Survival Caches and Resource Dispersal
This is an updated guide to survival caches and resource dispersal that we first shared way back in 2016. We update our guides to be more current and thorough as we learn more ourselves and have knowledgeable survivalists join our team.
Resource dispersal is an important part of prepping that is often underrated and overlooked. Between redundancies, caches, and bug out locations, you can improve your odds when the unknown and unthinkable is happening.
Whether you go full-out and stash a cache in a separate location or store your survival gear and prepping supplies in multiple locations within your home, resource dispersal can help with the unknowns.
Kit Redundancy
We know prepping can be expensive. Multiple disaster kits and bug out bags may seem too costly to many preppers, but having duplicate kits stored in separate locations in your home can greatly improve your chances of survival. If the part of your home where all your preps are stored becomes compromised, the results could be disastrous- even for a prepper.
Even if you do not have redundant kits due to space or cost, splitting up the stores that you have can help. I know preppers that keep all their food stores in their garage. In the event of a hurricane, if a tree fell on that garage they would be ‘up the creek.’ Spreading out your storage areas is necessary to be prepared for the worst-case scenarios.
Using markings to keep everything organized helps even more when you have supplies split up. We prefer to color code prepping supplies, which makes everything easy to identify in an instant.
Survival Caches
Using caches for small or large survival gear is a great way to disperse your resources. Survival caches are the ultimate tool for resource dispersal because they are versatile and usable five feet from your home or 50 miles away.
A good mid-size survival cache could be the difference maker in a SHTF situation. You can store ammunition, maps, personal information, money, and tools in a cache which all could provide aid when you need it most.
The Best Survival Cache
There are several types of containers you can use for survival caches. Typically, they are no bigger than a trunk- so there is a distinction between a cache and a buried bunker!
Some preppers choose to make their caches out of PVC, ammo cans, Altoid tins, or small pre-made geocaches. Our favorite caches are the MTM Survivor Dry Box (if you are looking for a smaller profile) or your typical 5-gallon bucket with a lid and some desiccant.
Altoid Tin Survival Caches
Another popular choice for survival caches are Altoid tins, or other small containers similar to them. Filling an Altoid tin with survival supplies poses a size challenge, and there are several people who have packed a huge amount of versatility into those little containers.
They aren’t the most practical, due to their size and lack of weather-resistance but that doesn’t deter people from exploring small survival kits to position tools anywhere.
Where to Hide Your Cache
Bury or conceal the cache in an easily accessible location that is not visible or well-traveled, so you can avoid having someone loot your cache. Burying a cache in your yard may be an option as well, in case your home is compromised in a disaster or emergency.
If you do bury it, having a folding shovel (or e-tool) in your mobile kit can help you get to the cache quicker.
Redundancy in caches can also help since you can easily set up several small caches for relatively cheap.
What to Put in a Survival Cache
When you design your survival caches, you’ll need to add redundant resources that won’t affect you drastically if you aren’t able to reach them. Make sure you stash some desiccant in the survival cache as well to prevent moisture build-up
Canadian Prepper (the top YouTube Prepping channel) does a good job of covering this topic:
BOLs (Bug Out Locations)
Having a bug out location with resources can greatly improve your ability to contend with geographic threats. Without at least one bug out location or multiple locations, you may find yourself hard-pressed to survive when a regional catastrophe occurs. While you can learn skills to become completely self-sufficient, resources are always good to have, and bug out locations can provide places to store those resources.
Many preppers turn to the wilderness away from many natural and man-made threats. Distance from nuclear plants, military facilities, as well as natural disaster history can be taken into consideration when selecting a location. BOLs don’t have to be cabins that you purchase in the backwoods- friend, and family locations in different geographic regions can work as well and do not require purchasing property. Be sure to have a conversation with them regarding what and how much you store at their location- and be sure to include them in your preps if they are not preppers on their own.
The Final Word
You may lose some stored preps since we cannot control every situation no matter how well prepared. The purpose of resource dispersal is to make it so only a fraction of your survivability is hurt from any one kit being destroyed.
Disperse your preps, and don’t put your eggs all in one basket– and survival caches are a great way to accomplish this.
Here are some other guides our subscribers have found useful:
- How to Get a Free Survival Map of Your Local Area
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- Bug Out Bag List | 44 Essentials
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great articles.thanks.
Hmmm, I seem to have graduated to 35 gallon plastic barrels with watertight screw on lids and 45 gallon metal barrels with hoop locking lids that can be made watertight.
I’ll fill a barrel in my staging area and move an empty barrel to my location and then transfer the contents. You’ll not move a full barrel unless you have heavy equipment and even then, your location may be too rough to get into.
Rolling a barrel full of preps would only damage the contents IMHO.
Better to pack it in a little at a time.
Wooded areas can be fine as long as you know they’ll not be clearcut or molested in any manner. It’s amazing what a small pile of “brush” can hide.
Sometimes fallen trees will take a large hunk of topsoil and roots with it as it falls over and when you cut the tree away from the root, it falls back into place covering whatever you buried there. Hell to dig back up though. I haven’t done it for that reason.
Burying the barrel could prove difficult to dig up come winter under multiple feet of snow, not to mention the frozen ground but could be best depending on the terrain, the depth, and the water threat.
Some culverts are big enough to stuff a few five gallon buckets in but make sure it’s a “dry” culvert and have lines attached to pull them out with.
I only stash dry goods and things that will not be harmed by freezing.
That being said, a 45 gallon barrel will hold enough food preps to keep me alive for 6 months. The other one is for tarps and tools and clothes.
Good luck.