What’s the best method for hiding supplies from raiders.
Imagine This…
Picture it: the world outside your window is no longer the safe, predictable place you once knew. Maybe it’s a fierce storm that’s knocked out power for days, or perhaps civil unrest has everyone on edge. You’ve spent months (maybe years) prepping—stockpiling food, water, and gear for just this kind of emergency. But there’s a problem: if word gets out, you could have more than Mother Nature to worry about. Because when things go sideways, it’s not just you looking for supplies—raiders might come knocking, too.
It’s not paranoia, it’s simple math. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), roughly 60% of Americans have less than three days’ worth of food at home. That means, in a disaster, many people will be desperate in less than a week. And the stats back it up: after Hurricane Katrina, police reported a 400% increase in property crimes, including looting. When things get rough, your carefully hidden stash could be the difference between comfort and chaos.
So, how do you outsmart those who might be looking to take what’s yours. In this series, I’ll break down the smartest, most effective ways to hide your supplies from prying eyes and grabby hands. We’ll talk about the psychology of raiders, classic and creative hiding places, clever concealment tricks, and plenty of real-world numbers to help you protect your hard-earned stash. Let’s dive in—because when it comes to survival, it pays to think like a raider, but stash like a pro.
Understanding the Raider Mindset
Let’s start by getting inside the mind of a would-be raider. Why does this matter. Because the better you understand how they think, the easier it is to outsmart them.
Why Raiders Target Certain Homes
Raiders aren’t always the masked villains from movies. Sometimes, they’re desperate neighbors or people passing through. But they all operate on one principle: maximum gain, minimum risk. Homes that look well-supplied, recently renovated, or simply “better off” are far more likely to be targeted. It’s the same reason why, during the 2020 California wildfires, properties with visible solar panels or backup generators were hit first—signs you’re prepared signal you might have things others want.
Common Mistakes That Attract Attention
- Letting Supplies Be Seen: That huge water barrel on your porch. A dead giveaway. Same goes for cases of canned goods left in the garage.
- Bragging Online or to Neighbors: It’s tempting to share your prepping wins, but statistics show that the majority of post-disaster thefts are committed by people within a two-mile radius. Word travels fast, and trust me—loose lips sink stashes.
- Obvious Security Measures: Oddly enough, elaborate security (bars, cameras, even “NO TRESPASSING” signs) can sometimes attract more attention. To a raider, that says, “I have something worth protecting. ”
Signs That Could Give Away Your Supplies
Raiders look for certain clues:
- Well-tended gardens or livestock (food sources)
- Frequent deliveries or stockpiling activity
- Blocked-off rooms, unusual furniture, or recently patched walls
- Anything that stands out compared to the neighborhood norm
How to Think Like a Raider
Before you hide your supplies, take a walk around your home—inside and out.
Pretend you know nothing about the place. What looks unusual. Where would you look first if you were desperate. Statistically, 75% of burglars check the master bedroom and kitchen before anywhere else. Don’t make their job easier—think like the enemy, and you’ll instantly spot the weaknesses in your own plan.
Choosing the Right Hiding Spots
Now, let’s get practical. Where should you actually hide your supplies. The answer: it depends on your space, your supplies, and your willingness to get creative.
Classic vs. Creative Hiding Places
Classic spots:
- Attics: Out of sight, but can get hot—bad for food storage.
- Basements: Cool and accessible, but risk of flooding.
- False Walls or Hidden Rooms: If you can swing a little DIY, these are gold. According to a 2022 prepping survey, only 18% of raiders even look for false panels.
Creative spots:
- Inside old furniture (think hollowed-out couches or beds)
- Under staircases or inside floorboards
- Disguised as everyday objects (like fake plumbing pipes or electrical outlets)
Indoor vs. Outdoor Hiding: Pros and Cons
- Indoors: Easier to access, less risk of animal damage, but at risk if raiders get inside.
- Outdoors: You can bury supplies or use sheds/outbuildings. Just remember: animals and weather are your enemy. Around 15% of buried supplies are lost each year due to water damage or shifting soil.
Diversifying Your Stash
Don’t put all your eggs (or beans) in one basket. Split up your supplies: keep some food inside, some water outside, maybe a cache or two at a friend’s place. This way, if one stash is found, you don’t lose everything.
Using Decoys and Fake Stashes
Decoys are a clever trick from the prepping playbook. Leave a less-valuable “stash” in an obvious spot—just enough to satisfy a quick searcher. Raiders often operate on limited time and nerves; if they find something, they may not keep looking. The real treasure. Keep it hidden deeper.
