As mentioned in other threads, I have been rethinking and revamping our static sustainability supplies at Stig Haus for a while now.
Today I finally broke down and did it.
Before:
I wasn't smart enough to take pics before, but you wouldn't have seen much anyway. In total I had three of the large Rubbermaid Action Packers full of backpacks and small kits. Horrible use of space because one backpack nearly filled the plastic tub and left little room for anything else. Additionally other gear was scattered across different containers in a fairly organized but still scattered manner.
The shelf shown below was full and if we did have to evacuate, all those tubs would have taken up way too much room in the family truckster.
After:
Because there is nearly a zero chance of us taking to the hills and living off the land, I've decided to keep the static supplies in containers other than backpacks. I know it destroys the romantic notion of running to the hills and living a Mad Max existence but with a 3 year old and a wife that just isn't in the cards. The wife isn't going to hump 20 miles with a backpack, chest rig, rifle and corral the 3 y.o. It just isn't realistic so why pretend otherwise?
I've taken all the contents of the backpacks and redistributed them into one of the Action Packers on the 2nd level of the shelf below. It's labeled hurricane supplies and contains expected stuff like batteries, weather radios, candles, matches, TP, hygiene kits, clean socks, portable water shower, etc etc etc.
So now, if we have a hurricane, we grab the tub and we're done. We can either hunker down knowing most of the stuff we need is one place, or toss it in the car and evac. Same with a wildfire/chemical spill. Grab the tub and head out knowing we have a lot of the little items we'll need.
The MRE's, sterno, cooking pans/ovens, trixoxane, lanterns, and emergency water, that made the packs weigh about 9 billion pounds, are now in nice plastic tubs of their own. Same concept as above for hunkering down vs transport.
So here's the end result:
Some clarification is in order.
The three cat carriers to the far left are on a different table. They are located there, however, so they are near all the other emergency stuff. Should we need to bolt, and have time to snatch up the cats, the carriers are easy to find/retrieve.
Just to the right of the cat carriers, on the floor, are some stacked plastic storage trays (one has a roll of duct tape on it). These are the Mrs. craft supplies. Much to my chagrin they are pushed in front of the shelves but it's not a battle worth fighting. The black filing cabinet to the far right is also the Mrs. So in short, disregard them.
Top shelf (left to right)
Green tub: small propane canisters
Blue/red coolers: empty but ready to grab and fill with ice
Black nylon bag: has 3 sleeping bags should we need to crash at a relatives house
Random tubs/lids: random empty tubs/lids
Second shelf (left to right)
Black action packer 1 : Camping supplies like cooking ovens, canteens, etc
Black action packer 2: Hurricane supplies noted above
Grey tub: Coleman lantern, cooking adapter for small propane bottle, matches, two burner stove, light sticks, utensils
Clear plastic tubs: MRE's and emergency water packets
Third shelf (left to right)
Behind the wife's craft supplies: three empty Rubbermaid tubs for emergency water collection, quick storage needs, etc
6 blue/green plastic jerry cans: Currently empty but on standby to fill with water pending hurricane
Grey plastic tub 1: Bottled water
Grey plastic tub 2: Emergency food kit (beans, pasta, macaroni, tuna, drink mixes, canned veggies, etc)
Lowest shelf (not visible):
Fabric for wife's sowing projects(you can't win them all)
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What I like about this set up is it's simple and very low profile. Instead of a bunch of backpacks that will invite questions, it's plastic tubs and assorted "garage clutter" that will likely be ignored. And who is going to question "camping" and "hurricane" supplies. Heck, even the wife's junk helps distract from what's on the shelf.
And if it is noted, it invites discussion instead of ridicule. I'd much rather say, "yea, wanted to be prepared for a hurricane" than "I think the world is going to end so I have backpacks so we can bug out and fight our way to our hideout in the swamp". I think the former will result in more productive discussions with those not prepared than the later.
All of the more "sensitive" items are stored inside the house in various secured locations. So there's a fair amount of stuff not located on this shelf. But it contains a large amount of our "sustainment" items should we need them.
I'll likely continue to tinker with all this as time goes on. But I like this arrangement much better. It provides more storage space, it is more realistic to our situation and it's still low-profile.
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