Bulk long-term storage at thirty to fifty-five gallons for a household committed to volume. Enormous capacity, with the trade that a filled drum stops being a container and becomes furniture.
- Confirm food-grade, and confirm what it held before you. Reconditioned drums are cheap and frequently held something you would not want anywhere near your wheat.
- Blue HDPE is the standard for potable use. Closed-head with bungs suits water, open-head with a locking ring suits dry goods.
- Choose the location before you fill it. A fifty-five gallon drum of wheat clears four hundred pounds and will not be moved again.
- Line dry goods with mylar. The drum is armor in exactly the same way a bucket is.
- Count rotation as the real cost. Anything in a drum is a commitment, not a working supply.
