Camping in a "WSHTF" situation

[Jaredinnwarkansas]

Exactly my thoughts herk. Lots of down to earth practical folks around here.

[caper]

Bill C I don't know if you are joking about being north of America or just uneducated but we do not live in igloos and there are no icicles up here. Today it is 45f and raining.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by caper

Bill C I don't know if you are joking about being north of America or just uneducated but we do not live in igloos and there are no icicles up here. Today it is 45f and raining.

I am thinking he wanted to keep the lower 48 "riff raff" out of his back yard if they do make it that far north!

[crocus]

Yeah, Bill C is from Canada, but he is right, no one would ever want to live in this frozen wasteland!

[Herk7769]

Some "light reading" for Jared...
Prices in USD

"When all Hell Breaks Loose" by Cody Lundin $19.99
"Surviving Off Off-Grid: Decolonizing the Industrial Mind" $19.95

and of course this speaks right to his "camper as bunker" idea -

"Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man's Solution" by M.D. Creekmore $9.60

http://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Cheap-Sur...ef=cm_cmu_pg_t

[caper]

During the ice storm of 1998 we were with out power for over 2 weeks. Some places were with out hydro for over a month. We survived the weather disaster by helping our neighbors. We did not riot or loot stores. The stores did open there doors and sell items that people needed (propane, batteries, candles etc.). Because there was no hydro you could not purchase gas for your auto. People did not panic and the gov. did their best to help the ones in need. Because you could not use the ATM you could not access cash. The grocery stores were opened and were taking credit cards by using the old style hand machines. If you are given lemons make lemonade.

[Herk7769]

Had a PM about what the heck this thread is all about.

Well, I think it is about using our camper as a mobile place of refuge when our normal place of abode is unavailable due to circumstances beyond our control.

The days of nuclear holocaust are pretty much behind us, yet fear of service disruption for other reasons is as valid today as when the folks in Utah mandated a six month supply of staples against an uncertain world.

While some folks think a million rounds of ammunition and a machine gun are what we are talking about, please do NOT tune out.

During the Great Depression the banks were closed (quite suddenly I might add) for just 120 days. It took them that long to sort out the problems, revitalize the money supply and get the country back on the road to recovery. It still took 10 years and a World War to fix it.

No checks, no credit cards, no debit cards, no gift cards, no wire transfers, no American Express Checks, no JOB, nothing except the cash in your pocket. Folks went out to the farms (located close by in those days; an hour's walk for most) with a suitcase or valise full of jewelry, silver service sets, gold and silver of all types and traded for meat, eggs, and produce.

Trying to heat your house might prove impossible if you heat with oil or propane. Better with Nat Gas or electric as long as they keep it flowing.

Easier by far to heat your camper with limited resources, than your McMansion. Remember we are NOT talking about "forever" or the end of the world, the second coming, the mother ship, or the Mayan Calendar; just a few months, possibly as long as a year, of very hard times.

Could your summer "toy" be your lifeboat in troubled waters? THAT is what I think this thread is talking about. Safely, sanely, and cheaply (if possible - though I doubt it) make a few mods to make it a more "float-able" lifeboat. Perhaps a discussion on "safe harbor" ideas might also work their way in.

In aviation we have a saying (stolen lock stock and tea kettle from Rising Sun with Sean Connery), "Fix the Problem; not the blame". Lets keep the political discussions on a different forum (one where I am not a member preferably).

[caper]

I should have checked out where Bill C was from before I made the comment. My apologizes to Bill. But in my travel south to the 48 I have met a lot of people that did not know that the Great White north got warm in the summer. The would not believe me when I told them that the most southern part of Ont. is parallel with northern Cal.

[tonyz]

This is a bit of a long thread, so I don't know if it has been mentioned, but mariners have been using small wood stoves in smallish craft for years. Many of the models I have seen sit right on top of a counter.

SARDINE STOVE INFO & SPECS.

Theyre not cheap, but seem to be quality and highly functional for small spaces.

[teamgl]

Originally Posted by Jaredinnwarkansas

Free heat is the goal.

Hay Jared -- Old school Airstream campers offered wood burning stoves as a factory option. From reading the posts above -- I cannot imagine purchasing a $3,500 stove from some hokie pokie outfit from Seattle. (no matter how homeless they used to be) That amount of money for that wood stove defies logic.


on a completely unrelated note, you've got to check out rocket stoves. These stoves offer a low-usage fuel alternative to the traditional wood fire for cooking. We've used our home-made rocket stove to cook lots of meals - with minimal usage of carbon-neutral fuels. (wood and dried cow ****) BRING ON THE CARBON TAX CREDITS, Baby!

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by tonyz

This is a bit of a long thread, so I don't know if it has been mentioned, but mariners have been using small wood stoves in smallish craft for years. Many of the models I have seen sit right on top of a counter.

SARDINE STOVE INFO & SPECS.

They're not cheap, but seem to be quality and highly functional for small spaces.

Beware of CO poisoning (death) and lost sleep due to the CO detector going off constantly. The requirement to "vent" the space (open a window!?) you are heating seems silly when you are trying to heat that same small space. Additionally, drilling more holes in the roof seems an invitation to leaks. Just my opinion.

[Herk7769]

Keeping the "fire" outside and circulating hot water inside to a radiator using a solar powered (battery backed up) water pump seems a safer way to go and still use a free renewable fuel source. The pipes/hoses could be routed through the floor keeping the potential for leaks to a minimum.

[Herk7769]

So, Jared,

How are things working out for you?

You might be interested in someone who is doing what you proposed:
Amazon.com: Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man's Solution (9781581607475): M.D. Creekmore: Books

[Jaredinnwarkansas]

Thanks herk, looks like a cool book. I'm not able to spend ten bucks on it right now. Maybe later. But I am reading creekmores blog. It has alot of helpful info.

As to my state of wellbeing, well..... I'm dead broke right now, behind on rent and truck payments, insurance, credits are long gone for months now and I've even got my brand new debit card overdrafted, which sucks bc it makes most all of my business dealings much quicker and easier.

But wait. An opportunity has appeared and is very close to fruition. Talked to my old boss at the satellite shop and although he won't admit it openly, he and the dispatcher are dying to have me back. The hours are brutal, 60+ per week, sometimes 100. But my pay always ran from $1000-3000 per week. So.... With my newfound realization of my personal economic situation I believe I can be pretty well set up, land, trailer, and all within a year. Which is a huge weight off my chest. So overall I'm doing well. Hope all of you out there I'm cyberland are too.

[Herk7769]

Glad to hear there is light at the end of the tunnel!