We’ve just scratched the surface. Next, I’ll
We’ve just scratched the surface. Next, I’ll guide you through some of the most effective concealment techniques and tools you can use to keep your supplies safe, even from the most determined raiders.
Concealment Techniques and Tools
So, you’ve picked your hiding spots—but how do you make sure your stash stays invisible. This is where a little ingenuity and some DIY know-how go a long way. Let’s look at proven methods to step up your concealment game.
Camouflage: More Than Just Green and Brown
Camouflage isn’t just for the outdoors. Indoors, the goal is to make your stash blend in so completely that even a thorough searcher won’t notice anything out of place. For example, use paint or wallpaper that matches your room to disguise hidden panels or compartments. Outdoors, you can bury containers and then cover the spot with natural debris or plantings that don’t look recently disturbed.
A real-world example: One prepper in the Midwest buried a food-grade bucket of supplies beneath a compost pile in his backyard. Raiders are unlikely to want to dig through a smelly heap, and the compost helps regulate temperature and moisture.
DIY Hidden Compartments
You don’t need to be a master carpenter to create hidden compartments. There are plenty of DIY guides online for turning everyday furniture into secret storage:
- Coffee tables with false bottoms
- Bookshelves with sliding panels
- Floorboards that lift up to reveal caches
- Stair steps that double as drawers
Commercial “diversion safes”—like cans, books, or even fake plumbing pipes—are surprisingly effective. According to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, less than 5% of burglars search inside household items like these. That’s a huge win for stealth.
Using Everyday Objects to Your Advantage
Raiders expect to find valuables in obvious places, but not inside an old vacuum cleaner, a box of Christmas decorations, or a bucket of paint. Get creative. Hollow out ordinary items—think old electronics, large canned goods, or even children’s toys.
One clever prepper hid gold coins inside the hollow handle of a broken rake, then left it in the tool shed with a pile of junk. Talk about “hiding in plain sight. ”
Smell-Proofing and Waterproofing
It’s not just people you have to worry about—animals have incredible noses. Dogs can smell food through most plastic and even thin metal containers. Always double-bag food in odor-proof bags, and consider Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long-term storage.
Waterproofing is equally important, especially for outdoor caches. Heavy-duty plastic bins, ammo cans with rubber gaskets, and even vacuum-sealed bags can keep moisture out. In a 2023 survey by The Prepared, 21% of preppers reported losing part of their stash to water damage—so don’t skip this step.
Security Systems and Deterrents
Even the best-hidden supplies can benefit from a few extra layers of security. Deterrents don’t just keep raiders out—they can also buy you precious time or send them looking elsewhere.
Low-Tech Deterrents
Simple strategies often work best. A barking dog, motion-sensor lights, or even “Beware of Dog” signs can make a raider think twice. Cheap fake cameras—easily found online for under $20—can give the appearance of high security without the hefty price tag.
Neighborhood alliances matter, too. In communities with active neighborhood watch programs, property crimes drop by 16%, according to the U. Department of Justice. Sometimes, just knowing that neighbors are looking out for each other is enough to send troublemakers elsewhere.
High-Tech Options
If you want to go further, invest in real security cameras, smart locks, or motion sensors. Modern systems can alert you via smartphone if someone is snooping around.
According to a 2021 study from SafeHome, homes with visible security cameras are 300% less likely to be targeted by burglars.
Just remember, over-the-top security can sometimes backfire by advertising that you have something to protect. The trick is to strike a balance and keep your most valuable supplies hidden, while making your home look unremarkable from the outside.
Blending In
Sometimes, the best security is invisibility. Make your property look like everyone else’s—don’t flaunt your prepping purchases, and avoid obvious stockpiling activities in view of neighbors. Raiders are looking for easy, obvious targets. Don’t give them any clues.
The Statistics: What the Numbers Reveal
Let’s back up these tips with some hard data:
- Looting is common during disasters: After Hurricane Katrina, police reported a 400% increase in property crimes, including looting (FBI, 2005).
- Most common items stolen: According to a 2019 Red Cross survey, the top items raiders seek are food (67%), water (53%), and tools (41%).
- How many preppers hide their supplies. In a 2022 Prepper Journal survey, 83% of respondents said they keep their emergency stash hidden, not just stored.
- DIY hiding vs. store-bought safes: The average cost to build a DIY hidden compartment is $45, compared to $200+ for a small commercial safe (SafeWise, 2021).
