BlackSheep OffGrid Homestead: A journey to an off grid paradise

The Essentials

Before you go out and buy a million things you have never tried, don't know how to use, there are a lot of decisions you need to make. Most people remain close to where their family lives, and some have never been outside of the city that they were born in. This is not a bad thing, but if you find yourself in this situation it is one you may want to change before you prepare a bunch of supplies.

Sometimes it is not possible, and you will be forced to make do with what is available. Most people confuse comforts for essentials, and attempt to recreate what modern convenience has given them.

What are the essentials?

1. Shelter. In frigid weather a person can survive a few hours exposed to freezing weather.

2. Water. You can survive 3 days without water, although dehydration sets in after a day, and by the end of Day 2 you will mot be in a condition to find water by day 3 and disaster strikes. Each person requires a minimum of half a gallon of water just for drinking. This does not include water needed for cooking or cleaning, which is why it is advised to store atleast 1 gallon per person per day.

3. Food. Technically you can survive 3 weeks without food, however it is not a situation you wish to test by not finding food. By the end of the forst week you will begin experiencing the effects of malnutrition, and by the end of the second week you will be too weak to move much.

For shelter it really depends of your situation, and there are several emergency shelters you can employ if you find yourself lost in the woods. I will not be covering them, as they are not shelters that I would advise for long term survival.

Even the smallest apartment in a city is far better a situation than wandering the woods in a perpetual bug out scenario. No matter what your housing situation, it should only be permanently left under the most dire of circumstances.

Camping ironically is not a good substitute for planning to survive lomg term bugged out. Unless you only take your basic survival supplies and forage, or hunt what you eat while doing so, it is not an accurate representation of what you will encounter in a bug out situation. Most camping trips you oack the food with you, and you know exactly how long you will be gone.

The fact of bugging out, unless you have your destination already mapped out, you do not know how long you will be gone. If it is your long term plan to bug out and live in the woods, I strongly suggest you rethink your plans. Even when the American Indians roamed the lands of wild America, they did not constantly travel. They used camps with resources at different times of year, and used them year after year for survival. They were nomadic, but their camps were strategically set to ensure the entire tribe could survive.

Would I suggest an apartment in a city? Not even a chance. If it is where you are now, it is not the end of the world. No matter what your situation is, it can always be improved upon or changed. In an apartment is actually the best place to begin as you have yet to decide where you will establish your base of operations.

Not all homes are ideal from a preppers perspective, and some downright inhibit it. Some states are welcoming to those that wish to be off grid, others attempt to make it illegal or extremely difficult to achieve. Care must be exercised before buying a house or piece of land, as there are many deals that are too good to be true.

A piece if property covered in rock may nkt be the best place to build. It likely has shallow bedrock, and will require a lot of work to get to a point that is sustainable. Fortunately there are alternative treatment options that will make it less expensive, however it will require raising the level of the property several feet to allow for adequate drainage and treatment of waste water.

The first choice for where to be depends greatly on many factors, and the type of natural disasters younare prepared to face. Some of them can be prepared for, others can take you by surprise and there is little you can do. The Continental United States offers nearly every type of natural climate you can encounter, and almost every type of natural disaster as well.

I personally do not like hurricanes or tornadoes, and have therefore located myself in an area that these natural disasters rarely if ever have the ability to impact my life. The trade off however is nearly every year we habe the threat of Wildfire, and less of a threat are earthquakes. Since moving to Southwest Oregon, we have already stared down a wildfire that was stopped a few hundred yards from our property. Thank god for natural barriers, we did not lose a thing. Did have to evacuate for 3 weeks however so the fire personnel could move through the area for operations.

Whatever area you decide to settle in, it is a good idea to research what types of weather and natural events you will likely have to deal with. There is no one way to prepare, and each region has its own unique challenges that come with it. As such my advice will tend to be for climates similar to mine, although I will cover the extremes that can occur in other parts of the country.

Sometimes my knowledge is not first hand, and my advice has been generated from expert research in the area. I will attempt to provide outside articles to said research so

you can do it yourself, never take anyones word when it comes to prepping.

There are a lot of opinions out there, and they can be very convincing in the garbage they spew. One common myth js all vehicles will cease to run when exposed to an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Research however shows that most cars will not even shut down when exposed to EMP, and are completely immune if not running at the time of exposure. That being said research is not perfect, and a multitude of variables can effect the outcome of any particular instance.

There are multitudes of stories of lightning striking vehicles and completely destroying the elctronics. Lightning is one of the natural phenomena capable of generating EMPs, and can cause extensive damage. However there are many cases where the car goes unscathed from the strike, and you would never even know it happened.

Just like no two bolts of lightning are the same, no two EMPs are the same. There is no blanket answer that will cover everything that could happen.

After you have decided on geograpgic location for natural disasters, you should look at the laws of the states in that area. Some states are very friendly to off grid or alternative technology to deal with the myriad issues that building a house has to entail. States like Utah and Colorado do not allow unrestricted collection of rainwater, severely curtailing the amount of water you can collect, and what it can be used for. Other states not only allow it, but encourage the use. Florida offers discounts to your water bill if you actively collect rainwater and use it.

Oregon fortunately allows for multiple alternative technologies to deal with things such as blackwater, and greywater treatment. Rainwater harbesting and cistern use is an affordable option to having to drill a well, so long as it is collected from your roof first.

Just because your property has a spring, creek, river, stream, or anything else gives you unrestricted access. I can understand preparimg if society collapses, until it does make sure you are following the laws. I have seen many people use the 'its my property, whos gonna stop me?' argument. Uncle Sam loves his money, and just about every thing you can think of doing, he has already figured out a way to make his money from you to do it. He has courts that will not hesitate to fine you for violating the rules or laws, and it can become quite expensive.

Only after you have decided where you are going to live, how is your next consideration. Will you buy property in or just outside of the city, settle in the countryside by a small town, or go off grid and get as far away from people as you can?

Remember there is no right or wrong answer, it just has to be one you can live with.

Will you buy a house or build your dream house the way you want it? Will you be on grid for convenience? Hybrid on/off grid just in case society collapses and the grid along with it?

My family has chosen to build our dream that way we can be where we want, and libe the way we want. We will be totally off grid, as the nearest electrical pole is 8 miles away. The power company quoted $50,000 per half mile covered to establish a connection. Off grid is my only option, as there is also no water or sewer service where we are.

The benefit? 7 million acres of National Forest less than 300 yards from my property. Wolves and coyotes to listen to as they hunt at night, deer that are within a few hundred yards for hunting, and almost no neighbors in the area.