Reading the news is like trying to read tea leaves these days. Every nation seems to be ‘gearing up for something’, as the kids say. The news is certainly full of things that could make one feel like its 1939 and something big is about to kick off, but the challenge is figuring out what the likelihood of that is. Civil war? Economic collapse? Nato v. Russia? Us v. China?
Out of curiosity, I looked up the things that were in short supply in the US as a result of the war back in the 1940’s. That was a completely different time and the supply chain was quite different back then. But the question I was curious about was what would be affected in the event of a larger conflict in modern times? Perhaps a NATO vs Russia event. Or the Mideast does one of its periodical explosions into violence. Or the Chinese invade Taiwan.
There are supply chain interconnectivity issues that weren’t even dreamed about 80 years ago. And the threat to the mainland US involved bombers and invasion, nowadays its a cargo-container-nuke, cyberattack, or ‘bad actors’ plowing through a shopping mall. Different times.
And, I swear, this feeling gets more pronounced every year. It seems like every year I say “this year feels like something big is going to happen’, and, for the most part, I’ve been mostly-wrong. But even a broken calendar is right once a year, and, eventually, something will happen. The history of the world is not exactly replete with moments of quiet and calm. To be fair, though, the US has historically been the best place to be when the wheels start to fly off civilization, diplomacy fails, the tanks roll, and markets crash.
I dropped a good chunk of cash and precious metals to acquire the Beta Site, but I was careful to make sure I didn’t spend all my cash and metals. I held back what I thought would be a goodly amount for something unexpected. But still, I feel a lot more secure with money in the bank and a big ‘ol box of silver bars in the safe. Now I have to juggle replenishing the precious metals with using that money to advance things at the Beta Site.
I’ve no idea what World War 3 (or is it 3.5 or 4 these days?) is going to look like but whatever form it takes, its likelihood seems more these days. Of course, when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. When you’ve spent 35 years gearing up for the end of the world, every newsflash looks like the kickoff to World War Whatever.
At the moment, my focus is getting the Beta Site up to a point where at least I could relocate there and have a bit of distance and safety from whatever goes on in the world. At this exact second that looks like simply a place to park a tent and some supplies. But I’m going to try to get it to the point that from a year from now its at least graduated into something a bit more civilized with walls, roof, heat, and basic power. And from that point it advances to running water, creature comforts, and everything else needed to go from bolt-hole to small-year-round-capable dwelling.
But in the meantime I feel like I’m racing the clock…between getting older and the feeling of impending crises theres a bit of a sense of urgency. Not sure if its justified or not, just sayin’ it’s there. But I suspect I’m not the only one, hm?
Regarding the Beta Site, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos on building a cabin inside a Quonset hut. The hut will block the wind, and keep the cabin warmer, and also shed snow. It also provides dry storage for equipment and fire wood.
Links?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIDP7l3uH5c
This maybe it, Looks like AI to me thousands of subscribers only been out two months, has the ‘sing-song voice’ of AI.. maybe something to learn from it,,,
It’s a good idea EXCEPT you want to face its end into prevailing wind direction. I had a 40×100 buckle from a snow load on one side. Their strong but their also aluminum. Here in the north east we got dumped on with 32″ overnight and I worked days to clear it as it continued to snow.
A real Quonset hut is made of galvanized steel. Quick to assemble with a couple extra hands. You do need a good base to build on. I don’t get building a cabin inside. Just build out the hut.
I just think a cobb build would be a better cabin. Chain saw and gas/oil. Build a rack on the truck or a 8 ft trailer and you can harvest < than 3 inch diameter trees easy. Might need a cutting permit from forest service. For that cold area two foot walls would keep heat in with three insulation blocks for dead space. Biggest advantage is no one will know what you are doing. Op sec in these times should be high on the list.
