[Vanishing Nomad]

I noticed a trend here the other day. many of the preps, plans and survival strategies are plans for the worst case senario. These plans never seem to account for the *Easy* way to do things.

For example, many want to bug out to very remote locations in the wilderness.

Now, this may be a fun idea, and have romantic over tones, BUT is it the best plan?

I think in many cases in the effort to prepare for an apocalyptic situation we neglect the easiest options.

For example, if we are to plan to live in the wild, why pick Alaska, or anywhere else where you have to struggle through winter hardships, and potentially deadly winters, months of food scarcities when you can go live in the wild in a nice Southern location where the weather will not kill you, the food is plentyfull, and the competition is minor. I would suggest a Tourist Island for example. The Tourists will be gone, so you could have the island to yourself and enjoy lots of fish, year long foraging for edible plants, nice warm sunny beaches and a nice peaceful existence?

It would be a heck of a lot easier. When you think about it, there would be vastly more natural resources, and be much easier to sustain yourself, therefore the better our chances are of survival, and the easier it will be to actually prosper from the situation.

Why set yourself up to struggle, when you can set yourself up to just cruise through life and enjoy your time? If you plan right, SHTF could actually put you in endless vacation mode for the rest of your life! heck, if you plan it right, you may not even want to WAIT for a SHTF, you may just go now!

 

[test]

I think I'd be miserable on a tropic island. Heat. Bugs. Humidity. Jungle rot. etc. etc.

Plus, it's tough to get to an island. It's not somewhere you can hike to if necessary.

Every place has it pros and cons, but a northern location sounds easier and more comfortable to me.

 

[madcritter]

I all ready live at the beach.

 

[Samain]

I agree with ice hog. I would be misrable on a tropical island. I would much rather be freezing my butt off than sweating like a pig and stinking to high heaven. Its a lot easier to heat up than to cool down. My ideal place to bug out would be up in Canada. Sounds like there would be less compitition and quite a bit more raw wilderness. My luck though it would be like we are with Mexico and I would be loaded up in a truck and hauled back across the border .

 

[ecilop]

Depending on where your island paradise is located, it would probably be a logistical nightmare to transport all of your preps and weapons to a location like that. If it is out of the country, getting weapons there may prove impossible. It will be difficult enough for those that bug out and don't have the luxury of storing all of their preps at their bug out location.

As far as planning for the worst case senario,

"Plan for the worst and hope for the best".

 

[Vanishing Nomad]

Depending on where your island paradise is located, it would probably be a logistical nightmare to transport all of your preps and weapons to a location like that. If it is out of the country, getting weapons there may prove impossible. It will be difficult enough for those that bug out and don't have the luxury of storing all of their preps at their bug out location.

As far as planning for the worst case senario,

"Plan for the worst and hope for the best".

Reply]
Start with a BOBoat. Then you can go anywhere that is the furthest from trouble.

 

[pepoke]

The one tidbit I would like to add to this thread is that when looking at land for a BOL, keep in mind the possibility of some person, create, or natural disaster and potential for your water source running dry because it was dammed upstream. Ideally you would choose a location with a high rainfall that you can catch and store.. I believe the further south you live in a SHTF scenario the worse your chances are for survival.

 

[Guerrilla]

we have a friend in Hawaii who we have discussed things with, she has 10 acres of her own, quite secluded and already bearing food. However, all of us assume she'll be making her way here if shtf.

1: locals hate outsiders
2: it took her almost a year to overcome the jungle rot on her face.
3: Hawaii is populated well beyond it's carrying capacity, and once the ships stop coming, things will get dicey.

We're quite happy with our three months of light snow, hell it's November and our daytime temps are mid 70s... If the whole climate change bit holds true, everything will be tropical someday.

 

[Vanishing Nomad]

What exactly is Jungle rot?

 

[test]

What exactly is Jungle rot?

My dad told me about it from his VN days. It happened to soldier's feet after tromping around in the swamps for weeks and their socks and boots got wet and didn't have a chance to dry out. It's a pretty nasty fungus that literally eats the skin away. I've never heard of anyone getting it on their face though.

