Just watched a Paul Harrell video where they dug up a cache that has been in the ground for 14 years. It contained a bunch of MREs, some ammo and a single shot Rossi 20 ga. with a 22lr barrel. It was what looks like a 81mm mortar ammo can.
So I was thinking about stashing one of my something on my property and what I would put in it. Not that I'm worried about TEOTWAWKI but it would be fun to stash and dig up in 10 years like a time capsule.
Having said that I do keep a 5 gallon bucket full of survival gear in all my deer blinds. These include fire making stuff, small stove w/fuel, matches, knife, FAK, rope, extra hat, gloves, blanket etc just in case you get stuck in the blind during a blizzard and have to wait it out.
I also happen to have some guns I rarely if ever use like my H&R single shot guns with extra barrels. Or maybe a $69 Chinese SKS, I don't think I've ever shot. I could easily stash one or more of them in a cache with ammo and not miss them.
I did look at a bunch of other cache videos on youtube. They run the gamut from small jars with granola bars to PVC pipes, ammo cans. From stashing guns to full scale survival stuff (food, water, tents, etc, etc).
Personally I don't think I would cache food, just guns, ammo, knives, FAK, maybe some tools, rope, tarps, fire making and other survival stuff.
I do have some 30cal, 50cal, 40mm and some other long metal ammo cans. Not sure what the long ones are since they are up at the woods house. Could be 81 or 120 mm mortar shell cans. The are long enough for rifles if they are taken down.
So...if you wanted to cache some stuff what would you cache and why?
Survival Cache
Survival Cache
Last edited by Mac66 on Wed May 15, 2024 8:01 am, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Survival Cache
I watched the video and was thinking about the same topic.
My first concern, with the way I lose my keys, will I be able to find a cache in 20 years?
My first concern, with the way I lose my keys, will I be able to find a cache in 20 years?
Re: Survival Cache
Good point considering I'm still finding ammo and tools I stashed away in full sight in my old shed and cabin.
Re: Survival Cache
I have a 5 ft / 6" PVC pipe with rubber sealing end caps.... It was given to me but never used.
Would make a great cache tube except for the mention above
Would make a great cache tube except for the mention above
You can't fix stupid !
Re: Survival Cache
I could just bury a ammo can full of stuff in my pole barn and my kids might find it after I'm gone.
Make a note for my Will..."there is a survival cache buried in the pole barn. Have fun finding it."
For that matter I could stick it under the house in the crawl space or hang it from the rafters of the barn. Heck, I could put it in or under the old shed or cabin (which I will eventually renovate).
I have 52 acres of woods so I could just stash/hang a can up in a tree.
Make a note for my Will..."there is a survival cache buried in the pole barn. Have fun finding it."
For that matter I could stick it under the house in the crawl space or hang it from the rafters of the barn. Heck, I could put it in or under the old shed or cabin (which I will eventually renovate).
I have 52 acres of woods so I could just stash/hang a can up in a tree.
Re: Survival Cache
I was acquainted with Ron Hood, who was big in survival in the 1980s. Single guy. His mode of escape was a motorcycle on railroad tracks from the San Fernando Valley to the high country. Along the way, he had two buried caches. One weekend, we went to his retreat area.
1. yes it was rural;
2. essentially, there was no game, no gardening, no woods, no water on the land that he owned. Cool if not cold most of the year around. Not survivable unless you already had a stash there.
Impressions:
1. good idea to have caches on the way if you were bugging out. easy to make and conceal.
2. bugging out is a very bad idea if you believe you can rely upon highways and simply live off the land when you bug out.
1. yes it was rural;
2. essentially, there was no game, no gardening, no woods, no water on the land that he owned. Cool if not cold most of the year around. Not survivable unless you already had a stash there.
Impressions:
1. good idea to have caches on the way if you were bugging out. easy to make and conceal.
2. bugging out is a very bad idea if you believe you can rely upon highways and simply live off the land when you bug out.
Re: Survival Cache
I remember Ron Hood. Used to read his stuff in American Survival Guide and probably other places as well. His articles were called Hood's Woods or something like that.bdcochran wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 5:18 pm I was acquainted with Ron Hood, who was big in survival in the 1980s. Single guy. His mode of escape was a motorcycle on railroad tracks from the San Fernando Valley to the high country. Along the way, he had two buried caches. One weekend, we went to his retreat area.
1. yes it was rural;
2. essentially, there was no game, no gardening, no woods, no water on the land that he owned. Cool if not cold most of the year around. Not survivable unless you already had a stash there.
Impressions:
1. good idea to have caches on the way if you were bugging out. easy to make and conceal.
2. bugging out is a very bad idea if you believe you can rely upon highways and simply live off the land when you bug out.
Re: Survival Cache
I hadn't really thought much about caches along the way to a bug out location (BOL). I was thinking about just stashing/hiding stuff at the site.
And yes, it's much better to have a place to go than to simply get out of Dodge without a plan or destination in mind.
My bug out location (BOL) is my woods house. It's about 165 miles away. About 120 miles of that is freeway, the rest are state and some county roads. It usually takes me 2:45-3 hours by car depending on traffic and road construction.
