Supply Cache Setup and Concealment

Why Caches Exist

The standard bug-out bag covers 72 hours. A 72-hour supply covers the majority of emergency scenarios. But it does not cover scenarios where:

• Your vehicle (and main supplies in it) is inaccessible or abandoned
• You are forced to move on foot for extended distances
• Your home or primary supply location is compromised
• You are staged at an intermediate location and need supply before reaching your destination

A cache system addresses these gaps by pre-positioning supplies at known locations along likely movement routes. The military has used this technique for resupply, weapons staging, and intelligence material for centuries.

Cache Planning

Purpose first: What is the cache for? Common types:

• Route cache: Located along your bug-out route. Contains fuel, food, water treatment, medical supplies to allow continued movement.
• Position cache: Located at or near your secondary position. Supplements supplies you cannot carry or pre-position permanently.
• Weapons cache: Contains firearms, ammunition, or tools that may not be appropriate to carry in all conditions but you want access to at specific locations.
• Document cache: Emergency identity documents, cash, account information.

Each type has different content requirements and different security considerations.

Coverage distance: A reasonable walking distance per cache depends on your physical condition and load. For most adults carrying a 40-50 lb pack: 15-20 miles per day is sustainable. A cache every 30-40 miles provides a resupply every 2 days of movement.

Multiple caches over single cache: A single large cache is a single point of failure. If it is discovered, flooded, or inaccessible, you have nothing. Multiple smaller caches on separate routes provide redundancy. Lose one, you still have the others.

Container Selection and Waterproofing

The container is the most critical factor in a cache's long-term reliability. Moisture kills most supplies over time.

Military surplus ammo cans: M2A1 (.50 cal) and M19A1 (7.62mm) surplus ammo cans are the standard. They are military-spec waterproof, durable, and cheap ($15-30 at surplus stores). Before use, inspect the rubber gasket around the lid. A dry, cracked, or missing gasket leaks — replace it with a matching-size gasket from a hardware store.

Capacity: M2A1 holds approximately 4-5 liters of supplies. Suitable for a cache with 3-5 days of food, a medical kit, and ammunition.

PVC pipe caches: Schedule 40 or Schedule 80 PVC pipe sealed with end caps is waterproof, low visual profile, and can be buried horizontally. Common sizes: 4-inch diameter (most versatile), 6-inch for larger volume.

Sealing: apply PVC primer to both the pipe end and inside the cap, then PVC cement. Allow 24 hours to cure before filling. This is a permanent seal — the cache is accessed by cutting the pipe and re-cementing or by using a threaded cleanout fitting that allows repeated access without cutting.

Food-grade HDPE buckets (gamma seal lids): 5-gallon and 3.5-gallon food-grade buckets with gamma seal lids (a spin-off lid with a rubber gasket) are reliable for surface and shallow-buried caches. Not as bomb-proof as ammo cans, but inexpensive and widely available. Test waterproofing before burying: fill with water for 24 hours to check for leaks.

Waterproofing internal contents: Even in a sealed container, condensation is a risk in temperature-variable environments. Add:

• 2-4 packets of silica gel desiccant (the type sold for gun safes — 10-40 gram packets)
• Mylar bags for individual items (food, documents)
• Zip-lock bags as inner waterproofing for everything else

What to Cache

Food: Freeze-dried foods are optimal — extremely light, calorie-dense, 25-year shelf life, require only water. 2,000-2,500 calories per day per person, in 2-pound packages. Mountain House and Augason Farms are reliable brands with tested shelf lives.

For a 72-hour route cache: 6,000-7,500 calories per person (3 days), plus water treatment capability (tablets or small filter) so you can collect water from route sources.

Medical: A small trauma kit: QuikClot or hemostatic bandage, Israeli bandage, tourniquets (one per person who will use the cache), adhesive bandages, wound closure strips, nitrile gloves. Non-prescription pain and anti-diarrheal medications. Any prescription medications relevant to your household.

Tools: Folding knife, fire-starting capability (butane lighter plus waterproof matches), small flashlight with fresh batteries, emergency whistle, paracord (50 feet).

Communications: A battery or hand-crank emergency radio. Extra batteries for whatever radio system your group uses.

Money: Cash in small denominations ($5, $10, $20 bills). $200-500 per cache is reasonable.

Documents (if document cache): Laminated copies of passports, driver's licenses, birth certificates. List of account numbers and emergency contacts. Notarized authorization letters for children traveling without both parents.

Burial Technique

Depth: 8-12 inches of cover is adequate for most surface-protected containers in non-agricultural land (deep enough to avoid casual disturbance, shallow enough to dig quickly without tools). In agricultural land where plowing occurs, 24+ inches is needed. In permafrost zones or areas with severe freeze-thaw cycles, go deeper to avoid frost heave.

Orientation: Bury parallel to any nearby path, road, or fence line. Perpendicular burial creates a longer disturbance scar visible from the surface.

Site selection:

• Private land with owner permission
• Away from drainage areas (water will collect in low spots and is hard on waterproofing seams)
• Near a permanent landmark for navigation reference
• Away from obvious search locations (near unique trees, large rocks, trail junctions — also the first places someone looks)
• In a location with stable vegetation that will re-establish cover after burial

Disturbed soil camouflage: After burial, replace native vegetation and leaf litter to match the surrounding surface. Scatter some forest debris or sticks in a natural pattern. Fresh digging is visible for 2-4 weeks until vegetation regrows — consider timing cache placement for spring or after rain when many people are doing yard and ground work.

Navigation and Retrieval Documentation

Never use GPS alone: GPS devices fail, batteries die, and the coordinates are useless if someone else reads them. Use GPS as one method of three.

The three-reference system:

1. GPS coordinates (stored in a secure location, not on you)
2. Compass bearing and measured distance from a named permanent landmark (e.g., "bearing 047° magnetic, 43 feet from the north side of the split oak at the southwest corner of the cleared field")
3. A hand-drawn sketch showing the landmark, the bearing, and approximate depth

Store this information encrypted or in a coded format. Do not carry it to the cache location on the first visit after a long interval — locate the cache from memory first to confirm your notes are correct.

Test retrieval: After burying a cache, walk away completely. Return within 30 days and locate the cache using only your documentation. If you cannot find it from documentation alone, your documentation is inadequate. Fix it before the cache becomes permanent.

Maintenance

Inspect and rotate caches every 1-2 years. Check container integrity, replace desiccant, rotate food and medications, inspect for moisture infiltration. Fresh batteries in all electronic items. Update documents for any changes (new ID, new account numbers).

For caches that are difficult to access (requiring significant travel), at minimum send a trusted group member to inspect on your schedule.