History Main / EmergencyStash

* Frank Moses in ''Film/Red2010'' has two of these: one a box with a gun and IDs in the foundation of his house that he has to use a sledgehammer to break open and one a storage unit full of guns, ammunition, and explosives. Even [[CrazyPrepared Marvin]] is impressed.

* Frank Moses in ''Film/Red2010'' has one of these. He has to use a sledgehammer to break open the foundation of the house to get to it, but it's there.

* In ''Film/TotalRecall2012'', Quaid's emergency stash is a more typical safety box inside of a bank. [[spoiler:Quaid still needs to be led to it by a man he doesn't knows because he himself doesn't has memory of it. The mysterious man himself [[AscendedExtra turns out to be]] another Resistance mole within the Cohaagen regime that pulls off a HeroicSacrifice BigDamnHeroes moment near the end.]]

[[quoteright:1000:[[Film/MenInBlackII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_weapon_room.png]]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:So secret not even the rsidents knew it was there]]

* In ''Film/{{Commando}}'', Matrix just happens to have a gun safe with automatic weapons at his house.

* In ''Film/MenInBlackII'', J and K access an emergency stash of weapons after the [=MiB=] HQ is in LockDown. The people who live where the weapons are stored have no idea they are there.
* In ''Film/TotalRecall1990'', a mysterious stranger delivers a suitcase with an emergency stash to Douglas Quaid. The twist is that Quaid set up the stash himself, but he has no memory of it.
* In ''Film/TotalRecall2012'', Quaid's emergency stash is a more typical safety box inside of a bank. [[spoiler:Quaid still needs to be led to it by a man he doesn't knows because he himself doesn't has memory of it. The mysterious man himself [[AscendedExtra turns out to be]] another Resistance mole within the Cohaagen regime that pulls off a HeroicSacrifice BigDamnHeroes moment near the end.]]

* ''Film/PaleRider'': After the miners vote to resist [=LaHood=], the Preacher causes confusion by leaving town and leaving them to their fate. He's actually going to another town where he has his pistols stashed from when he used to be a HiredGun before his HeelFaithTurn.
* In ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'', General Colton keeps a enormous arsenal of weapons in his house, despite being officially retired. He is able to equip the entire Joe team when they show up on the run.

* In a ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'' novella, this is how Bruce Banner is able to restock himself with clothes -- he keeps accounts in several banks in larger cities, and he has his ATM cards stuck in a secure location in his clothes so that when he [[HulkingOut Hulks Out]], he can get at the money.

* In Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}, ''Alan Turing'' sets one of these up when he fears that the Nazis will invade Britain. He returns to collect it when the threat has passed, but can't find it even with his improvised metal detector. Later sections of the plot hinge around a vast cache of gold hidden by the Japanese, and the various schemes and counter-schemes to either recover it or prevent other interested parties from doing so.

* In ''Series/BurnNotice'', Michael states how it becomes second nature to spies to make one of these anywhere they can because they never know what they will be up against.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]
* The ''Safehouses'' supplement for TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}} has one runner describe how to make one and what to store in one. For one a Revolver with a dry lubricant. Mainly because a revolver doesn't need a much maintenance and a dry lube won't dry out and need to be replaced.

* Once on ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'', [[HeterosexualLifePartners Callen and Sam]] are on the run with a DamselInDistress whom they're protecting. Because they had to ditch their equipment, they go to a secret stash of weapons and provisions.

* One TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}} supplement has one runner describe how to make one and what to store in one. For one a Revolver with a dry lubricant. Mainly because a revolver doesn't need a much maintenance and a dry lube won't dry out and need to be replaced.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': In the volume ''Brief Lives'', an immortal who had been around for upwards of [[TimeAbyss 10,000 years]] dies in an accident; afterward, the immortal's son finds his dad's stash. When the main characters encounter the son, he is ''very'' drunk, shows them the stash, and wonders exactly why his dad (who he thought was just a kind of mousy attorney with a ponytail) had that stash and who he really was. Towards the end of the volume, we see the son again, and while he decides to give away or destroy most of the's stash, he does keep several of the fake [=IDs=] for himself. As the narration points out, it's handy to be able to disappear and become someone else when you really need to.

[[folder:Comics]]
* In the ''[[ComicBook/TheSandman Sandman]]'' volume ''Brief Lives'' an immortal who had been around for upwards of [[TimeAbyss 10,000 years]] dies in a an accident and afterward the immortal's son finds dad's stash. When the main characters encounter the son, he is ''very'' drunk, shows them the stash, and wonders exactly why dad, (who he thought was just a kind of mousy attorney with a pony tail) had that stash and who dad really was. Towards the end of the volume we see the son again, and while he decides to give away or destroy most of dad's stash he does keep several of the fake [=IDs=] for himself. As the narration points out, it's handy to be able to disappear and become someone else when you really need to.

[[folder:Film]]

* Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) accessed an emergency stash of I.D. and money in the movie ''Film/TheArtOfWar''. It was hidden behind a mirror in the apartment of the one comrade who didn't betray him.

* In the original ''Film/TotalRecall1990'', a mysterious stranger delivers a suitcase with an emergency stash to Douglas Quaid. The twist is that Quaid set up the stash himself, but he has no memory of it.
* On the remake to the above film, ''Film/TotalRecall2012'', Quaid's emergency stash is a more typical safety box inside of a bank. [[spoiler:Quaid still needs to be led to it by a man he doesn't knows because he himself doesn't has memory of it. The mysterious man himself [[AscendedExtra turns out to be]] another Resistance mole within the Cohaagen regime that pulls off a HeroicSacrifice BigDamnHeroes moment near the end.]]
* In ''Film/TheBourneIdentity'', Jason Bourne wakes up with no memories, and the only information he's carrying is an address and a long number. Following them leads him to a bank account and an emergency stash that he doesn't remember having.
** He's rather relieved when he finds a passport that has his name on it, then he finds the other passports and becomes even more confused.
** The author of the original book stated that the only reason Bourne even had the address was that he needed his first PlotCoupon, since in real life he would've simply memorized the address. Then forgotten it.

