Hurricane Isaac forced me to rethink my ammo storage strategy.
Up to now I have been storing ammo in 50 caliber ammo cans. 5.56 in a few cans, 9mm in another, etc.
We live on the 19th floor of a beachfront condo. It’s an old building without a generator. If the power goes out, we have to walk down the stairs. We have had a couple of fires in the past, and each time the elevators were out of commission. In those situations, we pretty much leave with just the kids in our arms.
In a controlled evacuation without power, I realized it would be extremely difficult to lug down multiple ammo cans to cover the weapons we carry.
I carry a 45, my wife a 9mm and we typically bring along a shotgun and an AR. That’s 4 ammo cans. Not a simple task!
I really don’t want to leave ammo in the car and I don’t have an office or secondary location where I can store it in, so home storage is our only option.
My question is: does it make sense to have a Bail Out Box of ammo? A single 50 caliber ammo can with a mix of the different ammo we would need? Does anyone else do this? Do you have any suggestions? What do YOU keep in it? Anything besides ammo?
I have always skipped the ammo cans and went right to loading magazines. Buy more ammo, buy more P-mags. Then have a backpack full of loaded magazines.
If you plan to bugout then you should have a secure place to bugout to. Then have a good supply of ammo, food, water, toiletries and clothes at the bugout location (family member, friend, vacation cabin, etc.).
Agee with suggestion to have some travel supplies stored in your bugout vehicle. Living on 19th floor with kids does not make it practical to store it in condo. Store what you need for bugging in situations in the condo. Store travel supplies in vehicle. Store long term survival stuff at a secure BOL.
Bugging out, by definition, means you wont be carrying a lot of anything. And most civilians do not have the wherewithal to hump a lot of gear. Fortunately, in most real world disasters (not Zombie Apocalypse Walter Mitty fantasies) you do not actually need that much ammo. Troops in actual combat zones will rarely go thru much ammo.
Streamline your preps and think about what real world disasters you are actually preparing for.
You can find desiccant packs on amazon and similar places… but I have a buddy that has a part tome job at a place that sells shoes… ever so often he goes through the shoe boxes and gets me a lot. (Look for cheap free wherever possible)
You guys are way over thinking this simple problem.
Two plastic light weight 30 caliber ammo cans with water resistant o-ring seal which can neatly accommodate 6-8 boxes of ammunition in one and numerous loaded magazines in the other.
Some people have to live in certain places - While I wouldn’t prefer to live in a high rise, at the same time I don’t let my desire to be prepared for SHTF completely dominate my life.
If you live in a place like this you need to be ahead of the “bugout” curve - meaning having a set place to go, getting out early and having a procedure in place.
I’ll respectfully disagree. Unless the OP is in some kind of strange financial situation and the possibility of moving is an absolute “No” I must strongly recommend that he get the fuck out of that concrete coffin as soon as he can. The only way I would permit myself to live in someplace like that was with no wife or children, where I know I could have a reasonable chance of leaving in less than a heartbeat, carrying only myself, maybe a somewhat concealed carbine, (in a sports bag or whatever) and little else, with all of my supplies pre-placed at my BOL.
I agree with this. If your living the shtf mantra. Then get out of that location, most guys preparing for the worst live out in the sticks.
Im not saying become a hermit in the mountains (would be best) lol
but maybe plan on moving to a better location thats safer for you and your famliy in a bad situation.
So are you required by law or contract to live in a high rise?
SHTF Phase I: Electricity goes out and the aux generator for your building does not run. You have to climb 19 floors to get home, and descend 19 floors (15 min with a load) to take just a single load of survival stuff to your car. How much can you carry down the stairs - 100 pounds?
SHTF Phase II: Gang bangers hang round the 4 fire escape exits for your building, shoot the people who come out and take their stuff.
SHTF Phase III: Zombies burn tires in your fire escapes, sending toxic fumes through the building.
I’m not really prepping for a shtf situation. Unfortunately the nearest bail out location we could realistically get to is in Georgia. And even then, its not a long term solution. My main concern is getting out of town for a couple of weeks duting a natural disaster type situations such as hurricanes. The storm isn’t the problem, it’s the aftermath.
We could easily go to Orlando for a couple weeks and return when things settle down. My concern is getting a call from someone in the neighborhood and being told that either our condo was looted or it’s still not safe to return. In either case I would feel more comfortable with a supply of ammo on me.
As I mentioned, it’s a beach front condo. My wife and I have always lived on the coast. We decided to live ON the beach for one year before our first kid was born. Eight years later, we’re still there. Partly financial but mostly because we have roots here. All of south Florida is an environmental danger zone. To get away from it we would have to move at least 300 miles north… Not something we want to do.
Bottom line is that you take the good with the bad. Living on the beach, to us, is a real privilege. If we have to be that more careful with our planning, so be it. If you’ve ever lived on the beach, then you know how hard it is to leave it…
Our building only has valet parking, so I am not comfortable leaving anything in the car. However, On Friday I bought a storage space in the building. Yes, I had to actually buy one… Its on the ground floor, secure, easy to get to and plenty large enough for all our crap.
In a zombie apocalypse, I’m sure we are in the worst place on earth. I am ok thinking “what if” and planning ahead, but don’t want to live my life thinking “when”… Well just have to take it as it comes…
