prep « Robin Writes

I read an article over the weekend that talked about arriving at your bug-out location/retreat/wherever you plan to go when SHTF. This one in particular referenced a cabin in the woods, so naturally I paid attention.

First, a two- or three-hour drive like ours could easily turn into twice that, or more. While we’re used to stopping for a bathroom break or to grab a Pepsi, that could be dangerous or impossible when SHTF. A few hours would be no big deal, but twice that? You need a plan.

Of course, you should already have a few additional routes to your BOL, and you should be familiar with them. I’d also suggest a system of combining a couple routes, just in case you’re halfway there and that second-choice road becomes unavailable for some reason.

See, you aren’t going to be the only vehicle on the road. Or the path. It’s not a matter of going with the flow of traffic or switching to the outer road of the highway to avoid an accident—it’s a matter of a whole lot of panicky people trying to leave in a hurry. A big hurry. Most with no plan or prepping at all.

So let’s say you head out of town around noon, expecting to arrive around 3:00; but you have to take side roads, back roads, gravel. Or worse. You actually get to your BOL after dark.

If you’re off the beaten path, you should be okay; if you’re not, you might find nothing or you might find squatters.

This is why you don’t talk about your preps, and especially your location. Sometimes, even if you don’t, someone may have gotten there before you.

Be cautious. This isn’t a weekend trip.

Hopefully you’re carrying and all your weapons and ammo aren’t stored or cached at your BOL. They could be missing, but certainly would be hard to find in the dark. Same thing with your supplies.

And let’s not forget the comforts of home.

You hear a lot about bug-out bags, and most of these are planned to be carried. By you. Of course, you also know about emergency kits for your vehicle.

But what about a more specific bug-out kit designed for your vehicle?

In a car emergency kit, you’d have flares, a blanket, water, snacks. At minimum. You might also conceal-carry or have a weapon in the glove box. And of course, you have a bug-out bag standing ready by the door.

With a delay or poor visibility conditions upon arrival at your BOL, you might be looking for a bit more:

Extra water or beverages

Extra snacks—or MREs on arrival

Weapon/ammo

Knife

Card or board game

Extra blankets and travel pillows

Toilet paper

Coffee

I keep a tote with the larger items, ready to go if needed, as well as a survival bag with the smaller items already in my truck. Don’t discount those “comforts” like toilet paper and coffee and a simple hot meal.

If I got delayed or stuck, I’d be pretty much set.

And yeah, a good map with ALL the roads is a necessity. Take it out of your vehicle for plotting routes, and put it BACK IN, IMMEDIATELY.

Don’t rely just on your memory—you’ll be at some level of panic too, regardless of your prepping.

How important is perimeter fencing? That depends. There are always ways to enter a property, but there are things you can do to make that access more difficult.

The biggest issue you’ll face is the size of your acreage. First, it’s much more expensive and time-consuming to fence in 100 acres than 20; second, it’s harder to patrol and watch over a larger area when someone finds a way inside.

Look around, out in the country, and take note of all the properties you see. Some will look beautiful, with a wide expanse of lawn leading up to the front door; others are so brush-covered that you can’t see past the mailbox.

You want yours to look like the second one.

It doesn’t have to look like that straight on up to your front door, of course. Police departments all over the country tell you to trim your landscaping so criminals have fewer places to hide—and if you live in the ‘burbs or the city, that can be very helpful.

But your first line of defense is your perimeter.

While driving from town out to our farm, I’ve noticed many places that would appear attractive to gangs or hordes or any desperate person: houses next to the road and the aforementioned lawns with a welcoming entrance and a clearly visible home.

Ours has a large barn, yes, but there’s no helping that—and many places you might be interested in purchasing do have homes near the gate; the reasoning is usually the cost of running utilities from the main power lines to the house, or even the well location. Fortunately, our barn is nearly 20 years old and has a badly rusted door—not the first choice, probably, of someone looking for something, even if they found their way back to our road.

But you certainly don’t have to make things easy for trespassers.

Dirty up that shiny new gate and the new fence posts; distress them a bit, as it were. Use a second-hand gate and second-hand barbed wire or fence panels. It doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t be, “pretty.” This is a working homestead, right? Not a vacation place?

Don’t get me wrong, everything should be in excellent working order—just not new and screaming dollars.

I also don’t recommend an electric fence. When SHTF and your power goes out, you’ll need at least one other generator to power that, depending on how many feet you installed.

Think natural barriers: poison ivy, sticker bushes, anything with thorns. Around here, you’re also likely to find dumping areas on your property, full of things that didn’t burn, like tires (good hiding places for snakes) or rusted wire. Put those things in heavy brush behind your fence lines. Even if someone cuts the fence, they’ll think twice or at least slow down when they hit the less-visible obstacles.

Of course, when you do regular checks, you’ll have be careful too . . .

Speaking of checks, you should inspect your fence lines at least weekly, and more often when SHTF. And you may have to take steps to remove the perpetrator, if constantly cut wire becomes an issue. No, I’m not advocating shooting anyone—it’s likely just kids come to fish your pond—but you should probably be in contact with law enforcement.

When SHTF comes, all bets are off; likely law enforcement will have better things to do, or even be nonexistent. But those kids going fishing are now taking food from your family . . .

Once someone is on your property, uninvited, you need to be prepared. You need a plan in case this happens, especially if you own a target property, e.g., a fancy entrance or one with easy access and visibility.

What will you do? How will you handle it?

I can’t say what I’d do, exactly—it depends on many circumstances. But I do know this:

They can’t stay.

The sooner they leave, the better.

And if you walk your property on a regular basis, you’ll know who and what and why long before they become entrenched. I don’t care if they’re on the opposite end of your forty acres and you can’t see or hear them, they’re using YOUR resources because they didn’t stock up on and have their own.

Your job is not to provide for everyone, or anyone. Your job is your family.