I have never heard of a Yurt, so looked them up .
They look like another useful idea for a hideaway in the woods BOL for some people

I am reading around online about these Yurts. I could see the Yurt stage going on for a longer time than intended.

I wonder how secure they would be from wildlife such as Bears ripping at the material on the walls.
There is also alot of windows , if SHTF while still in the Yurt stage , it might be wise to make sure
the Yurt clusters were made a bit more secure and sturdy in the first place. In a SHTF , if still in the Yurt stage,
replacing the fabric material would be hard to do, so some options would need to be figured out ahead of time
for repairs. If all of a sudden SHTF happened, and there was the need to defend, would anyone feel
secure against bullets being fired a the Yurt hut ? I would think bullets would go right through the Yurts ?
I would cut down on the number of windows and not have the double wide door opening .

Long term , could some form of exterior be built around them ? Such as logs, rocks, and cement? or Mud ? to make them
last for years. In another thread, someone mentioned they had found a mixture of some combination of materials that
make cabins, almost impervious to threats.

Still the Yurts sound very interesting. I like to read about such alternate ideas.

Found an image of something more secure and camouflaged

Ya, that's the first thing that came to mind.... about bears'n'bullets. The other thing i had considered is a solid 7' cob wall (or rammed-earth) as a coral all round,twice the diameter of the yurt,... which can be just cost of materials... straw, sand,clay. That could also be fortified with a grain-bin surround, to that 7' height, and a double-door on the cob/galvanized wall of the same material , The top of the wall could be rounded and capped/overlapped with sections of half-pipe 12" ductpiping so bear can't get a grip easily.
But with all that invested, that's going to be your home, instead of temporary, eh?...unless you can afford both....or designate one larger one per cluster like that for maximum sec. for the whole cluster?

I found no incidents of bear intrusion on google when i researched, The idea is that most of the designs have a fairly numerous lattice-work/crosshatching up to 6-7'which would make it a challenge for bear. You could always fortify that with an appropriate gauge wiremesh too, i speculate.

Some of the earliest forms of longterm shelter were basically in the form of yurts with a higher (integrated) cone usually,,...mud clay, sand/straw...over a thousand years old. Being round, they deflect hi-wind from all directions. Our climate requires more deflection from rain deterioration.

I am reading around online about these Yurts. I could see the Yurt stage going on for a longer time than intended.

Found an image of something more secure and camouflaged

Goldie, that cabin is made from railroad ties. Therefore the wood is treated with creosote and likely not good for ones health when breathing it daily. Yet those walls will stand for 100 years as the design is otherwise very strong and the roof will fall in long before a wall will ever wrought. Many folks here scored railway ties as they pulled up many miles of track when abandoning an old mine up this way. Even cutting them with a chainsaw while making cribbing for docks, some guys complained about needing a mask due to the thick smell. Maybe they vapour barriered the walls of the cabin to seal it out.

Most folks square a log on 2 sides when building log cabins for wide tight seals with little chink between and these wider joints indeed make walls bullet proof. That earth roof would even make the cabin harder to burn but would be heavy when water soaked and promote wood wrought sooner. It's the roof that often catches from a chimney fire as log cabins are really hard to light afire otherwise. Most in this area today have corrugated metal roofs these days which are indeed noiser in rain but it makes them harder to light afire and thus beneficial for purchasing fire insurance at cheaper rates.

Good points Knuckle ! More so on the roof, because I was not thinking about using railroad ties, or pressure treated products. 😆

Would think more of the design factor of building something more secure than fabric walls . Would have cut the logs right there on site
clearing land to build on . I would think if using Yurts, might as well make them properly in the first place with a proper close cluster layout
and use Knuckles METAL roof idea. I also saw some photos at night with the lights on inside and you could see shadows through the walls,
so it would be hard to go dark at night and be safe .

Speaking of which, what are these fabric walls made of that can insulate from the cold , and be able to cook inside
and heat with firewood inside ( vented ), and light a match .

Could even make some THEME yurt huts .

One could be the community bath house
One could be the community kitchen dining food house
One could be the community centre for meetings, medical help etc
One could be the community storage hut
One could be the community trading store
One could be the community barn

Could METAL sides be used instead of that fabric ? Followed later by the logs ?

Metal sides make it a steel building. Then you might as well buy a kit building. The most theoretical design is the Quansit hut. https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=quonset+hut+homes&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

This would be fantastic for a tornadoes and even nuclear blasts as the wind sheer would blow over it as getting under is hard unless directly from front or back. Snow loads are no problem either as something circular is the strongest shape. If it were a galvanized Quansit building, it wouldn't rust from building an earth wall along the outside for such protection while even tastefully doing so with vines and such too. Corragation such as used on culverts add even more strength to the wall's surface. The flaw with such architecture is that round walls make lots of wasted space inside.

But a well insulated steel building makes for a decent and secure home. I want to convert my shop into a home and yet local bylaws are all that is stopping this from becoming a reality. I have a 2400 Sqft steel framed steel clad building insulated to R52 and drywalled throughout. It sits in an industrial area with no industry and I can't seem to get 1/2 what it would cost to even buy the basic building these days. Imagine such becoming a home instead with built in garage and shop. Without much effort, I could covert this and make it marketable but the zoning is a hurdle as the town would lose it's so called commercial tax base it they allowed such. This is now a money grab as many of my neighbours gave the property and structures back to the town after accumulated taxes forced them to do so. Money grabbers even to the end.

