Best Prepper Retreat

When it is time to bugout, what is the Best Prepper Retreat? Underground shelter is good against storms, radioactive fallout and is hidden, but when found, you are trapped. A nuclear missile shelter will have substantial security and while a candidate for the Best ranking, there are not many for sale.  This might be the best shelter in many scenarios, especially against a nuclear attack, but it could also be a primary target.

Before gun powder, a good Fort was ideal location for defending against a much larger enemy.  But with the invention of canons, being stationary meant death in a Fort. This leads to a more Nomadic Prepper Strategy.

While having an isolated  island would certainly add an element of security, you are trapped in one location.  Imagine if you could have an island you could hide or relocate.

https://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/private-island-manhattan-for-sale

Enter the Solar Powered Sail Boat, an island on the move.

https://www.soundingsonline.com/features/one-cool-cat

Imagine powering the fridges, the freezer, the ice maker, the fresh water maker, the water heater and the air conditioning without hearing a generator. Then, imagine taking hot showers, lighting up the boat from the masthead to well below the waterline, and never worrying about energy consumption. This can be done on the Voyage Electric 480 Electrified. Built by Voyage Yachts in Cape Town, South Africa, the 48-footer has a 48-volt, 35-kWh lithium-ion battery bank that is recharged by 16 solar panels, propeller-generated energy and a virtually silent 22-kW diesel generator.

https://www.cruisingworld.com/adding-solar-power/

Think of the extended isolation that a family could achieve.  This makes a sail boat type water craft like this the best Bug Out Retreat, but additional preparations are necessary. 

Fishing is a great way to obtain food, so add a fish finder, fishing poles, trot lines, small commercial fishing net, a small shrimp net, a cast net and lots of rope to tie the fish nets to the boat. 

Because much of the diet will be fish & sea weed, having high protein foods like beans, beef jerky and beef/chicken bouillon.  Mountain House freeze dried foods with a 40 year shelf life will help supplement your fish diet.  It might be good to have a small potted plant Garden.

You should also have some form of land transportation like a bicycle, that will fit in a life boat, so you can anchor at sea, take a small boat ashore and then ride a bicycle around while on land. You should have long and short range types of communication, on the main boat, the small boat, on the land transportation, and short range on the hip of security personnel.

For Security, each adult should have an AR-15 with at least 5,000 rounds of Ammo each. Have at least one of them (preferably 2) with a thermal scope, one with a rechargeable battery. Having two allows you to have one charged at all times.  Also have at lease one really long range Rifle like a 308, a 6.5 Creedmoor or a 338 Lapua with a long range scope sighted at a distance of at least 500 yards, preferably at 1,000 yards.

Each Adult should also be wearing a Glock 17 and have 1,000 rounds available for it and have a well stocked Back Pack.  Have some Glocks strategically cached around the boat. A high powered telescope and several pairs of high powered binoculars should also be available for a full time 24-7 Security Watch. 

Ok, maybe this is not affordable for most people, it is still the best bugout retreat, and an old sailboat restored could be just as valuable in a serious SHTF scenario.

For more information:

Blog Table of Contents
Top Rated Prepper Handbook Posts of all time 

List of Top 10 Lists 

Top 10 Prepper Websites 

Top 10 Posts

Best Prepper Transportation
Prepper Livestock series

Additional information:

https://sailingbritican.com/solar-power-installation-on-a-sailboat/

Best Prepper Transportation

Bug Out Vehicle Criteria

https://motoped.com/survival/

1.  Reliable - Doesn't break down. EMP hardy with no electronics requires a pre 1970's vehicle in most cases, but that is only a factor if we are hit with a Nuke or Solar Flare.
2.  Street and Off-road capable -  Ability to drive where most other vehicles cannot go.  Under normal vehicle use, you need to be able to cruse comfortably at 70 mph and under SHTF circumstances, able to handle the worst dirt roads you might encounter.  When being pursued, or trying to stay off the beaten path, you can drive through a field, the woods, a narrow alley, foot trail or down the train tracks which is a big advantage.
3. Fast - speed to outrun most other vehicles; unfortunately this will consume a lot of fuel and is likely reduce the range and quietness, but could be a huge advantage trying to escape a large SUV full of gangsters.
4. Quite -  No loud exhausts that will attract danger, the quieter the better.  Few modes of transportation are quieter than an electric vehicle.  Another huge advantage is to drive at night with the lights out.  To do this, we can install optional fog lights using infra red (IR) lights and use rechargeable Night Vision (plugged in to the vehicle) or Thermal Vision.  If no IR, we can use Red Infrared Light bulbs used as heat lights. Having a Look Out or Scout checking ahead and surroundings with with
   Thermal Vision can be a huge advantage.  Also see Group Movement.
5. Carrying Capacity - Sufficient capacity for your needs.  More if traveling a great distance to a Bug Out Location, less if used for regional scouting. Extra fuel, ammo, water and food are heavy and can require a lot of space in addition to passengers. Ideally most of your supplies are already at your Bug Out Location (BOL) but you need to carry enough supplies to last double your expected travel time.  See Rule of 3's to prioritize the supplies you pack.
6. Long Travel Range - Ideally you can get where you are going without refueling. More range is needed if traveling a great distance to a Bug Out Location, less if used for regional scouting. Fuel efficiency and/or fuel capacity can deliver the desired results.  For example, a 50 MPG Prius (or motor cycle) with an extra 20 gallon tank (31.9 total) will travel over 1,500 miles without refueling.  Los Angeles CA to New York NY is 2,800 miles. So this would get you half way across the United States. Make this a Plugin Prius (Hybrid) and add a few 150 watt solar panels and you can extend this range 10 miles per day as well as have fuel when there is no gasoline available. Its also quite, but likely not EMP compatible. Gasoline with government mandated ethanol has a shelf life of about 6-12 months so supplies could run out fast. An RV is good for a Nomadic life style while civilization holds up.
7. Easily Maintained - Low maintenance, no maintenance, easy to work on with common tools and has spare parts available. This means no oddball or highly specialized vehicles. Low maintenance is a big plus as you won't have a lot of time to work on it.
8. Intangible - that something special or extra that makes a real functional difference.  Solar powered, eat grass, able to reproduce, sea worthy away from crowds, are all examples.

 Ranking these for some potential vehicles, we come up with a score.  Below is my scoring, what is yours?  Suggestions are appreciated! 

Aosom Bike Trailer

Fuel is usually plentiful

In the end, you must select the best transportation for your needs, but this should help you make the best decision for your needs.

For additional information see the following links:

Blog Table of Contents

List of Top 10 Lists 

Top 10 Prepper Websites 

Top 10 Posts 

Prepper Livestock - Horse

See similar topics by clicking on the labels below

Flood Bugout Bag

What should you have packed and ready to go in the event of a flood or hurricane?  

Here is a good list, but put each individual item in a water proof bag or case:

1. Water resistant backpack
2. Medicines, glasses, contacts, important documents, cash, and a First Aid kit
3. Rain poncho, rain boots, umbrella, children's floats or life vests (wear/carry these)
4. Change of clothes, & a blanket in a water proof bag (typical on all items)
5. Drinking water (stainless steel bottle, camel-back, refillable containers)
6. Dry foods, raisins, beef jerky, MRE's, cooked easy open can foods
7. Fully charged cell phone in a water proof case
8. Hand crank radio / flashlight / signal light in a water proof bag
9. Hand held MURS Communications Radios in a water proof bag
10. Chargers, cords and extra batteries in a water proof bag
11. Folding knife, fire starter, Bic lighter & waterproof matches
12. Area Map (waterproof) & compass in a water proof bag
13. Good handgun in a good moisture resistant holster & ammo in water proof bag
14. An inflatable raft, pool, float or wagon to carry some of your items

 For more information see:

Blog Table of Contents
Emergency Water Supply
Modern Home Security
Survive a 2 week power outage
Sustainable Lighting  

Riot & Looting Preparations
Natural & Man Made Disaster Preparation
Emergency Essentials Disaster Preparations  
Urban Security Plan

