i was going to write a long story about emp's and not to worry your car will still work etc, however, it seem's pointless for the following reason.

....an emp explosion in the form of an attack from a hostile nation WILL result in nuclear retaliation...simple, an emp assault is a 'nuclear attack'. before your ipod stops working you internal body temp will be approx 400 degrees c... 😈

ahhhh, 'bug out vehicle'....if so, Hummer H1 wihtout a shadow of a doubt

When I was in Bosnia the Canadian Forces was using the ILTIS as their light vehicle (it replaced the jeep). The ILTIS is about the size of a VW beetle and we hated it. Funny thing though, the Americans all wanted to trade their hummers for our ILTIS. The hummer is great as a big macho vehicle but it sucks on narrow streets and in the bush (too wide) and maintenance is a bitch. If I had the money, the Range Rover or the Toyota Landcruiser would be the way I'd go.

i drove the Land Rover (armoured around Northern Ireland) I also had to do a one week course off roading with it to get my licence to drive it in the military...great, great vehicle...

however, i had the good fortune to drive a 95 Hummer H1 and there is no comparision...if the Land Rover (or any off road vehicle for that matter) can get there the Hummer can definatly get there...ive seen lannies tip on slopes and i know beyond a shadow of a doubt the hummer could take steeper slopes without issue...

You're right carbon04, the Hummer is great off road. Like any vehicle though, it has it's limitations. We could argue back and forth for days and still not agree. In the end, I'll probably still have to use my Ford Ranger to bug-out. But when I get to my cabin I'll switch to the horses, they don't use so much gas and they can go places I wouldn't take my truck.
So, H1 or Land Rover, six of one and half a dozen of the other. It's all in your requirements and your preferences.

Please do not think of this as rude or condiscending.

The idea of building anything even remotely structural after TSHTF scenario is obsured. If you are looking to build now, without setting of too many nut alerts, Try looking into energy efeciant Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) buildings. They are Super efficiant. Require only basic tools and building knowledge to errect. Are only about 10% more to build over a conventional stick frame home, if you hire out the labour. They are more exspensive if you are doing the work yourself because they are material intensive, and material costs are higher. There are numerous advantages. 1) They are super strong. I would personally go with a complete structure of 8" pour concrete minimum. Some have been approved with the Army as bomb proof structure. Only the insulation was blown off. 2) They are very energy efficiant. Usually min rated of R 20 (resistance to heat loss or gain), but the values are considerably higher. 3) They are very quiet to live in. 4) You can clad them in almost any material, brick, metal, stucco, wood, whatever. But you do need to clad them for UV protection of the insulation. 5) There are virtually no design limitations. I could keep going on.

If TS does HTF, We will all be lucky to live, and if possible, be able to build anything permanant anytime in the near future.

Thank you for the post though. It was entertaining and informative.

Good luck to all. Cheers.

Please do not think of this as rude or condiscending.

The idea of building anything even remotely structural after TSHTF scenario is obsured. If you are looking to build now, without setting of too many nut alerts, Try looking into energy efeciant Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) buildings. They are Super efficiant. Require only basic tools and building knowledge to errect. Are only about 10% more to build over a conventional stick frame home, if you hire out the labour. They are more exspensive if you are doing the work yourself because they are material intensive, and material costs are higher. There are numerous advantages. 1) They are super strong. I would personally go with a complete structure of 8" pour concrete minimum. Some have been approved with the Army as bomb proof structure. Only the insulation was blown off. 2) They are very energy efficiant. Usually min rated of R 20 (resistance to heat loss or gain), but the values are considerably higher. 3) They are very quiet to live in. 4) You can clad them in almost any material, brick, metal, stucco, wood, whatever. But you do need to clad them for UV protection of the insulation. 5) There are virtually no design limitations. I could keep going on.

If TS does HTF, We will all be lucky to live, and if possible, be able to build anything permanant anytime in the near future.

Thank you for the post though. It was entertaining and informative.

Good luck to all. Cheers.

ill built ICF in the end.....also have a safe room in the house....i have R50 in the walls, and your right, the walls will withstand one hell of a punch....only downfall, in a tornado/ hurricane you may lose the roof....i have supplies to rebuild the entire roof if needed...if you have a choice on a new build go ICF.....warm in winter, cool in summer, just budget 20% extra fo the entire construction

Our biggest asset is our live aboard boat and a group of like minded boaters. Coastal B.C. is full of small little bays where minimum contact with others can be expected. We have been developing land bases including survival gardens, water supplies, trails, storage and small cabins at different places we go. It has become a bit of a hobby. Lots of sea food, minimum contact and great fun. If things got bad enough,we would need 10 minutes to be able to get out of town. I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about how I would approach camo on the boat if I had to, not only to reduce visibility from the side, but also from the air. The most depressing thought is that one of the SHTF possibilities would be some kind of military involvement, either domestic or foreign. A 4" bore, deck mounted spud gun wouldn't have much of a chance 😆

I am partial to building's made with O/S shipping containers, with 1/8" corrugated metal. These suckers are made to hold over 60,000 lbs and be stacked 7 high, that’s over 300,000 lbs that it can support. Cut out spaces for windows, and keep the cutouts for window awning/shutters. Armored shutters, if you want you can cut slots in them to let a small amount of light in, or to shoot out of. Fire proof? depends on what you put on it, but the main structure wont be destroyed if it does catch fire. Mine would be 2-40' long 10' high containers side by side welded together. that gives me a 39'x 15' interior to play with. There are infinite ways of putting them together, or even buried to make a bunker, or both. Slap a pre-made roof on them, insulate it and your off to the races.

Of all the types of structures I've seen the earthship makes the most sense from an energy standpoint. The amount of labour required is stupid though. Thermal mass seems to be the key for comfortable living.
I found this a few years back and keep going back to it. You would insulate the exterior shell in colder places but every time I look at it I keep thinking "I could build that".
http://www.texasmusicforge.com/gimmeshelter.html

I hinted in other postings.I am logger with Crown lic for timber .. also build log homes / cabins .In many styles, and price ranges ,For the cheaper way for some. I might suggest pice in pice style of building ,take it from my yard,in sections and erect it yourself .We also have a portable sawmill .will do custom cutting and milling anywhere in ontario.and the building designing if needed . Will sell lumber and timbers .Also have a wienke diamond drill , which i can put a water well in anywhere ,only puts a 2" hole down200-400 ft .we also have other types of equipmennt that make building in the wilderness no problems... . possible barter for our services in land.. I have bought land.logged it , and created a few hunting camps that are liveable and resold, lots of experience in making outdoor wilderness locations work for off grid living ,wood heat propane lights ,fridge ,propane generater for any hydro needs ,IE Water pumping ..but a farmers windmill moves alot of water,our pioneer ancestors used them for 100s of years as well a hand pump works great too ... OH Bye the way log homes are the hardest home to catch fire, shutter the windows,, and iam talking a log dewling in the bush,were the worst of society will never find, pick a area with good water(lakes / rivers ) and game ( Meat ), Build a Green house , looks after food source ,and water. and wood for heat..What more could a person want Pm me if anyone needs info....Logger