Or maybe cordwood wall construction. Especially if your site has many trees with straight trunks – limbs scheduled for removal. Cut trees into short 24″ + / – length and stack walls with concrete ends exposed to walls. If greater insulation is needed, cut to shorter length and leave an interior gap so temperature transference from outside is cut.
Enjoying the content of this post – good things to ponder to construct a safe, inexpensive home in the wilds.
Person I knew years ago had a pre-fab small metal shop building purchased for very little money. He moved his travel trailer inside it and had his vehicles and shop around the interior perimeter. He was a confirmed bachelor (divorce was bitter) and his friends considered his living quarters heaven. Very quiet and private.
Thanks JRG. I meant cordwood. Pine is best. Lots of videos on this. The one I saw being build as 2ft lengths. They took pink fiberglass insulation and cut it in half long ways. Then cut that in half. One was used on the outside edge and the other used for the inside edge. They were discussing using rockwool loose fill insultation between. The big advantage is local sourced materials and self procurement leading to better privacy.
Oh no, sir, you certainly are not alone in your thinking. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Your modus operandi has gotten you this far. Trust your gut and modify as you see fit. It’s worked here in a rural area of a southern state. When it comes, and yes it WILL come, to paraphrase, you’ll go to the end of the world with what you have. Keep up the good fight, and know that your posts and thoughts have been a guiding light for many who feel as you do.
Agreed! You are spot on that there are a lot of ‘balls spinning up there’ and surely one will be crashing down & causing us some pain. My thoughts are work hard on your project this year, every day off and you will make a lot of progress, and feel a lot better about everything!
“Nato v. Russia”?
You forget NATO vs USA
TJ Sabula, truly a man for our times.
The wheels are coming off. Just don’t know how long it will be before we are skidding along. As to supply chain. Most fresh stuff will be gone. I would get some fencing up to the beta sight and get ready to grow some veggies. You should have a 3 to 4 month window in your AO. Better to get food figured out. Push come to shove you can get a travel trailer back there to live in while you construct a better abode.
Think like a pioneer they lived in the wagon till the hut got built.
GR8 post, did that twice about 4 decades back.🎯💪😎👍🤙🏻
Cmdr, your ALPHA site is better situated than 90% of other people, and probably better than 50% of peoples’ BOLs…
That said, I did put 5 more buckets of freeze drieds at my BOL on the last visit, and more of the hardware I’ll need to get some solar going up there.
And I got the starlink mini for mobile ops and as backup for my ATT fiber here.
So I know the feeling.
Keep working the plan is about all I can suggest, as it’s served you well so far.
______
I have been thinking that we are in one of those periods where everything changes for some time. Going into WWI Great Britain was great. The sun never set, etc. 20 something years later, they were rationing food, had decimated their best and brightest, and began winding down their Empire.
The US went from a primarily agricultural and resource based economy to being a massive manufacturing and tech powerhouse during the same time.
And that just hints at the change in tech and lifestyle over the same period. In 30 years the whole world changed.
It’s coming for us too.
nick
A few months back I volunteered to help with an erosion control project to help restore some fire burned forest. Visions of helping co-eds daintily place river rocks next to a babbling brook were quickly erased by the reality of lugging rocks the size of a microwave ovens up a near vertical slope, all the while slipping on pine straw that seemed to be laced with lard. This was at 8000′ elevation and the whole time it felt like a full-blown cardiac arrest was a few breaths away.
Pushing 70 now, breaking down fast. I feel the dread in my bones that something is coming. Maybe Putin will see the writing on the wall and just start lobbing nukes at us for his last great act of defiance. Then China will swoop in to pick the bones of our once great Nation destroyed by politicians who love money more than they love America.
No underground bunker or BOL in my future. Looks like it’s going to be Katy bar the door and hunker down in my little house with some black walnut, blue steel and a bit of whiskey to calm the nerves while the savages rage outside.
Outstanding post🤔😬💯👍😎👌
Our ancestors survived Montana winters with a wood stove and outhouse. It’s absolutely doable, and more pleasant than most people realize. A buddy of mine spends most of the winter in Wyoming out in his tipi.
