How To Store and Organize Survival Supplies

Are You Having a Space Issue for Your Survival Supplies?

Yes, I’m having a space issue! I am writing this article for those of us who need to indeed organize our survival supplies. We seniors have probably accrued a lot stuff. I purchase items and put them in a corresponding box, but I am losing my fight with space. Part of being a survival prepper means gathering lots of supplies. These take up space, whether food, tools, clothing, or any other survival gear. Over time, the more supplies you gather, the harder it’ll be to keep your space organized.

Table of Contents

• Are You Having a Space Issue for Your Survival Supplies?
• Places to Keep Supplies
• Utilizing Your Space and Keeping It Organized
  • Below are bullet points on how to make the most of your space:
• Safely Storing Survival Foods
  • Here are some practical tips for safe food storage:
• Keeping Your Survival Kits Organized
• Using Outdoor Space for Storage
• Tracking Your Survival Inventory

I have three or four medical kits. One is for the car, and another is for my barn’s tack room, where I am putting some supplies so we have a place to go if our house gets hit by a disaster. It’s built for 150 mph winds. The other two are in the house.

Another storage place and place to go in a disaster is our “semi”—an actual old back-end of a semi-truck. A lot of places out in the country here have them. It’s a great storage place and solid. It’s not going anywhere in a disaster. It’s dark inside, though; there are no windows.

Having your survival supplies organized is extremely important in many ways. It’s essential to organize so that your home or rooms aren’t overtaken by clutter, and it’s also vital for safety.

Safety-wise, it’s a good idea to be organized so that you know where everything is. Survival situations can be unpredictable, and you might find yourself in a position where you need to access something quickly and efficiently, and being unorganized would be a severe obstacle in this case.

Finding storage space to store a sufficient survival stash can also be a struggle, especially if you live in a small space or have a large family that takes up every room in the home.

The following tips will help you deal with the amount of stuff that comes with being a survivalist. You’ll learn different techniques for storing and organizing supplies around your house and elsewhere and how to keep some things hidden from the prying eyes of those who might want to take them.

Places to Keep Supplies

One of the most crucial aspects of organizing and storing survival supplies is ensuring they are kept in safe spaces. One way to do this is to hide your supplies.

For example, suppose your home was to get broken into either before or during a survival situation. In that case, you’d be much more vulnerable if all of your supplies were left out in the open in a very accessible spot like your living room.

One place you could keep supplies is in a hidden compartment. You can get specific furniture that looks completely normal to outsiders but has a secret place to stash your belongings.

A few examples of these hidden compartment furniture pieces include:

• Coat racks that flip up to reveal a hiding spot
• Dressers with secret drawers in between the normal ones
• Side tables with compartments under the top, and more

Due to their incredibly stealthy nature, these furniture pieces would be a great place to hide your valuables, such as documents like passports and birth certificates, self-defense gear, cash, medications, etc.

One more hidden compartment where you can store important items is in containers that seem like everyday objects. Many containers on the market are disguised as things no one would suspect, like water bottles, soda cans, food cans, books, etc.

These containers best suit smaller items like documents, cash, and medications. Larger items like hunting or self-defense gear, unless they’re something smaller like a pocket knife, most likely wouldn’t work for these containers.

If you get one of these compartments, remember to store it around other bottles or cans of the same look and/or brand so that it won’t stand out as irregular if a thief finds it.

The same goes for the ones that look like non-branded items, such as books. Another place where you can store your survival materials is a self-storage unit. A self-storage unit is a large space you can rent and use to remove clutter from your home.

These units are typically very spacious and made of sturdy metal, making them a great option for reducing clutter that would otherwise take up space in your rooms. However, there are downsides.

For starters, storage units can be robbed or broken into. Your home can also, but with a storage unit, you wouldn’t be there to stop it or be aware of what’s happening until it’s over.

In a survival situation especially, people would be more willing to rob a storage unit over a home – there’d be no people to fight off. Even the workers who have security cameras may know what supplies you have in there and take it for themselves if an event begins.

Another downside is that these units may not be helpful for all survival events. There may be some events where it wouldn’t be safe to leave your home, which would keep you separated from most of your supplies.

There also might be an event where you can’t access it for some reason. For example, it could be destroyed during a natural disaster. It could also be blocked off by a destroyed road or a large object on the road.

That being said, this could still be a good option for a more predictable event. An upcoming hurricane is a good example. If you knew an emergency was coming, you could quickly pick up the necessary supplies and evacuate or prepare to shelter in your home.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also an example of when a storage unit would be useful. Many people began stocking up when they saw the first few cases hit their country before the virus became widespread and all supplies were sold out.

