Temporary Bug-out location (RV setting)

My wife and I currently and for the last 5 years have lived full time in a 5th wheel trailer. We retired from the rat race, sold our way too big house and almost all of our needless stuff including expensive but seldom used toys and hit the road. We have been traveling all over North America and even into Mexico for the last few years but have now decided that we are staying in Canada and looking for a place to stay full time. While we will enjoy staying in one place full time we will also enjoy preparing for the crap attack that will follow if the SHTF.
I would like to see input from other RVers who may feel the same way.

Mountaineer,

It would seem, a way to a means is not an acceptable transition method in your opinion. I am, of course reading between the lines. Somehow the mention of RV's cheapens the concept of a self-sustainable community. I would like to go on the record, that, the suggestion of using RV's, RV storage and self-storage units on a property to act as a refuge (in the event that people would need to leave their homes for a safe second location) was a step towards developing a self-sustainable community of "like-minded" individuals. Not everyone who visits or posts to this Forum is in position to "cash out" and go live on the land. However, to ensure you have the population base to sustain a community you may have to start with something. I tried to put an idea out there that most people, of many economical levels, could buy into and as their personal situation improved they could take that step and join the community full-time. However, shit happens, and the best laid plans go out the window. For folks who want to be a part for the long term, they should still be welcome if SHTF in the short-time, before they can be fully rooted at the self-sustainable community.

Also, the suggestion of using a RV platform has to deal with the technical aspect of RV's being solar ready. The newer models are already wired for 12V DC and have invertors to create 110V/120V AC. It was a logistics suggestion.

I hope your self-sustaining community has many successes and can be a model others can follow in the future.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-real-estate-land-for-sale-10-ACRES-WITH-SERVICES-ZONED-RES-COM-NEAR-SUNDRE-W0QQAdIdZ352976748

10.5 acres just out of Sundre and right by the Westward Ho campground. Formerly a driving range, and putting green, now closed, fenced, and up for sale.
Priced at 229K so not cheap, however it is zoned res / com so I think it would be easy to get the nod for self storage units, RV units and the like. It also has some services on site as well as running water within spitting distance. Take 10 to 15 like minded folk who would be interested in buying in and the price becomes manageable. Add some small income from self storage units to cover taxes and operating costs (id est: yearly reporting and grounds up-keep) and I think this is what you guys are talking about. It could be larger but... we can't all have eggs in our beer. As I imagine it, you would have the property owned by a numbered company and the people who buy in take shares in the company. If you want out, you sell your shares based on a pre-determined structure. Annual General Meetings, and the like. Now I don't personally own an RV, we are more of the back country camping ilk however I would consider picking up a used unit for something like this.

Just sayin'

Antsy

Antsy looks like a very interesting option.

I will echo Mountainman's comments about it being a starting point to move towards a complete self-sustained community...well at least that is what I envisioned. I currently work in a job that has me dealing with subdivision work and I see the amount of work, money, and legal issues that all have to be jumped through and it is intimidating and well $$$$$ 😮 as I mentioned. I admit that yes I would love to have our main residence as a complete off the grid home with in a small network or community of others in a fairly self-sufficient community. However in light of the current economy I just cannot justify more debt on our mortgage to the extent I believe would be required.

That being said I do rather like the idea of the smaller "unofficial" type location. Does it have to be 5th wheels or trailers? No but if you want to have one go for it. I think the small cabins as Buggie suggested would work well for those who wanted that too, and if someone wanted to set up a canvas tent that would work as well. There could be a big garden area with plots for people to plant in. There could even be a small area for some small grazing animals. We could contribute towards a play set for the children to be able to enjoy. We could do some work and perhaps even set up a small archery range....or gun range 😯 Not just a BOL for if/when TEOTWAWKI, but a place where people could enjoy coming out to now, a community.

Antsy,

Nice find. However, we would need a little more land for the group. Somewhere, in the 160 to 640acre range. More if it was affordable. It would need surface water - a creek or river and hopefully a spring with good ground water. Partially forested and some farmable land.

But, I could be way off-base and maybe smaller is better????

Mountainman.

