SHTF Storage Container Options
Dr. John Woods 11.24.15
If your home or apartment is like most people’s, it is jammed full and lacking space for storage. So, as a prepper you likely want and need to collect new dedicated supplies, gear, equipment, soft goods, clothing, medical stuff, and so forth. Where do you securely store and keep it?
Part of being a successful survivalist and prepper is getting organized. Very often when a SHTF hits, either natural or unnatural, you may not have much time to pack stuff to bug out. A good portion of all those supplies and gear needs to be ready to go out the door at a moment’s notice.
Two things need to be done almost simultaneously. You need to assess your living arrangements to find a place to store stuff all together in an organized fashion. Hopefully this could be a garage, storage room, part of a laundry room, unused room in the house like a formal dining or living room, a third or fourth bedroom, an attic, or out building in the back yard. Take into consideration the atmospheric conditions wherever you store stuff.
Next you will need a series of storage containers. Soft bags, luggage, Army duffle bags, and such can be utilized for a lot of soft stuff like clothing. Clothing folds and stacks well in these bags. Plan ahead for how many days you might need these goods. A bug out is not a vacation, so pare down your selections to the bare minimums.
Other “hard” gear and equipment items will need to be stored in hard containers. Do not bother with those flimsy plastic shoe box type containers that do not have lids that seal down securely. Cheap plastic boxes will break in fairly short order. Ideally, get containers that are either clear to see what is inside or ones that can be labeled with a permanent marker on the outside. Look for boxes with a locking latch and/or holes where a padlock can be used if desired. Naturally these storage containers need to be stackable.
Again, use your appropriate judgement as to how many containers you need to hold your stuff. Don’t plan on having too many or load containers so heavy that they are a burden to lift and load in a vehicle. Ideally these should be stored close to an exit where they can be quickly transferred to a waiting bug out vehicle.