If you have a storage unit and something else like this were to occur, you’d be able to access your supplies before the emergency truly hits. One thing to keep in mind when storing your survival supplies is to keep them in different locations.

The first way to store your supplies in different locations is to store things in different spots around your house. This can keep your supplies safe in the event of a home invasion.

Storing all your supplies in one spot would mean that if someone found your stash, they’d have access to everything all at once. Another way you should store your supplies in different locations is to keep some essential survival equipment in places you’d be beside your home in your everyday life.

Some places you might be during an average day include your workplace, car, etc. It’d be a good idea to make sure you can be prepared in all these places. You could store some survival necessities in your car or your everyday bag, like a first-aid kit, nutrition bars, a compass or map, etc.

Having these things with you everywhere you go will help you ensure you’re always prepared for the unexpected.

Utilizing Your Space and Keeping It Organized

One thing you need to do when storing your survival supplies is utilize your space to get the most benefit out of it. This is something fundamental to learn, regardless of how large your space is.

Knowing how to make the most of your space doesn’t only apply to those who live in small homes or have very little free space (like we do in our household!). Keeping your supplies organized and neat is helpful for multiple reasons.

Below are bullet points on how to make the most of your space:

Remember, an efficient organization benefits everyone, regardless of the size of their living space!

Safely Storing Survival Foods

Keeping food in your survival stash is essential. It’s one of the most important things you’d need during a survival situation to keep your energy up and your body properly nourished.

However, not knowing how to store those foods properly could lead to disaster. Your food could go bad quicker than expected, making eating unsafe. You could also attract pests like roaches and weevils that could contaminate and ultimately wreak havoc on your food supply.

Preventing these disastrous events from unfolding isn’t complicated. You must take the necessary precautions and be smart about storing your food.

Here are some practical tips for safe food storage:

1. Expiration Dates and Organization:
   1. Label by Expiry Date: Organize your food by expiration dates. Label shelves by month or year, placing foods that expire during that time together.
   1. Front and Center: Moving older items to the front when adding newly purchased items. This makes it easier to find and use items before they expire.
2. Moisture Prevention:
   1. Keep Food Dry: Moisture accelerates food spoilage and mold growth. Protect your supplies from humidity. Mylar Bags: Use mylar bags designed for long-term food storage. They keep out oxygen and moisture, essential for preventing mold growth.
   1. Weevil Protection: Mylar bags safeguard against weevils and pests that can infest stored food.
3. Silica Gel Packs:
   1. Absorb Moisture: Place silica gel packs in food containers to prevent moisture buildup.
   1. Caution: Inform your family that these packs are not edible.
4. Oxygen Absorbers:
   1. Combined Defense: Oxygen absorbers, similar in appearance to silica gel packs, work well with mylar bags.
   1. Weevil Prevention: They help prevent weevil infestations.
5. Pre-Treatment for Weevils:
   1. Freezing or Heating: Prior to storage, consider freezing or heating foods prone to weevil infestations (e.g., flour, rice). This kills any existing bugs.

Remember, proper food storage ensures your supplies remain safe, nutritious, and ready for use when needed!

Keeping Your Survival Kits Organized

Some preppers struggle with keeping their survival kits organized. Many people throw their supplies into a bag and call it a day, but this might not always be the smartest move.

In a survival event, you may face a situation where you need to be efficient. You could be in a dangerous situation where you need to escape quickly, but before that, you need to use first aid on someone.

Disorganization would be a threat in this situation. If your bug-out bag was filled with random supplies, you could be putting yourself and others in danger by wasting time sitting there, having to sift through everything to find what you’re looking for.

Organizing your survival kit can prevent this type of ordeal. You can organize your survival kit easily by separating your supplies into their respective categories.

Using Outdoor Space for Storage

One helpful space you can use to store and organize survival supplies is the outdoors. Storing your survival gear outside can be an easy way to significantly reduce the space your stash takes up in your home.

Using outdoor space can also allow you to gather more survival supplies if everything in your home is occupied. Of course, the extra supplies you can get will depend on your outdoor space or backyard size.

Many people have tool sheds in their backyards. Depending on the condition and material of the shed, this could be a great option if it’s available. A high-quality shed built to withstand the outdoors will significantly protect your supplies from the elements.

Things like clothes, tools, and other non-perishable or food items would be great to store in a shed. However, if you live in a hot climate, the shed’s internal temperature could become very hot, making it the wrong place to store food. Storing food outside would also attract stray animals and bugs.

