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KC cabin
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2010 13:22 - Edited by: KC cabin
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Do you consider your small cabin a place of refuge if or WTSHTF (when the, ahem, 'stuff' hits the fan)?
If you had to head for the hills today how long could you hold out on your own? What kind of preparations have you made, in general, for emergencies? Or does the whole notion of "bugging out" strike you as a nutty or far fetched proposition?
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Kithera
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2010 16:31
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I don't think such an idea is to far fetched. The oil well blowout a few months back is a reminder that as a society we now have the ability to make massive global changes. They don't even have to be premeditated or malicious anymore, simply careless. It makes sense that we should all be prepared for a worst case scenario.
In respect to a cabin, however, I think for of other forms of bugouts. A cabin is a place of quiet and peace, away from the noise and demands of modern society: a psychological bugout.
It's also a place of bought land, and simple construction. A place that can hopefully be built out of pocket without financial obligations, and with both independent utilities and enough rural woodland to support all inhabitant needs. I place of financial bugout in the more likely case of a lost job.
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KC cabin
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2010 17:13
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Good thoughts, Kithera. We also view our cabin primarily as an gentle escape from our hectic real world lives. We are not radical end-of-the-worlders, however, we do keep our SC decently stocked with non-perishable food, spare clothes and blankets, fuel, game rifle/ammo, basic necessities, etc. This hasn't undermined our simple enjoyment of our little getaway and we have the additional peace of mind of having a well appointed contingency shelter come what may.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2010 20:31
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Ours is definately a refuge from a hectic society, a change of pace, a re-birth, every trip, of the awarenes of the elegance of nature's schedule. A tiny cabin that bekons one to be out side as often as possible, taking in the season, the warmth of midday and the cool of the evening, watching nature gracefully turn the lights on and off, observing the full life of a fallen tree by the testimony of it's rings, noting, upon closer observation, a possible winter's disruption of it's growth, or maybe a fire, of which can be a natural cleansing of the land.
Our place is 15 miles due east of Mt Mazama (aka Crater Lake), so there is much natural evidence bearing witness to nature's refusal to adhere to the dimension of time.
And we say we own the property.......native Americans had it so very right.
Yes, I try not to think about it, but our economy is so fragile, it's hard to ignore the possiblity, and even probability of how quickly it all can change. Our place may one day be one of refuge against those that ignore peace, god, and brotherly love. Back in the early 70s we had a fuel shortage. People became violent over a tank of gas. Store shelves were emptied in little time. Lines formed for things of which days before we had a tough time to choose which style or flavor. And all this was from a 1/8 reduction of supply (to increase prices), fostering panic and false shortages.
Imagine if we had a real supply problem, what with the violence our sons and daughters are fed................
No, KC cabin, it's not far fetched.
Gary O'
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Xplorer
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2010 10:57
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We also use our place as a "get away from it all". Use it for our vacations (put the money we would have used for cruises, etc.) into the property instead. We also try to go there at least every 2 weeks in the summer for a quiet rest. If push came to shove, we are pretty well set for a "issue" of not having basic needs supplied for. Would need the fuel for the generator for the well pump if the power grid went down, but that is it. Since I hunt I would have no problems supplyingmeat for the table & our garden would supply the rest. I often think "what if..." when it comes to what should be done next at our mountain getaway
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2010 01:04
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I am completely unprepared for a post-apocalyptic-world survival situation. My trailer cabin has a few cans of food on the shelf, a little bit of liquor and not much more.
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2010 22:19
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Well our camper / land is a get away. But this past Christmas I gave everyone in our house (kids and Wife) back packs filled with survival items. They all just humored me and went with it. I thought it was a good idea and used them once by taking to the basement during a tornado alert. If the SHTF not sure what would happen but at least we have battery crank radio and a way to make water drinkable.... our land is 2 and a half hours away and there is no bunker there... but I do think about putting a simple one there. Wish we just had a cave their at least!
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RnR
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# Posted: 20 Oct 2010 15:09
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This is extremely interesting.
I often joke with friends who come to visit that they are free to seek refuge with us at the cabin if society crumbles, especially when they bring lots of wine and help out, but I do admit that I do like the idea of having a safe zone out of town if the worst were really to occur. I don't live in fear, but I am not prepared to disregard the potential of peak oil, a pandemic, earthquakes or a raging stampede of Oprah Winfrey's studio audience...
RnR
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Kithera
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# Posted: 20 Oct 2010 15:33
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I live in the burbs of Chicago! The Raging Stampede of Oprah Winfrey's studio audience is a real threat!
