I thought I'd start a thread on setting up an away site in the event you can't return home for what ever reason.

One other item just hit me, considering you may be stuck wearing dirty clothes and water is for drinking, pack some Gold Bond foot powder, it has zinc in it, which kills bacteria all over the body.
Nothing worse than a bad case of cracked feet or jock itch to hamper you during survival.

A few of other items that may save your life is, big ass tarps, they can become a tent, but along with rope, could become a game trap/snare to catch large animals.
Whether you dig a pit, or a sling trap, these too may save your life for just a few bucks.
Another item that may be essential is a survival book. Even the most knowledgeable in survival may draw a blank as where to start.
It would be a good refresher and for the beginner, a crash course that may save your life.
The Army has some serious ones for free online, so download a few and print them out, there are others on line as well, do a search.
Big 5 has a good selection, as does most Army/Navy surplus stores, take the time and go get one.

Couple of other essentials, dog food, it can be used as bait for large game, but also save your life if you run out of food.
And trash bags, they can be used for so many things, like a poncho or hanging food from a tree limb to seal out the scent and keep it from predators.
Include a few freeze dried meals you can get at Walmart cheap to last a few days, pack all of it in a large ice chest or two, seal them up and hide them in a predetermined location where your family plan to meet.
Oh. and don't forget a set of walkie talkies, include a large pack of batteries, rechargeable batteries will most likely be worthless.
Remember, this is only a $100.0 insurance policy for something that may or may not ever happen.
Thats pretty cheap when you think about it.
While you're at it, throw in a couple of large bags of dry beans and rice and a pot and a couple gallons of water or more, its all cheap at the moment, but won't be in a catastrophe.

If you have kids, make a day of it, call it a time capsule, let the kids put things in it to include them in the outing, make it an adventure, and teach them this is just a part of life and nothing to worry about.
Remember, it may be years before you crack it open and to kids, thats a lifetime, not to mention the education they will be getting.
I would visit the area twice a year to replace anything that may have become contaminated or just to make sure it hasn't been discovered.

Remember, you can add anything you think you might need, this is only for a meeting place till things settle down, you can have an even bigger place, like a storage locker outside of town packed with supplies.
There is nothing too simple that can't be included, but this one is just to sustain the you or your family in an emergency.
But whatever you do, make sure food is sealed to keep predators from smelling it, especially the dog food, use a trash bag and seal it really tight.
When you're done, sprinkle Cayenne pepper all over the hiding site, so any residual smell won't be easy to spot for bears or other animals that might come sniffing around.

Something else to consider if you have property, you could bury one of these a few feet in the ground, just enough so it doesn't walk away.


You could fill it with all kinds of supplies for later retrieval, and if necessary, you could cut a hole in it and live in it.
They come in varying sizes, this one has about a 7' across foot print, about 8' tall.
I sell them for roughly 50 cents a gallon, this one is just under a grand, but you can find them for free on occasion with weather burns/cracks, but they are usually fine, just unable to hold the weight of water.
They are repairable, but it would be easier to just wrap a canvas over it.
They usually last 20+ years in direct sun, and its usually one side of the top that takes the most damage, but the rest of it is just fine, look on Craigslist, they are always listed.

Like I said, they do come smaller, so you could always set one up off the ground and back a truck under it and drop it in already full of supplies and go, or a trailer with it already to go.

Point is, its ready when you need it and the contents are protected.
If you really needed to, you could pay a yearly storage fee at a lot outside of town cheap to store it, usually around a $100.0 a year, or much less depending on where you store it, just don't tell them whats in it.

Another option is a cheap camp trailer packed full, but I don't recommend parking it in the forest, bears see them and will rip the wall open just to look inside, I've seen it several times, even with completely empty trailers.
They just learned people keep food in cubbyholes, even if its an old bag of chips, they will open it like a can of sardines.

This is all just food for thought, you may have a better idea, but the idea is to have something, its always better than no plan at all.

Quote from: Solar on April 17, 2012, 12:10:05 PM
Something else to consider if you have property, you could bury one of these a few feet in the ground, just enough so it doesn't walk away.


You could fill it with all kinds of supplies for later retrieval, and if necessary, you could cut a hole in it and live in it.
They come in varying sizes, this one has about a 7' across foot print, about 8' tall.
I sell them for roughly 50 cents a gallon, this one is just under a grand, but you can find them for free on occasion with weather burns/cracks, but they are usually fine, just unable to hold the weight of water.
They are repairable, but it would be easier to just wrap a canvas over it.
They usually last 20+ years in direct sun, and its usually one side of the top that takes the most damage, but the rest of it is just fine, look on Craigslist, they are always listed.

Like I said, they do come smaller, so you could always set one up off the ground and back a truck under it and drop it in already full of supplies and go, or a trailer with it already to go.

Point is, its ready when you need it and the contents are protected.
If you really needed to, you could pay a yearly storage fee at a lot outside of town cheap to store it, usually around a $100.0 a year, or much less depending on where you store it, just don't tell them whats in it.

Another option is a cheap camp trailer packed full, but I don't recommend parking it in the forest, bears see them and will rip the wall open just to look inside, I've seen it several times, even with completely empty trailers.
They just learned people keep food in cubbyholes, even if its an old bag of chips, they will open it like a can of sardines.

This is all just food for thought, you may have a better idea, but the idea is to have something, its always better than no plan at all.

Bury a conex box with insulation, works fine for me.

Quote from: lessthantolerant on April 18, 2012, 04:11:31 PM
Bury a conex box with insulation, works fine for me.

Me too, but they are very expensive and hard to transport to remote locations. The biggest I can get to my place is a 20', 25' is too long for the turns in the roads out here, not without the assistance of a forklift.
But they make not only great storage but a ready made house.
I plan on getting two 20's and setting them apart 30' and building a roof over them to create a shop.
Thats the plan anyway, has been for more than a decade now.

Quote from: Solar on April 18, 2012, 06:30:39 PM
Me too, but they are very expensive and hard to transport to remote locations. The biggest I can get to my place is a 20', 25' is too long for the turns in the roads out here, not without the assistance of a forklift.
But they make not only great storage but a ready made house.
I plan on getting two 20's and setting them apart 30' and building a roof over them to create a shop.
Thats the plan anyway, has been for more than a decade now.

I have a cabin spot out west that I have been toying with setting up a couple of conex in a trench configuration for underground storage and livability. I am also looking at poured concrete approach. Each year gets harder to maintain though, last year had a squatter who I had to remove forcibly with the aid of a state trooper.

Quote from: lessthantolerant on April 25, 2012, 03:11:30 AM
I have a cabin spot out west that I have been toying with setting up a couple of conex in a trench configuration for underground storage and livability. I am also looking at poured concrete approach. Each year gets harder to maintain though, last year had a squatter who I had to remove forcibly with the aid of a state trooper.

Hmm..Where I come from that would be the county sheriff's department, (job)   not a State Trooper. 

Quote from: lessthantolerant on April 25, 2012, 03:11:30 AM
I have a cabin spot out west that I have been toying with setting up a couple of conex in a trench configuration for underground storage and livability. I am also looking at poured concrete approach. Each year gets harder to maintain though, last year had a squatter who I had to remove forcibly with the aid of a state trooper.

That's typical here in the mountains, if you don't check it at least twice a year, someone will set up house.
Happened to my neighbors property, after a couple of years of dealing with it, the guy up and died in a tiny trailer on the land, the fire dept came and tore the side of the trailer off to get the fat ass out.