MOBILE CACHING – THE TRAILER SOLUTION

Fixed (dug in) caches of survival equipment are good, and the concept should not be abandoned, but there are some notable drawbacks in practice; some of which are: they are subject to rust, water damage and in­sects, they may be found and dug up by treasure hun­ters, they may be hard to locate because of changes in landmarks over the seasons, in winter they may be frozen in, someone may build a shopping center or road ever them, they are hard to haul out of the back country, they require periodic digging up and inspection and conditions may change so your caches are in the wrong location.

One way that a small group or family can overcome the above pro­blems is to have a mobile cache. A mobile cache can be a car or truck, but a small 4x4 trailer is best because it can be towed by any vehicle or even pulled into the back country by man or animal power, if necessary. A trailer can be "dropped" and hidden in the woods or an abandoned building, leaving your vehicle free for other operations.

Once you have equipped your trailer, it should be located well away from any target areas and along your intended route of evacuation. The best location would be at the home of a member or reliable friend or relative who lives in a safe area, if this is not possible, you should be able to rent a garage or a corner of a farmer's barn. A few small ads in local papers should turn up some prospective storage loca­tions, or an ad in Direction could turn up a member in the area you want to store in.

Each member should be sure his car is equipped with the proper sized trailer hitch and wiring to hook up to the trailer's lights and it would also be a good idea to have overload springs and/or heavy-dutyshocks on the rear. At times when the probability of a nuclear war or some other cata­clysm is high,thetrailer could be moved by any member to a predetermined survival camp or retreat until it is needed, or until the threat has passed. It would be a good idea to install an anti-theft alarm system on the trailer and periodic inspections and road tests would also be advisable. If security is a problem the trailer could have three or four locations and be moved from one to the other like the proposed "MX" missile. What follows is a general outline of equipment you should have on or in your trailer:

• Water filtration unit and purifica­tion tablets.
• 20 to 30 gallons of gasoline in a safety tank or in army-type 5 gallon cans
• 20 gallons of water in tank or plastic jugs, partially filled (look out for freezing)
• Food to last small group about 2 weeks (MRE rations, freeze-dried, canned goods, vitamins)
• Medical supplies including: first aid supplies, antibiotics, surgical instru­ments and manuals
• Large plastic and/or camouflage tarp or parachutes for shelters
• Heavy tool kit including: shovels, axes, pry bars, lock cutter, hacksaws, sledgehammers, block and tackle, a chain saw and maybe a cutting torch or blasting equipment (for building shelters, getting supplies, cutting fences, making roads, etc.)
• Nuclear decontamination unit con­taining: dust masks for everyone, a pump-type water sprayer, soap, scrub brushes and at least four "deconta­mination suits" that cover shoes, body, hands, head, eyes and face
• A small radiation detector
• Fire extinguisher (dry chemical
• Blankets and/or sleeping bags Radio (multi-band)
• CB or other radio equipment to communicate with other members (you could have a fold-up mast and antenna that mounts on the trailer to give you better range)
• Repair tools for cars
• Hammers, nails and saws (for building shelters)
• Spare parts for firearms
• Reloading supplies and ammuni­tion
• Motor oil (2 gallons)
• Survival books including such sub­jects as: nuclear survival, wilderness survival, auto repair, edible plants, hunting, shelter construction
• Seeds both for sprouting and growing
• Charged 12 volt auto battery-[only if you will be recharging it OFTEN. Otherwise, store dry car batteries and a container of electrolyte, if you will be able to charge the batteries from a running vehicle, generator, or solar panel. Since the battery electrolyte is acid, make SURE that it cannot escape its container; it will destroy your other supplies.
• Spare tire and jack for trailer
• Lock and chain
• Optional rubber raft or flotation pods for the whole trailer
• Catalytic heater and fuel (for win­ter)
• Cooking stove with fuel
• Lanterns with fuel

Every small trailer that I have seen parked behind a business has had one wheel removed and stored separately. The axle has been propped up on a concrete block. You also see generators, welding rigs, and tool carts treated this way at construc­tion sites. The lack of a wheel makes it awfully hard for someone to tow the whole trailer away! Also, consider a small camouflage net to cover the trailer when parked in a wooded area.