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 20 Oct 2010 15:51
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Our cabin is mainly a place of refuge but in the event of SHTF we would all try to gather there. We will be planting fruit trees and berry bushes. There will be guns-n-ammo stored on site. We have a year-round spring. We haven't really talked about how much food to have up there 'just in case'.
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RnR
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# Posted: 20 Oct 2010 18:03
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Wow Kithera, I had no idea you were in Chicago.. I know! I was totally not kidding!:-)
But more seriously, I don't think its a crazy far-fetched idea that our cabins could be our escape from some kind of crisis... I just think a balanced approach is the right one. There is nothing wrong with being prepared as long as it doesn't consume your life, and you don't become one of those survivalists or 2012 end-of-worlders, I'm with you there KC.
GaryO, I think you are right on the money with the fragility of the economic system. None of us were alive during the crash of 1929, or during the rationing of the world wars, and I was just born during the gas crisis, and few seem to fully realize that it COULD happen again. The good thing, though, I think, is that we would see that one coming and have time to stock our cabins with food and supplies before holing-up for an extended period, so Rob O, you'd have plenty of time to buy bags of rice, cans of tuna and bottles of canola oil. Let me know if you want the exact amounts per person.
SteveQVS, I think your go-bag is a great initiative, and I was thinking of making them myself for the people I am responsible for. If anyone makes fun of me, I would say what if you had to leave in a rush? would you remember everything, including a toothbrush? A rain poncho? A change of socks and underwear? A bottle of water? a map? a bit of cash? some energy bars? To me, it's like having a fire-extinguisher, you like knowing its there, but hope it will never be necessary to use it.
There are lots of other things that could happen that would make the cabin an ideal place to stay, like waiting out a massive blackout (see ice storm of 98, or the eastern-American blackout of 2003). I'd prefer staying at the cabin over a government-run refuge in a school gymnasium like many people had to do in Quebec when their homes became uninhabitable due to the lack of power/heat during the ice storm.
MikeonBike, I think the fruit trees are a great idea. I've been thinking of planting one or two myself but I have to find out if the soil there is appropriate. If I had a garden, it would have to be fenced-in, and the soil would also have to be enriched, because the soil in that region is not ideal for agriculture.
It is funny timing that this came up as I am presently reading a book by Forrest Griffin, the winner of Spike's Ultimate Fighter, entitled Be ready when the sh*it goes down, co-written by Erich Krauss. It is a very guy-humour approach to providing actual advice on surviving a variety of disasters. While its full of sarcasm, the author does believe that society will crumble, probably due to some man-made crisis. Its very male-oriented with lots of vulgarity, and I am strangely really enjoying it. For instance, chapter one is entitled "how to be Ted Kaczynski without all that unabomber crap". Men: add it to your Christmas lists, if nothing else, it will make you feel really macho!
RnR
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hattie
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# Posted: 20 Oct 2010 18:35 - Edited by: hattie
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We live in a small town of 85-100 people so we aren't exactly "hidden", but we are in the mountains and I tell my kids if anything happens, to come here. We have a garden, fruit trees, berry bushes and a greenhouse where we grow our own veggies (except for January, February). We have a back-up generator for the house and for the well and lots of kerosene lamps. There's lots of game in the hills, so meat wouldn't be a problem. We also have a rhino for off road driving if we needed and always keep a good supply of gas on hand. Because we get the occasional black-out and avalanches on the road, we always keep lots of food on hand. I think we could very comfortably go 4 months without a problem (except no fresh milk, butter or eggs). We have a cold room where we keep all our preserves too. I think our only problem would be to run out of fuel for the generators after awhile. I don't dwell on a disaster, but I don't see anything wrong with being prepared "just in case", like RnR said - it isn't really any different than having a fire extinguisher in case you need it.
Something everyone should have is a corded/wired telephone. It amazes me how many people have cordless or cell phones only. If the power goes out, a corded phone is what you will need.
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 20 Oct 2010 21:14
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I also like all the crank stuff... you know.. the radios and flashlights that have crank handles that you turn to make them work... better than trying to keep fresh batteries around.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 21 Oct 2010 09:01
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Quoting: Kithera I live in the burbs of Chicago! The Raging Stampede of Oprah Winfrey's studio audience is a real threat!
Now that's a real threat!!!
Winfrey's Warriors, coming to a town near you!
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jwenger@priory. org
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 00:09
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GMAFB! The world is in bad shape,but we must do what we can to fix it. Guns and ammo are not a solution. I often wonder if I (having a second piece of property and structure that I need to DRIVE an hour to) am not part of the problem. Who wants to survive with every thing in disaray.
