In this article we’ll talk about 5 things you must include in a root cellar design, plus 10 tips for fruit and vegetable storage. There’s also a printable storage guide for over 30 fruits and veggies, and jump links to additional information at the bottom of the post.

A root cellar is a great low-cost way to store food – not just root vegetables, but other fresh produce, too. They require no energy to use and very little maintenance. You can build in a root cellar when your home is under construction, but it’s also possible to add a root cellar to your basement, or build one outside your home.

(21 wild edibles you can find in urban areas)

What is a root cellar?

Dig a deep enough hole, and you’ll find that the ground is cool (and often moist). Root cellars tap into those cool, moist soil conditions and use them to store produce – like your refrigerator produce bin.

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Building a Root Cellar

There are five major elements that a root cellar requires:

1. Ventilation:  Some produce gives off ethylene gas, which can cause other produce to spoil. Also, a tightly sealed cellar will increase the risk of mold. Make sure fresh air can get in, stale air can get out, and air can circulate around the produce.
2. Earth-shelter:  The soil insulates and maintains a cool temperature. A packed earth floor or gravel floor is better than concrete for keeping moisture levels high.
3. Darkness:  Light can trigger sprouting, so if you have a window in your root cellar, keep it covered, and don’t leave the lights on.
4. Humidity:  A high humidity level of 85-95% keeps produce from drying out. Note: Humidity that is high enough for produce may cause canning jar lids to rust, so be sure to check lids and rotate stock if you store canned goods in the root cellar.
5. Shelving/Storage bins: Wood shelving and bins are naturally antibacterial. Wood also conducts heat more slowly than metal, and doesn’t rust. Avoid treated wood, and stick to those that are naturally rot resistant.

Types of Root Cellars and Natural Cold Storage Options

Natural cold storage options include (click on any item in the list to jump to more information below):

• Basement or Under Porch Root Cellar (accessible from inside the home)
• Traditional Root Cellar (buried below ground, accessible from outside)
• Earth Berm (at ground level or partially above ground)
• Barrel in the ground

These earth sheltered fruit and vegetable options work best for those in cooler climates, where the ground temp is naturally cooler. For those in warmer areas, check out the posts Above Ground Root Cellars and Build Your Own Walk In Cooler with a CoolBot Controller and A/C Unit.

(Here are 23 survival uses for honey that you didn’t know about.)

You may not be able to store things like we northerners can, but the Above Ground Root Cellar post will give you some ideas of what you can store, plus tips for year round food production so you always have fresh, local food to enjoy. The Coolbot makes it very affordable to use a standard AC unit for refrigerated fruit and vegetable storage.

10 Tips for Fruit and Vegetable Storage in a Root Cellar

Key storage tips to remember:

1. Late-maturing crops store better than early maturing crops. Specific varieties also store better than others. Watch for varieties that are noted for good storage quality.
2. Check fruit and vegetable condition at storage time. If you note any damage on produce, use those items first. One bad apple or onion can spoil the whole bin, so it’s good to regularly inspect produce during storage, too.
3. Cure the vegetables that need it before storage. Vegetables that require curing include onions, garlic, winter squash (pumpkins) and potatoes.
4. Most root vegetables store best in the root cellar if they are wiped off rather than washed. Wipe excess dirt off of carrots, beets, rutabagas and turnips and store them in lightly dampened leaves or straw. Use fresh leaves each year to prevent potential pathogen buildup. Sand and sawdust will also work, but are messier.
5. If you have a muddy garden at harvest time, it’s okay to wash, but make sure dry up excess moisture (and cure if needed) before storage to avoid rot.
6. Less-than-ideal conditions shorten storage life – try to get as close as possible to target temps and moisture levels. Use different areas of your storage for crops that are a best fit, such as storing carrots and beets lower (colder) and tomatoes and winter squash higher (warmer). (See chart below.)
7. Store fruits that give off ethylene gas away from produce that can be spoiled easily by ethylene gas. You can also wrap fruit that produces excess ethylene in newspaper to contain the gas. See Ethylene Gas below for more information.
8. The odor of strong smelling vegetables, like turnips and cabbage, can be absorbed by fruits and other vegetables. Store them away from other food and where the odor cannot waft into the house.
9. Do not allow fruits and vegetables to freeze. They will get mushy and rot. 
10. Track temperature and humidity to measure your root cellar performance. The SensePushunit can track up to 20 days and sync with your smartphone.

