Survivalist Storage 101: A Guide To What You May Need In Storage
According to the Conservative Treehouse, there are at least three million preppers in the United States alone. If you consider yourself a prepper in progress, you likely have started a healthy stash of survival items that are being tucked away in all sorts of places in your home or on your property. However, it is definitely a good idea to create a cache of supplies in a different location, such as a self storage facility, just in case you have to leave your home. If you choose to get a storage facility specifically to house extra supplies, make sure you include the following items.
1. Water - If the public water supply were to become contaminated, bottled water would become a valuable commodity. Therefore, a healthy prepper stash should always include water as its primary staple. Storing water by the case or five gallon water buckets will be best because these items can be stacked neatly in a storage unit. However, you can also store water by the gallon and contain the gallons in plastic storage bins.
2. Dry Foods - Dry foods, whether it is rice, beans, or canned goods, have a lengthy shelf life that makes these items ideal for storage as a prepper. You can store rice and beans in five gallon containers with a sealed lid and canned foods in containers or crates for easy storage. Make sure you check the regulations of any storage facility you choose because some do not allow food to be stored in their units at all.
3. Alternative-Power Flashlights - While you could always stash away battery-operated flashlights and a ton of batteries, batteries do not have a long shelf life. At room temperature, cylindrical batteries usually have a shelf life of only five to ten years, and your items could potentially be stored much longer. Therefore, it is best to invest in a few alternative-power lights, such as those that use the power of the sun or 'shake' lights which recharge with vigorous shaking.
4. Maps - If a catastrophe were to happen, you may be left to travel miles on foot without technology to guide your way. For this reason, it will be crucial for you to have traditional maps on hand to go by when you have to travel. Opt for laminated maps of local ares and surrounding states that will not be vulnerable to moisture or heat while they are in storage.
For more information on what you can keep in your storage unit, it is a good idea to talk with local storage facilities, such as All American Mini Storage.