* Creator/BruceWillis in ''Film/Red2010'' has one of these. He has to use a sledgehammer to break open the foundation of the house to get to it, but it's there.
* ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'': Sarah Connor stashed a buttload of weapons in what was marked as her coffin. Came in handy when her son was attacked by killer robots again, though she's also preparing for TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt when Skynet takes over. Later ''Terminator'' movies will continue with this idea--even Terminators are shown to be stockpiling weapons and supplies for this purpose.
* ''Film/PaleRider''. After the miners vote to resist [=LaHood=], the Preacher causes confusion by leaving town and leaving them to their fate. He's actually going to another town where he has his pistols stashed from when he used to be a HiredGun before his HeelFaithTurn.

* In a ''Hulk'' novella this is how Bruce Banner was able to restock himself with clothes - he kept accounts in several banks in larger cities, and he had his ATM cards stuck in a secure location in his clothes so when he Hulked Out he could get at the money.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/BurnNotice'' Michael states how it becomes second nature to spies to make one of these anywhere they can because they never know what they will be up against.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

Bob's been retired from the CIA for ten years now. Once a top agent, he lives in his cabin and spends his time fishing.

However, TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive and his niece is kidnapped. Or maybe an old friend shows up, just in time to be murdered and Bob is framed for it. Maybe TheSyndicate threatens his kind, elderly neighbor and Bob takes out a few {{mook}}s and the BigBad wants retribution.

In any case, Bob is on the run. Bob heads for a large city and goes to a bank there. He tells them the code number and they show him to the vault and hand him a safe deposit box. He opens it (in private, of course) and inside is three passports, several drivers licenses and credit cards, all in different names, and a large wad of cash. Possibly a handgun and a spare magazine.

Bob has just accessed his Emergency Stash. A variant may be that the stash is hidden behind a BookcasePassage or in a SecretUndergroundPassage. Some characters go beyond a few passports; they have a cache of supplies. See the related tropes: CrazyPrepared, HiddenSupplies.

However, TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive and his niece is kidnapped. Or maybe an old friend shows up, just in time to be murdered and Bob is framed for it. Maybe TheSyndicate threatens his kind, elderly neighbor and Bob takes out their {{mook}}s.

Bob has just accessed his Emergency Stash.

Related tropes: CrazyPrepared, HiddenSupplies, SecretUndergroundPassage.

Related tropes: CrazyPrepared, HiddenSupplies, SecretUndergroundTunnel.

However, TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive and his niece is kidnapped. Or maybe an old friend shows up, just in time to be murdered and Bob is framed for it.

In any case, Bob is on the run. Bob heads for a large city and goes to a bank there. He tells them the code number and they show him to the vault and hand him a safe deposit box. He opens it (in private, of course) and inside is three passports, several drivers licenses and credit cards, all in different names, and a large wad of cash.

Related tropes: CrazyPrepared, HiddenSupplies.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Machinima/FreemansMind'', after Gordon realises the army knows his identity he starts planning how to get to a park where he previously buried $10,000 worth of gold for [[CrazyPrepared just such an occasion]].

* Creator/BruceWillis in ''Film/{{RED}}'' has one of these. He has to use a sledgehammer to break open the foundation of the house to get to it, but it's there.

* ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'': Sarah Connor stashed a buttload of weapons in what was marked as her coffin. Came in handy when her son was attacked by killer robots again.

* In the Discworld book "Discworld/GoingPostal" Moist Von Lipwig has amassed and hidden a large amount money over the course of his career as a con man. [[spoiler: He later digs it up and uses the money to rebuild the Post Office.]]

* In the original ''Film/TotalRecall1990'', a mysterious stranger delivers a suitcase with an emergency stash to Douglas Quaid. The twist is that Quaid [[spoiler:set up the stash himself, but he has no memory of it]].

* In ''Series/BurnNotice'' Michael states how it becomes second nature to spies to make EmergencyStash anywhere they can because they never know what they will be up against.

* In {{Cryptonomicon}}, ''Alan Turing'' sets one of these up when he fears that the Nazis will invade Britain. He returns to collect it when the threat has passed, but can't find it even with his improvised metal detector. Later sections of the plot hinge around a vast cache of gold hidden by the Japanese, and the various schemes and counter-schemes to either recover it or prevent other interested parties from doing so.

* In ''Series/GangRelated'' Ryan Lopez keeps a box hidden in a fireplace that contains money, false IDs, a gun and various mementos he cannot display publicly because it would reveal his role as TheMole. It is later revealed that he keeps a second, bigger stash in the wall of his closet. The fireplace stash is for emergencies when he has to make a quick getaway. The closet stash is much more secure and better hidden but requires more time to access and empty out.

* Creator/BruceWillis in Film/{{RED}} has one of these. He has to use a sledgehammer to break open the foundation of the house to get to it, but it's there.

* One {{TapletopGames/Shadowrun]] supplement has one runner describe how to make one and what to store in one. For one a Revolver with a dry lubricant. Mainly because a revolver doesn't need a much maintenance and a dry lube won't dry out and need to be replaced.