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Pre-Placed Resources

Paul605

.410
My brother and I just assembled 6 “stash tubes”.

They are made of 8” PVC with one cemented cap and one screw cap. They are 4’ long. Each tube has an “ejector” in it to be able to pull the contents out of the tube with a line. Our plan is to put them horizontally into the side of road ditches on rural roads in our area. They will of course not be marked in any way, and will be for the most part buried and the exposed threaded end will be camouflaged with dark paint and natural habitat.

Each tube contains nothing that would be a horrific loss, but still has the means to provide “needed” essentials in the case of the need to go tactical.

Shelter, water, food, ammo, fire, meds, communication, light and clothing. Think of them as pre-placed semi-permanent BOB’s. These are envisioned as giving us the ability to walk out of work, and if we cant drive away…being able to walk away “light”…and make our way 17 miles to our rural home/compound. Batteries for the communication are the last thing put in the tube, so we can visit them once a year to replace.

I am increasingly mis-trustful of my government...besides it's fun to plan.
 
Putting them in ditches may not be the best plan.

1. Ditches do fill up over time and periodically have to be refreshed.

2. In this day and age of terrorism, I'll bet you can plan on someone calling the cops and you getting rousted. After all, what you're planting will look an awful lot like an IED.
 
Putting them in ditches may not be the best plan.

1. Ditches do fill up over time and periodically have to be refreshed.

2. In this day and age of terrorism, I'll bet you can plan on someone calling the cops and you getting rousted. After all, what you're planting will look an awful lot like an IED.
I hear your concern. It is not the best solution for everyone, but out here in rural South Dakota these are being placed on roads that for the most part see less than maybe 10 vehicles a day. I walk out of work and across the parking lot ad I am within a mile for the most part alone... The roads out here that we selected are overgrown ad dry ditches.
 
OK. Cool. Just wanted to make sure you hadn't overlooked the obvious.

Pre-positioning supplies does sound like a great prepping idea!
 
Our road department would like you a lot.

Especially in the spring when they go around with the backhoes cleaning out the ditches periodically. Finders keepers.

If they didn't turn it in to the police. And if they did, I am 100% certain that they would run the serial numbers to see if they've been stolen, and further, they may push it with the ATF to see if they can trace the weapon(s) back to the purchaser through the paper trails that are already in place. You mentioned medicine, if there are labels on the medicine bottles, that too could point back to you or your brother.

Another possible outcome, even if it was in the right of way of the road, if there was a property owner where you buried it, they too may end up with it since technically it would be on their property, so thus could become their property. You can't just abandon a car on someones property either as an example. After so long, the property owner can junk your abandoned car and put the cash in their pocket too.

While I respect your desire to be prepared, I think that's the worst idea that I've ever heard.
 
Our road department would like you a lot.

Especially in the spring when they go around with the backhoes cleaning out the ditches periodically. Finders keepers.

If they didn't turn it in to the police. And if they did, I am 100% certain that they would run the serial numbers to see if they've been stolen, and further, they may push it with the ATF to see if they can trace the weapon(s) back to the purchaser through the paper trails that are already in place. You mentioned medicine, if there are labels on the medicine bottles, that too could point back to you or your brother.

Another possible outcome, even if it was in the right of way of the road, if there was a property owner where you buried it, they too may end up with it since technically it would be on their property, so thus could become their property. You can't just abandon a car on someones property either as an example. After so long, the property owner can junk your abandoned car and put the cash in their pocket too.

While I respect your desire to be prepared, I think that's the worst idea that I've ever heard.
Nothing traceable in them. No weapons, only ammo. Total cost lost would be <$300.00. Meds are OTC. This is truly back-country. It is one of the reasons we are moving to the country in the spring. Literally nobody around. I will miss being close by living in town, but I won't miss the "town life".
 
If there are no guns going to be in them for just anyone to find does change my outlook some. The light and clothes and radio and stuff is not really a bad idea. I could see having a stash like that, but kept in my vehicle so I could just grab it and go if forced to, rather than spending valuable time having to look around for the exact spot you buried it and the energy and effort digging it up. That would prove to be even more difficult with injuries or sickness if you're talking the endless possibilities of the world changing as we know it.
 