Living without indoor plumbing and central heating has its rewards.
CZ, Berglander et.al.
Trappers, back in the day had simple (log cabins) or “huts” if you wish, scattered throughout their territory. The logs were cut on the site, left round, and often “chinked” with mud and grass to seal the cracks.
The roof was slanted or peaked. Sometimes, there was a “crude porch type area outside of the entry door to keep gear/food cold/ and wood handy or whatever.
There must be “Tube” video of a jillion examples out there…..of such a set up or similar.
Maybe THE key ingredient is a wood burning stove of some sort. An easy one to make is with a 55 gallon barrel some 6″ black stove pipe and and a for as long as needed, (with a damper) and a door and enough stove pipe to form the chimney to be stuck through the roof. The chimney can be double walled stove pipe, or just plain bricks and mortar, or chimney blocks from the lumber yard.
You may not believe it, but 4 12″ boards nailed as a square tube would suffice as a chimney if they did not touch the flames and there was a trap door to close off the “chimney” when not in use. In a simple “hut” structure, you would essentially have a wooden teepee, that you could sauna in, cook in, and sleep in.
That barrel stove will absolutely keep you toasty. Add a metal (galvanized, or stainless, or whatever) bucket placed on top of the barrel to warm water (melted snow?) and you have wash water. You can “boil” the water, for sterilization over another fire, or a smaller propane stove. Don’t try and fire up your barrel stove enough to boil water. You will turn the place into a sauna, if not inviting a fire hot enough to burn your hootch down.
If you cannot do the “chimney” with pipe or block or bricks. It can be done with wood………WTF? four pieces (about 12″ + or -) nailed in a tube/box form sticking through the roof will work. On the interior end of the wooden tube, is a “trap door” or plug that keeps the heat from inside escaping when the fire and smoke are gone and the air is heated enough.
On other fronts…….CZ after you have purchased your (Stihl) preferably, chain saw…. buy a tandem axle flatbed trailer with small side rails (15″ tires). Get one long enough to haul your lumber and other supplies without stressing the trailer.. It will be immensely handy, compared to working out of just a pick ’em up truck or some cheesy single axle trailer. TSC sells them for about $2500, (but they are barely heavy enough) in any event, I repeat, don’t buy a single axle to “cheap out”.
With the tandem, you could even build a hootch on the front end to bunk in if needed or keep some cargo hidden from prying eyes…….food for thought.
Cheers.
Commander Zero something to think about. Just 3 maybe 4 years ago we were visiting our “Deer Camp” and discovered some crackheads had been camping out in it. Even tried to make a fire on the floor of the storage shed turned cabin.
We decided as they were likely to return to remove the door, the windows and other creature comforts and head back to home with them. That made it uncomfortable enough that we had very little evidence they tried to stick around since then.
The next year we dug a “new foundation” for the deer camp cabin. Drilled a sand point well down there. Put in an 8X8 basement down there. Put the cabin on top and access to the well and that basement is by unscrewing some floor boards, going down there setting up hand pump, bringing UP the door and windows etc AND the replacement floorboards to make a more normal ladder style access.
Reverse when deer season is done. Well is well protected from freezing and so far nobody has seen fit to discover the basement.
IF you don’t have crackheads or 4×4 “explorers” that might remember that cool cabin out there you don’t need to do such things.
It would really suck to head out to the “Beta Site” and discover a larger group already set up there.
yeh that was my thought. if you don’t have someone there all the time it will get hit. also the safety in numbers comes into play. nobody to cover your back. they will eventually come out looking for food etc.
Yea but the prevailing mindset of preppers is hide, hide, hide so you can be eaten last…It’s like no one reads history or takes advice from people who have been through the shit like Selco or Ferfals… Tribe Up or Die…
How did the water resource look on the purchased land .
Surface /spring/ well.? Drilled or existing or need to ?