 

[msc]

I'm happy and stayin right here in the northeast. If I absolutely had to leave, I would head west or north, no farther south than Ohio! Have never ever given a thought to going anywhere else. We have water, snow, water and the Great Lakes (and water). I have wells, ponds and 'town' water, woods, open land My family is here (most of them). I love the cold weather and the snow, I camp, snowshoe, snowmobile in it and it doesn't keep me cowering in the house or off the roads (for the most part). I don't live life thinking it's all going to crash tomorrow. I have preparations, but I'm sure not going to uproot and leave my 'paradise' for something that may never happen. I love the winter and this area. I love to visit other areas (I love Texas and Nevada, esp), but I would be most unhappy actually living there.

BTW, who says you will be the only one on that island. How would you get your supplies there. How would you replenish. Many people probably have the same ideas, they post the same things on other boards. Although I s'pose you could have had Galveston Island real cheap and easy a couple months back:

Winters can be tough here, no doubt. Chores are hard and sometimes impossible for a few days, we've had power outages of two weeks in the dead of winter, had to haul water for livestock, had to melt ice for water when I couldn't haul any. I've had to dig my way out of my front door to even get outside. I remember my Dad taking his hi-lift and plowing our road because the county hadn't gotten to it, yet. I plow my cement patio with my plowtruck:thumb:

I have food, fuel, water, supplies and well-thought out plans. And more importantly, I really truly love where I live.

 

[Ramona M. Faunce]

Island/tropical conditions are hard on people mentaly and physically. It is a different environment, different species of wildlife/insects. It would be difficult to adjust to a new lifestyle.

I'll bugin where I feel comfortable and confident in my ability to defend my homestead.

If I were younger, I might have considered the challenge.

 

[test]

Didn't we have a couple posts just like this in the past week? It seems to be beat up on wilderness survivalists week. Good thing we're strong enough to take it.

I stayed in Alaska for a year with a friend who was a nurse. I't s really beautiful place and probably a good place for survival. There certainly are a lot of survival communities and schools up there. The reason I chose not to stay there is because I know the northern Wisconsin environment and it's the best place for me to live as cheaply as I do.

If you have spent your time living on an island in the tropics then that is probably the best place for you to survive. If you haven't spent you time there, then it may only be a paradise in your head. Perhaps a survival vaction is your best bet.

For myself, I'm thinking the warmer it is, the more people will be there. Pirates of old spent their time on warm island. Pirates of new shoot first and to h*** with asking questions. None of that sounds like fun to me. I'd rather be cold than surrounded by all those people. If you don't have the crowd hangups I do then it wouldn't be a problem.

What are the skills for island living? Perhaps boating skills would be needed...I don't know. The only island I ever lived on was Isle Royale during a wolf research program. I got seasick crossing Superior, spent my time with my head over the side of the ship puking my guts out.:upsidedown: I don't think that island living would be right for me.

rill

 

[Leam]

I think it would be best to stick with an area you know and are comfortable in. I prefer the southwest myself although rattlesnake stew leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Vanishing Nomad]

Southwest is warm, so it would be on my list of possible places.

I love cold and snow, but only in small doses...*Very* small doses.

 

[salatheel]

That was a contributing factor to my move to South Carolina. Short winters that are bareable. The summers with no ac would be rough. Think about growing food too. In the northeast where I came from the growing season is very short. Down here it is easily twice as long.

 

[msc]

Oh Heck, I forgot...I have an island on my 'big' pond:thumb: It even has a small tree on it...I'm all set now, bring 'em on:

 

[d6165]

LOL I am with every one else here I am gonna try and stick with what I know best. I don't mind the cold and deal well with it every year.

D.

 

[11up3down]

Come to the Southwest. Its 85 today here in AZ. Christmas is usually in the 70s.
I used to love snow but hated ice storms Indiana gets.

Shoveling snow, " Fooorrrget about it"!

For me, I'll be like the snow birds. Go up north to the mountains in the summer and go south in the desert for the winter.

 

[d6165]

Indiana can get some wicked ice storms but I can deal with it. I don't like the idea of the Phoenix summers I hear they can be killer.

D.