Dec 5, 2013)

tnladywolfe said:


> Would it sound bad if I said that I was prepping for anything from economic collapse to tornadoes to a winter snowstorm? I am really stuck on the BOB right now. I am trying to find a bag that has enough room without looking military cause I want to blend in. I don't have any way to protect me and my kids if I had to except with a baseball bat. I am working on this as I am looking for a gun safety class. I do have some water and buy that every time I go to the store. I am reading a lot and I don't have money to waste so I am trying to be very careful about what I buy and how much. As far as the how long question I would guess about 6 months to a year worth of supplies. That is why I asked about caches cause I didn't want all my eggs in one basket.


Okay, you're definitely on the right track, because you're questioning what you need, and why do you need it. First of all, for your BOB, it doesn't matter what it looks like, if you have any kind of backpack or bag, you've become a target if someone sees you and wants whatever it is that you are carrying. You only blend in if you are in a "herd" that looks just like you. If a "military" looking pack fits your needs and your budget, go ahead and use it. Look at it this way, if it is a large surplus military pack, that is not stuffed to the max, is it any more attractive to someone who would want the contents than a pricier "premium" pack that is completely full? They will still take a Rolex before they start grabbing Timex's.

HH is right about the water. But I would recommend that you carry with you water purification/filtration equipment, along with a small amount of water. Not real sure what part of TN you're in, but most of it has abundant water sources available for you to take advantage of, if you can make it safe. It will save you a lot of weight, and some money too.

You're doing a good job so far. Keep asking questions, stay flexible, and you'll get there!


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Like my friends have all said, its a tough call. Being in a "college town", dang near everybody I see has a backpack on, even the little "string bags" that turn into backpacks, so having a camo-ed out backpack might stand out.
Some people in Alb. NM ask me "you going hunting?" becouse I wear some camo. I just say, "I just finished washing the blood off" and they turn around and beat feet.


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

tnladywolfe said:


> Would it sound bad if I said that I was prepping for anything from economic collapse to tornadoes to a winter snowstorm? I am really stuck on the BOB right now. I am trying to find a bag that has enough room without looking military cause I want to blend in. I don't have any way to protect me and my kids if I had to except with a baseball bat. I am working on this as I am looking for a gun safety class. I do have some water and buy that every time I go to the store. I am reading a lot and I don't have money to waste so I am trying to be very careful about what I buy and how much. As far as the how long question I would guess about 6 months to a year worth of supplies. That is why I asked about caches cause I didn't want all my eggs in one basket.


The bag shouldn't matter as much. Think about it like this. If you're a grease ball villain looking to steal a bag from a woman with her kids...do you care more about what the bag looks like, or the 12 gauge she's carrying? For me, I would look at it like she's got a military looking bag and she's armed. To a bad guy, putting those two pieces together COULD equal a woman with prior military experience, which also means she's not afraid to shoot my ass.

In other words, focus on presenting an image of dominance. The bag color or build, is really trivial when armed. Now if it's JUST a bag you're carrying, I would look for a camping/campers ruck sack. Lot's of room and pretty low-key. Something black and well constructed. Black is a tactical decision as it: 1) Is UV resistant, so your supplies inside will break down less from UV exposure 2) Tougher to make out the contents from distance, projects less contrasting shadow 3) Is actually more low-key than red/blue/green, etc.

Something else to think about when "caching" supplies. You have to expose yourself to recoup them. Mainly, the time it take to dig them up, travel to each point, camoflauge them, marking them, etc. All of those actions keep you in the open for longer periods of time. If I have numerous (at least 4) people to act as a security element for me (meaning watch my 6 when I'm digging them up) then I'd feel more comfortable caching my supplies. But, if I'm on my own, or maybe just me, GF, and her daughter, no way would I expose us to something like that. Too risky.

(Disclaimer: This thought all depends on the environment. If you're out in the middle of nowehere, with little, if any, foot/vehicle traffic; then the risk of exposure is minimal. However, if near major roads, hiking trails, subdivisions of homes, farms, etc...the risk of exposure increases dramatically. The higher the risk, the more security is needed to ensure you make it back in one piece.)