About 10 years ago I was preparing a practice bug out on my bicycle to my BOL. I studied the maps and even drove the intended route with paper maps. Since you can't ride a bike on the freeway the route was all back roads. Taking back roads adds about 40 miles to the distance.
One thing I learned driving that I never noticed before is that I had to cross at least two main rivers and most of the bridges were in urban/industrial cities along the way. The rivers were too deep and wide to swim/wade across. To avoid the urban areas and find bridges you had to go at least 20 miles out of the way. Not to mention the lakes. There are a lot of lakes to go around particularly with county and back roads. State roads are usually north and south, east and west. County roads stop and start at every state road, expressway and lake along the way.
In regards to major river crossings, one could use railroad bridges if on foot or on a bike but not while driving. So add another 40 miles if you wanted to avoid urban areas while bugging out. So now you're up to about 240 miles. That scouting trip took me about 8 hours due to lesser speed limits through lots of small towns and backtracking trying to find the best routes. And in the end I just jumped on state roads which are 55+ mph.
Figure an average of about 10mph on a bike and you're at 24 hours without any breaks. I've ridden 100 miles on a bike a couple times and averaged 14 mph just carrying a Camelback, extra water and some extra clothes in a bike bag. That's not with a full pack.
So figure 2.5-3 days by bike minimum at 10 mph. And that's in good, clear, dry weather and not taking into account the BOL is north west of home so it's against the prevailing wind the whole way.
In that case it would be good to have caches about every 50 miles in case you had to lay over for any length of time. It would also reduce the amount of stuff you'd have to carry. And of course if had to go another way you'd want caches along the alternative route or routes. I would put extra food, clothes, water and shelter in those caches to account for the seasons and inclement weather.
I ended up crashing on my bike that summer and broke my arm so I never did the bike bug out. I later decided that I would do it on a motorcycle. I had a 400cc Suzuki Dual Sport (on/off road) motorcycle at the time. The advantage to that is you could go a lot faster (up to 70 mph if you had to) and carry more stuff including a passenger. In addition you could go cross country through fields, on dirt roads, trails etc. I did a couple practice runs on parts of the route but never got around to doing the whole route.
If I were to do a motorcycle bug out I'd probably have to add gas to the cache. That bike would go about 90 miles on it's 3 gallon tank, probably less carrying a passenger and bug out stuff. I no longer have a motorcycle so it's kind of moot point.
I carry BO gear and a get home bag in my truck which has a range of 500+ miles with a full tank.
When you weigh the time and effort it would take to scout out locations, set up, secure and maintain caches along the way vs. the chance that you'd have to bug out, let alone without a car it seems pretty unlikely. I bought my BOL 30 years ago this year and never had to bug out yet. So the odds are against ever having to bug out.
That brings me back to simply burying/stashing some stuff in the woods at the property. I'll keep you all informed what and when I do it.
And yes, it's much better to have a place to go than to simply get out of Dodge without a plan or destination in mind.
My bug out location (BOL) is my woods house. It's about 165 miles away. About 120 miles of that is freeway, the rest are state and some county roads. It usually takes me 2:45-3 hours by car depending on traffic and road construction.
About 10 years ago I was preparing a practice bug out on my bicycle to my BOL. I studied the maps and even drove the intended route with paper maps. Since you can't ride a bike on the freeway the route was all back roads. Taking back roads adds about 40 miles to the distance.
One thing I learned driving that I never noticed before is that I had to cross at least two main rivers and most of the bridges were in urban/industrial cities along the way. The rivers were too deep and wide to swim/wade across. To avoid the urban areas and find bridges you had to go at least 20 miles out of the way. Not to mention the lakes. There are a lot of lakes to go around particularly with county and back roads. State roads are usually north and south, east and west. County roads stop and start at every state road, expressway and lake along the way.
In regards to major river crossings, one could use railroad bridges if on foot or on a bike but not while driving. So add another 40 miles if you wanted to avoid urban areas while bugging out. So now you're up to about 240 miles. That scouting trip took me about 8 hours due to lesser speed limits through lots of small towns and backtracking trying to find the best routes. And in the end I just jumped on state roads which are 55+ mph.
Figure an average of about 10mph on a bike and you're at 24 hours without any breaks. I've ridden 100 miles on a bike a couple times and averaged 14 mph just carrying a Camelback, extra water and some extra clothes in a bike bag. That's not with a full pack.
So figure 2.5-3 days by bike minimum at 10 mph. And that's in good, clear, dry weather and not taking into account the BOL is north west of home so it's against the prevailing wind the whole way.
In that case it would be good to have caches about every 50 miles in case you had to lay over for any length of time. It would also reduce the amount of stuff you'd have to carry. And of course if had to go another way you'd want caches along the alternative route or routes. I would put extra food, clothes, water and shelter in those caches to account for the seasons and inclement weather.
I ended up crashing on my bike that summer and broke my arm so I never did the bike bug out. I later decided that I would do it on a motorcycle. I had a 400cc Suzuki Dual Sport (on/off road) motorcycle at the time. The advantage to that is you could go a lot faster (up to 70 mph if you had to) and carry more stuff including a passenger. In addition you could go cross country through fields, on dirt roads, trails etc. I did a couple practice runs on parts of the route but never got around to doing the whole route.
