The Survival Retreat - Accessibility

One Way In

While having a survival retreat is a good thing, it's important to remember that having only one way in means there is usually only one way out. Limiting your options may not be a very effective strategy for your survival. A survival retreat that is located in a remote area may be what you're looking for but it will still need to be accessible by more than one means or route.

If for some reason you need to get out for whatever reason and the only way in is blocked, you may find yourself in a very bad position with little or no control over the situation. Having additional ways to get in will help you avoid this type of predicament. It will also mean that you have more than one way to get out if necessary.

Never place self-imposed limits on yourself when your survival is at stake.

Got accessibility?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Junk Land - Remote vs. Accessibility

Most people when referring to junk land for a retreat talk about being located in a remote area. While being located in a remote area can have a few advantages, it can also have several disadvantages as well!

First and foremost you will need to remember that a place which is difficult for others to access will also be difficult for you to access. Does it have an all-weather road? If not, you will need adequate transportation to access your own retreat. Will you need a four wheel drive vehicle? If so, do you own one or have the necessary means to obtain one?

Secondly, will you need to make regular trips to and from your retreat for employment purposes or to seek needed medical treatment? If you have a medical condition that may require frequent check-ups or treatment, the level of remoteness of your retreat may need to be looked at closely before making a decision.

Third, are you planning to go off-grid immediately or at a later date and time? Have you taken the necessary steps to go off-grid immediately or will you need municipal services for a short time before you will be able to go off-grid. If you need certain services, are they even available?

The fourth thing you should consider is the level of your skills. Will you be able to survive without some form of help from a nearby community? Will you need a mechanic to fix your vehicle when it breaks down? Can you find one that will be willing or able to come to you if necessary? What about a plumber, a carpenter, or an electrician?

The fifth thing to consider is educational needs. Do you have children that will need to be home-schooled? Can you do it yourself? Or will you need access to some form of learning institution to meet the educational needs of your family?

If you need temporary shelter for your retreat and are planning to use an RV or a trailer, can you even get it onto the property? Or will you need to live in a tent or some other form of temporary shelter till you can build on-site.

While being remote can help in matters of security, it can also create a number of other problems as well. It is best to remember the old saying when making a decision about junk land for a retreat. “You can’t get there from here!”

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Junk Land - Part Two - Required Resources

Part One covered the main drawback of junk land is that it generally has little or no value. This is due mainly to the lack of sustainability that would give it additional value and a greater net worth. There will be a number of resources required to make junk land a viable option. Lacking any of the basic resources required will make the task even harder.

The first basic resource that will be required is money.

You will need money not only to buy or purchase junk land but for property taxes, a title deed, property surveys, legal fees and numerous other miscellaneous costs and fees. These extras may even be a substantial part of the "cost" of your junk land. You will need to know these costs before you make your purchase so as to insure you have adequate funds available. Budgetary strains caused by large purchases can create a further burden if you fail to take these extra costs into consideration when making a land purchase. How much money you will need will depend on land prices in the area you decide that will best suit your needs and the needs of your family.

The second basic resource you will need are basic skills.

If your junk land is of poor quality from an agricultural standpoint, you will need to be knowledgeable in such areas as gardening and raising simple forms of livestock such as chickens, goats or pigs. Do you know how to grow crops in a raised bed? Can you make compost to improve the native soil? Can you build a cold frame in order to grow crops in the winter? In other words, you will need to be able to provide the skills to make it sustainable.

Are your carpentry skills adequate to build your own shelter? Will you need an alternate form of shelter (RV, trailer, etc.) till the weather is in your favor in order to have sufficient time for construction? Are your carpentry skills non-existent causing you to rely on the paid services of someone else? These are all serious questions that you will need to know the answers before you jump off the deep end and purchase junk land.

Will it need a well for a source of water? Is the water table high enough that you can dig one yourself if needed? Or do you have sufficient funds for that basic requirement to provide water if needed? Will you have to haul water till a solution can be found? You will then need a means to transport it and money for fuel costs! It may already have a basic source of water which will allow you to avoid these problems. Or it may not!

The third basic resource is time.

It will take time and lots of it to turn junk land into a thing of beauty. It will take time to find the "right" junk land. Will you need it to be close enough to an area where possible employment may be found? Will you want it to be close enough to family and friends so that you can avail yourself of their help and resources? Or will you need additional space to provide for elderly or handicapped family members that are a part of your group? It takes time to grow crops, manage the needs of livestock, or to build or maintain a shelter. You will need to put in a lot of time to make it work!

The fourth basic resource is patience.

You will need a great deal of patience. The "right" junk land for you may not be "right" for someone else. Although basic needs are the same for everyone, your situation will be different from someone else depending upon what those individual circumstances are. This is something that can't be rushed. If money wasn't an object affecting your decision, you could buy the best available property out there. Unfortunately for the average person or family, this is simply not an option.

