Like many other smart people with some foresight, I chose Vancouver Island as the ideal location for my prepping life style. There are some obvious reasons for this choice ... the Pacific NW has the best year round climate in Canada. The prevailing winds blow in fresh oxygen laden air from the Pacific ocean. In times of crisis the island would be isolated and hard to reach ( heck, even a big wind stops the ferries and small boats). There is a small local population to land ratio, and a near infinity of old, abandoned, overgrown logging roads leading to some remote camp sites,. And a BIG one, there is abundant readily available food from the ocean for those who can harvest it.

If you want to prepare a future bug out/ SHTF/ Survival retreat, or even a rough and remote location to hide for a while, "FANTASY ISLAND" is one of the best places in Canada, perhaps the entire North American Continent. If you want a more self reliant lifestyle in the present, the island has opportunities for self employment and skilled tradesmen are usually in demand.

Although,
as SNOBIRD,
I also enjoy certain parts in MEXICO for the ideal climate, and a long history/culture of self reliance... on a budget. Every small town in Mexico has a local market, where farmers sell the same food they feed to their families ... at a cost most Gringo ex-pats and retirees can easily afford. I spend Winters in Mexico, and live well on my small pension. I live much better than I could if I full timed in Canada. For people with pensions, or fixed incomes, Mexico makes sense BUT, if you don't speak Spanish, and do not have $$$ available without needing an ATM, you will be at a major disadvantage if "THE CRUNCH" catches you down there.

I will be back on Van Isle in June, staying till November.
I am going to start a Van Isle  PREPPER / Self Reliance and Mutual Assistance Group when I get back.

Emphasis will be on embracing the present, TODAY,  living one day at a time, while still being aware of REALISTIC future possibilites, and making preparations for various realistic scenarios. Note the repetition of the word "realistic". ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE and Alien invasions are not gonna get much time or energy. There are too many other horrible events that actually miight ( and/or probably will?) happen, without wasting effort on fantasies.

I used to write for SURVIVE MAGAZINE, and once did a tour of "SURVIVAL COMMUNES" as research for an article. What I found was mostly VERY UNHAPPY people, terrified of some apocalyptic future, and living ( poorly) more in their visions of a potential future, than in the present. This is NOT a recipe for a happy life style.

There were basically two types of communes, the "Defended Remote Compounds", where guns, Guns, GUNS was the main prepping strategy. Imagine the worst, run down trailer park you can, with razor wire topped fences, and gun towers. Sort of like a holding pen, mostly keeping people IN. Add in that EVERYONE was packing all the time, and you get some idea. And this was with people with less than basic minimum fire arms training ...
eg: " Sorry about the bullet hole in the side table and floor in the guest room".

Then there were the "MOTHER EARTH back to the landers" types. These were mostly unrealistic people with unrealistic expectations for their potential long term futures, especially if social break downs occurred. They had food crops, and cash weed crops, and some had marketable craft skills, but most were unready to defend them selves from any encroachments. Pacifism is a great CHOICE, but having other back up alternatives should be available options.

None if the communes I visited seemed capable of LONG TERM survival, even in the day to day ordinary world. And some of the people involved were borderline for stability
.. ego and religious cult leaders, racial purity types, and mostly run away from society predominated. Not the people you would want to be trapped with, or rely on, in desperate times.

So,
any almost same,
pretty sensible,
serious,
Van Isle Prepper/Self Reliant life style people interested?

This group will not be emphasising violence or force. Not about guns, Guns, GUNS, or the quickest way to disable an attacker while un-armed. But as a former Canadian Armed forces Infantry Officer, a former Gunsmith and practical shooting competitor, and a former martial arts instructor, if there is interest in specific security topics, we can chat. Briefly.

Let's get together, share experience, opinions, strategies, tactics, gear reviews, and ideas with other like minded people.
(;-[)
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