One of the toughest things about being a survivalist or a prepper is having a place to store all of your goods. Sure, you can fill your basement with items like canned food and bottled water, but what happens if you need to get moving quickly? Imagine how long it will take to load up your vehicle with all of those things, not to mention, what will happen if you can’t fill your car or truck with fuel any longer? This is where the trash can comes in. They are fairly large and can hold quite a few emergency supplies.
Choose Your Trash Can Wisely
This isn’t the time to buy one of those small kitchen trash cans with a lid that pops up when you step on the lever. Those don’t hold much at all, and they aren’t as sturdy as they seem. Instead, you need a large, heavy plastic trash can – the kind that sits outside and holds multiple bags of trash. That kind will hold quite a bit of gear, and they come with lids that bolt or latch on. They are perfect for holding everything that you’ll add to your survivalist kit. Plus, they weigh less than a basement full of goods and take up less space.
Only Pack Your Essentials
Your emergency trash can should have a number of essential items in it. These include:
A First Aid Kit – You can either purchase a ready-made first aid kit or make your own. Just ensure that it has an array of over the counter medications, different types of bandages, and even sunscreen. Check out: Litle Known First Items You Must Have
Clothing – Pack around three days worth of clothing for everyone in your family, and don’t forget the underwear. Place them in plastic bags and then suck the air out of those bags so that they don’t take up too much space.
Blankets – You’ll need a mix of both blankets and sleeping bags. Remember that it’s more important to stay warm than comfortable, so leave out the pillow if it doesn’t fit.
Bottled Water – The rule of thumb is to have enough bottled water to last your three days. Check out: 3 Unique Ways to Purify Water
Food – The three-day rule applies here as well. Choose non-perishable food items whenever possible. Check out: Food Stockpile Action Plan
Tools – The basics here include flashlights, a compass, a pen and paper, a radio, batteries, matches, duct tape, multi-tools, knives, a hatchet, and aluminum foil. Feel free to add in any other things that you think you’ll need.
Cleaning Gear – Everything that you need to get clean should be included, so place body washes, shampoo, soap, trash bags, and more in your set.
Prescription Medications – If you take prescriptions medications or wear glasses to correct your vision, you’ll need some backups of these things in your kit. Check out: Survival Medicine to Stock
Filling Your Trash Can
Now that you’ve gathered all of the items that you need, it’s time to fill up that trash can. (Of course, you’ll want to use a new trash can – one that hasn’t been contaminated by actual trash.) Start by loading the heavy objects in first, such as bottled water and food. If you put them in last, they’ll crush everything. Layer in the tools and cleaning gear, and finish off with the clothing, blankets, first aid kit, and prescription items.
After you’ve packed your trash can full of the essentials, store it someplace that’s easy to access. You can even make more than one of these sets and place them in various places around your property, such as in your basement, garage, tool shed, and barn. This way, if something happens and you can’t get to one (or more) of them, you have backups.
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