Your future BOL.

[Admin1]

I am wondering what everyone considers when trying to locate and purchase a good BOL (bug out location). A good general purpose location because obviously we can't see the future as far as what scenario will play out when SHTF, right?

How far would you want it to be from your current location? What type of terrain would be ideal in your mind? What type of structures would you want on it or would you build? What supplies would you stock there long term?

If you already have a BOL, like some of you do, I know. What were some of the deciding factors as to why you purchased that specific location?

[pheniox17]

Opsec is a major thing bug my generic thoughts

A remote, low population area
No future mining/oil rights on the cards
No chance of a future highway for the next 100 years

Clean water table (very important)
Distance, no more than 4 hours drive/4-5 days walk

Structure, a underground permanent structure will be the key, with any kind of above ground accommodation..

Rainfall is a important factor in oz, but I'm personally pick that to make areas less appealing to sheep

Supplies, min 1 year of food
Self power generation, septic etc

Water procurement

Then hunting and gardening equipment
Non GMO seeds

Books, focused around first aid/medical, farming, how to, education etc

Weapons to defend your land

Size of land 10 acres +

No i dont have one yet but its on the cards

There will be more to add, vergin land floats my boat a little more than overused land

Climite should always be concidered (my thoughts is if youre had to find/too undesireable to get to, then you have made your fist level of security)

[RWalls]

Things i considered: Water availability, defensible terrain, fertile land, distance from major cities.

[Sparkyprep]

Also consider natural woodlands. Wild game do not approve of wide open spaces, as a general rule.

[longrider]

I would want to be at least 200 miles from the nearest large city. But if you look on the maps, that is very hard to do. I would want woods, water, defensable and good soil. No near neighbors. That one I'd have to think about. Could be useful, on the other hand, if my group is with me, don't need neighbors.

I would build my own rock house. Or consider putting rock on the outside of a stick house. Rock shelters for the animals.

Need some pasture for the herds. Some open area for gardens and hay fields, corn, oat and wheat fields. I guess 100 acres would be ideal. For me, anyway. I'd want fruit trees, berry bushes/stalks and a place for a hive or two. I'd want oak trees also, to harvest the acorns. Hazelnut bushes would also provide flour from the nuts.

Since I'm dreaming, I can list anything I want. May have it, if I marry my Guy. (Not for prepper puposes. It could get interesting Still giving that a lot of thought.) Would have about 300 acres to farm and use. Not many trees, though. Just a lot of open land. There is a cistern and a well with a windmill that could possibly be re-hooked to a pump. The wind is almost always blowing on the prairie. Ok, just waiting for him to propose now. Just kidding.

[rice paddy daddy]

We have lived in our BOL for almost 20 years. It is a rural area with a lot of woods, and our place is on a dead end dirt road 6 miles outside a one stop light town.
Our water comes from a well, but there is also a river about 2 miles away.
We grow our own food and raise chickens; there are also deer, rabbits, and squirrel in our yard if need be.
If gasoline runs out we have horses for transportation.
We are not going anywhere.

[DerBiermeister]

I've seen some pretty neat BOLs -- I guess mostly from folks who live out west or in the central plains. Myself, being located close to the east coast, and with both of us getting up in age and not in any kind of health that would allow us to do 50 mile hikes, we have decided to stay put right here. We are kind of in the country, in a relatively small sub-division. Big lots (due to septic drain fields).
I am going to focus on obtaining a whole-house generator, and much more stored food and water. I am set in-so-far as an arsenal.

If we get hit close by with some kind of nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare -- I guess we are just toast. An EMP or grid down event, we should be in better shape to ride it out. A race war ......... let em come!

[Sparkyprep]

I would want to be at least 200 miles from the nearest large city. But if you look on the maps, that is very hard to do. I would want woods, water, defensable and good soil. No near neighbors. That one I'd have to think about. Could be useful, on the other hand, if my group is with me, don't need neighbors.

I would build my own rock house. Or consider putting rock on the outside of a stick house. Rock shelters for the animals.

Need some pasture for the herds. Some open area for gardens and hay fields, corn, oat and wheat fields. I guess 100 acres would be ideal. For me, anyway. I'd want fruit trees, berry bushes/stalks and a place for a hive or two. I'd want oak trees also, to harvest the acorns. Hazelnut bushes would also provide flour from the nuts.

Since I'm dreaming, I can list anything I want. May have it, if I marry my Guy. (Not for prepper puposes. It could get interesting Still giving that a lot of thought.) Would have about 300 acres to farm and use. Not many trees, though. Just a lot of open land. There is a cistern and a well with a windmill that could possibly be re-hooked to a pump. The wind is almost always blowing on the prairie. Ok, just waiting for him to propose now. Just kidding.

This sounds ideal,except for one thing. It will be IMPOSSIBLE for a single family/small group to defend 300 acres. I would whittle that down, a lot, to about 10 acres.

