Storage Unit for a Cache location?

I know what you are thinking, what a terrible idea!  Using a storage unit as a secondary cache location is nuts, after all if T-SHTF people will be breaking into storage units left and right and all of your gear will most likely be stolen!  I must concede that the possibility does exist.  Yes it’s true, if you put a stash in a storage unit it could get stolen, but in my opinion the level of risk is acceptable.

Think about what you would be using your storage unit for:

- Secondary (backup) location for *some* of your SHTF supplies in case your primary location is compromised

- Free up space in your basement and closets so that you don’t have to step over food pails to get to the bathroom

- Sheltered rally point with adequate supplies in case you were NOT home and could not get home because the area was compromised

I’m not advocating keeping a huge amount of your SHTF supplies in a storage unit, just enough to keep you and your family going for a few weeks to a month.  One month’s worth of storage food, some water and filtering equipment, extra bugout bag(s), a rifle/pistol and a few hundred rounds of ammunition, bartering supplies and the list goes on.  Obviously you wouldn’t store your $2500 long gun in there but your $600 Mini 14 might be a good candidate.  The same goes for a pistol choice.  Your storage unit is simply a back up plan that will give you a little piece of mind knowing that all of your supplies are not consolidated in one single location.

If/when  T-SHTF obviously one of your first tasks would be to get to the unit and remove your supplies.  If for some reason you were not able to get there in time or the location was compromised and all of your supplies taken, so be it.  That’s why it’s an acceptable risk and is exactly why you would only keep a small percentage of your supplies in that location.  More than likely you would have time to get to the unit and recover what you had inside as most SHTF situations would take a few days or weeks to fully develop into mass chaos.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking for a storage unit.

- It should be fenced in with 24/7 access to the location.

- Make sure it’s within walking distance of your home, no more than 2 miles.

- Outside entry is preferred, the kind where you have to get inside a building and ride an elevator to a floor could be a hassle if the power was out.

- Newer locations are good, especially large ones which stay busy with lots of people in transition.  It’s easy to get “lost in the crowd” versus a small location with just a few lockers to rent.

- Try to get a discount by paying for 6 months to 1 year in advance, also try to pay in cash.

- Climate controlled units do add more to the cost of the unit but will go a long way in preserving your supplies if temps soar into the hundreds during the summer.

- Use a good lock, not that cheap dial lock you had in 8th grade which was all of $4.  I prefer good combination locks, because the best lock in the world does you no good if you happen to lose the key (or cannot access the key).  Let’s be honest, any determined individual is going to get into the unit regardless of what lock you have on there, but in a time crunch you’d better believe they’ll go for the low hanging fruit first.

So there you have it, use a storage unit for a secondary location to store supplies and I think you will be pleased.  If you are truly concerned about the jack boots finding out about your home and other cache locations, I guess you could pay someone to rent the location in their name and keep your supplies there.  If things get that bad, when our homes and storage units are subject to random search and seizure at the whims of the gubmint…we are in a serious world of hurt.

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