Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

When it comes to storing the rather large quantity of food that has been acquired, space and safe storage becomes an issue. Im sure theres optimal ways to do things and methods that are better than mine but I’ll tell you what I do.

The absolute best thing I have found so far, for my needs, has been the adjustable free-standing wire shelving that you would see in most professional kitchens. CostCo usually has them somewhere…about $80 for a 6’ unit that comes with wheels and six levels of shelving. I find these things to be excellent for the task. The wire shelving lets air circulate between layers, keeps stuff high enough off the floor to keep moisture away, each shelf is adjustable for height, and the wheels let me move the unit around if I need to shuffle space in the bunker. If you buy two of these units you can share a set of legs and have a unit three shelves across. Three units gets you a run of five shelf widths, etc, etc. Extra shelving, as well as some interesting accessories, can be found here.  The most valuable accessory are ‘S-hooks’ these are, as you might guess, S-shaped pieces of metal that hook onto the shelf edge and let you hang another shelf from it. For example if you had two freestanding shelves, these hooks would let you hang another shelf between them. Where they really shine are for making your shelving run around corners or for making ‘T’ intersections of shelving. They’re cheap and add a huge amount of versatility.

Originally I fabbed up some shelves using 2×4 and plywood. They were cheaper, no doubt about it but they were not nearly as versatile. It’s a pain in the ass to have to cough up money up front for the wire shelving but its versatility makes up for it in a major way. I have a bunch of these things and love ‘em.

The lowest level shelf is a few inches of the floor because the name of the game here is airflow and moisture-free. I try to space everything so that theres a bit of airflow so packaging doesn’t deteriorate from moisture, mold or damp. I usually store the 5-gallon buckets on the lower shelves since they are the most resistant to environmental concerns. Even if there were a foot of standing water the buckets would be okay and as an extra layer of insurance the contents of the buckets are in sealed Mylar bags. So…most durable packaging goes on the lower shelves.

Each shelving unit, by the way, is about 4’ wide so its not that hard to come up with 4’ of wall space somewhere to store it. Many people say that they just don’t have the room to store any large quantity of food…I hate to make sweeping generalizations, but I think if you’re serious about being prepared you’ll find the room. Just use common sense: store away from heat and cold (no uninsulated garages), away from chemical contaminants (don’t store it next to the bug killer), away from damp and wet (don’t store it in a hole under your garden shed). Wheres that leave? Closets, under bed, topmost layer of kitchen cabinets, finished basement, etc, etc. It really doesn’t take up that much room. (All the other crap we accumulate to be prepared, well, that’s another matter altogether.) Although they cost more, the shelving is also available in 12” rather than 18” deep…for where space is really tight.

Like I said, I prefer the steel wire shelving but if you don’t wanna spend that kinda money just make sure to store your stuff in such a manner that its off the floor (imagine a pipe break or sump pump failure), not contacting the walls, and arranged to let air circulate.

A few other things to think about:

Think about weight and stability. Putting the 1-gallon glass jars on the topmost shelf might be a bad idea if things get knocked around a bit. The wire shelving I use comes with ‘guardrails’ so stuff wont fall of the ends of the shelf. Think about it…. Ground tremors, hasty movement of contents on shelves, etc can all wind up knocking things off. Arrange accordingly.

Anything not in a can, bottle, or heavy duty packaging needs to be repackaged. I use heavy plastic locking storage pins for the cardboard/paper packaged stuff. This keeps it all in one place and keeps everything dry and safe if theres an environmental issue. (‘Environmental issue’ is shorthand for ‘stuff in the air like [water, rain, snow, mist, moisture, dampness, dust, dirt, etc.]’)

If you worry about people seeing your stash, or just want to keep it protected to keep light and dust off it, covers are available to complete cover the shelf and its contents. You can make your own, obviously, or you can buy them ready-made complete with zipper access.

In short, if you can free up a 48”x18” (or even a 48”x12”) footprint somewhere then you’ve got room to sock away at least several months worth of food.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but Ive been quite pleased with the wire shelving.