Fruit and Vegetable Storage Chart

The chart below gives preferred temperature and moisture ranges for root cellar storage of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Adapted from the University of Missouri Extension Office. 

Root Cellar Location – In the Basement or Buried Outside?

By default, the word “cellar” means “underground”. A big part of why root cellars work as well as they do is that the earth remains at a relatively constant (cool) temperature. This temperature will vary, depending on your location. Closer to the equator, and it may be cooler than air temp, but still isn’t likely to act well as a root cellar. At the opposite extreme, you have arctic permafrost, which the native folks use to store whole animals.

Retrofitting a Root Cellar in an Existing Home

The easiest option for building a root cellar is to section off a part of the basement (or maybe even the whole basement, if you live in an old farmhouse) for produce storage. Old dirt floor basements without heat are great for maintaining proper temperature and humidity levels.

Select an area with an existing window if possible, and use the window for ventilation. Fill the window with exterior grade plywood, and cut the necessary vent holes through the plywood. (The plywood also helps block light.)

North facing corners work well, because you can leave the two exterior walls uninsulated, and only insulate the interior walls. A north facing wall won’t gain heat from the sun. Use materials that tolerate moisture exposure.

Your basement root cellar should have no standard heating or cooling. Take note of ductwork or piping that runs through the ceiling above your root cellar (if any), and make sure vents or hot water pipes are well insulated so they don’t bleed heat into your root cellar.

For additional food storage space, build shelving on the outside of your basement root cellar for canned goods or other items.

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Adding a Root Cellar in a New Home

Many new homes have small concrete exterior porch. Typically this area has 4ft footings and is filled under the porch with dirt. You need to put a foundation wall under it anyway, so why not put this area to good use?

To turn this under porch area into a root cellar, have the builder put in full footings, an insulated exterior grade access door from the basement and two 4 inch vent holes. Add concrete slab on top as normal. This area could also be a wine cellar or safe room.

Our under porch root cellar measures about 6’x8′, which provides plenty of room for our stash of root veggies, plus gives a nice sized porch above. Locating the root cellar outside the footprint of the home allows the root cellar to maintain cooler temperatures more easily than a cellar located within the house.

Building a Root Cellar Outside the Home

For an exterior root cellar, similar rules apply – have good ventilation, keep it earth sheltered and dark. A north facing door is preferred, to avoid sun beating in and heating your cellar up. Aim for at least one to two feet of soil covering the root cellar, and make sure you choose a premade option (some people have used new septic tanks) or materials that are rot resistant and can stand the weight of wet soil.

Traditional Root Cellar

This is what most of us think of when we hear the phrase “root cellar”. There are insulated doors that lead down into the earth. It’s dug down or into the side of a hill. Walls are concrete, cinder block, or more creative materials like old tires. You need to make sure the roof and walls are well supported to avoid collapse. Engage an engineer to help ensure safety.

Earth Berm Root Cellar

Above ground root cellars are usually partly sunken with earth mounded on 3 sides and the door avoiding the direct sun. See the  Above Ground Root Cellars post for more information.

For a great resource on building a homestead root cellar, check out the book below by my friend, Teri, of Homestead Honey.

Barrel in the ground A (approximately Zones 6-9)

The size and depth depends on the zone you live in. A simple bucket, with holes drilled in the bottom and top, buried level with the soil with a bale of hay as an insulating cover will work into zone 7 and possibly into zone 6 depending on cover and conditions. The colder and hotter zones require the bucket or barrel to be deeper, and more insulation on the top to avoid the freezing surface temps.

Barrel in the ground B (approximately Zones 3-6)

Buy one large heavy duty garbage can, and a smaller garbage can that fits inside the larger one (with an inch or two gap). Both the larger garbage can and the smaller one need holes in the bottom. The inside one needs a cover with vents / screen. Cover exterior holes with screens to keep rodents out. It also needs significant insulation above it.

Prepare a hole that is deeper than the large garbage can, with rocks and gravel in the bottom to create a simple French drain. If water drains well, you will need a small amount of rocks and gravel. If soil doesn’t drain well, you need to go deeper and wider so your underground storage barrel doesn’t turn into a water hole. Another trick is to dig a very deep, large hole next to the garbage can hole and fill that hole with rocks. The deeper hole acts as a drain for your shallower garbage can root cellar.