I’m assuming from clues like snowmobile access you’re up in the hinterboonies enough it’s not “dip it from the lake”
Just nuke everything and let GOD sort it out.
You tell em Duke Nukem
Good post. Likewise, my “spider sense” has been tingling for a few years now and I just cannot put my finger on what the exact threats are (there are many and always changing) and how I could prepare, so I guess I have just stayed with a few “best practices”. I would offer that if you want a picture of what SHTF might look like, look at photos and videos the war torn regions around the globe. Cities, towns and villages in Ukraine are totally destroyed, as is the Gaza region in the middle east. Depressing to say the least. When I shop at the supermarket, I see people riding electric carts, some with oxygen bottles or using their shopping cart as a walker. I had the uneasy thought, as a “partial prepper” that, most of these folks are just not going to make it through a real crisis. Also depressing. But, we must soldier on, right?
Might not be a good idea to leave much fiat money in the bank – “Bank Bail In’s” don’t you know. It’s my understanding that Credit Unions don’t subscribe to the banks bail In plans.
They its called the national credit union administration.
https://ncua.gov/
Bail-Ins extend far beyond our bank accounts. They also include our brokerage accounts, 401Ks, IRAs, real estate if you read the ‘fine print’. See https://thegreattaking.com/read-online-or-download
As I close in on 63 trips around the sun, I realize that I can only do so much with what I have (or have time – $$$ to purchase). I determined that living my life AND keeping ear to ground to divine when Spicy Times Are Here will have to be the rule.
Similar for us. 70 yo. Lived in this hideaway for most of our lives. It’s hard to maintain at our age. But I see unrest, civil breakdowns, etc, and I would rather stay here than move in town. We have everything here, mostly, and some good neighbors in a small town.
Starlink antenna.
Can you buy one, put it away in the corner, save for emergency and not pay any subscription fees?
We got starlink for our BOL because it’s rural and there really wasn’t another choice for service. As a bonus, they are offering a mini for about $75 and some nominal additional cost per month. That gets basic service on the mini (which is pretty good speed for most things) and you can turn the mini on for full speed on a per month basis as needed.
IDK if there is a “stand by” plan without the full time plan.
FWIW, the service has been getting better and better as time goes by with more benefits and reducing cost.
My preference would be no internet at the BOL, but the benefits (like my wife being able to work remotely, and remote access to the cameras) outweigh my desire for fewer distractions.
n
Thanks Nick.
I’ll investigate further.
I like the standby plan, if it exists, like those extra truck tires I have on standby in my shed out back.
$5.00 per month for the standbys plan.
$5.00 per month for the standby plan.
It all seems to be going sideways – no matter where you look. It all seems to be failing. Will 2026 be the year that it finally breaks? Maybe. All I know is that it’s going to suck when it happens, but this slow, grinding, SHTF is getting exhausting.
Just Moved to a small remote town in flyover country. VERY conservative, very religious, and even has its own Gun store right next to the best restaurant.
Reason: Being 80, wife and I don’t have the energy or desire to have a bug-out camp. The neighbors and I, Being well armed, can put up as much, or more resistance, than I could alone.
Something is brewing, the Left is getting more violent and aggressive. I believe the big cities will erupt shortly, and for a time be contained. When the cities are destroyed, gangs will start to range out picking off the loners, the survivalist.
Two shooters (hopefully not caught by surprise) are incapable of taking down a mobile gang of a dozen or more. (Cept’ in the movies)
The big blue cities are the canaries in the coal mine. Outside of being in one, I believe the rest of us are (mostly) OK until that happens. When the cities go, watch the suburbs. When the suburbs start to go, it’s time to prepare for real. It’s not too late to get out of the cities but the trouble with moving to a small town is you’ll never really be an insider. If you’re planning on it, now’s the 2nd best time to do so. Bset time was a few years ago.