Really the title of this post is not correct. What we are all talking about is not a Temporary bug out location, this would be more permanent just gone about in a different way then creating a full out subdivsion.

why not set it up as a private campground. Membership only. It would be owned by a cooperative, and each owner/member would pay a monthly or yearly fee to maintain the property. Each person would have a set plot of the land, and could set it up for an rv, or set up some semi-permanant buildings within their plot of land. Then there could also be a central building if desired. Could be used as a temporary bugout/ permanant bugout/ vacation spot.

there are several examples out in BC around the shushwap area. the difference is the land is owned by one person, and they lease the camping spots yearly to the same people over and over again. you can also get longer term agreements. Simply replace the single owner with a coop of board members (who would actually be the preppers and members themselves). Some of the terms of the membership could include things like having a certain ammount of food and water preps stored, etc. use your imagination. This could also serve as the meeting place for this group. They could run mock-bugouts whenever they decided to set one up.

Buggie,

There is an example of a "bare-land condo" called Bergen Springs, near the hamlet of Bergen (South of Sundre). They wanted to start a cottage community, and a 400 sq ft foot print for building was part of their bylaws. They have a shallow, low pressure water and sewer system that is only operational during non-freezing months. However, if owners want to truck in water during the winter and have their units septic pumped out, they are allowed to reside year round. They are suppose to have onsite security year round. The parcel there that caught my interest was around 1/4 acre with an old cabin and two sheds on it and the creek crossed the back of the lot. $29,000. But that was over a decade ago.

There is no reason why the project could not start as a private, member only campground. It all boils down to getting enough energy, and funding together to make it happen. Getting it started will be the first big hurtle. Then it is a matter of location and what level of government wants to interfer with it succeeding.

Just my two-cents.

Mountainman.

Buggie & GC,

The numbered company owning the property in question that I proposed is pretty much the same thing as a member owned co-op in my mind. You would probably have to talk to a lawyer to determine the difference. I didn't propose larger pieces of land because what I had heard during the meetings from Crashed and Buggie suggested to me that there wasn't an interest in serious farming on the land, rather communal gardens. With respect to a large treed area; it makes sense to me to be close to crown land and to let the crown carry those costs. I also heard that self storage units that could be rented to like minded folk was desirable as an income producing venture to offset operating and maintenance costs so I was looking for something zoned commercial split. Of course this could all be done on the sly however I prefer to keep everything above board in case the S doesn't hit the fan in our life times.

10 +/- acres may well be too small. I think an important next step is to figure out just how many people are actually interested in going forward with this kind of project, how much money the group of investors is willing to put into the project, and what the collective vision of the project will be. Really, there is no point in even looking at land until you know what sort of land you are looking for.

Cheers,

Antsy

Something like this could be an option:
http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-real-estate-land-for-sale-160-Acres-with-a-Mountain-View-W0QQAdIdZ357549935

That said, Antsy is right. There are many ways to go about this and various options that could be persued. However none of that makes any sense until we know how many folks are ready willing and able. Perhaps it is time to have a coffee and chat with those who are interested and see what we truely have. So far I have to say I agree with things everyone has said to an extent. It would also be interesting to see exactly what is entailed in creating a bareland condo as Mountainman mentioned, or a private camp group as buggie suggested, and exploring the "buisness" side of things as Ansty has put forward to help pay the bills.

Antsy,

You are 100% correct, we need to determine what is needed. Then see what resources are available to work with. THEN, seek land that fits the needs. I may have over-stepped by jumping right to the land requirement being at least a whole section. You are also correct in observing that crown land should supply many of the energy requirements.

Maybe a sit down brainstorming session is required to gather all the ideas and then work it down to a workable project to present to others for feedback or input??

I am glad to see this topic is not going to die a quiet death. 🙂

Cheers,

Mountainman.

Crashed,

That is a very interesting property. $370,000 for 160 acre with a home and lake. Split 100 ways is less than $4,000 each.
1/100th share in a 160 acre parcel????

However, we are both discussing discovering the needs first, then resources and then land. But what if a great parcel of land appears on the market that has great appeal???

I believe a synergy is developing and great things will be achieved.

Mountainman.

Why not just see who all is interested, then set up meetings and discuss individual needs, wants, and desires. Go from there. Choose a group leader to make everything happen. Someone needs to step up and start organizing the meetings for this much the same way that traveller did for the southern alberta preppers meetings.

I for one am not particularily interested at the moment. I'm just throwing some ideas out there for those who are. I suggest getting started right away, because the way things have been going latley, you may not have much time to jump through the hoops necessary to pull it off.

May I suggest that you would want it to be away from main roads that others might take as they "bug out" with no supplies. You don't want to waste your manpower fighting off people who want to take everything you have stored up or grown.