Using good common sense and a little patience, knowing the limits of your abilities, and making sure you have the minimum amount of needed funds will allow you to be successful in turning your junk land into a jewel!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Junk Land - Part One - How to Make it Work

The basic requirements for human needs are the same no matter where you live. You will need good access to your land, a good source of water, the ability to produce food for long term sustainability, some form of power, some form of shelter that is relatively permanent, have adequate safety and security for you and your family and a means to provide all of these different requirements.

The old saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” still holds true to this day. Junk land by definition is simply land which has no real definitive value due to a lack of those things which may give it value and worth. It may lack easy and reliable access. It will usually have poor road access or sometimes even none. It may lack a proper source of water or have poor soil for crops or livestock. It may not even have the option for an on-the-grid source for power which will require an alternate source of power to be found. There are solutions to these problems that can make junk land a viable option for you.

Like a diamond in the rough which has no lasting value until it has been cut, shaped and polished, so too will living on junk land be rough until you have shaped and polished it to fit your individual needs and the needs of your family. This will require lots of time, a variety of skills, adequate resources and a huge amount of determination on your part that will involve not only you but your entire family. You will probably be giving up a great many “creature comforts” that you have been accustomed to and you may be reluctant to give these up or do without them. This is a personal choice that you alone will have to make.

If you lack the necessary determination, skills, or resources you may need to wait until the option of junk land is more viable. Patience in knowing when the right time to pursue junk land as the proper option is hard. The emotional desires of having your own little piece of paradise can sometimes cloud your judgment. Rational and well thought out reasoning will help you succeed in this type of endeavor. Not everyone will have the required abilities to turn junk land into a thing of beauty. While this may be a very big obstacle, it too can be overcome. Common sense must be your guide to prevent any irrational thoughts and actions from putting you in a worse condition than you may be in presently.

These problems are not new and have been overcome by many people, myself included. My own experiences have been both enlightening and educational. It has been a definite learning process. Hopefully, by examining the different aspects of developing your land, you will be able to make your dream for a self reliant and sustainable lifestyle become a reality.

This topic requires a great deal more thought and discussion to examine all the different possibilities and options for making junk land a viable option. It is a topic which needs to be looked at from both sides of the fence. While the grass is always greener on the other side, it still needs to be mowed!

“Junk Land - Part Two - Required Resources” will deal with some of the different skills and resources that will probably be necessary to make junk land a viable option for you.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

“Junk Land” - Can You Afford It?

Many people talk about buying “junk land” for use as a retreat for a worse case scenario. There are several problems with this way of thinking. Do you want to create more problems for yourself and your family? This can be the end result of a desperate action taken without thinking about the viability and sustainability of “junk land”.

What is “junk land”?

“Junk land” is basically land that has little or no value, hence the reference to “junk”. Although, one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure, it can also be a burden.

Advantages of “Junk Land”

There is only one primary advantage to “junk land” and that is the cost. Most “junk land” is relatively cheap when compared with other types of land when cost is the only factor.
Using this as the only consideration is really only viable as a short term option. Sooner, rather than later, necessity will show you the error of your thinking in this regards. There are other factors that need to be included in the cost of “junk land”.

The other advantage to “junk land” is its remoteness. You will be somewhere most people aren’t. Most people will also have difficulty getting there and this can work to your advantage by keeping undesirable elements away. This is a good thing. It can also be a bad thing.

Disadvantages of “Junk Land”

The disadvantage of most “junk land” is the lack of water or its availability. You will need water regardless of where your “junk land” is located. Will the cost of a water well be so expensive as to make it an option that is not feasible? Is the amount of annual rainfall so low that a cistern or rain water catchment system will be an unreliable source for your water needs? Or will you need to haul water at a cost of high priced fuel, expensive means of transport, and a labor intensive consumption of your time?

Another disadvantage of “junk land” is the food factor. Will it grow crops that may be necessary to feed yourself or your family? Does it have a good source of fresh water? Or will it need extensive soil conditioning and irrigation to produce any type of crops? Or is the soil so poor that growing crops isn’t even an option? Or is it located in an area where temperature extremes and the weather will limit sustainable year-round crop production?

A third disadvantage to “junk land” is its remoteness. Will your primary means of transportation hold up to the terrain? What if a medical emergency required immediate help? Would other family members be alienated by its remoteness? Will the cost of travel to get necessary items to re-supply your family be excessive or time consuming?

There is another disadvantage. Will there be power for utilities such as electric? Or will you need to figure in the cost and expense of going off the grid? Will there be phone service for communication? Or will even wirelees communication be impossible due to its remote nature?

There are a number of factors that must be considered when buying land for a retreat. Don't make the mistake of letting price be your only guide or you may wind up in a worse place than the one you left behind. Unless you stop to consider the actual use you can expect out of the land for your retreat, it may not be that cheap after all. The question you really need to ask yourself is whether or not the viability and the sustainability of land for your retreat are present in a manner that will increase your chances for survival. The cost may not be as cheap as you think!

There is an old saying that fits this situation.

You get what you pay for!


Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker