Mr. Rawles,
I read with interest the blog today and then clicked over to the link suggested by Brittany K.: Deconstructing a Safe Room (infographic)”

I appreciate all the information your site gives. I wish the writers of the Allstate Blog had consulted your site and listed it in their sources. One glaring item in their graphic is that the door opens outward. If debris falls in front of the door a person may not be able to open it. [As has been mentioned several times in SurvivalBlog, inward-opening shelter doors are the norm,]

Another point worthy of mention: In their “What Should Be In Your Safe Room” section they list that there should be a generator. I can just envision someone without much knowledge or experience trying to start and run a generator in their safe room and not have any ventilation whatsoever; a carbon monoxide death trap.  God Bless, - John in Ohio

Mr. Rawles,
I was running a detail earlier today when I noticed that we were loading items into an all-steel QUADCON. As we were, I remembered the letter from the other da, asking about the possibility of using a CONEX as a Faraday cage. The dimensions aren't as big as the 40' CONEX are, but four of them put together equal the space of a 20' MILVAN container. The downside to this container is the two openings, one on each end. However, a good solid weld on one side could do the trick. The RF gaskets that you mentioned could work on the door. However, in my experience, more gaps and possible openings make it that much easier for unwanted things to gain entry. Another good thing about the size is that it would be easier to manage moisture in the smaller space. Just a thought.
Thanks for all you do, - Z.R.

Hello Mr. Rawles,
I just wanted to add something about using a CONEX container as a Faraday cage. Unlike most CONEXes, which have wooden floors, the insulated refrigerated containers almost always are a solid aluminum box (with a full metal floor). Only the gasketing and bonding of the doors [and plating or screening over the refrigeration ducting apertures] would have to be addressed. To make it 100% safe, a second interior wall and door (all metal and bonded gasketed) would need to be put in place, and then only one door should be opened at a time. (This is similar to dark room doors.)

I would also suggest looking at these web pages at the Future Science web site to get a better idea of what can happen in an EMP or solar storm , and their similarities and differences:

• Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse
• Getting Prepared for an Electromagnetic Pulse Attack or Severe Solar Storm
• Test 184

Thanks, - Solar Guy

Creating hiding places for items can be a challenge without handyman skills, a large budget and the need to hide stores in sight. Fortunately, there are some options that are easy to implement without a lot of cost without looking odd to anyone passing through your home.

Many Uses for Chest Freezers

Chest freezers have the benefits of being common, heavy, cheap to get used and not a big deal to own. How does this help when you want to store things or hide them?

• Chest freezers are commonly locked to keep young children from climbing in and becoming trapped. A lock on a chest freezer, even if not plugged in, does not arouse suspicion. This increases the security of items stored inside.
• Chest freezers can be kept in a corner of a laundry room, a storage shed, sun room or detached garage. Owning several is not strange.
• Chest freezers are large and heavy. Even in the unlikely case that someone wanted to steal it, the large size and weight of many units deters this.
• If a thief enters your garage or storage space, he’ll steal items of value or immediate use. Frozen food rarely fits either of these categories. The result is that a freezer chest will be ignored in most cases.
• Unplugging a unit and letting it sit in a corner does not garner attention.  If asked, just state it was unplugged to save on electricity. If asked why it’s locked, simply state that is done for “safety reasons”.

What can you do with several unplugged chest freezers?

• A large stash of freeze dried food stored inside of one is less obvious than a set of cans in the pantry.
• Guns and tools kept in a locked chest freezer are safer than those left on a work bench while blending into the background. And foot prints and signs of handling do not indicate a stash there, since no one will think it is strange that the freezer is opened and closed periodically.
• Canned goods kept in a chest freezer outside are protected from the elements, in a secure location.
• Store bug out bags or valuable supplies in the chest freezer without a lock for quick and easy access. Lay a stack of towels or dirty rags on top to make. it look like the appliance has been turned into a work surface. 
• Unplugged chest freezers can be used to hide bottled water stashes that might otherwise garner attention.

[JWR Adds: "Dead" chest freezers are often available free for the hauling. Just be sure that the freezer comes with at least one key for its lock before driving to pick it up. BTW, be sure that the owner has a "clear path" available for you to wheel it out on your furniture dolly. (As an aside, I once spent at least two extra hours helping a friend extricate a "free" chest freezer out of the back of a very crowded garage. That was a bit of a nightmare.) Also, keep in mind that upright freezers take up less floor space, per cubic foot of volume. Those lock, too. Older freezers should be washed out and scrubbed thoroughly, using a strong baking soda solution. Be sure to let them dry and air out well, before filling them.]

Where Will the Water Go?

Water is a bulky item to store if building up a long term supply. If you do not live near a lake or stream and lack working well, the space to store a long term water supply can be difficult to find. Hiding it is even harder. What can you do in the interim?

• The water stored in a hot water heater can be consumed if filtered of sediment. However, a hot water heater in good condition can store up to eighty gallons.  Buy a used hot water heater fro someone that is installing a tankless hot water heater or [that is replacing] a hot water heater with burned-out elements. Then flush it out thoroughly and set it up in a closet, corner of the garage or even next to your main hot water heater. It stores the water in an accessible manner, since the water is available once you drain the unit. And this manner of water storage doesn’t garner attention the way a closet full of one gallon water bottles would.
• Purchase a water cooler and accompanying large water bottles. Set the entire stack in a section of a garage or shed. While a large selection of soda bottles with water may seem odd, several water bottles with a cooler are not seen as such. One of the benefits of business closures is that these items can be purchased cheaply during going out of business sales.  If asked, simply state you got it cheap on sale or a discount for buying several at once. When water does become scarce, set up the dispenser with water coolers to use in the home. The size of the water bottles deters theft. Rotate stock by donating water cooler bottles to churches or charities that use them.
• If you are installing a rain catchment system, install a separate back up tank for water storage. If installing a sprinkler system, bury a water storage tank at the same time.
• Do you have a tub in a bathroom with a separate shower? Fill up a “WaterBOB” or similar water storage system and leave it in the tub. Then place a fitted lid over the tub or padded wood. The tub then appears as a converted seat, hiding the water storage inside. 
• Do you have a decommissioned hot tub? “WaterBOBs” and related water storage devices fit there, too.

Where to Store Toiletries and Valuables

Household supplies are on many lists to stock up on. But where do you place them for easy reach and minimal inconvenience?

• Clear out beauty supplies. Shed a lot of beauty appliances. Use the space under your sink then to store toiletries like bar soap, shampoo, razors and Kleenex. If someone looks in that space, the storage there makes perfect sense. They simply won’t know or think of the similar stocks in the other bathrooms under those sinks.
• The cabinets above the toilet are frequently used for storing towels. Review how many towels you actually use and where they may be better placed (on racks, a stack on top of the toilet, etc.). Then use this space to store toiletries.
• A side benefit of the discovery of a wall of toiletries is that few people will dig beyond them. Valuables can be hidden behind them.
• Laundry hampers are rarely considered anything but holding bins for dirty clothes. Consider placing a plastic laundry hamper in a corner of a bedroom closet. Then store items like handguns, coins and heavier items wrapped in a towel at the bottom. Stack sheets and towels on top. If anyone picks it up, the weight is explained by the contents. But be careful not to accidentally dump this hamper’s contents into the washer!  
• Remember that decorative items can serve as hiding places. Money clipped behind picture frames is well known. What about hiding cash inside decorative vases and jars in the corner of the bathroom? Keeping a spare cell phone and batteries also works. Place a wreath of fake flowers on the top of the vase so that a casual viewer doesn’t see what is inside.
• Thieves often check under the master bedroom bed for hidden money and guns. They don’t check under the stack of towels in the master bathroom as often. For even better concealment, leave a copy or two of magazines pushed in among towels to appear as if that is what is hidden in that stack of towels. 

Storage Boxes

Using stacks of nondescript cardboard boxes and plastic bins to hide items in plain sight has been thoroughly discussed on SurvivalBlog. Large boxes labeled “Christmas decorations” can contain that or contain a layer of Christmas items and hide a small generator underneath. Boxes labeled “receipts” or “recipes”. What else can be done?

