Long Term Sealed Storage

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by <exile>, Sep 9, 2007.


  1. <exile>

    <exile> Padawan Learner

    Sorry for the generic title but couldn't think of something more clever. First I'm extremely new to survival, preps, etc. and have no illusions about it so don't hesitate to correct me.

    How would you go about preparing a storage 'kit' that would be sealed in a 5 gal buckets and lets say buried. If you had a firearm, ammo, and some misc. stuff how would you clean and prep them for long term storage? I've started shooting at the range so all of my weapons get cleaned after shooting but I've never had to clean a weapon for long term storage. As most of you know there is a ton of misinformation on the web but I'd like to be sure before I put some serious money in the bucket and underground that I've take proper precautions. I've been tempted to buy a vacuum seal and just clean and oil the pistol like normal and vacuum seal it with a small bag of desiccant.

    Since I didn't want to thread hijack this is an offshoot of the shared cache threads, there are a few people I trust that have offered some dirt for me to locate such packages I just need to be sure I'm doing it right.
     
  2. sheen_estevez

    sheen_estevez Monkey+++

    I would go a step forward from just the 5 gallon bucket, I would place that bucket in a PVC pipe long enough to hold several buckets. Put a few of these out there, I don't think I would put everything in one pipe just in case someone finds it. As far as the gun goes I would make sure I have plenty of desiccant in the container I put it in, I would also use cosmoline type product on the weapon.

    Just remember as far as putting things in a PVC pipe or 5 gallon bucket you will need to have a way to open this storage device
     
  3. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

  4. Joe Dan

    Joe Dan Monkey+++

  5. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Hm. Great minds think alike. That is the scheme I'm working on. The new thought is how to keep from anomaly detection. Junk yard good up until the EPA makes them clean it up. After that, a few fence posts in the woods might help.
     
  6. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    Wetlands. Since wetlands over 1/2 acre are protected , find a big swamp with an island in the middle and bury it there. A great time to locate cache locations is in the middle of winter. Find bedding areas for deer and you can get to the location easily because the water is frozen.. They are usually covered with tall grasses and people don't go into them....You know they aren't frequented due to the deer sleeping there.

    don't forget to GPS and take pictures of the area. 5 years and you won't remember what is looks like. Northern wetlands with cedar trees are great because the trees grow in clumps and you can bury things under the roots with minimal effort and they are pretty thick and buggy area to get into.
     
  7. Brook

    Brook Monkey+++

    When my boys were starting high school, we set them up with buckets and buried them near their school. The concern was more then the Y2K problem, it was earthquake, mandatory school lock downs and more.

    the problem we had with the 5 gallon buckets was after we put the lid back on tightly, the boys couldn't get them off again! they needed a bucket opener.

    We then decided to put everything in a rubber maid tote and seal that with duct tape around the lid. Now I don't live where it rains a lot or snows, nothing freezes but still, I was worried about things getting wet.

    I used a vacuum sealer and vacuumed everything in their backpacks. Now the boys didn't have guns but they did have knives which we also sealed.

    All they needed was a ziplocked pair of folding scissors (wal-mart, sewing section $0.88) that fits on a key ring.

    Their backpacks were in the tote and burried under a tree just shallow enough they could dig it up with a stick to get the soil started and deep enough the top soil wouldn't wash away.

    If I had a gun to store, I would oil it, seal it in a vacuum sealed bag and then place it into a PVC pipe with ends on it. The ammo I would seal in vacuumed sealed bags then dipped in wax.

    I like dipping in wax because it makes everything not only water proof but can't be sniffed by dogs.

    Fortunately my boys never needed their B.O.B.s and were dug up after graduation. They didn't need their B.O.B.s any more.. the Army gave them bigger and better ones.

    I had the backpacks ready with 3 days worth of food and water as it would take them that long to walk home from school.
     
  8. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Something else to consider if you are going to cache the guns would be hobbiests with metal detectors or people digging for various reasons. One way to minimize the risk of it being found by someone not intended for is to make it a smaller target. If you burry it on its side then its like 3-4' long and 6" across but if you burry it standing up its a 6" circle. Another tip would be just like realestate, location location location, if its in the middle of a field and burried shallow then someone builds a house, plows the field for crops, goes by with a metal detector etc and they find it, if for instance you burry it a few inches deeper than the bottom of a metal fencepost thats on a property line thought then the metal detector would obviously go of 'because of the fence post', no one is likely to dig our build anything there because its ON the boundry AND it gives you a 'marker' for its exact location not likely to move any time soon.
     
  9. Bobasan52

    Bobasan52 Monkey++

    Seal-a-Meal vaccum storage bags in the tube type rolls. I got something directly burried 6 years now with no problems. I put bore butter non petrolium sealer on it. I put paper towel pads on the sharp parts, and sealed it 3 times. I have some ammo burried 2 years with triple seal, and I will let you know how they work. When I say 3 times sealed I mean 3 layers. Works with any dry goods also.
     
  10. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    nails, washers, ball bearings, screws thrown about outta help some [winkthumb]
     
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