“gangs will start to range out picking off the loners”. No doubt; you need to have “membership” in some sort of society. And you can >nottheir< deer being poached, not some outsider city dude's. Lawyer finally convinced him to accept the fine and avoid the trial. It'll be similar when SHTF. You want to be accepted as a local.
Talk to neighbors and nursery folks about fruit trees for your elevation, it’s one of the first things that should be planted. Follow up with other food bearing perennials that you can let go wild while your at the camping stage of development.
We’re with you. We’ve been stepping up the preps for the last two years. By November we will be about a “bombproof” as it gets. We’re hoping the world holds together for 10 more months!
Yep CZ, Your spidey sense is telling you something. I’ve been naive, but I’m not stupid. The wheels prolly won’t fall off at the same time. The LF will be a few #s low. The RF needs to be balanced. The LR has a questionable bearing. The RR is missing a couple of lug nuts. That’s called LIC (Low Intensity Conflict). They will use it to exhaust you, wear people down, pressure them to eventually self destruct. I’m counting heavily on that. If the PRC invades I wouldn’t be surprised. Same with a nuke from a Russian boat. But really, turn the SA immigrants against us after we invade Columbia next, and then Mexico; toss in a good dose of Islam from Dearborn, Mi and Texas. Boost inflation another 15% – 25%. Whatever happens, count on the globalists to keep the pressure on. You get the idea. Add another virus to the mix if you want.
Cruise the newz and rake for the bits that inform, not entertain. Prep and act accordingly. Silver sales have (apparently) been suspended by the US Mint. As of today its at $89.00/oz (!?!) Was at $92 earlier.
Do things you haven’t done before, things that matter. And, do it grey. Keep your mouth shut. Get to work, ignore the grid and firewall any further attempt it makes to suck you into its matrix. Jettison dead weight. Trim for the storm and don’t get emotional. Its better to be a year early than a day late.
US Mint repriced Silver Eagles $175@
As far as your beta site being “unattended” while you’re transitioning, have ya thought about maybe arranging with a trusted individual to camp there and maybe even provide some “extra hands” when you’re there getting set up? Or maybe even a trusted local to stop by on an irregular basis to have a look around? The “trusting” part would be a problem for me, but with someone there you might keep away some of the potential squatters that’d attempt to make what’s yours, theirs.
First thing to do is build a walipin. Get the book Walipini Design and Construction on Amazon. You should be able to get the job done in a few weekends. Let your mind run wild with the possibilities.
All the best,
Tommyjoe
Yes CZ, everyone with even a passing interest in preparedness is feeling that clock tick down. It’s even reached the level of the normies who can’t fathom any life but the one they are living. They know something is wrong, but they don’t have anywhere to put those feelings productive. It comes out in all the stupid shit you see them do.
I think the ideas people have for preparedness are too grand sometimes. Satellite internet, power, etc. I’ve always assumed I wouldn’t have those things. Hand tools not power tools, water collection, storage and purification not electric well pumps, canning and drying and root cellar not freezers, maps and books not computers. I don’t want to build a really expensive tomb by assuming some critical piece of modern tech is going to work – without repair or replacement parts.
We all have the prepper time paradox to contend with. When is it going to be? We all imagined there would be some unmistakable event or SHTF sign that it was time to GTFO. None of us thought it was going to be this nickle and dime slow system collapse shit where everything just gets objectively shittier but somehow we’re all expected to keep going to work. We should have though, since nearly every example of complex civilizations in history is something like systems collapse.
So what do you do? If you leave to early, you become a pariah to your friends and family and lose out on the resources you could have obtained by being part of the dying system. We all know what happens if you wait too long.
I made my choice. I moved into a rural farmstead so I could start practicing this stuff while things are relatively easy and where there’s plenty of assistance and educational information freely available. Make no mistake, it’s hard. I wish I had been out here 5 more years to have more time to get to know the rhythms and seasons of my land.
You made your choice CZ and found your land, and now comes the inevitable “what do I do with the time and money I have left” questions. I’m a long time lurker and very infrequent poster, so anyone can take my advice and do with it what they will.