If I were to do a motorcycle bug out I'd probably have to add gas to the cache. That bike would go about 90 miles on it's 3 gallon tank, probably less carrying a passenger and bug out stuff. I no longer have a motorcycle so it's kind of moot point.
I carry BO gear and a get home bag in my truck which has a range of 500+ miles with a full tank.
When you weigh the time and effort it would take to scout out locations, set up, secure and maintain caches along the way vs. the chance that you'd have to bug out, let alone without a car it seems pretty unlikely. I bought my BOL 30 years ago this year and never had to bug out yet. So the odds are against ever having to bug out.
That brings me back to simply burying/stashing some stuff in the woods at the property. I'll keep you all informed what and when I do it.
Re: Survival Cache
I just found my note books, maps and binder with all my info I put together for my bike bugout.
I noticed in my plan that I had the railroad tracks marked out. There are tracks that go north then swing north west almost the entire way. Some of those tracks have been turned into bike paths (Rails to Trails). There is one section that's a straight shot about 40 miles long.
So conceivably I could take the local bike paths (or rail road tracks) for about 20 miles to get out of the north east suburbs. Then there is about a 10 mile stretch before connecting to another bike path (former rail tracks). Then 10 miles north west on that. That trail goes through some of the more affluent north west suburbs.
By then you're out in the country on state and county roads. There's about 30-40 miles zig-zagging north and west between small towns until you get to the outskirts of a large urban city. You have to swing along way west to get around it. About 40 miles up the road is the Tri-Cities. They are maybe 20-30 miles apart but the outlying communities are pretty much one megalopolis. It's there where you have to cross the main rivers. There are some state and county 2 lanes that run parallel to the expressway but they go through some of the more industrial areas. Again you have swing far to the west and zig-zag your way north. The farthest west city of the Tri-cities is where you pick up the rail trail that runs north west for 40 miles to a small town. At that point you're 30 miles south of my property and then it's a straight shot north on county roads. Most of it is Amish country.
I've ridden both the last 30 miles and the 40 mile stretch on my bike at various times. The 30 mile stretch on the road is pretty hilly, something you don't notice when riding in a car. It's best to ride it on a Sunday morning, less speeding traffic. Just Amish buggies.
The 40 mile rail trail is straight and flat and is an easy ride. I've ridden it from the small town where I turn north to the tri-cities and back in one day, that's 80 miles round trip.
The 30 mile ride on the road was much harder with the hills. I've ridden it south from my property to the town where the rail trail begins. I was more tired riding that 30 miles than the 80 mile round trip on the rail trail. My notes say I averaged 9-10 mph on the road with the hills and 15 mph on the rail trail.
I'm now 10 years older and out of shape so that bike bugout would be a challenge.
I noticed in my plan that I had the railroad tracks marked out. There are tracks that go north then swing north west almost the entire way. Some of those tracks have been turned into bike paths (Rails to Trails). There is one section that's a straight shot about 40 miles long.
So conceivably I could take the local bike paths (or rail road tracks) for about 20 miles to get out of the north east suburbs. Then there is about a 10 mile stretch before connecting to another bike path (former rail tracks). Then 10 miles north west on that. That trail goes through some of the more affluent north west suburbs.
By then you're out in the country on state and county roads. There's about 30-40 miles zig-zagging north and west between small towns until you get to the outskirts of a large urban city. You have to swing along way west to get around it. About 40 miles up the road is the Tri-Cities. They are maybe 20-30 miles apart but the outlying communities are pretty much one megalopolis. It's there where you have to cross the main rivers. There are some state and county 2 lanes that run parallel to the expressway but they go through some of the more industrial areas. Again you have swing far to the west and zig-zag your way north. The farthest west city of the Tri-cities is where you pick up the rail trail that runs north west for 40 miles to a small town. At that point you're 30 miles south of my property and then it's a straight shot north on county roads. Most of it is Amish country.
I've ridden both the last 30 miles and the 40 mile stretch on my bike at various times. The 30 mile stretch on the road is pretty hilly, something you don't notice when riding in a car. It's best to ride it on a Sunday morning, less speeding traffic. Just Amish buggies.
The 40 mile rail trail is straight and flat and is an easy ride. I've ridden it from the small town where I turn north to the tri-cities and back in one day, that's 80 miles round trip.
The 30 mile ride on the road was much harder with the hills. I've ridden it south from my property to the town where the rail trail begins. I was more tired riding that 30 miles than the 80 mile round trip on the rail trail. My notes say I averaged 9-10 mph on the road with the hills and 15 mph on the rail trail.
I'm now 10 years older and out of shape so that bike bugout would be a challenge.
Re: Survival Cache
Already fiq I couldn't bug out in my location.... have to go thru NYC.
Always planned to bug in... and with 2/3 neighbors that are well planned to bond as a group ( hopefully )
But I still never tell them my full supply stock.
Always planned to bug in... and with 2/3 neighbors that are well planned to bond as a group ( hopefully )
But I still never tell them my full supply stock.
You can't fix stupid !