I was wondering if anyone else here does this. I keep a few hundred bucks and a knife in my right shoe under the insole and a lockpick kit, some paracord line (the inner strands) and some flint/steel under the insole of my left shoe. I know this may sound odd but I try to think of ways I will have useful stuff on me without having to carry bags and such, bags can be dropped, forgotten or left behind. I positioned the items so that except for the knife none of them can even be felt under my foot and the knife is 1/8" thick and barely noticeable. I also keep a photon micro II on my keychain along with a mini leatherman and some other stuff. I figure that as long as I have my shoes on I have some of the basic essentials as well as some cash to cover a room for the night, gas, food or whatever if I am stranded someplace. I try to keep the items as versatile as possible for both urban and wilderness situations.

So anyone else thought about doing or also does this? On my boots I replaced the shoelaces with paracord, any other ideas?

Hope you don't get pinched by the police for something simple while in an area of recent home burglaries. One look at the lock picks and the overnight for Public Intoxication (whatever) may turn into something. NASTY.

Not to hijack the thread . . .
I have noticed lock picks and handcuff keys are very popular. I don't personally intend to need into or out of somewhere that bad. Am I missing something?

I was thinking shoe cache = cache of shoes like what my wife has in her closet
I carry two wallets with $ split between them, never tired shoes, would make for some smelly money.

"Dirty" money?

Desperado, I asked the same thing once about the cuff keys - the big answer was "if the fit hits the shan, I want to be able to get out of cuffs."

I don't carry them either.

I will admit, that I have one, but it is because I used to be a cop in the army and it is a touchstone for me. Giant safariland sucker that I used to carry. Painful as heck to carry in the pocket.

I have found more than one person getting into the back seat that had one. Only thing worse than fighting someone into handcuffs would be finding they aren't in them anymore when you think they are.

I worked for a locksmith for years back when I was in HS. I've opened doors for my friends a couple times when they lose their keys so they come in handy. I don't drink or do anything to get in trouble for so the chance of being "caught" with them is next to zero.

Oni, we can't help but notice your given location is North Carolina. Do you have any military affiliation you wish to share?

Nothing personal, just curious.

That's cool man. I bought an amazing pick set from the regional SNAP-ON
distributor I built a house for. The only things that slow me up are "non-key" looking keys (barrel etc.) Often use it for letting customers into house when locked out. Works on cars too.

I just don't carry it. Not even in my truck tool box.

I don't think it's such a grand idea. It's been around for too long. Anyone doing a good search will very likely take a close look at your shoes as well.

I used to cache some money under the insole when travelling in some of the more dangerous places. I never got into serious trouble so the secret cache never really paid off either. But I did notice that whatever you store inside a shoe will get damaged if you walk a lot (I did). Paper money will degrade quickly. It's not just a matter of smelling like horse p**s after a while, it will get torn and possibly deteriorate to the point where not even a street vendor would accept it.

It's also a bad idea for other reasons. If you get mugged in a third world country the bad guys will frequently steal your shoes as well because they tend to be valuable. If you are arrested by the police or military your shoes may be removed (makes escape a lot more difficult - how well can you run barefoot?) or at the very least they will take away your shoe laces (and probably check if there's anything hidden under the insole).

The shoe cache isn't for those sort of situations. This is for normal urban survival because you never go anywhere without your shoes you would have something with you. This isn't an E&E kit.

Some hideout money, done that.

Paracord laces in boots, do that.

'Cuff key (on my keyring), yup, sentimental reasons. I still have a few pairs of cuffs, just in case, but don't carry them on me anymore.

Lock picks, nope, not since I retired. In CA, and probably other states, they are considered burgular tools in the hands of anyone except a licensed locksmith or LEO...

I don't do anything to get arrested, at all so that isn't a concern. However the ankle pouch is a good idea regardless.

I did this all the time when I was a kid. No so much any more. If it works for you, more power to you.

Your thread reminded me of some socks with pockets that I saw somewhere on the web. I thought it was kind of a neat idea. The pockets weren't that big, but you could probably carry paper money safely in them.

Also, my wife has the Amelda Marcos sort of shoe cache too.

Cheers.

Try using the double layer of fabric at the top of your pants. I made a slit - essentially a large button hole - inside the waist band of several pairs of jeans and a pair of slacks when we took our honeymoon. I used the gap between the layers of fabric to hide our reserve of folded paper money, sliding the bills in kind of like the drawstring in a pair of sweat pants. I figured bad guys knew about neck/waist pouches, zippered belts, room safes, etc...

When you wear a belt or un-tucked shirt, no one can see any sort of lump or bulge in your pants, and I never felt a thing. Unless subjected to a strip search and close examination of your clothes, no one will ever know you've got a hiding place. I personally wouldn't keep a blade there, but there's as much or more room there than in one of those 'survival belts' that used to be on the market (I forget the source). The only drawback I found was it isn't rapid/easy access. You need some privacy and a few minutes to access your cash/stash. Oh yeah, and try not to lose your pants...

That's a cool idea, I was never a fan of those belt things myself.

Nope.

I don't put anything in my shoes that don't need to be there. My feet will get me home. The only change is that I put in paracord laces that are long enough to wrap around the boot.

You don't have to "do anything" to be stopped and searched. You just have to match the description of someone that has...

Case in point, I was almost arrested in Nashville as a murder suspect. White guy, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans, brown hair. Pretty vague, huh? My saving grace was no tatoo's on my arms.