[Jerry D Young]

My thoughts on obtaining a piece of property. This is what I’m looking for when I get rich and infamous:

This would be for a primary home, a second home/BOL/retreat, or a location for a minimal BOL (described in other posts)(My preference is a very secure home, with a series of these small, minimal, 'hunting cabin' plus cache BOLs.)

As to reasons to bug out, my philosophy is to only bug out if staying is more dangerous, or will likely become more dangerous, than going. That covers many possibilities, but it is a decision that is very situational, dependent on many factors. And it will also vary with the capabilities of each of the places.

Minimum of 100 miles away from any SAC base, missile site, naval base, military staging & training area, and major cities

Minimum of 50 miles away from large cities, nuclear power plants, research center, dams up stream from the proposed location, concentrations of potentially dangerous businesses (Refineries, bulk fuel plants, industries using chemicals in bulk quantities, airports, rail interchanges, etc)

Near a small city or town of twenty-five thousand population or less, with a diversified economic base is best. Agriculture does not have to be the primary industry, but there should be at least some types of food production locally. Small truck farms are better than a huge single crop plantation.

Preferably, the town will own and operate its own power generation plant as well as the water supply and sewer disposal facility. In some smaller towns, this is not possible, or even likely, but check anyway. You might get lucky.

Make sure you have absolute right of way to the property. Some realtors will sell land in the middle of a tract that has no access. Beware.

The lay of the land should lend itself to easy defense, or be easy to make it defensible.

Climate/micro climate: The area should allow production of food crops with reasonable effort, and not have extremes of temperatures summer or winter. Green houses can off-set somewhat marginal garden conditions.

Good southern exposure on at least part of the property

Hopefully a wooded/forested area to the north of the property

Flowing water is nice, a good potable water source is mandatory. Check out the depth, quality, flow rate, and expense of water wells in the area

The ideal water situation would be a reliable city or rural water district supply of high quality untreated water, backed up by a twenty-five to fifty foot shallow well with a static water level of seven to fifteen feet and a flow rate of fifteen hundred gallons per hour or more of soft, uncontaminated water with a three-quarter horsepower to two horsepower shallow well pump with a forty-two to one-hundred-twenty gallon pre-pressurized storage tank. Finally, with a hand pump kept in good repair on the well you are ready for any emergency.

The sewer disposal situation is a little different. Very few areas permit installing a septic system if a city sewer line is within two hundred to five hundred feet of the property line. You have either city sewer or a septic system. You cannot have both of them. An exception is where a new sewer line is installed in an area not formerly served by city sewers. There is usually a period of two to five years to allow everyone time to make hookups before the septic systems are declared illegal to use.
If you must hook to the city sewer, be sure that the system is reliable. If it is not reliable during normal times you really have problems in a disaster. If reports indicate poor sewer service either find another place in the same town with better service, if possible, or find another area.

Check on the availability of telephone, cell phone service, natural gas, and electric service before purchasing the land. If any of the services are not available, you must consider what alternatives you will choose.

Besides room for a garden, there should also be space available for burying small amounts of human waste and garbage for a short time if it ever becomes necessary.

Space provisions for dogs, cats, rabbits, and chickens, bees, etc., should be made if you ordinarily have them or plan to keep these animals. Space should also be allocated for any other special reasons you may have.

Total acreage depends on how much elbow room you want, garden space needed, animal space needed, farm support crop area needed, firewood requirements, among any other needs you may have. I don’t think you can have too much land. Five acres if you aren’t going to burn your own wood for heat. Ten acres is better. Twenty-five should do. More at your discretion and bank account balance.

If you are going to use wood for fuel, most forested lands can produce one cord of firewood per acre per year continuously by using coppicing techniques. Try to get double the amount of woodlot you need and set it up to coppice as you harvest the wood.

As to structure and supply, I would like to have an earth sheltered 95% self-sufficient off-grid prepper friendly home with a PF 10,000 shelter incorporated. Five years worth of consumables for my extended family.

Just my opinion.

[Innkeeper]

I am looking at buying my BOL now it is a hop, skip , and a jump from where I live now, but I have hunted there a lot. it is 40 acres, with some hilly ground as well as a nice trout stream that runs through it as well as nice grouse and Squirrel hunting and Deer as well....I can also defend the area and I will probably end up building a small house there as my retirement/BOL in the future.

[DerBiermeister]

My thoughts on obtaining a piece of property. This is what I’m looking for when I get rich and infamous:

This would be for a primary home, a second home/BOL/retreat, or a location for a minimal BOL (described in other posts)(My preference is a very secure home, with a series of these small, minimal, 'hunting cabin' plus cache BOLs.)

As to reasons to bug out, my philosophy is to only bug out if staying is more dangerous, or will likely become more dangerous, than going. That covers many possibilities, but it is a decision that is very situational, dependent on many factors. And it will also vary with the capabilities of each of the places.

