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#279255 - 02/01/16 01:56 AM Urban Caching
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
How would you design and stock urban caches?

Assume for this exercise that each cache must be cheap [esssentially expendable], and that you deploy at least five [5] of them around your city.

Where would you put them?

How would you "hide" and secure them?

Thanks.

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#279257 - 02/01/16 02:32 AM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
Alex Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 03/01/07
Posts: 1034
Loc: -
I believe the best bet would be swapping rather small cache boxes with friends around the city or/and renting some storage space for that (could be shared with friends as well), let's say along the pre-selected bug out route just out of the city. Everything else will be eventually digged out. In California, we have a lot of national parks and general wilderness closeby enough. That's the natural bug out destination for many. I know some people making cashes in the woods (Tahoe National Forest, north from I-80) using large sealed plastic barrels. However such caches are periodically being found due to the erosion caused by rivers exposing and/or destroying the buried stuff.

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#279265 - 02/01/16 03:49 AM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
dougwalkabout Offline
Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3219
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Nice topic timing! I'm looking at a few micro-caches in a West Coast location I visit a couple of times per year.

The driver is the recent change that charges for checked luggage. I'm not paying $25 each way to include a sharp or two for a 4-day trip. Piracy!

So, I'll mail (to a friend) the stuff I can't carry-on to a commercial flight any more -- a well-used SAK, a battered old Leatherman, an inexpensive but serviceable folder, a small wood saw blade, a hacksaw blade, one of those diamond sharpeners with a taper and pointy end, and other items that clearly threaten the very existence of civilization as we know it (where's the "face palm" emoticon when I need it most?).

Most stuff will stay with my friend; but a couple of sharps will be buried in flower beds or tomato patches close to where we usually stay.

So, looking for bright ideas on discreet and secure storage.

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#279268 - 02/01/16 06:03 AM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dougwalkabout]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
Me,too!

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#279269 - 02/01/16 06:32 AM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
Bingley Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/27/08
Posts: 1576
What kind of situation are you prepping for? I think that would affect how you cache the stuff.

Do we have marauding "Mad Max" gangs? Do you have to scavenge for ammo? Or will you still be able to take public transportation to your sites? Will there be FEMA trucks?

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#279270 - 02/01/16 06:44 AM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
Alex Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 03/01/07
Posts: 1034
Loc: -
Okay, let's brainstorm that. For a micro cache in an urban environment it might be possible to use the hide in a plain sight principle. What about a hidden compartment in a DIY birdhouse on a tree in a small park? I saw birdhouse projects online, but not sure I saw any actually on the trees around here, though.



FWIW, flower beds are maintained annually in a city, which might include some digging and even all the soil replacement. Tomato patches at the streets? Never saw any, but tomatoes growing involves a lot of watering, and a.f.a.i.r. soil replacement too, as tomatoes are sucking nutrients from it fast.

Back in Russia we were using rainwater pipes, coming from the roof of the building down to the ground level in our games, hanging stuff inside on a piece of wire hooked by the top rim of the last section of the pipe (No.4 on the image). Such pipes were on every house back then.


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#279273 - 02/01/16 12:46 PM Re: Urban Caching [Re: Alex]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
I like the concepts. What would be in your caches?

Scenario is things are "normal" and you want to take some precautions by increasing your general preparations for whatever might happen.

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#279278 - 02/01/16 03:16 PM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
Somehow hiding things on public property doesn't seem like a particularly viable strategy....
_________________________
Geezer in Chief

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#279281 - 02/01/16 04:13 PM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
dougwalkabout Offline
Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3219
Loc: Alberta, Canada
No Mad Max or zombie hordes in my scenario. This is stuff I use all the time. When I'm on the coast, I go for day hikes, picnic on the beach, carve a walking stick, and fix a few odd items. I have plenty of spares and see no reason why I can't have them waiting for me.

Public property is the only viable option. There are numerous parks, public wharves, etc. And what about the public library?

I suppose I could ask the manager of the hotel we always stay at to store a few inexpensive items. No guarantees they'll be there later, but it doesn't cost anything to ask.

All of my items are expendable, so there's nothing to lose. Part of this game is curiosity, seeing whether things stay put or "walk away" on their own.

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#279285 - 02/01/16 05:58 PM Re: Urban Caching [Re: dweste]
Alex Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 03/01/07
Posts: 1034
Loc: -
Originally Posted By: dweste
I like the concepts. What would be in your caches?

Scenario is things are "normal" and you want to take some precautions by increasing your general preparations for whatever might happen.

Well, personally, I don't see any benefit of a micro cache for a general preparedness at the moment, as all the micro stuff I may need could be stored in a BOB at home and in the GHB at work or/and in the car, reducing the chance to lose all three at once if SHTF. But theoretically the D.Ritter PSK with addition of an encrypted T-flash card containing all of your documents/photos could easily fit in the pipe or in the birdhouse.

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