Cache Types, Escape and Evasion and Ancillary Thoughts Theiron

Matt LBS said “If you can do so without giving away too much OPSEC, I’d love to hear about how your current cache is set up as far as location, access, etc. I can’t remember if you’ve discussed that previously. Might help out with the one I am planning for myself currently. I am struggling with location and accessibility on mine. Not that I live my life generally outside the law or anything like that, but I also am debating over whether or not to place at a location that someone looking for me when I might need to disappear might expect me to go for such a thing. Think storing at a “peripheral” friends house, rather than your best friends house. Using a cousin, rather than mom and dad. That sort of thing. The “closer” to you a person is generally the easier the access, but it’s also the most obvious choice that may hamper your ability to go off the grid in a pinch. Hopefully I’d never need to disappear, but I don’t want to just forfeit that ability either. Of course if you are burying a cache somewhere random, then you don’t have that problem, but might lose on the accessibility factor. So many things to consider for an operational cache.”

So I thought about it for awhile. Also I couldn’t really do a good post on it with my phone so I was halfway stalled out (the other half still thinking). Last night and this morning I pretty much figured out my response.

First I got to thinking about the fundamental goal of a cache. In my mind the fundamental goal of pre placing potentially needed items in a location where you will need them (caching) is to go from the logistical situation you anticipate arriving at to the one you want to be at; with budget, item shelf live/ storage, available space and the security/ integrity of the cache as  our biggest constraints.

Taking another step back I got to thinking about specific types of caches, a categorization if you will. From John Mosby’s seminal post on the topic we get 3 types of caches:
Types of Caches

For an underground resistance, I envision three basic types of cache functions.

1. The first is the guerrilla re-supply cache we’ve been discussing. These would be widely dispersed over an organization’s entire projected area of operations, to facilitate re-supply on the move in the future. These may also, in the future, be short-term emplacements made by members of the subversive underground or the auxiliary, to facilitate operations by the subversive underground or the paramilitary guerrilla force, based on specific operational requirements.

2. The second is the “storage” cache. This is a method of dispersing your normal preparedness supplies stockpiles. Instead of having everything in your basement or “doomsday bunker-retreat” where it is easy and convenient for regime security forces, foreign peacekeepers, or roving bands of criminal looters to locate and steal it, this would allow you to maintain control or possession of various critical elements of your preparedness items, even if you had to “bug out” into evasion mode.

3. The third, and final cache function, as I see it, is the individual evasion cache. These would be small, one-man re-supplies, along planned evasion corridors (primary, secondary, and tertiary, at a minimum). Caches should be placed within one or two days’ walking distance of each other, to act as en route waypoints for re-supply as the evader moves. This would allow him to minimize the load he carried in his “go-bag” evasion kit, facilitating faster travel during the evasion.

Personally I see two additional types:
 4. Operational Cache. Hoss USMC called this a ‘Minuteman Cache’. To me the goal of this cache is to equip an individual to conduct defensive and offensive combative as a rifleman. So we are going to have a rifle, probably a pistol, ammo, ancillary gun stuff (mags, cleaning junk, etc), field clothes, sleeping gear, some food, basic survival stuff, some food, etc. One could argue this is part of Johns #1 and I might even see it that way myself. [I am putting this together on the fly since I have computer access and idle moments while the kids nap. Will thing and update as applicable later.]

5. Survival Cache. Say my plan E was to go to the Big Ridge Wilderness Area and live out in the woods. This cache, or more realistically series of caches would be set up to help support that plan. Since I have worked through the P, A and C plans things are not going well so I do not expect to drive out there with the family hauler and a loaded trailer. Lets say I expect to arrive there via LPC with individual weapons, the gear in a ruck and not much else.

Say I do up a big cache in 2 barrels 200 meters apart. They each have 2 tarps, an axe, a saw, a hatchet, rope, a gun with some ammo, a pair of hunting knives, a poncho, wool blanket and full set of clothes/ boots per person, a cast iron frying pan, a couple pots, some metal bowls and silverware, 60 pounds of dried staples, some spices, some OTC meds, a gun with some ammo, some fishing stuff, an emergency radio, some candles, rope and other doo dads.

Say throughout the larger area I have a dozen smaller caches with matches, a knife, some ammo, some water purification tabs, etc and as much food as I can shove in that are in 5 gallon buckets.

Anyway getting back to the original comment reply. Matt LBS said “If you can do so without giving away too much OPSEC, I’d love to hear about how your current cache is set up as far as location, access, etc. I can’t remember if you’ve discussed that previously. Might help out with the one I am planning for myself currently. I am struggling with location and accessibility on mine. Not that I live my life generally outside the law or anything like that, but I also am debating over whether or not to place at a location that someone looking for me when I might need to disappear might expect me to go for such a thing. Think storing at a “peripheral” friends house, rather than your best friends house. Using a cousin, rather than mom and dad. That sort of thing. The “closer” to you a person is generally the easier the access, but it’s also the most obvious choice that may hamper your ability to go off the grid in a pinch. Hopefully I’d never need to disappear, but I don’t want to just forfeit that ability either. Of course if you are burying a cache somewhere random, then you don’t have that problem, but might lose on the accessibility factor. So many things to consider for an operational cache.”

I think what you are describing is more of an Escape and Evasion cache than an operational cache. Though in fairness we could break down E&E caches to urban/ grid up and rural/ grid down/ red dawn. One would be used if you need to get the heck out of there because Tony Soprano, The Trilateral Commission/ Illuminati or the cops are after you and you need to get out of dodge. The other would be handy if you are running from the UN/ Chinese invaders who want to send you to a labor camp or I guess if you want to pull an Eric Rudolph.

The gear needed for these caches is going to be fundamentally different. An urban/ grid up E&E cache is going to be something like ‘change of clothes. handgun with spare mags, a few burner cell phones, lots of cash, the best fake ID you can put together’. This is going to be a small kit like day pack to small duffel bag sized. Think more Jason Borne safe deposit box

and less Terminator 2.

A/ grid down/ red dawn E&E set up might contain a lot of the stuff for an operational cache albeit with the goal of staying light and on the move. So maybe a change of clothes including boots and outerwear, a rifle or sub gun, a pistol and a day pack with a bunch of granola bars, some survival stuff and a poncho with woobie.

As to locations to store these types of caches.

I would not want to be running to a family member/ friend if the Tony Soprano/ the FBI or the UN/ Chinese invaders were after me. Many criminals get caught when they are stupid and go to Momma’s house, or call her. Sure a second cousin is less likely to be watched but it is still well within the realm of possibility someone could be watching so that is a bad risk.

For a rural cache I would put it between where I anticipated being and where I planned to go. If doing multiples I might put one near my start point and one part way.

For an urban one on a more permanent basis you can get storage lockers anonymously if you are stashing that much stuff. For smaller stashes in a discrete way I am less sure about good options.

I should also note that one may be discrete from the other. Maybe you have a urban E&E cache near home/ work in case something bad happens and a couple AK’s or AR’s buried on Uncle Jebs Farm or in the nearby National Forest in case it turns out you need them.

Anyway I am out of thoughts on this subject for now. If I have enough new thoughts maybe I will do another post.