Once you have the large garbage can in the ground and secure, lower the smaller one into the larger barrel. Store food in the small barrel. When you need access, grab from the top or pull out the smaller barrel. This makes it easier to reach food the bottom. There are many variations on this. Search “garbage can root cellar” for examples.

Root Cellar Ventilation

Improper ventilation is one of most common mistakes that people make when designing/installing a root cellar. They build their underground food storage airtight to keep things nice and cold, and everything spoils. Why? Because some foods give off ethylene gas, which speeds ripening (and rotting). A root cellar that is too airtight may also build up excess humidity, leading to mold and mildew.

How should you ventilate your root cellar? Use two vents, about 3-4 inches in diameter. Place the vents so that one is near the top of the root cellar to exhaust stale air and ethylene gas. The other vent should be run down to near the floor, to drop in fresh air. 4 inch vents should be adequate for to up to around an 8’x10’ room. If your cellar is larger than this, consider additional ventilation. Make sure to put screen on the outside to keep mice and other small animals out!

Ethylene Gas

As fruits such as apples and pears ripen, they give off ethylene gas, which decreases the storage life of some produce. Ethylene gas can cause sprouting, decay, mold, yellowing, shrinking, toughness, softness, bitterness and other damage.

To combat spoilage from ethylene gas, segregate fruits and veggies that produce excess ethylene gas from those that are easily damaged from ethylene gas. (This is a good idea for your refrigerator produce bins, too.)

Fruits and Vegetables that may create excess ethylene gas include:

Apples, apricots, avocados, ripening bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, citrus fruit (not grapefruit), cranberries, figs, guavas, grapes, green onions, honeydew, ripe kiwi fruit, mangoes, melons, mushrooms, nectarines, okra, papayas, passion fruit, peaches, pears, peppers, persimmons, pineapple, plantains, plums, prunes, quinces, tomatoes and watermelon.

Fruits and vegetables that may be damaged by excess ethylene gas include:

Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cucumbers, cut flowers, eggplant, endive, escarole, florist greens, green beans, kale, kiwi fruit, leafy greens, lettuce, parsley, peas, peppers, potatoes, potted plants, romaine lettuce spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, watercress and yams.

Root Cellar Lighting

Light exposure is the enemy of food storage. Every time I see people lining up their canning jars or spices on open shelves, I cringe. It looks beautiful, but light bleaches out the color and the nutrient value of foods.

In the root cellar, light exposure may lead to sprouting and green potatoes. If you’re venting through a window, cover the rest of the window. If you have a light in your root cellar so you can see your food storage better, don’t leave the light on when you’re not using it. A hunk of burlap drawn over bins of potatoes or fruit will allow ventilation while still blocking the light. A single incandescent light (switched on exterior) should provide adequate lighting (unless your room is really huge) and, if for some reason your storage gets too cold, you can always use it to introduce a little heat.

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Root Cellar Humidity – Keep Things Moist But Not Wet

Checking the fruit and vegetable storage chart, you’ll see that most store best with fairly high humidity. If you have a dirt or gravel floor in your root cellar, you’re in luck, because the natural ground moisture will help keep your produce damp.

Produce will give off some moisture on its own, but if you note that your produce is shriveling, your root cellar is probably too dry. Take a tip from the grocery stores, and try a little misting action with a spray bottle. Avoid getting any area too wet, as that can lead to standing water and potential mold growth. Some people leave trays of water in the root cellar to increase humidity. Be careful with this option, as it can also result in bacteria or mold growth.

Root Cellar Shelving

Shelving should allow airflow and add storage. Keep a gap between the shelving or storage bins and wall to encourage air flow. Remember to check the chart and keep produce that likes cooler temps lower and food that like warmer temps higher.

If you’re preparing for an event where you believe you may be forced to leave your home, you need to be prepared to combat the dangers of bugging out. Bugging in is almost always a safer route to take because you are at least somewhat aware of the hazards that exist in your local area.

If the area around you has become unstable enough that you need to bug out, it means there are new and increasing hazards around you that you aren’t familiar with or even aware of. It is these unknown hazards after any SHTF event that can thwart even the best laid bug out plans if you aren’t prepared to deal with them and adapt your bug out plans quickly in response.

#1. Lack of Clean Drinking Water

You know that you need to include water in your bug in stockpile and have several options for getting fresh water to drink when that runs out. Following a SHTF event, public utilities, like the water and wastewater treatment facilities, could quickly become overwhelmed. Running water provided by the city or public utility may become contaminated or even stop altogether. It’s even possible that groundwater will become contaminated and end up contaminating local wells.

