Prepper Glossary
What Is a Cache in Prepping?
A cache is a hidden stash of supplies stored away from the main house, along a walking route, near a bug out location, or at a second property you control. The idea is resupply if you cannot go home or cannot carry everything at once. It is not a substitute for a pantry. If you do not have permission to leave stuff on that land, you do not have a cache. You have litter.
Also called: supply cache, survival cache, resupply stash
How it fits
Cache vs BOL vs bag vs pantry
Pantry
Feed a bug-in
Carry 72 hours
Cache
Hidden extra along the way or at the destination
The destination itself
Most US households never need a buried drum. They need a spare box at a relative's house. That is a cache with manners.
Quick facts
What it is
Off-site supplies you can legally reach
Job
Resupply on a route or at a second place
Not the same as
A BOL: the place vs the stash
House layer first
Legal
Only on land you own, lease, or have clear permission to use
Contents
What to put in one
Water that will not freeze and burst if that is a risk, food you will still eat in a year, a light, a layer of clothes for the season. Date it. Use FIFO if you can reach it twice a year.
Do not cache anything illegal to possess or to leave on that property. Do not treat public land as a locker. This page will not give burial diagrams or "undetectable hide" methods.
Priorities
When a cache is the wrong project
If the house has no three-day kit, a buried bucket is theater. If you cannot find the spot in the dark after a year of leaves, it is a donation to the woods. If the only map is on a phone, print the description onto the evacuation plan.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a prepper cache?
A hidden or off-site stash of supplies you can legally reach if home is closed or the bag is not enough.
Is a cache the same as a bug-out location?
No. The BOL is the place. The cache is stuff stored there or on the way.
Do I need to bury supplies?
No. A labeled tote at a family property is a cache.
Should beginners start with a cache?
No. Start with water and food at home.
What about public woods?
Do not leave supplies on land you do not control.
Related terms
Keep reading
Last updated: August 28, 2026