• Label the boxes “genealogy papers” or better yet, label the box “VHS tapes”. No one will think of touching it.  
• Actually store old encyclopedias and other books you won’t mind burning in cardboard storage boxes. This is a back up solution in case of a fuel shortage. Elderly British pensioners have actually resorted to buying old books by the pound to keep their homes warm since carbon taxes drove up the cost of heating oil and firewood alike.
• Boxes labeled “cooking stuff” can as easily hold freeze dried food as it can recipe cards. However, be careful not to store items that will emit odors of food (like spices).
• A foot locker or box labeled “duffel bags” can hold just that. Underneath can be bug out bags or camping gear. However, it is wise to avoid storing important items in luggage that looks like standard Samsonite, since each bag is easily mixed up with another and holds value if sold. However, you should never label a box “camping supplies”, since this could easily become a target for desperate thieves. “Boy Scout stuff” might be a compromise in identifying camping items without looking tempting.

Data Storage

USB drives provide a mobile and easy to use method of backing up files. Hiding them is easy. Hiding them where you can quickly find them is more challenging. Fortunately, the market has already come up with many solutions to make it easy to find your USB drives.

• Buy a USB drive holder that looks like an industry logo toy. The Linux penguin and a Microsoft type memento come to mind. You can also buy industry logo toys and carve out space to store the USB drive. Set on a shelf near the computer and place it as if it were a decorative item.
• There are thumb drives built into toys for the sake of novelty. If you are a fan of a toy line or could get away with the item sitting on your shelf while blending into the environment, buy a standard such thumb drive holder. Just be certain to place it where curious children won’t get it to play with.
• Use a large, solid plastic case used to hold obsolete floppy disks and store USB drives in them instead.   

Captain Rawles,
 As most of your readers would say, we thank you for your ministry.  My question is weather a 40' Continental Express (CONEX) shipping containers would work as a huge Faraday cage, and thus we would be able to store most of our sensitive electronics, such as communications gear, battery chargers, e cetera.
 
Thank you again, - R.L.S.

JWR Replies: There are a few problems with that concept:

1.) The vast majority of CONEXes have wooden floors. Wood is fairly transparent to radio frequency (RF) waves, including electromagnetic pulse (EMP). A metal Faraday enclosure needs to be an integral box. (Polygonal or spherical.) No windows, and no wooden floors!

2.) Creating a good "gasketed" RF seal at the doorway would be difficult. But RF gaskets might do the trick.

3.) CONEXes tend to "sweat." In a full Faraday enclosure, there would be no ventilation available, so the moisture buildup would likely be excessive. (Depending on your local climate.)

Jim:
I just wanted to drop an alternate product use suggestion. In my gun closet I have a mesh over-the-door shoe organizer that mount to the doors by hooks. When I swing the door open to get to the gun safe I have loaded magazines in easy to grab and recognizable rows in the shoe holder. I also keep other small parts like extra scopes, bipods, and other detachable items in the compartments.  It is four pockets across and six down, for 24 total pockets. Each pocket will easily hold two loaded AK magazines or three AR magazines.  This gives a ready reserve of 72 loaded AR-15 magazines that are taking up essentially zero [floor] space. - M.A.T. in Virginia

Mr. Rawles:
I really enjoyed L.N.'s small spaces article and her suggestion to get a mason jar vacuum sealer is right on the money.  Another suggestion your readers may want to consider is a non-power way to vacuum seal.  The Actron CP7830 Hand Vacuum Pump can also be used to create the vacuum using the FoodSaver Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer.  Total purchase for both items is less than half of the powered food sealers.  When the grid goes down, you will still be able to seal your jars and get a arm workout at the same time

Thanks, - Jen G.