If you’re bugging out, it will be essential that your bug out route and alternative routes put you within reach of multiple places to check for clean water. You’ll also need to know with certainty that you can filter and purify any water you drink. It’s entirely possible that your bug out will take longer because you have to detour in order to get to water.

#2. Dehydration

If you’ve been prepping for any amount of time at all, you’ve heard the warnings about dehydration. The human body must have water on a regular basis in order to continue to function normally. During a bug out, you will be on the move, expending energy to try and get to your bug out and to accomplish many of the physically demanding tasks that are required for survival when bugging out. You’ll be losing more fluids due to perspiration that occurs during physical activity. Depending on the climate, you may also be exposing your body to unrelenting heat. You’ll need more water than normal to keep functioning, not less.

If you’ve ever watched Naked and Afraid on TV, you’ve seen how quickly a lack of water can start to impact motivation, drive, energy, and strength. If your body is weakened from dehydration, you put yourself at increased risk for illness, injury, and being unable to successfully defend yourself against looters or others who want to take your remaining supplies.

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#3. Impassable Roadways

Most preppers have planned at least one and maybe more than one bug out route they will use to get from work or school to home and from home to their bug out location. But another one of the dangers of bugging out after a widespread disaster or SHTF event is the likelihood that many roadways in the area will be completely impassable.

Even if you do have a vehicle, there will be many, many other vehicles that simply ran out of gas or were abandoned wherever they were when the event happened. Highways, bridges, overpasses, freeway entry and exit ramps, and intersections may very well be completely impassable due to broken down or abandoned vehicles. Even if your car is operating, you may not be able to get through or turn around, forcing you to abandon your vehicle.

You need to prepare to change routes and even change transportation methods or set off on foot to get where you’re going. Keep in mind that what took several hours by car can easily take several days on foot. So, you will need more supplies but will have less capacity to carry them without your car. Therefore many preppers considering using a cache system.

#4. Hypothermia

Make sure your gear and supplies are adequate to keep everyone as dry and as warm as possible if you anticipate any kind of inclement weather. Hypothermia can set in even in weather that is 50 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit if you are wet and can’t get dry. If your bug out route requires you to cross creeks, streams, or other bodies of water or will mean travel through an area that is flooded or may be plagued with rain storms, plan to use waterproof clothing and other ways to stay dry when bugging out.

#5. Looters/Zombies

One of the greatest dangers to you and your family when bugging out will be other people. Looters and “zombies” who are desperate to feed themselves and their families and who didn’t prepare will not hesitate to take your gear and supplies. Some of these people will resort to violence in order to get what you have. Do what you can to avoid other people when possible, but also make sure you are knowledgeable in self-defense and are prepared to defend your family and your supplies during a bug out.

#6. Disappearing Rule of Law

One of the huge dangers of bugging out will be the disappearing rule of law. There are huge numbers of people in our world today whose tendency to violence and criminal activities are reined in by the rule of law. When a widespread disaster strikes, emergency services personnel, especially law enforcement, will be quickly overwhelmed by demand for assistance. The last thing police and other enforcement personnel will be worrying about is that someone stole your car or that you can’t find your teenage daughter.

Law enforcement will have bigger fish to fry and you will essentially be on your own. People normally reigned in due to laws and fear of punishment will quickly realize that they now have reduced risk of being caught for minor offenses such as burglary, assault, theft, even rape or kidnapping. It will be you against them with very little if any chance of anyone coming to your assistance. You must be prepared to take steps to avoid these people at all costs and to defend yourself and your family if confronted.

#7. Separation from Your Group

Being separated from your group during a bug out can be really dangerous. A widespread disaster or event can impact your communication systems and devices, especially if phone systems and other circuits are overwhelmed with demand. This means if you are separated from your group, you may not be able to get in touch with them to rendezvous or let them know if a pre-planned meeting place is now unsafe. To plan for this, make sure you have a visual system in place to get word to your group about your movements or changes in plans.

#8. Injury

Another one of the most dangerous threats during a bug out is an injury. If you aren’t used to using portable or hand tools you will be more susceptible to injury from misuse. In addition, allowing yourself to become exhausted or weak from malnutrition will increase the likelihood of an injury. An injury during a bug out can limit your mobility and if you don’t have an alternative way to get around and can’t get to safety, an injury can even be fatal. Learn as much as you can about how to prevent and treat injuries that can occur during a bug out to help combat this threat.