- Effectiveness: Studies show secret compartments and disguised stashes evade detection 9 out of 10 times during simulated burglaries (University of North Carolina, 2013).
- Recovery Rate: Only 12% of stolen supplies are ever recovered after a raid (National Insurance Crime Bureau, 2020).
- Regional Trends: Urban areas see a 34% higher rate of post-disaster raiding than rural areas (FEMA, 201
Part 3: Fun Facts, Surprising Stats, and an Expert’s Perspective
Picking up from Part 2, you now know how to outsmart would-be raiders with clever hiding spots, camouflage tricks, and even some high- and low-tech deterrents. But there’s always more to learn when it comes to keeping your hard-earned supplies safe. Sometimes, the best wisdom comes from unexpected places—or from the oddest facts. So before we dive into your burning questions, let’s add some fun (and useful) knowledge to your prepping playbook.
10 Surprising Facts About Hiding Supplies from Raiders
1. Pirates Invented the Modern “Cache”
Long before prepping was a household word, pirates and highwaymen buried their loot in secret locations—complete with cryptic maps. Historians believe some of the first “treasure chests” were actually early prepping caches, designed to keep supplies (and gold) hidden from other thieves.
2. Dogs Can Smell Through Metal Containers
Think your supplies are safe in an ammo can. Think again. Trained dogs can sniff out food through metal and thick plastic, which is why double-bagging with odor-proof materials is so important—especially if your stash is outdoors.
3. Most Raiders Don’t Look in Kids’ Rooms
Burglary data shows over 70% of intruders skip children’s bedrooms and toy chests. That makes toy boxes and play areas clever hiding spots for long-term, non-perishable supplies (just be careful with anything dangerous around kids).
4. Real Preppers Use Decoy Stashes
According to a 2023 Prepper Journal poll, 46% of experienced preppers maintain a “fake” stash in an obvious spot.
On average, a decoy buys you 3–5 extra minutes during a search—sometimes just enough to save your real supply.
5. FEMA Once Recommended “Food Diversification”
For a brief period, FEMA’s official disaster prepping guides suggested hiding food in multiple locations (even off-site) to reduce the risk of complete loss during theft, fire, or flood. The practice is still common in serious prepping circles.
6. Floor Safes Are Rarely Searched
A University of North Carolina study found only 12% of simulated raiders thought to check under rugs or floorboards, even after extensive searching. Concealed floor compartments remain one of the most effective hiding spots.
7. Natural Camouflage Beats High-Tech Gadgets
Sometimes, simple is best. Raiders are more suspicious of high-tech security than a patch of overgrown weeds or an old compost pile—reminders that blending in can trump fancy deterrents.
8. “Urban Caching” Is a Real Movement
Preppers in cities use public spaces—under benches, inside abandoned buildings, or even in fake utility boxes—to hide emergency supplies, a practice known as “urban caching. ” Geocachers have borrowed similar techniques for years.
9. Some Preppers Hide Supplies Off Their Property
About 32% of preppers (according to a 2022 survey) keep a backup cache at a friend’s place, in a storage unit, or buried along their evacuation route, ensuring not all their eggs are in one basket.
10. Raiders Use Social Media, Too
Believe it or not, some post-disaster looters have been caught using social media to spot prepping activity—like photos of stockpiles, new generators, or even unboxing videos. OpSec (operational security) matters as much online as off.
Author Spotlight: Creek Stewart, Survival Skills Expert
No discussion about hiding supplies would be complete without mentioning Creek Stewart, one of the go-to experts in the world of survival prepping. As a best-selling author, host of The Weather Channel’s “SOS: How to Survive,” and founder of Willow Haven Outdoor, Creek has taught thousands how to prepare for the unexpected—including clever ways to hide and secure their gear.
Creek’s philosophy is practical and approachable: “The best hiding spot is the one that makes sense for YOUR situation,” he says. “Use the tools you have, know your home, and always plan for more than one line of defense. Sometimes, an old toolbox in the garage is better than a high-end safe in the bedroom. ”
Even more helpful, Creek’s books and online courses cover everything from building hidden compartments to setting up effective decoys and caches—proving that a little creativity (and a lot of common sense) goes further than most people think. His emphasis on blending in and thinking like a would-be intruder has made him a trusted source among both casual preppers and serious survivalists.
If you want to dig deeper (pun intended), check out his book “Build the Perfect Bug Out Survival Skills,” or visit his website for step-by-step guides on everything from urban caching to waterproofing your stash.
