Hidden Caches

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Caches are more than just what needs to be cleared to get a website to refresh.

The definition for “cache” is a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place. This is exactly what is potentially needed in an emergency or disaster scenario.

One of the fun ways you can learn about caching is an app called GEOCACHING, which you can do in almost any geographic location – think of it as an international scavenger hunt.

However, when it comes to caches for survival, you don’t want to let others know about it – only those that you absolutely trust and are likely part of your group.

In the event of emergency or disaster situations, caches of supplies could come in handy:

• Intruders
  • When in a disaster situation, certain people can and will take as much advantage of the situation as possible and go on looting sprees across the area.
  • In some situations, the police are overrun by different scenarios of looting and other crimes and the national guard either hasn’t or won’t arrive to assist in such scenarios.
  • Some intruders can be people that you know that also know that you have a stockpile of various things in your home for just these sort of situations – their preparation for such a situation was just to take yours.
• Government Seizure of Stockpile
  • There are many who believe that there are various Executive Orders that would allow the government to come into your home and confiscate your stockpile of supplies in order to redistribute equally among the masses.
  • I think that this could be a legitimate concern – depending on the situation, this could be a reality. In this case, the government seizure may be more thorough than what an every day intruder would be capable of.
  • Whether you believe government seizure of your property for mass re-distribution is a legitimate reality or not, do you really want to take a chance when you are in a disaster or emergency situation?
• Both Scenarios
  • In these situations, it is good to have multiple hiding locations of your stockpiles so that you aren’t fully without – this includes caches. Other options would be:
    • Books with interiors cutout
    • Inside an AC vent
    • Under/behind fake plants in your home
    • Hidden holes in furniture or walls
    • Inside hollowed out lamps
    • Fake walls that have a space between the fake wall and real wall to store items
  • Although these provide additional options, these can likely be found if the intruder or the government seizure brigade has the presence of mind to think of such things. One way to get around this by using caches hidden in various locations with supplies.
    • These caches can be located on your property (usually buried) or in other locations that you have identified that you can easily get to and recover the items without suspicion in any scenario, including normal everyday life.
  • Whatever you decide to use as items in your cache, be sure to make the container and everything inside as waterproof as possible. Remember to also have notes on what items are stored where and when you last checked on them for any updates due to expiration or the elements destroying your items.
  • Items to consider to store in caches (weather and climate situation permitting):
    • Backup copies of important papers
    • First aid supplies
    • Hunting, fishing supplies (knives, lures, tackle, etc)
    • Paracord
    • Matches and tinder, aluminum foil
    • Hard copy maps and/or atlases
    • Gloves (warmth or manual labor) and socks (keep your feet happy!)
    • Sewing needles and thread
    • Money, jewelry, precious metals, other valuables
    • Pencils (not all mechanical) and pencil sharpeners

We all would like to think that certain things won’t happen – be it due to common human decency, protections afforded by the Constitution or Bill of Rights in America, or whatever makes you feel safe during normal, every day life.

Many survivalists and preppers hope that the things they are preparing for do not come to pass; however, the possibility of these events becoming a reality is high enough that they are preparing now for such situations so they aren’t one of the confused and unprepared masses trying to figure things out and how to survive when such things become a reality.

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