Prepping – Shelter

I’ve talked about bugging in versus bugging out. I haven’t talked much about long-term bugging out, mostly because I’m not suited to it. Frankly, I don’t think most people are, despite their desires. In any case, it’s not something I could do for a long time, so there is no point in planning for it.

Short term bugging out or having an emergency come up while I’m out of the house and have to make my way home are absolutely possible scenarios. That means I have spent considerable time contemplating how to deal with it. For me, there are many issues that come up when considering being bugged out, and it’s a very individual thing.  You’re going to have to figure out your list of pros and cons on your own.

My first question is whether I’m temporarily bugging out, or am I on a trek to get home after being caught out? I can forsee several situations where I might temporarily bug out of the house. We back onto acres and acres of woodland, with even more nearby. It’s not going to be searched, even if FEMA comes by and investigates. I don’t have the kind of subbasement that Bill had in The Last Of Us (this scene is freakin’ marvelous, I might add – go have a watch!), so there are places we can go to hide until the feds come and go again. The bottom line is, they won’t stick around, and I will.

And here’s the thing. I have a well stocked pantry out in plain view. I expect that to be ransacked. I have a hidden pantry that I also expect will get found and ransacked. That’s why I have caches elsewhere. There’s always more food, more seeds, more of what I need. I also try to keep up on the letter/number combos that FEMA puts onto houses when it goes through a neighborhood. I keep a variety of spray paint on hand, and once I know what color they’re using, I should be able to sneak in and mark up the house. Emergencies are wonderful things, sometimes, and allow you to make everyone think “someone else took care of it.”

While I happen to have two generators on hand, I doubt I’d use either of them for any long term disaster. They are there to keep the freezers going if there’s a power disruption that’s minor but lengthy. That’s basically it. The house runs just fine without power. I know how to cook without power. I have a treadle sewing machine if I need to do clothing repairs, and I can hand sew with the best of them. I have all the lights I need, including solar, oil, and candle. I think people have this tendency to run and turn on the gen set when an emergency sets in, but all that does is announce to your neighbors that you’re much more prepared than they are. I prefer looking pitiful and sitting pretty.

My house is terrific shelter. It has everything I need: first aid supplies, water, food, heat, clothing, blankets, light… and out back, sources of four legged food. This house is set up to allow my family to quietly go about their lives, despite what’s going on outside.

For outdoor shelter, I have several options. My bug out/get home bag has a military poncho and liner attached, and that’s a whole shelter on its own. It’s fine for most temperatures down to just about freezing. Using both parts, I can make a small tent, or I can wear it and just be wrapped up in it. Because I am height challenged, a standard military poncho is much too long for me, so I use a German one. They’re several inches shorter, and work well for me, while still being the same quality. The liners still mostly fit, too.

I have a full military sleep system with bivy, for cold weather emergencies. It’s fine for sleeping in a very cold bedroom, or for going to the Fort in February. I can sleep toasty inside it. In a real emergency, it can be put out, covered with leaves, and is its own waterproof tent. I have napped in it in the rain, and can attest to its waterproof abilities. The problem with it, is that it’s huge. It’s not terribly heavy, but it’s bulky, and it doesn’t matter how much you compress it… it’s still big. I can carry it attached to my get home bag, but it’s awfully large and very obvious.

I also have tents. Yes, plural. I have a Civil War wedge tent, which is canvas, warm, dry, and quite secure. I can put it up using branches if need be, so on the run I wouldn’t have to bring the poles. I have several modern tents of various sizes, as well. There are two of the “pop up” tents, which are very easy to use and are heavy as all get out. I have two modern tents that are light, but take a lot more work to put up, and that are large enough to fit the whole family and then some. I can backpack with one of them on, though they’re a big large/awkward. And then there are the hammock tents, of which we have two. They’re tiny, smaller than a pillow and about the same weight. You can set them up and take them down without getting wet, which is nice (the fly goes up first and you set up under it). It’s only for one, and you have to have trees nearby, but it’s a very good option in New England where we’re full of forested areas.

We also have vehicles. While not the ideal shelter, they do work. Seats can be reclined, or you can make a bit of a hammock inside a car or truck cab for laying down in. Cars have the added protection of being very solid, safe from electrical storms, lockable, and warm. They do tend to collect condensation, so remember to crack a window if you’ll be in one for any length of time.

The last option I have is my tarp. If I’m stuck out without my bivy to protect me from rain and snow, I will likely need to have something over me to keep me dry. I always try to keep a tarp on hand. Sometimes that means a huge tarp, which could be secured to make a large sleeping and living area. More often, it means I have an old functional yet a bit grimy shower curtain on hand. They fold up very small, are completely waterproof, and already have holes in one side. They’re easy to drape over something else to help it keep you dry (for instance, a non-waterproof blanket with the shower curtain over top of it). You can lay on top of them. They can be used to roll up leaves, to make you a dry and moderately comfortable “mattress” outside. They have so many uses, and they’re cheap.

If you plan on using tarps, and I do recommend that, you may want to invest in tarp clips. They allow you to turn anything into a shade or cover. They’re handy if you’re using something that doesn’t have holes in it already, because it means you don’t damage the fabric but you still add anchor points. I have a huge baggie of these things, and I use them all the time. They hold backdrops for doing videos, they hold up towels for changing or for shade, you can stake down the bottom of a flapping wall on a pop up… so many uses.

Shelter is what you make of it. It can be anything from clothing to a house. As with all prepping skills, you need to practice. Learn how well your house runs without power by turning it off at the main power junction. Go camping and make “power free” weekends a norm, so you know how to react when it isn’t there. Put your skills to use, and hone them!