Mr. Rawles:  
I found the article by L.N. in Texas quite interesting and would like to add my two cents.  I live in a small house with my wife and two kids, so storage for longer-term preparations can be a challenge.  However, I have found two spaces to be of great value that most homeowners may overlook.  For one, my house sits on top of a stem wall foundation that has a small crawlspace underneath.  This crawlspace was only available from an outside hatch, and therefore was less than desirable as a TEOTWAWKI storage due to its visibility and location.  Gaining access to it from the inside of my house was as easy as installing a simple trapdoor for the cost of two hinges and some time with a Skilsaw.  I simply pulled back the carpet in my closet and located the nails that indicated where the studs ran.  I pulled the nails from two adjacent joists along a two foot strip.  Then I set my Skilsaw blade to the approximate depth of my subfloor and cut out a square.  Making a trapdoor was as simple as cutting the removed piece of subfloor down slightly more so it didn’t catch, screwing down some hinges on the backside, then placing the carpet back over it.  Obviously, make sure before doing any of this to make sure the trap door leads to an open area, not a pipe or electrical line.  Below this trapdoor I have about 3-to-4 feet of vertical storage space.  I made a pallet to one side on which I store about six months of freeze-dried food and several gallons of water in 5 gallon jugs. 

Nobody has seen me haul the stuff in, nor will they see me hauling it out when the time comes.  I have used none of my living space and the air below the house is considerably cooler and drier than my usual storage spaces, such as shed or garage.   The second spot to consider is the intake registers for your HVAC system.  Most HVAC systems blow out the cool or hot air out of floor registers, then take the air back to the heater/cooler through registers near the ceiling.  The air running through there, as a result, is room temperature.  While I wouldn’t recommend storing anything heavy, bulky, or edible up there, removing a vent cover exposes a nice bit of unused space for storage of cash and guns when I leave for the weekend.  - Andy in Arizona

James,
One challenge I have encountered in my survival preparations is the lack of concealed storage space in my 800 square foot house. I recently purchased a king size mattress, being on a tight budget (spending most of my disposable cash on survival preps) I couldn't afford a king size bed [frame and box springs]. In order to fill both needs of more storage space and a place to put my new mattress I decided to use 5 gallon buckets and 3/4in  plywood to construct a simple platform for my mattress. I purchased two sheets of plywood at the lumber yard, and thirty of food grade 5 gallon buckets with lids.

I had them cut both sheets of plywood to 38x80 inches (one half of the size of a king size bed). I placed the buckets 6 across and 5 wide where I wanted my bed. In order to remember where they are, I drew a diagram and labeled each bucket with the contents. I used sheets from my old smaller mattress as skirts to cover the buckets. With the mattress, plywood, and buckets the bed is taller than normal but my wife and are both tall and I feel it is justified in the amount of storage that is gained. The size and number of buckets can be adapted to any size bed. Good luck to all in your preparations and I hope my experience will help with your storage needs. Sincerely, - Northeast BoomTruck

Mr. Rawles,
I completely agree with L.N. about survival prep in small spaces. I increased the storage space under my bed by raising it [and additional] six inches off the floor. I used commercial available bed risers that cost under $20.00 for a set of four. A riser is placed under each of the four bed posts. Just search on “bed riser” or visit local home store. - Larry D.

I live in the country and so I am used to gardening, canning, saving and preparing.  However, when I talk to many people who live in the city and live either with minimal land and perhaps apartments, they do not seem prepared or not as prepared as they could be.  When I ask if they store or grow any food, they just sort of look at me.  When I tell them they should either grow some food or store food not only in case of natural disaster, but even due to inflation and rising prices, the looks become bewildered.  They’ll say that they have no place to grow or store food or they may even act as if that is not important to them.  But, in this time and day, everyone should prepare some food and essentials.  There are reports that crops are being destroyed by elements of drought or floods or freezing and as we can all see, prices are rising and companies are becoming creative at giving us less for the dollar when we buy items.  The world we knew or thought we knew is changing and survival is a key for everyone.  Even in a small space you can prepare for the worse while you continue to hope for the best!

Before we begin talking about how, lets talk about things that are helpful in storing food.  Of course you can go with large buckets and Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers which you can find online at Survival web sites, but what if you do not have that much room?    

