Cacheing Kit.

[Lightspeed]

I was trying to stay with the scenario BP, but didn't explain clearly enough.

I agree that current manning levels of police and military won't stretch far enough, if we calculate it simplistically.

But consider it this way: 80% of population is city based. We are discussing a scenario where TPTB is trying to sustain the largest part of the population. Its easiest to di this in cities as they have the highest pop densities. When it comes to scouring the countryside for resources, how difficult do you think it will be for TPTB to get volunteers to help? Especially if those volunteers are semi-empowered, and each foraging group protected by a small number of armed folk in uniforms? Of course volunteering would also give those individuals first pick of anything interesting they found on their travels....

The manpower base could be multiplied 3x / 5x / 10x quite easily and quite quickly. Equally such foraging parties could quickly change their methods from foraging to raiding....

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An Update from history

WWII Germany occupied France. French population at that time was around 40millions. Occupying German force numbered around 300,000.

That was a confrontational occupation.

Our scenario sees 200,000 uniformed folk representing the interests ( they want our stuff) of 80% of the UK population (City populations). Simplistic calculation is 200,000 to control the 12 million rural population.

If 1942 France is indicative, there could be more than enough uniforms to control us.... and not a few hangers-on to help them with the task

[bigpaul]

yes I agree LS, I'm just saying that very few people these days have what my parents would have called a LARDER(food store), its mainly fridge/freezer and a couple of kitchen cupboards at most, so a door to door search wouldn't get much in terms of quantity, I think this would quickly be abandoned as non productive, as I said TPTB could easier control the supply of food by taking over the supermarkets and the "distribution centres" (mostly on the M5 for this area) and implementing some kind of rationing.

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I don't say confiscation of food isn't possible just that in some parts of some cities this would cause a riot and mass unrest, remember the riots? well that's just a minor upset to what would happen if they tried to take away peoples food! however I do agree it would be provident to just have a token amount on show just in case and have the rest hidden, I just don't think burying it in the ground is an option-not for me anyway- the ground here is solid ball clay(that's why its a stock not an arable farming area)I would need a mini digger to accomplish that and I think that might just get me noticed!! in the current weather anything buried would very quickly rust no matter what precautions I took.

[Lightspeed]

You're right BP very few have larders with any volume of stuff in the.

But you might be surprised just how well stocked some isolated homes are. Even on the remoter parts of D'
moor and Exmoor smallholdings and farms can get cut off for lengthy periods. These places tend to be stocked for all eventualities.

Of course confiscating stores from rural communities is counter productive as it will dry up the agricultural activity that will be so desperately needed.

I don't like burying stuff either. Its insecure and prone to getting contaminated. But sometimes its the only way.

[bigpaul]

yes I expect your right about farms, my and my wife's experience of farming(she was a herds woman on farms in this area, my mothers family were farmers) is about 40 years out of date!

[Lightspeed]

Cheers BP,

This is last post from me for today......off out now to pamper SHMBO this evening.

[Midnitemo]

I have a small cache of 2 X 30 ltr ring top drums ... bought them new(£11.89 each)tested them in the waterbutt filled with sand and weighed down by fire bricks fully submerged overnight...they passed the test....the land i planted them on is well known to me and not prone to flooding and they are near the top of a ridge amongst young tree's so i'm pretty confident they will survive intact.

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I think if you set yourself up as some kind of trader in a black market type affair they may come knocking....secrecy is the key...tptb going house to house winkling out small stockpiles....don't feel it would be worth the trouble but freelancers will definately be on the lookout and listening to whispers.

[bigpaul]

it'll be all down to OPSEC and keeping it(our gobs) zipped, "walls have ears" as they said in WW2! I was thinking of doing some very small scale bartering after TSHTF-more sort of swapsies between friends sort of thing but that wont be until the dust has settled and things have calmed down.

[Straight Shooter]

This is a great post TOF, just thinking of the things you pointed out .....like fuel, gas , preserving gear , tools and NO I must admit I have not hidden these or even thought about it really, 1. Take for example the corn grinder I refurbed ...and the lister engine that will run it...its in my garage ready to rock ....ok they are Heavy but just them two items are for long term survival and trade, just when I thought I was ready for anything ...fact is I am not! As LS and BP have stated points of view from two sides which is great .....this is why the site works at its best and why we are all here.....debate offers up solutions does not get better than this ! And while here I will be shown how to post photograghs in a day or two so Watch out folks ....can,t have you thinking I am a fraud .....loads to post.

[Scythe13]

Loving this post TOF.

At the moment, I have a container (around 60-70 litres) buried in the garden. I do not plan on digging it up incase it's damaged, because I wrapped it in bin bags and covered it, then tested it with a load of water. Once I was happy it was waterproof, I buried it.

Now that I have more storage barrels, I plan on using them as water testing systems for future caches.

As for other 'disposables' I have planted spinach in the woods where we live, and around that area, as well as thrown out 1 apple core a day (7 years will mean more apples in those areas).

When it comes to making larger caches of more expensive gear, they're not really going to be buried anywhere I'm not really able to keep an eye on them. I have the odd knife or lock picks in a magnetic box, under a bridge, here and there, but not really got any larger stores.

I'm looking to get some land once my business is making good money, and I'll be using that as my caching area and my BOL.

As for hiding stuff in and around my house...that's a whole thread's worth of discussion haha.

I remember NR saying about using a fake gutter down pipe. Love the idea, and recommend it. Will be making one when we move the shed. But at the moment, not gotten around to it.

I'm looking at making a few other caches out of gutter style materials and capping the ends. These are small enough to fit in a back pack and bury when I'm out camping for the night. Or, you could always tie weights on them and sink them...if you're willing to fish them out. If you plan on that, it might be worth going somewhere remote and setting up some weighted fishing like sunk off the bank and have the location of the line marked some how. If you cache in flowing water, don't expect your cache to be there a few hours later, let alone a year or more!

[uks]

Sinking caches in water remember fishermen catch everything but fish lol