The Art and Science of Caching by Codgerville

Great article posted by Codgerville about the Art and Science of Caching. Having supplies stashed might not be a bad idea. Here is some insight on caching- JJS

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I used the terms art and science because a cache is often misunderstood and often as not, mispronounced. The word cache comes from French and is pronounced “kash” or “cash” just like the word for the Federal Reserve Notes in your wallet. Literally, a cache is something of value hidden for later use or retrieval. In the world of the survivor or prepper it has a deeper meaning. Sorry about the pun.

It was obvious when I purchased my refuge in New Mexico that I would be gone from my refuge for extended periods of time. So to offset the distance disadvantage I devised a series of caches that would make it easier for my family and myself to return to our refuge in time of trouble. My first challenge was to decide what I needed to cache and how, how much and later, where?

Let’s start with where.

Just like the three rules of real estate so it is with a cache, location, location and location. In 1968 I became an avid metal detector enthusiast and remain one today. Over the years I have located my share of caches. So when it comes to hiding things I have learned to improvise, like the old timers did. Some of the locations I will give you may sound unconventional at first but, I will give my reasoning on each one. But first let’s tackle the overall strategy of where.

When I first purchased my refuge I determined that I needed at least three routes to get to my refuge. The primary route was using the fastest means of transportation available, automobile, i.e. truck or car, on the shortest route through the fewest large towns or cities. I did a fuel analysis and realized that if I carried 30 extra gallons of fuel so I did not need to cache fuel.

Now, if the situation arose that, for whatever reason you can imagine and some you can’t, and I was unable to use a vehicle, I would need to cache critical supplies (more on this later) somewhere along the way. I calculated that, all things being equal, I could cover 30 miles per day and live out of my bug out bag for up to 5 days. This gave me a maximum range of 150 miles between caches. Using this information, I needed between 5 and 6 caches along my various routes. I went with 6.

So, my first route of choice was to use the prevailing east-west railroad network that traveled to within 60 (highway) miles of my refuge. I broke this down knowing full well that the last 60 miles of my trip would be the toughest, uphill over broken terrain.  (I know some of you are going to ask so, “Yes, Virginia, I did hike the entire route”.) So I began making caches at the points that I needed them. I ended up needing 7 rather than 6 when I was finally done.

My sites where easily recognizable landmarks and my cache was usually dug, most often with a posthole digger. In case you are wondering, my caching run was separate from my hiking run to determine the necessary locations. I marked these on my hike with red/white/blue surveyors flagging on my hike. After the cache was buried the flagging was removed and the location was marked on a map with the necessary landmarks written in code.

I know, I know, sounds a bit extreme. Right? Well, surviving is a bit extreme when the SHTF. If you do not have the gumption to do this much you won’t have enough gumption to survive. There, I said it. A lot of folks say “put up or shut up.” So, I put it up.

The next of the location is, where do you hide something near your refuge? That is easier in some respects, you don’t have to hike 850 miles, but it also has the burden of being easy to find, easy to defend and easily concealable.

Any prominent landmark on your property is prominent for everyone. Choose something you like but less prominent. When I began metal detecting I heard about posthole banks. These were hiding places that farmers and ranchers used to hide their valuables. It was usually a special fence post that was easy for them to recognize. The hole for the fence post was dug deeper to allow room for the cache, then covered with dirt for several inches and then have a fully functional fencepost placed in the hole.  This is still a good strategy and, I would suggest that the fence post be located within sight of the refuge’s main house or LP/OP.

The next best place to hide a cache was within the area encompassed by the chicken coop or chicken yard. Chickens will squawk and raise 9 kinds of hell when they are bothered, especially at night, when most thefts occur.

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