To anyone, not just CZ
Find something you can afford, get there as soon as you are able, start learning, make a list of the things you need to have and figure out which ones of those can or cannot be done without modern technology. Do the ones which can’t be done without civilization first. Prioritize water, basic shelter including heat, food generation and food preservation, defense. Then move on to the jobs that civilization makes easier through modern equipment.
For CZ specifically
Get your water situation finished. Civilization makes this so much easier
Clear land for growing food. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. You can live out of the back of a truck or a tent or a hole in a tree but you can’t farm without prepared fertile land. Fell trees, remove stumps, clear brush and large rocks. Chainsaws and rented equipment are way easier than hand axes and saws. Clear as much as you can afford to do, more than you think you will need because you are going to have much lower yields and lose a lot to forest creatures. Think about fencing to deter larger animals from getting into your garden. Figure out what people in your area can grow for food – not just basic crop names but specific varieties. Reach out to the local county extension office. In my small area the library has seed check out. Take a soil sample and get it tested. Find out what’s in it and what’s not. Figure out how to improve that soil while such things are available. Figure out alternatives early to prepare for when they are not.
Get stuff out there. Even if all you can do is a storage locker or tote to store tools in a hidden away location. Move up to a small shed, move up to a large shed. If you got caught flat footed you could live out of a shed while you were building something bigger. Hand tools first so they are there if you need them. Use power tools while you can to speed stuff up.
Everything should be start small and add. Incrementally make it better every trip. Try not to waste energy on things that you consider temporary, focus on things that can have multiple uses beyond the immediate one.
I have innumerable stories of culture shock, bad planning, ill timed accidents and failures to flush out all of these things. No one cares to hear them. As a child I knew our modern world was not going to last. I spent my whole adult life trying to be ready and then when I got here I found out in how many ways I wasn’t ready. It’s a humbling experience and I’m so glad I got to figure it out when I could still hire a plumber to re-pipe my house or go to the store and buy food to replace that which was lost, or was insufficient, or never grew. I know everyone’s laughing at my ignorance and misfortune, and dismissing how basic my advice seems. I just feel like it’s important to say these things truthfully instead of being boastful or prideful or afraid to admit mistakes.
Best of luck to everyone, we’re going to need it
Excellent post! I especially agree with the paragraph about growing food and protecting it from those who want to eat it (and they will, all in one night, so you are totally screwed, been there, done that…)
Actually this whole post as been great! Thanks for all who contributed, it makes me feel like it was back in the day… When we all would help each other on these blogs…I am getting sentimental, I’m getting old, or need to drink more…
Well Verizon wireless had a major service outage across the country. Verizon is not saying what caused it. Our Cell service was out for about 12 hours total. Starting to wonder if it was a cyber-attack.
CZ ,
I think all your scenarios come into play- the leftist will resort to sabotage etc much like they did right after the First World War (look up “First Red Scare”). We are in the lead up to a full blown world war. Germany took over the Rhineland in 1936. Japan invaded China in 1937. Yet the history books will tell us that World War Two started in 1939 with the invasion of Poland or 1941 with Pearl Harbor when in fact bad $hit was happening years before those dates.
My thought is food will be much more rationed and as far as manufactured goods- good luck. Between supply chain chaos and everything being diverted to war effort there won’t be nails, nuts, bolts, car parts tractor parts etc etc etc. the next war will be come as you are for us civilians. When the war (SHTF) starts what you have is what you are going to have until the war is over and the economy gets back to “normal”.
You’re probably prepared for the eventuality, if not for the actual cause. I did not expect a rapid dismantling of civil rights by a Republican President and a passive Congress and Supreme Court, or that we’d alienate every trading partner we cultivated since WWII. I also never expected to see the end of the Petrodollar in my lifetime, but it now seems almost inevitable. Your silver and lead will have their greatest value then.