#9. Illness/Disease

Sanitation and hygiene after a disaster will be poor due simply because systems will get flooded with demand and some won’t be working because of the disaster or event. In addition, the number of deaths will greatly increase, and emergency services won’t be able to keep up with proper removal and burial of the dead. Animals and rodents will quickly overrun the streets and buildings. All of these things mean the risk of illness will increase.

Many of the diseases we thought were eradicated could once again rear their ugly heads. If you aren’t aware of these diseases and properly prepared to deal with a variety of illnesses using stockpiled medications or natural remedies, your bug out will fail. Talk to your physician about writing an extra script or two so you can stockpile prescription medication or look into animal antibiotics or natural alternatives.

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#10. Exhaustion

Even if you choose to bug out by vehicle, it’s possible to become exhausted during a bug out or any extended travel. The stress of being constantly on the move and being continually on high alert for hidden dangers will take its toll. Make sure you plan for adequate sleep. If you choose to bug out on foot, by bicycle, or another method that requires you to physically expend energy in order to travel, adequate breaks to rest will be critical to success.

#11. Malnutrition/Starvation

The human body needs adequate fuel in order to be able to continue to expend the energy required for many of the tasks needed during a bug out. Without the right fuel going into your body, you will start to feel the effects pretty quickly. Ensure that you plan to carry enough food and supplies so that each person in your group can consume the needed number of calories, including protein, to keep moving. If the human body doesn’t get adequate fuel to keep it moving, your ability to stay moving will be negatively impacted.

#12. Lack of Accurate Information

As you read through all of these hazards and dangers of bugging out, it should have become clear that another threat to your safety is going to be the lack of information or misinformation. Finding out what’s really happening around your home, neighborhood, and town will be difficult if not impossible.

You will have to get information from multiple sources and piece information together and then make assumptions based on what you do know. Even if you are lucky enough to have some way to communicate with others, information you get could be delayed, inaccurate, or even deliberately misleading. And if you take action and bug out based on misinformation or incorrect assumptions, your bug out could go wrong quickly.

Wrap-up

If you’ve read through all of these dangers of bugging out, it becomes clear the odds are stacked against you. The only way to begin to even out those odds is to gather as much knowledge and experience as you can about each of the bug out obstacles so that you can deal with whatever comes up along the way. Consider these dangers one at a time and make sure you’ve learned all you can and that you incorporate procedures into your bug out plan to combat them as best you can. There will be incidents where you simply can’t stay where you are. But whatever you do, don’t ignore the dangers of bugging out.

Did miss something that you think is an obvious danger of bugging out? Let us know in the comments below.

First, let me give you a little background.

I am a retired Army Senior NCO, Retired Master Peace Officer, drug interdiction officer and for the last 4 years, a military-contracted counter explosive canine handler in Afghanistan and Iraq.

My job depended on finding things people did not what found. I have literally searched, and taken apart thousands of vehicles in my career.

This article is about where to hide your stuff in the vehicle. Since carrying a weapon in your vehicle is legal in most of the USA, this article is geared more to hiding your weapons from those uninvited looters and scavengers who are inevitably going to come around in a social/government breakdown situation. Yes, I’m talking about the proverbial SHTF times.

So, let us set some ground rules. We are going to talk about two types of vehicles, handguns and long guns, as well as ammo. These are no concealment techniques that let you get to your firearms at a moment’s notice. This is about hidden storage that others, unless very skilled, will not find. This is for storage.

Imagine the following scenario: your vehicle is broken down and you have to leave it for a period of time as you need to find, tools, parts, or fuel. You can’t reasonably carry everything, so you are counting on your hidden cache of weapons to still be there upon your return. Or, your vehicle is parked outside, the looters and scavengers come through the area and ransack every vehicle on the block taking what they can easily steal. You don’t want them to find your stuff that was hidden. This is what this article is about. That being said, let’s get to it.

Sedan

The modern sedan has plenty of places to hide weapons. I will start with the accessible places inside the vehicle.

Under the center console. The center console is held to the floor in most sedans by a series of plastic clips or a few Phillip’s screws. Remove those and the console lifts up exposing a compartment that will house a rather large pistol and a couple boxes of ammo.

Seat Backs. The modern car has bucket seats. The back of the seats has a cover that simply snaps onto the seat and covers the springs. This area will conceal a pistol, ammo, and a short barrel long gun like an MP5 or Uzi.  Snap the seat back in place and no one will know it is there. This is also very fast to access if needed.  No tools required.