You are still in luck!  Invest in a FoodSaver vacuum sealer and get the jar sealer attachments online.  Food Savers will help you store food in either the bags they sell or if you get the jar attachments, you can store food in Mason jars!  We tested the jar attachment by putting dry beans into a mason jar and using the Food Saver jar attachment.  When the machine turned off indicating it was ready, we tried to open the flat metal lid on the Mason jar.  It wouldn’t come off.  When we took a butter knife to the edge to help open it, we heard that vacuum seal pop as we opened it.   So right then and there, we knew we were getting a nice vacuum seal on our jar.  This now allows us to store beans, rice, pasta and other dried foods in jars such as this.  Store trail mix for example in the Food Saver Bags.  These bags are sealed and are easy for you to put into a bin for later consumption.  You can look for Mason jars at local grocery stores, some hardware stores and we also found some really large jars at our local pharmacy of all places!  If all else fails, you can always order them online.   By putting things in the Food Saver bags, it also saves a lot of space rather than bulky boxes and such.  The Food Saver bags are also something quick you can grab if you need to evacuate and put in a back pack.

So you space is small - where can you store?  Start opening your eyes and look around at where you can add space.  A bin on a bookshelf is one more than what you had before!  Get creative and utilize any open spaces you may have.  When the earthquake happened in Japan, many people did not have food stocked up in their apartments and then found they were empty handed and grocery store shelves empty as well!  Remember, grocery stores only have about three days worth of food.  If there is a disaster, that food will disappear quickly.  What if trucks cannot get to your area?  Are you ready to be self-sufficient for a few days, a month or so?  And, when storing, think about climate control.  Do not store anything near heat such as a fireplace, hot water heater or any place that heat can deter the value of the food.

 The following are some ideas of the kinds of places you can store – even in small places!

• Under the bed – with under-the-bed storage bins or boxes.  This is a lot of space that you have available right now that you can utilize!  You can even get some bins on wheel
• Your closet – what about bins under the hanging clothes?  On shelving?
• Install shelving in your rooms and buy nice storage bins--which can even look decorative--to hide items.  If you have no wall space, then what about above the doors?   Put an extra shelf in the laundry room.
• Use a storage tote bin for storage next to your bed, couch etc. and cover it with a cloth turning it into a night stand or small table.  If you have an end table that is open underneath, again, you can put items in the open area, then cover it with a cloth to hide the stored items.
• Place or build storage behind your couch and again, cover it with a cloth and place décor on top of it.  No one will ever know!
• Look in your cabinets – try to consolidate items out of bulky boxes and containers and once you get more room, utilize that space.
• Purchase an armoire or storage unit with doors on it and use it completely for storing items.  You can use an old entertainment cabinet that has doors on it. Where the television would have gone, you can stack cases of food, put medicines or smaller food or items in the drawers.
• Plant patio gardens in whiskey barrels or other large planters.  You can grow onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and any dwarf variety of fruit this way.
• Plant herbs in window gardens or in planters among the house. Herbs can be nice house plants and will offer you spicing to your food than an ordinary house plant so begin utilizing planters in the house as well.

Note:  Craft stores sell photo boxes that are usually decorative. These are perfect for putting in small Food Saver bags or making a box for emergency supplies for children.

If you live in the city and have a little land, do all of the above plus:

• Build yourself a raised bed garden – even a 4 x 4 will give you lots of growing space.  If you have room build a larger 8 x 4 or as many that you can fit on your land.
• Plant fruit trees if able.  Find out what trees grow in your area and plant trees that bear some type of food for you and your family.
• Plant berries or small bushes that produce food. 

What items should you think about storing besides food?  Think about everyone in your household, including young children and pets.  When storing things like water and food, be sure to do your homework and research either in books or on the internet on best practices for safe storage. 

 Besides food, think of places you can store:

• Water    
• First Aid and Medicines
• Toiletries 
• Paper goods    
• Wet wipes in case you lose water
• Baby formula and other baby needs for babies in your family.  If small children, think about snacks for them as well as items that will keep them occupied if there is no electricity and no TV.  Colors, coloring books, books, games, and so on.
• Coin or cash to have on hand
• Seed for planting
• Store some “comfort” items.   Comfort can be some candy for example, but whatever comfort means to you, you may want to store that so you have it – especially at times you may want it.
• Bartering items – Think along the lines of the old days where people would trade one good for another.  If there is a disaster, you may not be able to go to work, drive your car and so on.  What could you trade a neighbor for something they have you may want?    Some people say to buy ammunition for bartering and that just happens to be something I wouldn’t buy as a bartering tool.  That ammo may be what you need for food and they could in turn, use that ammo on you to get the rest of your stash!  Think items like razors, tooth brushes, alcohol, coffee and such.