Hurricanes 

Beginner Prepper List   
Wilderness Survival Pack (Video) 
Wilderness Survival
Delivering Babies
Global Climate Facts

Nuclear Survival

Even a limited nuclear exchange would destroy everything for potentially hundreds of miles, sending up enough dust into the atmosphere to partially block the sun for years, causing drastically cooler conditions.  Earth could enter a man-made Ice Age or a Nuclear Winter which may be more severe than an Asteroid Impact Winter. The EMP from a nuclear exchange could destroy all electronics that are not shielded by a Faraday cage or metal enclosure. A solar flare could do the same.

Humans have survived an Ice Age before, but not during a time when our survival skills and preparations were so low.  The good news is that survival after a nuclear exchange is possible with a few preparations.

Such Preparations would fall in two categories:   

1) Surviving a 3-10 year winter, tidal waves, fire storms and acid rain.  Within 20 days, the global average temperature would drop from 58 degrees (F) Fahrenheit to 35 F, recovering about 10 degrees after a year or two.  By this time, 1/3 or more of the northern hemisphere (all of Canada and Northern US) would be covered year-round by snow.  The entire earth would experience freezing in the winter, and only the darkest red areas would not be frozen year-round.

 2) Surviving the "break out" after the sky clears, and the weather warms enough to begin life outside again.  The risk of unusually high ultraviolet exposure exists as the skies clear after being scorched. Disease from the fatalities decaying is a serious risk.

1) Surviving a 3-10 year winter

It could happen without any warning with only a matter of days to react.  So a high level of preparation and readiness is important. What should we prepare for?

• Living underground where the earths temperature is more constant may be required.  If not, a well-insulated shelter with a large supply of firewood, diesel or propane would be required making an "Event" like this, one of the most difficult to be prepared for.  Note that an underground shelter also protects from radiation as well as severe storms and cold.  See: Concrete Bunkers
• A ten year supply of long shelf life foods, water & warm clothing.  See the post:

Building your food stores the right way

Identifying nearby food warehouses, school cafeterias and other such places that feed large numbers might be a place to salvage food.  Animals that survive will likely be underground, underwater or able to withstand cold and eat grasses under the snow or bark and twigs of trees like goats, rabbits & deer.

• Green House to maintain your seed supply over such a long time and provide a small amount of food.
• Security plans with a large supply of Ammo to protect what you have. Here a few links:

                 Passive Layered Security

                 Urban Security

2)  Surviving the break out

Nothing would be worse than surviving the extended winter and then not being prepared to survive the new world.  Here is what you might need and some of this could be salvaged from hardware and farm supply stores.

• Extensive Farming and Ranching supplies, including seeds, plants, livestock, feed, tillers, seeders, garden tools like shovels, hoes, and rakes.  Chickens, dogs, goats, pigeons, and rabbits are good animals to have.
• Green House to grow foods year-round.
• Hand tools like saws, axes, drills, nails, water pumps & barrels.
• Farming and Ranching Skills
• Security is still important as it will be easy to let your guard down at this point and be caught unprepared.
• Reproductive age adults for human re-population.
• Substantial loss of land based animals; large bodies of water may be a key source of natural food supply.  
• Snow melting will cause flooding, even in normally dry places.  
• Decaying animals may result in high amounts of airborne disease.

At this point, common long-term survival preparations are needed in addition to those to handle cooler and more erratic weather and shorter growing seasons.  There is a tremendous amount of detail regarding a long-term sustainable meal plan that is important. How much do I need to plant and how many animals do I need to raise.  The Prepper Handbook by JR Ray on Amazon covers all of this in great detail, so we will not duplicate it here.  

For additional information click on the link below:

Blog Table of Contents

Gas Mask
EMP Survival 
Nuclear Survival
Post Nuke Plan
List of TOP Prepper Sites
Red Flag Warnings its time to bugout 
The SHTF Day One 

The First 5 Things To Do After a Crisis 
The good news about nuclear destruction

List of TOP Prepper Sites