Crimson Pirate's Apartment Prep Page

Think you can't prep in small space like an apartment? Or on a budget? Well you can. This page is for both demonstrating that people do it, and providing instructions on how.

Mid to Long term preps

This section is for mid to long term preps, these are primarily food preps meant to get you through an ongoing situation which doesn't require evacuation or at least doesn't require it too quickly. You plan to be at home. Think weather or natural disaster. That is why you won't find compases, knives, matches, or camping equipment among them. Of course, you should always have a gun and knife.

One of the first things people ask is "Where can I store preps in a loft, 1 bedroom, or 2 bedroom apartment? Well, almost everyone I know has some old piece of luggage that they will never ever use again, but just can't bring themselves to throw out. Such luggage makes a perfect place to store some mid to long term food preps, or use for a Bug Out Bag or Emergency Kit. After all, it won't take any more space when it's full of supplies than it does when it's sitting there empty. Plus old suitcases slide perfectly under the bed. You can fit 4-6 under a queen size bed.

If you don't have any old luggage check with relatives and visit garage sales, flee markets, or check craigslist in your area. Trust me, there is plenty of it floating around. This particular piece was originally a laryngascope case that was being thrown away. But what supplies do you put in the suitcase?

One of the most popular mid to long term food storage methods for small space preppers is packing food in used plastic drink bottles. Almost any size can be used for something from 20 OZ to 1, 2, or 3, liter bottles. As it turns out you can fit quite a few of these in an old suitcase. The most popular foods for storing this way are rice, beans, pasta, salt, and sugar.

If you drink soda, or bottled water that comes in fairly sturdy bottles then save your empties. Put a little dish soap in them, and fill them with the hottest water you can get from your kitchen faucet. Fill them until the bubbles start to run out, then put the cap on and shake vigorously. Unscrew the cap so they don't draw a vacuum and partially collapse.

Some people like to let them sit overnight. Some don't. Either way, when you're ready remove the cap and fill them up with cold water until all the soap is gone and water is running out of the top. Empty them and rinse thoroughly. Be sure all the soap is gone. Rinse the cap thoroughly. Then place them in the drain tray to dry. They usually have to dry for a couple of days. You want them completly dry, with no moisture left in them at all.

Now get whatever you want to store in the bottle, and a funnel. Put the funnel in the top of the bottle and pour in the food. When the bottle is full bang it on the counter a few times to settle the food and fill the resulting space up again. Repeat until you get it as full as you can. Fill it to the top. You want as little air left in it as is humanly possible.

Some people like to place a small square of plastic wrap over the top of the bottle for extra protection. If you want to, go ahead. Then screw on the cap. Drink bottles have an air and water tight seal. With little or no air in the bottle the food will last 2-5 years for rice, beans, or pasta. Sugar and salt never go bad. They may clump, or become discolored, but they are toxic to almost all microorganisms, so they will still be useable in 20 or 30 years if the bottle is intact. Take a permanent marker and write on the bottle what it contains, the date packed, the use by, or best by dates if any, and any directions for preparing the food.

you may have noticed that some of the empty bottles in these pictures have writing on them. They were already used for food storage, and have been emptied, washed, and are ready to be used again. As long as they are not damaged the bottles can last virtually forever. A little rubbing alcohol will get the old writing off before they are refilled.

Periodicly rotate your supplies by useing some of what you have stored and replacing it with new stuff. Need rice? Empty out a bottle to use. don't forget to wash it again. When you go grocery shopping pick up a bag of rice and refill the now empty bottle. In this way you can keep extending the shelf life of your stored food.

Bottles can easily fit in all sorts of small and out of the way places, and don't take up much room compared to the volume of food they hold. Once these are refilled they will be moved to another location such as a suitcase, or a shelf, or cabinet out sight. Don't tell all of your friends and neighbors what you are doing. Right now they will think you are crazy. But if anything bad does happen then they will show up on your doorstep right when you are thinking "Thank God I have supplies for my wife and kids!" What will you do then?

Once you get going and have several bags, boxes, or suitcases then you should consider evenly distributing supplies in each container. That way if some get damaged or destroyed or you can't grab them all before a sudden evacuation or you get seperated from or lose a couple you won't be stuck with a case full of just one thing. This case is a good example.

It contains rice, several varieties of beans, several varieties of pasta, salt, pepper, and sugar. There is still enough room to slip in some bullion cubes, or other spices. Wouldn't it suck to get clear of a disaster only to discover that you had 10 liters of white rice and nothing else, not even anything to flavor it with?

If you crawled out from under a collapsed house in Haiti with only one case I'm sure 10 liters of rice would be OK. That would beat getting out with nothing, or not getting out. But getting out with a choice of rice, pasta, and beans with some spices would be even better.