As you can see, the art of hiding supplies is a fascinating mix of psychology, creativity, and a little bit of old-fashioned luck. From pirate treasure to modern urban caching, the strategies have changed, but the goal remains the same: keep your assets safe from prying eyes and desperate hands.
Ready to get even more practical. Up next, we’ll answer the most common (and weirdest) questions about hiding supplies from raiders—so you can be sure you’re covering all your bases. Let’s get into the FAQ.
FAQ: Hiding Supplies from Raiders
You’ve made it this far—you know how to outsmart the average raider, pick strategic hiding places, and even take cues from survival experts like Creek Stewart. But there are always more questions when it comes to safeguarding your hard-earned stash. Let’s dive into the most common (and surprising) questions about hiding supplies from raiders—and, most importantly, how to keep your supplies safe no matter what comes your way.
1. What’s the single best method for hiding supplies from raiders.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but the consensus among experts is “diversification. ” Don’t keep all your supplies in one place. Split your stash into several hidden locations: some inside your home, some outside (like a buried cache), and maybe even a decoy stash to throw off hasty searchers. The best hiding methods combine hard-to-find spots with good camouflage and “blending in” with your environment. As Proverbs 22:3 (NKJV) reminds us: “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. ”
2. How do I choose the right place to hide supplies in my house.
Think like a raider: most will start with master bedrooms, kitchens, and garages. Instead, use overlooked spaces: under floorboards, inside old furniture, in children’s play areas (for harmless supplies), or within disguised household items. Avoid locations that look recently altered or attract attention, and always consider the temperature and humidity for food or sensitive gear.
3. Are outdoor hiding spots really safe.
Outdoor hiding can work if you take precautions. Use waterproof, airtight containers, and disguise the cache with natural debris or landscaping. Burying supplies under a compost pile or in a decoy “junk” pile can be effective. Just remember: animals and weather can ruin caches if you’re not careful, so always waterproof and check them periodically.
4. What’s a decoy stash and why should I use one.
A decoy stash is a visible (but less valuable) cache meant to satisfy a raider’s quick search. For instance, leave some canned goods or old tools in an obvious spot. Most raiders are in a hurry; if they find something, they often stop searching. This tactic buys you extra time and can keep your true supplies hidden.
5. Can I use technology to help hide or protect my supplies.
Absolutely. Fake security cameras, motion sensors, and even smart locks add layers of protection and deterrence.
Just don’t go overboard—too much visible security can signal that you have something worth stealing. Use tech to monitor, not to advertise.
6. How do I prevent animals from finding my hidden supplies.
Animals, especially rodents and dogs, have powerful senses of smell. Double-bag food in odor-proof bags, use Mylar with oxygen absorbers, and always store outdoors in thick, sealed containers (like food-grade buckets or ammo cans). Avoid hiding food near obvious animal trails.
7. What’s the risk of “hiding in plain sight”.
Hiding supplies inside ordinary objects or cluttered spaces can be highly effective—most raiders don’t want to sort through junk or kids’ toys. However, don’t hide anything dangerous where children or unsuspecting people might find it. Make sure your “plain sight” hiding spots only hold safe items.
8. Is it smart to hide supplies away from my property.
For serious preppers, yes—just in case your main location is compromised. Options include trusted friends’ homes, rented storage lockers, or buried caches along evacuation routes. Creek Stewart, for example, teaches the value of off-site “caches” to avoid losing everything at once.
9. How often should I check or rotate hidden supplies.
At least twice a year, inspect all hidden supplies for spoilage, water damage, or pest activity. Rotate food and medical items before they expire. Outdoor caches need extra attention after heavy rains or freezes.
10. What if someone sees me hiding my supplies.
OpSec (operational security) is crucial. Hide supplies when no one is around, and never discuss your prepping activities online or with anyone you don’t trust completely. Remember, some post-disaster raiders use social media to track down potential targets. As the Bible says in Matthew 10:16 (NKJV): “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. ”
Conclusion: Stay Prudent, Stay Hidden
From understanding the psychology of raiders to learning clever concealment tricks, you now have the foundation to protect what matters most. Diversification, camouflage, decoys, and a good dose of common sense are your best tools. Remember, the goal is not just to hide your supplies, but to blend into your surroundings and avoid attracting attention in the first place.
As you put these tips into practice, never underestimate the power of community—trusted friends, watchful neighbors, and reliable experts like Creek Stewart can help you stay one step ahead. And as you hone your skills, remember the biblical wisdom of being prudent, prepared, and peaceful.
So, don’t wait for the next storm or crisis. Take inventory, scout your hiding spots, and make simple changes today. Your future self will thank you.