Check out this design for Quanset huts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR1r1F46Gqo

Yet here is a complete off grid setup that they have in Oregon. Not quite made for Canadian winters, but a starting point to maybe learn from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DSQ0W2lwtw

Good points Knuckle ! More so on the roof, because I was not thinking about using railroad ties, or pressure treated products. 😆

Would think more of the design factor of building something more secure than fabric walls . Would have cut the logs right there on site
clearing land to build on . I would think if using Yurts, might as well make them properly in the first place with a proper close cluster layout
and use Knuckles METAL roof idea. I also saw some photos at night with the lights on inside and you could see shadows through the walls,
so it would be hard to go dark at night and be safe .

Speaking of which, what are these fabric walls made of that can insulate from the cold , and be able to cook inside
and heat with firewood inside ( vented ), and light a match .

Goldie, for sure it is preferable by most folks to have solid structural protection , and the site and surrounding forests can provide sufficient wood for that purpose. The yurts are a quicker option to get started sooner, with more people in the short seasonal window available, to have shelter while then building the other solid structures from that base.

The corrugated galvanized grain silos which i mentioned have the same profile as a yurt,but higher, and its metal roof is ideal materially for primary protection and darkness, but then you have to leave gap-sections in the corrugated walls, up high, for light/ventilation. Picture a yurt inside a larger, (insulated) Grain-silo with space to walk all around the yurt, and store stuff safely and handy anytime of year. Sure, it would be twice the price, at least. It's interesting to me, as an experiment if i can get the components used.

I have seen designs which use standing-seam metal roofing for a yurt, but they were based on an octagon in order to cut and cap the metal roof's joints in that pattern.

The original mongolian, and many copies use an inner thick sheepswool felt as standard, and an extra layer of wool or polyester for colder regions. Inside that, some use an aluminized Reflectix/bubble layer which completes an adequate warmth with a modest wood stove in winter at -30 outside. Many don't believe or understand how this can be, cuz of so-called r-values conditioning.
The reflective/retained heat factor is often not acknowledged to be valid. Add the most natural convective shape of a yurt...as in a dome... and you get good results with less "r-value".
Most have an opening plexiglass dome around 4' diameter at top/centre which provides ventilation and great light.
There are either.. metal roof or wall insert/isolators for stove pipe exit.

Right on about specific purposed units in a cluster...just like a village should be, with some shared facilities ,efficiently.

Good points Knuckle ! More so on the roof, because I was not thinking about using railroad ties, or pressure treated products. 😆

Would think more of the design factor of building something more secure than fabric walls . Would have cut the logs right there on site
clearing land to build on . I would think if using Yurts, might as well make them properly in the first place with a proper close cluster layout
and use Knuckles METAL roof idea. I also saw some photos at night with the lights on inside and you could see shadows through the walls,
so it would be hard to go dark at night and be safe .

Speaking of which, what are these fabric walls made of that can insulate from the cold , and be able to cook inside
and heat with firewood inside ( vented ), and light a match .

Yurts generally have an insulation barrier between the fabric wall and the wooden lattice made of light weight materials as well as on the roof between the fabric and rafters. It's kind of a cross between silver core insulation and bubble wrap.

Villager: The same insulating material also acts as a light stop for going dark so to speak. Most Yurts also use a skylight in the center which would have to be eliminated to ensure a go dark scenario. There are also versions of Yurts for hunting that are made in camo patterns.
Now if a Yurt is too expensive another alternative is the U.S. Military MGPTS modular tent system or the Canadian TEMS tent system. Both are easily set up, expandable to suit one's needs, insulation is also available for winter set up, snow load & wind rated. You can generally find them used on ebay or in local army surplus stores.

This link below was recently passed to me, and i agree with most of it, having paraphrased it piecemeal over years. The author does a much better job, in one go.
I was thinking particularly of those who will be relatively "staying in place"..... more than what i intend for myself and likemindeds (going to a place apart, with all in relative agreement to start off with. Most of this would apply there too, depending on the changeable scenario "inside/outside".)
This article may be helpful for the majority of those in position to increase their present creative living associations, locally. I feel that once enough of such examples near medium-populated urbania emerge, the pattern will be seen by many more as workable, and ultimately as the only, things that work.(i'm not saying that prepwork should be abandoned,either. It would actually be enhanced)
Again, it's about critical mass, observation, communication, replication.
Some may mistakenly translate the author's description according to their own political persuasions, but i would encourage a reader to leave politics aside, and consider the suggestions/practical implications.

http://theconversation.com/the-simple-life-manifesto-and-how-it-could-save-us-33081?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Weekend+Conversation+-+2266&utm_content=The+Weekend+Conversation+-+2266+CID_8da0351c9a5c45657189afed75708f7c&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=The%20simple%20life%20manifesto%20and%20how%20it%20could%20save%20us

The author has submitted this as public, "creative commons" for free distribution:

Here is another of my favourites , for those of you who don't already subscribe....Mike Adam's latest posting .
http://www.naturalnews.com/048175_self-reliance_2015_economic_collapse.html

Hey, and check out this rugged alternative......much more challenging on a physical level than what/where i have in mind !
I notice many of the same principles involved, and more necessary co-operative work out of sheer survival necessity.
http://roundrivercommunity.org/

thx for that input. at last i have found my people...
all joking aside i look forward to to reading up the links, happy new year folks...im digging in. when i get the option i will participate more. maybe submit a vid or story..
Ahbou-Daddy of parts known, on the trail of them darn nuggets,

Welcome to the forum, Ahbou-Daddy.
Would be good to hear of your encounters on the trail to finding more of your people!

I am planning on visiting the Guelph organic conference on either Jan. 31 or Feb 1.
If anyone is interested in using that venue to also meet with me and likely a few others from our project, let's make an arrangement to meet in the cafeteria at a particular time and talk community possibilities.
I'll bring maps/details and the latest news.
Let's take advantage of the season .