Episode-198- Thoughts on Selecting a Bug Out Location
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Today’s broadcast discusses options for setting up, finding and selection of a bug out location, (also called a BOL or fall back location). There is also a bit of follow up on yesterdays show about the swine flu and some other little pieces of advice.
Tune in today to hear about…
- How far is far enough away, how close is to close
- Does a BOL have to be remote, think about Hurricane Katrina
- Why a bug out location is a highly personal choice and what you want is most important
- Hidden gotchas to watch out for in buying a second piece of property
- Why tent camping is not a good idea for your BOL and why you really need a structure ASAP
- Starting with an outbuilding is a good option
- Thoughts on over looked benefits of mountain land
- My personal big 4, (water on property, guns are acceptable, land is good for growing food and livestock are welcome in the community)
- Is the Northwest the most ideal place, thoughts on rough winters and possible global cooling
- Watch out for potential annexation by surrounding towns/cities
- Buyers covenants are good, home owners associations are evil!
- If you move permanently to your BOL you no longer have a fall back position
- Stay away from major roads, roving hordes are not the only reason
- Know the community you have chosen before you buy
- The hidden danger on land that borders “National Forest”, etc.
- Have redundancy options for your well, (manual, solar, something not grid dependent)
- Using slope to your advantage with water harvesting
Resources for Today’s Show
- United Country
- Realtor.com
- Region 5 Get Together
- Members Support Brigade
- Dirt Time 2009
- Lights Out Audio Preview
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Jack this may sound crazy.But geese make a good gaurd dog so to speak.If a stranger or a bobcat etc shows up at your property if they see or hear it they go nuts.And sometimes you will get one that will bite or evan chase a dog or person that can be good at 3AM. Living in a place where you can target practice is good 5 acres is private in wooded areas but is still a gun shot can be heard at night if a intruder shows up and the cummunity will poke there heads out to see whats going on.
Jack im sure you already know this. Another good ideal about buying a BUG OUT home is to maybe not get a place that has a window AC unit they make it really easy foy someone to break into your home without making a lot of noise.If your not there or people dont live close now one will know about it until its too late.This happened to a friend of mine in the middle of the day time and they cleaned him out.
@Dan it isn’t crazy at all geese are great “watch dogs”.
@Dan good point, I would not be unwilling to have a window unit but I sure would take it out when ever I wasn’t there. Never really thought about it, good point!
My main objection about a mountain home…. forest fire. I lived four years in the forest. Every summer was scary – especially when kids play with matches. This was in Montana. If I decide on another mountain location, it will be in a place like Alaska or Washington near where there is lots of rain.
Jack, an interesting re-assessment of the BOL. For my family and our relocation to Vancouver Island, BC., though a BOL is nice, it\’s not practical at the moment. We\’re planning our new homestead site out there so that it\’s as much a balance as you and your wife need as my wife and I can handle. We\’re also dealing with financial constraints to the relocation that is partially driving our actions to a degree as well.
@Phil, from what I vaguely know about the northwest US (and by extention and more detailed, BC Canada), though forest fires are lessened, they are frequent enough in the northwest. But your point overall is good (if you can live with the rainy days and apparent lower availability of solar days for PV and Photo-Thermal use.
Great discussion on your preference for being isolated and out of the vision of other neighbors. I’m the same way, however, there is also the perspective that if SHTF its difficult to go it alone. Its often ideal to have your back covered by folks you can trust and who can mutually support survival as well as defense. Responsible and mutually supportive neigbors can cover eachothers backs… in more ways than one, to include visual observation support or security. Possibly something worth considering especially when total isolated privacy is hard to come by. I’m aware of two groups of selective survivalist people who have actually coordinated to purchase BOL in the same area.
Your comments early in today\’s program about the swine flu were not completely accurate.
I do agree that this wave was a \"non-event\" and has been way over reported by the media, maybe it was a slow news week, ha. Your particular comment about the WHO\’s (World Health Organization) moving to level 5 as being irresponsible is not correct.
WHO (World health Organization)guidelines state that a level 5 alert will be issued when a virus has spread to at least 2 countries in a region (no more no less). The levels do not describe the expected lethality of a virus, just its ability to be passed between people and how widely it has spread.
I think climate is definitely worth considering too. I wouldn’t worry about trying to predict global warming/cooling trends, but I don’t think it’s too “foil hat” to keep peak oil in mind (especially for those of us in our 20s/30s that are likely to see an end to cheap energy in our lifetimes).
If life is miserable today without AC and a bug zapper running all summer and heat and a snow thrower going all winter, well, it probably won’t get better down the line. Cheap oil and non-sustainable irrigation practices have allowed people to settle a lot of places that aren’t particularly habitable without those conveniences.
While there are lots of good places to choose from in the U.S., I think it’s telling that a lot of the big names in the peak oil community live in the Pacific Northwest.
@Ken
Well then EVERY winter we should have a flu pandemic, a cold pandemic, etc. Not level 5 but Level 6.
Good point, Jack…the “regular” flu always comes from the far East. If memory serves, that is how we can produce a vaccine every year. Not to be “tin-foil-hat” or anything, but I really can’t trust any organization that has a first name of “World”. “World Rifle Association”…hmmm.