If there are no guns going to be in them for just anyone to find does change my outlook some. The light and clothes and radio and stuff is not really a bad idea. I could see having a stash like that, but kept in my vehicle so I could just grab it and go if forced to, rather than spending valuable time having to look around for the exact spot you buried it and the energy and effort digging it up. That would prove to be even more difficult with injuries or sickness if you're talking the endless possibilities of the world changing as we know it.
The thing that made us concerned...the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak...is the CDC/HHS Notice of Proposed Rule Making of august 2016. They have established a method to quarantine entire population centers. Both of us work on the outskirts of town, and would likely be able to just walk away from work with our EDC. Come spring we will no longer be living in the town of 30,000. We are selling both houses and moving 17 miles out to a very rural area. Very much out of sight and out of mind for long enough to either outlast a town based quagmire or long enough to go away very deep.
 
Both of us have very extensive "Fight Your Way Home" bags in our vehicles. Our concern became the profile of leaving in a vehicle. I can literally walk out of a fire door at work, and be in full cover and concealment in 10 steps outside.

Would have to weigh the chance of going to my vehicle depending on circumstances. Maybe could go to the vehicle and leave driving it...maybe go to the vehicle and retrive FYWH bag and walk...maybe just walk away with nothing, and head for a stash.
 
Make sure you stash the batteries in a container that won't leak if they go defective and "leak" out. I just had to toss a package each of 9V and Ds from Berkeley Jensen (BJs brand) because brand-new (but a couple years old) batteries were starting to leak in the package! :eek: :mad: This doesn't even take into consideration the damage leaking BJ's AAs and AAAs have caused to a camera, radio and two flashlights! :mad:

I suppose in rural SD you could get away with your stashes but don't forget the eyes in the sky! Google maps, for example, has very detailed maps and if by chance you were caught on one, the jig would be up. Not that they would ID you, but someone would find your stuff.

The main concern IMO, when the SHTF is how close are you (not YOU, Paul) to a MAJOR population center? :eek: The suburbs will NOT be safe!
 
Make sure you stash the batteries in a container that won't leak if they go defective and "leak" out. I just had to toss a package each of 9V and Ds from Berkeley Jensen (BJs brand) because brand-new (but a couple years old) batteries were starting to leak in the package! :eek: :mad: This doesn't even take into consideration the damage leaking BJ's AAs and AAAs have caused to a camera, radio and two flashlights! :mad:

I suppose in rural SD you could get away with your stashes but don't forget the eyes in the sky! Google maps, for example, has very detailed maps and if by chance you were caught on one, the jig would be up. Not that they would ID you, but someone would find your stuff.

The main concern IMO, when the SHTF is how close are you (not YOU, Paul) to a MAJOR population center? :eek: The suburbs will NOT be safe!
Good points. The batteries for the radios are Lithium Ion, but the batteries for the lights are common dry cell. We actually placed 3 of our stashes yesterday evening...
 
Lithium ion batteries will die if they are allowed to discharge and stay that way without charging. Due to internal leakage, they will go dead just sitting around.

They are not a good candidate for long-term storage.
 
...i have tested these in non-environmental controlled conditions for a couple of years now...ie they live by the dozens in my kite trailer...at 6 months of winter, they still are at 94% of charge...at 6 months of summer they are still at 92% of full charge...we intend to visit the stashes every 6 months or so...exchange batteries...refresh other supplies if needed...check seal integrity...
 
I think this is a great idea Paul. Only you know your particular circumstances of environment, and it sounds like you've thought this through extensively.
The one thing I would add is– if you can't go to your vehicle before walking out, how will you carry the supplies that are in the caches? Have you put a bag in the cache closest to your work? (or the first one you would hit on your way out) I've seen those nylon backpacks that compress into a tiny stuff sack. Or perhaps even a large mesh laundry bag would work to haul the stuff from here to there?
I keep a box of various supplies in my truck, along with a large empty backpack. If the need arises for me to ditch the vehicle and go bipedal, my get home bag loadout will be filled as needed as per the distance I will be traveling, and the environments I will be traveling through.
 
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