Right now you may be thinking – this is too much to store.  Wouldn’t you rather have it and be prepared than not have it when you need it?  These items are important to your survival.  Our economy could change overnight by one ruling of say not using our currency as the reserve or some solar flare or EMP that affects our electronics.  Preparedness is key right now. 

The next complaint I hear is, "I have fruit or vegetables, but we can’t eat all of it and some goes to waste."  What you need to do is start thinking along the line of storage again.  You can freeze or can most vegetables and fruits and you can dry your herbs.   There is vast information on the web about freezing, canning, storing and drying food you produce.  This means you may need to look into a water bath canner and pressure canner.   I’ve made for example, homemade salsa, jelly, and pickles and am researching more information on canning and freezing my vegetables.   Making jelly may take you and another person a day of work, but you will quickly find your shelves filling up.  You can use the under-the-bed bins for other items and use shelving for your canned items.  If nothing else, home-canned foods make great gifts too so never think you would not know what to do with it all. 

By now, most people know that rotating their stored food is important.  But, what if you ran across cases of food that will expire in the next month?   Most people without thinking will say they cannot possibly eat all that or do not want to.  Think of others at this time.  Donate it to a food pantry, a large family and so on.  Just do not wait too late and never donate food that will expire within a few days or that is expired!

Of course, all of the above is just a small list of ideas.  Start researching survival items and you will find many more you should be considering right now.   Never think your space or yard is too small.  You will be amazed once you start looking around at all the opportunities you truly have to store or grow food.  And when you shop at a plant nursery – always look for plants, shrubs and trees that will bear food.  It may be what you have to survive on one day!

Hi Jim.  
Dry wall is made of Gypsum, which is composed of Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found naturally and also made Synthetically by Flue Gas Desulfurization at some coal-fired electric power plants. Synthetic Gypsum can be used interchangeably with Natural Gypsum in some applications. There was a problem with drywall from China which contains too much Sulfur probably from the flue gas desulfurization process. When Water is absorbed by the bad drywall, Hydrogen Sulfide is formed which induces corrosion in some metals. I would not trust using drywall as a desiccant for ammo storage. Just think about opening your ammo boxes, finding the contents corroded! That would be "Penny wise and Pound foolish." - Chuck M. from the Northeast Kingdom

Mr. Rawles:
Most herbal supply web sites (San Francisco Herb Company, for one)  offer heat-sealable tea filter paper bags (large size, empty 'tea bags' that are used for making tea bags, bath salts bags etc).

You seal them with a regular clothes iron. These are perfect for making the silica packets for putting in with stored ammo. - Paulette

Hi Jim,  
I wanted to share with others of how I make my own desiccant packs. Go to a craft store like Michaels and in the flower department you can buy a box of silica gel that is used for drying flowers. I then get a box of family sized tea bags (these are twice the size of regular tea bags but any size will work) Use needle nose pliers to remove the staple that holds on the little piece of cardboard used to squeeze the bags, empty out the tea and use a spoon to now fill the empty tea bags with the silica gel. Re-staple. They are now ready for ammo cans, food buckets etc. [The loose tea can of course be saved to use is a tea-steeping ball.] - Just a Jarhead

James:
We don' need no steenkin' silica desiccants!

Go to most any building site or building supply store and ask for some wall board (a.k.a. gypsum board or "sheet rock") scraps.  For various reasons, there is almost always some pieces around.  The builders or store owner will be happy to get rid of them for free.

Peel the paper off one side and cut the wall board into pieces to fit the containers that you're using.  A piece about the size of a 3x5 index card will protect a .5 0cal ammo can or #10 can with capacity to spare

Bake the wall board pieces in the oven at 150 degrees F for a couple of hours to dry them out, and put them warm into your containers and seal.

Gypsum is extremely hygroscopic, and will suck every every bit of moisture from the air in a sealed container.  This can be used to protect stored electronics, optics, books, etc as well.

This approach is low tech, extremely inexpensive, and easy.  My kinda solution. Cordially, - John N.