Suvival Retreat

Oh my god, someone in the BC network posted something about buying a piece of land off the beaten path, and it's all I have been able to think about lately. The honest truth is I can't afford that yet, though I do want that option down the road, but for now I have to focus on what I can prep for now. That said, the things I've thought about most would be exactly what my location has to offer, ie fresh water, fishing, trees for firewood and shelter. After that I thought about how I would store food out there so I'm not packing my truck full of food for hours if the SHTF. A storage container semi buried of hidden away was my short term answer to that, but it would all depend on the location and what the landscape was like. After that I did a bunch of looking into what type of inexpensive housing I could put there if I have to spend a long time there with my family. Earthbag is what I came up with, a cheap, safe way to build a potentially long term house in the wilderness. That's as far as I got, I'm still pretty new to the prepping mentality, and I'm definitely feeling overwhelmed by it. I do hope to have a piece of land at some point, if for no other reason, I think it could really be a great retreat for my family and a fun project for us to work on.

Jer.

There are just so many things that it would be hard to figure out the most important. Each step will have a large impact on if it will work or not. Lately I have been wondering about the non-preppers in my life and how to deal with them should I manage to get my farm. In theory I could end up with hundreds of people knocking at my door.

For example; my BIL - since my sister passed, he has a girlfriend with kids, plus he has 6 brothers and sisters and all their kids. So in theory just by telling my BIL, I could end up with him, my nieces, his girlfriend & kids, and 17 of his family - an extra 25 people to look after.

Then add to that if you are in a network, the same thing will happen with the people that you network with.

Eight acres with over 500 meters of riverfront. Located at the end of the road (the last 200 meters just looks like it goes into a farmers field). The cabin isn't visible from the road. Just the trees that die each year provide more than enough firewood. Excellent well on a hilltop. The well pumps into a 750 gallon cistern with a three inch waterline to the house (more water pressure than in the city). A fantastic neighbour who helps with the preps and keeps a confidence.
Outside of my network, I have a sister and two brothers who know about my preps and one of those brothers has his own property north of Calgary which he's setting up for a retreat. My sister, who I've just confided in a couple of months ago, is deparately trying to get prepared now. The people in my group know that if the SHTF, they will have to try to make it to my place any way they can. They also know that they either have to store their stuff here or bring it with them when they bug out.

Sorry, I started rambling. I got lucky when I found my retreat, most people think it's just a weekend getaway.

Denob,

I will play. "What does everyone think would be the most important things to figure out?"

The MOST challenging aspect of setting up a retreat would be getting the supplies and tools amassed to build it.

The second most challenging would be to get the land. Squat or purchase?? In the new economy maybe occupy = own??

These two aspects start or end your retreat plans, in a heartbeat. If you do not have land to establish a retreat, all the tools and supplies in world will not help; on the other hand having land and no supplies or tools to improve it and you will likely lose it.

The logistics improve once these first two items are resolved.

My two cents, for what they are worth.

Mountainman.

I think the discussion I had on the weekend with an Alberta member was a good idea figure out an established position arrive kick the door in[ sort of speaking] and walla shangri la....The problem with any destination is the cost and logistics to buy, build and maintaining....let some one else do that for you and just show up and squat....If it is a bug out then it will be a complete shit show in the real world and you as a prepper will most likely be there first because you are prepared and ready for such an event....Logistics, building and purchase already done for you....if you cant hold it then you probably couldn't hold the one you own....the big draw back is you cant store anything there......The other problem with owning, is if the event that caused the bug out is drifting towards your retreat or it happens by your retreat you are screwed any way so why limit your options to one direction.....And take a chance on loosing all your supplies you have stored there....I personally will hedge my bets and figure I will be able to drive some where and put a little distance between me and civilisation...

Not perfect by any means, but in the event of complete social net work break down I don't think there is the perfect plan, but your plan must be able to change and adapt to the situation around you...My personal thoughts are you must be mobile and able to move quickly so you must have a bug out location in all directions...

Just my two bits worth...

I think that purchasing the location is the most important thing.
Next i would establish a water supply, whether a well or cistern water collection system.
then some type of sanitation.
I think next i would plan my shelter, a small visible cabin in case someone did happen by would not look like much but underground would be a fortified bunker with storage and living areas.
what people dont know about they cant take.

...figure out an established position arrive kick the door in[ sort of speaking] and walla shangri la....The problem with any destination is the cost and logistics to buy, build and maintaining....let some one else do that for you and just show up and squat.....

Anyone that feels the same way can come for a visit. I've got a present for you wrapped in a full metal jacket. If you really like it, I'll give you another. 😈

preppers Housing: http://pyramidome.blogspot.com/

Traveller:

Maybe it's a western thing there cowboy but out in our neck of the woods the only kicking you'd be doing is about twenty feet up in the air and backwards with a load of SSGs for some inertia. You go though cowboy, love it when a person underestimates the rest of his own people's abilities. Up, Up and away there buckaroo 😆

BTW Pomojer; love that signature line partner.

i live at my retreat, that's simply the best way to do it.
if you stock preps any where, you need someone to watch them.

the down sides to being out here is i'm 30 minutes from work, weekends when the city empties to the area north, west and east of where i work, the highways are full and that increases travel time and the likelihood of one of those idiot drivers killing me on the roads.

i have a house in the area where i work, the goal is to rent it soon, but there are two sheds that i plan on using for preps and things like a lawn mower etc. i also have a lot of friends and family. . . so getting stuck there won't be bad nor would it take long to get home when i needed too.

but being out here i can have all my preps near by, i can keep an eye on everything, my security system can be monitored and when i'm not home my dogs are the eyes and ears. . .(and barks).

there is a small community 5 minutes away, a slightly bigger one 15 minutes away, a smaller city 30 minutes away, and LOTS of farms/country properties all around. i'm 75 minutes from a big city, and nearly 2 hours from parts of the bigger cities Toronto and the large cities around it.

i love where i am. the air is clean and usually quiet. . .water tastes great.. . my dogs run and swim any time. . .
i can have ducks, chickens, goats, a horse or two, bees, large garden. . .and peace of mind and quiet. . .