Sheds aren’t the only structures that would be good for survival storage. A greenhouse would also be a spot where you could store items. Since greenhouses are see-through, don’t store anything in the open—keep your supplies in opaque weather-resistant boxes to prevent anyone from knowing what you have and stealing it.

If you have a treehouse or backyard playground, you could use it. Most backyard playgrounds have a little structure that resembles a house. Again, since you can often see inside these things, only store items in opaque weather-resistant boxes.

Another way you can store items outside is by using hidden compartments. Earlier, these storage gadgets were referred to as household materials. However, you can also get hidden compartments that resemble something you’d see outdoors.

There is a wide variety of hidden compartments. Some can look like rocks, logs, sprinklers, tools, etc. Just like with household materials, you should ensure that any compartments you get don’t stick out—place them in areas with similar items to help them blend in more.

Camouflage is another method you can use to store items outside. You can easily camouflage a storage box outdoors by piling leaves on top of it and keeping them in place with transparent netting.

You can also buy specific camouflage-colored storage boxes. There are also specific items called nets or netting blankets designed to resemble grass and/or leaves. You could use one of these over your supplies to hide them in plain sight.

The last way to store things outside is to bury them. There are plenty of durable and weather-resistant compartments specifically designed to withstand the elements underground and keep your items safe.

It’d be wise to keep a map marked where you’ve buried your supplies in case you forget. You could also place something on top of it, like a large boulder or potted plant—make sure it meshes well with the surroundings.

Tracking Your Survival Inventory

One of the best things you can do with your survival inventory is track what you have. Tracking your supplies can aid you in organization and preparedness.

Tracking what you have is an excellent way to determine how many survival supply items you work with. This information is useful when preparing to organize. Knowing how much you have can help you determine where it should go and what container size you need if you need to store it.

Keeping track of your supplies is also an excellent way to avoid overbuying. If you have a sufficient supply of a specific item and purchase more because you haven’t kept track, this could take up significant space, and you haven’t yet stored the other items.

Another benefit of tracking your supplies is that it can give you an idea of what you still need in your survival stash. You might finish tracking everything, look it over, and realize you’re missing something essential, like fire starters.

You can track things in multiple ways. You can write everything down on paper and keep it safe so it won’t get damaged. You could also keep a whiteboard or chalkboard up in your primary storage area with the numbers you gather.

However you decide to track it, keep it in a spot where it’s unlikely to get damaged or lost. Keep it out of reach of children or pets, as they might draw on it, erase your writing, chew/tear it up, put it in the trash or an unknown spot, etc.

Don’t keep anything important survival-wise on digital devices. In severe emergencies, the power or internet will most likely go down, causing you to lose your survival documents, including tracking your supplies.

You should also ensure you don’t share your final numbers with anyone outside your immediate family. Even though you may be proud of the stash you’ve built up, refrain from telling your neighbors, friends, or strangers on the Internet what you have – unless you want to use up half or more of your supply on people outside your loved ones.

When a survival event hits, someone may remember you have supplies and knock at your door asking for a share. In dire times, they might do worse.

Be careful when sharing this information with your family as well. They might not know you want this information private and could end up sharing it with their friends, causing a domino effect. If you tell any of your family members, make sure to make it very clear that the information is not to be shared with anyone.

These strategies can be applied to pretty much any survival prepper. Storing and organizing your items will be something you’ll thank yourself for in the future if a survival event unfolds.

What processes do you use to categorize, store, and track your supplies? Please share info in the comments to help others in their survival-prepping strategies. Do you have any questions that haven’t been covered here?

Thanks for your collaboration!

Teri

Teri Rehkopf

I’m the daughter of 2 original survivalists who moved from the north to sunny Florida. My mother, along with her parents, bought 30 mostly uncleared acres in 1938. The first home was made of pecky-cypress and built by a house-raising. My mother raised 10,000 chickens. My divorced mother met and married my father in 1948. From pine trees on our property, he hand-built a log cabin. He also built a tarpaper-lined 65’x45′ pool with duck pond overflow. We had an artesian well for our water and powering our hand-built waterwheel for the pool. He built a substantial cantilevered roof workshop with a car pit in the massive cement floor. Since my early teens, I have read a ton of books about survival, prepping, the bomb, an apocalypse, homestead living, and SHTF situations. As an adult, I continue to read sci-fi, survival prepping, and science. I practice a prepper lifestyle albeit a bit modified, read a lot, buy a lot, pack/store a lot of anything survival related. My GoldenSurvivalist.com blog strives to educate individuals on coping with natural and human-caused disasters using article posts about preparing for emergencies.

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