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

What Smokin' said.


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

Google Modern Weapons Caching by Ragnor Benson. You can download it free from several sources.
Of course you can cache other things too.
Here's a link to some other downloads you might find interesting.
Free Prepper eBook Downloads | Ready4itAll


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Given your situation and one of a similar nature I faced a few years back before retiring from the military and settling down some roots for a change was this...Storage Unit!

I still use one today although I do have a BOL that I personally own and have stocked to an extent. I live at the southern edge of Tornado alley. Being prepped is all good an well except here if I take a direct hit and have all my eggs in one basket I loose everything! With some stuff at the BOL that aint likely to get pilfered too badly and I have the rest of my stuff at a storage unit that's very cheap to hold the rest of my excess stuff that's on the way and gives me 24/7 access. I can keep a lot in my RV but lets face it I am kind of limited on room. But if SHTF, I can always bug out if I need too and on the way get the rest of my stuff out of storage and arrive with all the stuff that I need and don't have at the BOL. If I have to hang tight and run low on ammunition or food or other daily need type supplies, I can always hit the storage unit up and restock my pantry.

You can cram an awful lot into a small storage unit with a little fore sight and some planning and creative storage ideas. I don't think the Gorvenment is going to hit storage units up right off the bat unless you advertise you got major preps there...ie a couple of years worth of food for instance or enough ammunition to start up your own insurgentcy. I mean lets face it most storage units have more junk than they do practical usefull stuff in them. What good is a extra used bed and mattress or that dinning room set you don't want to ditch or that dresser you got from your Grandmother way back when, after she passed away or boxes of clothes you been meaning for years to haul off to good will. Cause that's the kind of stuff in most storage units that people have.

But you can sneak in a 55 gallon drum and fill it with gas 5 gallons at a time and about every 6 months rotate it out using a hand pump that you can attach to it. You can further more save a little on gas buy stocking up when its cheaper than normal and using it when gas is a little more expensive than normal while you wait for it to return to normal prices again. Further more you can use it to help you refill your tanks to get you to your bug out location. You can stock a pretty good amount of food and water there too safely through out periods of the year. You can keep extra clothes and bedding and cook ware there too. You can also stock your camping gear there as well and when you want to go camping just stop by after work and pick it up and in the morning leave and there is very little for you to pack for your trip. This frees up space at your residence for more immediate needs. The possibilities are endless here!

Think it over...


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

Adding to your post, if what you take to the storage unit is in old crappy looking boxes, nobody will pay any attention to you.
If you put an old mattress at the front, nobody will see what you have inside. 
As they say on another forum. Concealed is concealed.


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## tnladywolfe (May 31, 2014)

I live in a small military town so having something that looked military, as BOB, wouldn’t be out of the norm here but if I had to go outside the area then it would stick out but, like you said Smokin04, it’s about presenting a image. There are a lot of military surplus stores here and I have been shopping at many of them. I will re-think that storage unit idea and maybe look at some around here. I have thought that if and when I do a cache that I would put it in a low traffic area and thought about wooded areas too. I do have water purification tablets to put in water and thinking of getting one of those water straw (I won’t mention the brand name).


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## Innkeeper (Jun 18, 2014)

tnladywolfe said:


> I live in a small military town so having something that looked military, as BOB, wouldn't be out of the norm here but if I had to go outside the area then it would stick out but, like you said Smokin04, it's about presenting a image. There are a lot of military surplus stores here and I have been shopping at many of them. I will re-think that storage unit idea and maybe look at some around here. I have thought that if and when I do a cache that I would put it in a low traffic area and thought about wooded areas too. I do have water purification tablets to put in water and thinking of getting one of those water straw (I won't mention the brand name).


 If your thinking of the Straw seriously check out the Sawyer Mini filter cost is around the same just a little bit more, and is far more versatile. I thought about the water straw, but other preppers introduced me to the Sawyer, best in vestment I have made for water purification. just saying IMHO


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## tnladywolfe (May 31, 2014)

Thanks. I will give it a look at.


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