Under seats. I’m not talking about just on the floor under the seat. What we are talking about here is attached to the underside of the seat by tape, zip ties or something else. This keeps it out of sight if someone looks under the seat but it is still there if you just know where to look.

Other examples:

Inside door panels. You can hide a shotgun with a folding stock or a short rifle here. Clips and a couple of screws hold the door panels in place. You could remove the screws and leave them out but a sharp eye will notice something is amiss. My advice is to always put everything back the way it was so there will be no “giveaways” that there could be something behind the panel that is worth hiding.

Behind the radio. The radio will have four holes in the corners. Look at yours and you will see them. Most folks don’t realize all you have to do is insert metal rods, about the size of a wire coat hanger in these holes and the entire stereo slides out, leaving a very large cavity to hide weapons and ammo behind.

Now for the outside of the vehicle

Outside. The bumpers, front and rear have cavities under them that will hold a shotgun or rifle. Duct tape is a wonderful thing and you will be using it.

Open the hood. Inside the fender wells, you will see several places to hide your firearms. Inside the air cleaner box is a good place for a pistol.

In the trunk. I don’t really suggest this area as it is very easy to detect but in a pinch, it may do. Pull the carpet away from the sides of the trunk. It will be attached to a cardboard backing. Place your weapons behind this, in the cavity that is in the lower part of the rear fender, and replace the trunk lining. If you have done this carefully, it will be undetectable to the untrained eye. I also suggest throwing some old rags or a little dirt in the area to make it look as if it has not been disturbed.

Other examples:

SUV or Truck

You have many more places to work with here. Count all of the same places mentioned for the inside of the sedan above. Those hiding places are common to just about all vehicles.

Starting at the front

The Front Bumper. Under the front bumper is a very large area to store weapons.  Tape them in a secure place. You can hide a lot of stuff here.

Front Fenders. From under the hood you have access to a very large area to place a rifle bag full of goodies.  It will fit in behind the fender well and be very hard to see without knowing it is there.

Air Box System. This is a common place for pistols and ammo. Placing a weapon here will not affect the operation of the vehicle.

Under the vehicle. The modern SUV/Truck frame is an I Beam type structure. This is a natural shelf for all sorts of things.  A few large black Zip Ties will hold a rifle, shotgun, and a lot more. These will not be visible from just bending down and looking under the vehicle. A person would have to get under the vehicle and really look for them to find your hidden arsenal.

Roof. The roof of all modern SUVs and Trucks is actually hollow. Remove the third stop light that is at the top and rear of the cab. Pull that out and you will see a vast area to hide magazines, ammo, and other items. The way to do this is to tape a string to each item with duct tape and string them together.  Replace the stop light after you have hidden your items in the roof section. Make sure you tape the end of the string to the back of the light or to an area that is concealed but you can reach again. Then to retrieve, all you do is take out the light, pull the string and the items come out one after another.

Tailgate. This is hollow. The inside can be accessed through the latch assembly OR by splitting the tailgate by removing the screws and bolts that hold it together. I have seen tailgates that were split and then resealed with silicone. To open you just cut the silicone with a razor-blade and pull the two halves apart. Not all tailgates are the same, so you may have to adapt to your situation.

Rear Bumper. Like the front of the truck, there is a vast amount of storage space.

Spare Tires. Placing something inside a tire is a real pain in the rear, but hiding an item on top of the tire is easy. Lower the spare tire; most are cranked down to the ground with the jack handle. Once on the ground you can place your items inside the rim and crank the tire back into place. This is a simple and readily available storage area.

Depending on your ingenuity, time you want to spend, if you want to modify the vehicle or not, it is not hard to make your vehicle a rolling arsenal and no one would ever suspect was holding weapons and ammo in every corner.

End thoughts

If you really feel this may be something that you have to deal with, I suggest throwing your roving horde of scavengers off the trail. If you have to abandon your vehicle and you are pretty sure it will get at least looked at, give them something to go after. Leave a useless (as in not functioning) pistol or something in plain sight. Let them take that and stop searching. Basically, throw them a bone. The whole point about concealing your weapons so that the looters won’t find them is just that: concealment. Make sure you leave no signs, no pointers that say “Hey, Look Here!”. Do this and when you return to your vehicle from something as simple as a walk into the woods to take care of bodily functions, you can rest assure when you get back your stuff with be safe and secure.