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bigriver
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 00:17
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sorry for the mishap. please disregard the previous messages from my misuse of this site.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 00:28
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"The world is in bad shape,but we must do what we can to fix it" vs "Who wants to survive with every thing in disaray." Huh? Interesting and conflicted juxtaposition.
Poor dude. Bad case of cabin envy?
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 01:04
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Question: how many cabins are located where the weather turns to freezing for at least part of the year? And if that matches your situation (it is mine) what do you do for food storage? I assume that nobody would want to pay the electric bill to leave electric heat on, Ditto propane or oil or whatever, unless the cabin was occupied full time. But then it wouldn't be a bug-out haven.
We have freeze dried and dehydrated foods as well as dry staples. But there are a lot of items that come in cans and jars that would be nice to have. However, they can not be frozen.
Does anyone have a plan/system to help deal with freezing temperatures.
Being off grid solves one problem, not having to pay the power company, while it creates the other problem of having a finite supply of power, one definitely too small to use any electricity for heating.
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hattie
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 14:40 - Edited by: hattie
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Hattie's Hubby says: "If you had a pit or root cellar that was below the frost line, you could store things there in the winter and they wouldn't freeze. The pit would have to have a well insulated lid or roof." Just a thought.
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 16:00
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We put everything in one of those Rubbermaid Toughneck locking containers and drag the stuff home in the winter. I have been reading up on Root Cellars as Hattie has suggested in the previous post. I am thinking along the lines of an insulated pit.
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fooboo
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2010 17:42
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I think what y'all are really saying, but may not realize it, is that you plan to turn your cabin into a farm if TSHF.
That means clearing trees and improving the soil. It is a lot of work. It will mean increasing your water usage dramatically. You may need a bigger well and pump.
You should assume it takes a year to make a garden. No matter what time of year you start your first garden, it will take one year of fairly constant work from that date to get to a point where the soil is ready and you are ready to actually produce viable amounts of food from it. It takes even longer to establish fruit trees.
Animals also take time to establish. You need support structures, feed storage, and you need a routine to care for them, and you need to know about animal husbandry to perpetuate your herd.
It's no simple task to turn a cabin in the backwoods into a farm - those of you thinking you can just runaway from the cities and start living off the land are in for hard times. If your cabin is your go to place if things go bad, then you should start clearing trees and building a garden now, while you can still buy a shovel at the neighborhood hardware store and seeds are available. It doesn't have to be right next to your cabin. You can build your garden a few hundred feet away, hidden by bushes or trees, so you don't destroy your cabin's current forest ambiance.
MRE's and Mountain House dried food is only going to last you a short time. Long term survival at your cabin means turning your place into a real farm and growing your own food.
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Yonderosa
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2010 17:00
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To the OP query: Assuming I could get there (potentially difficult if the SHTF without warning) we could probably last for a few months without resupply (food/propane) depending on the time of year and I wasn't shooting it out with the zombie hoards...
Each time we go there it is more or less a practice run. We don't store items of value there or food that could be damaged by freezing. Fuel for heat/refrigeration would likely be the limiting factors. A wood stove could remedy the heat issue and winter would solve refrigeration for five or six months of the year.
Food wise we are near large commercial orchards and in the middle of beef raising country. The ground is fertile and the habit supports native fish/shellfish as well a wide variety of game/fowl. Each year we enjoy a number of meals with those critters on the menu.
Fooboo has a good point.
My grandparents generation ~ 100+ years ago were quite self sufficient. There homes were small (especially considering the number of people living in them), off the grid, big gardens, food producing critters and could build and fix most everything they needed or could trade for it.
My parents generation lost all that though they enjoyed a middle class lifestyle.
There are few in my generation with the diversity of skills it would require to be self sufficient. I'd guess the percentage of folks that could successfully garden/farm, harvest/butcher, preserve/can, build/fix (shelter/barns/tools), nursing/midwifes, weaving/tanning, etc. is in the low single digits. We've become specialists, especially in service related fields with likely have little if any value in a SHTF scenario.
I agree, the skills will be more important than the stuff.
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2010 20:12
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If just trying to grow food for a few people square foot gardening can be up and running in a short time in raised beds. But yes to do it right would take years of planting fruit trees, nut trees and other fruit bearing bushes, permaculture style. Its nice to know that there is a place to retreat to for whatever reason.
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pheasantplucker
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# Posted: 15 Nov 2010 15:11
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My wife and I and our five kids, their significant others and our grandchildren will have a place to go when it all starts getting FUBAR. WE don't have all the provisions we'd like, but we're working on it. Important thing is...15 acres(lots of deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel), big garden, wood heat, spring, orchard, near a lake, stream about 100 yards down the hill from us.
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