Minimum of 100 miles away from any SAC base, missile site, naval base, military staging & training area, and major cities

Minimum of 50 miles away from large cities, nuclear power plants, research center, dams up stream from the proposed location, concentrations of potentially dangerous businesses (Refineries, bulk fuel plants, industries using chemicals in bulk quantities, airports, rail interchanges, etc)

Near a small city or town of twenty-five thousand population or less, with a diversified economic base is best. Agriculture does not have to be the primary industry, but there should be at least some types of food production locally. Small truck farms are better than a huge single crop plantation.

Preferably, the town will own and operate its own power generation plant as well as the water supply and sewer disposal facility. In some smaller towns, this is not possible, or even likely, but check anyway. You might get lucky.

Make sure you have absolute right of way to the property. Some realtors will sell land in the middle of a tract that has no access. Beware.

The lay of the land should lend itself to easy defense, or be easy to make it defensible.

Climate/micro climate: The area should allow production of food crops with reasonable effort, and not have extremes of temperatures summer or winter. Green houses can off-set somewhat marginal garden conditions.

Good southern exposure on at least part of the property

Hopefully a wooded/forested area to the north of the property

Flowing water is nice, a good potable water source is mandatory. Check out the depth, quality, flow rate, and expense of water wells in the area

The ideal water situation would be a reliable city or rural water district supply of high quality untreated water, backed up by a twenty-five to fifty foot shallow well with a static water level of seven to fifteen feet and a flow rate of fifteen hundred gallons per hour or more of soft, uncontaminated water with a three-quarter horsepower to two horsepower shallow well pump with a forty-two to one-hundred-twenty gallon pre-pressurized storage tank. Finally, with a hand pump kept in good repair on the well you are ready for any emergency.

The sewer disposal situation is a little different. Very few areas permit installing a septic system if a city sewer line is within two hundred to five hundred feet of the property line. You have either city sewer or a septic system. You cannot have both of them. An exception is where a new sewer line is installed in an area not formerly served by city sewers. There is usually a period of two to five years to allow everyone time to make hookups before the septic systems are declared illegal to use.
If you must hook to the city sewer, be sure that the system is reliable. If it is not reliable during normal times you really have problems in a disaster. If reports indicate poor sewer service either find another place in the same town with better service, if possible, or find another area.

Check on the availability of telephone, cell phone service, natural gas, and electric service before purchasing the land. If any of the services are not available, you must consider what alternatives you will choose.

Besides room for a garden, there should also be space available for burying small amounts of human waste and garbage for a short time if it ever becomes necessary.

Space provisions for dogs, cats, rabbits, and chickens, bees, etc., should be made if you ordinarily have them or plan to keep these animals. Space should also be allocated for any other special reasons you may have.

Total acreage depends on how much elbow room you want, garden space needed, animal space needed, farm support crop area needed, firewood requirements, among any other needs you may have. I don’t think you can have too much land. Five acres if you aren’t going to burn your own wood for heat. Ten acres is better. Twenty-five should do. More at your discretion and bank account balance.

If you are going to use wood for fuel, most forested lands can produce one cord of firewood per acre per year continuously by using coppicing techniques. Try to get double the amount of woodlot you need and set it up to coppice as you harvest the wood.

As to structure and supply, I would like to have an earth sheltered 95% self-sufficient off-grid prepper friendly home with a PF 10,000 shelter incorporated. Five years worth of consumables for my extended family.

Just my opinion.

Holy crap -- where is this place that meets all those requirements ..... somewhere in Patagonia? :beerchug:

Seriously - nice post with a lot of food for thought.

[longrider]

Well, I see your point, Sparkyprep, but I doubt my farmer guy will sell or give away 290 acres in fear that we won't be able to hold on to it when SHTF. He did some figuring for me yesterday. 38 acres would be needed to feed 8 people, 6 horses, and 5 goats. He said cattle just are not going to be worth the work, when you can get enough meat with the goats and chickens. I said we'd could have one heifer, just to have beef on the menue now and then.

The acres are for hay, corn, oats and wheat for human and animal consumption. That includes land for a large veggie garden. How big a garden we would need for 8 people, well, I'd just be guessing. Since we will have that many people, there will be plenty of hands to help out.

A city with it's own power generator isn't that far fetched. I live in one.

[Montana Rancher]

I've seen some pretty neat BOLs -- I guess mostly from folks who live out west or in the central plains. Myself, being located close to the east coast, and with both of us getting up in age and not in any kind of health that would allow us to do 50 mile hikes, we have decided to stay put right here. We are kind of in the country, in a relatively small sub-division. Big lots (due to septic drain fields).
I am going to focus on obtaining a whole-house generator, and much more stored food and water. I am set in-so-far as an arsenal.

If we get hit close by with some kind of nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare -- I guess we are just toast. An EMP or grid down event, we should be in better shape to ride it out. A race war ......... let em come!


I am wondering what everyone considers when trying to locate and purchase a good BOL (bug out location). A good general purpose location because obviously we can't see the future as far as what scenario will play out when SHTF, right?

How far would you want it to be from your current location? What type of terrain would be ideal in your mind? What type of structures would you want on it or would you build? What supplies would you stock there long term?

If you already have a BOL, like some of you do, I know. What were some of the deciding factors as to why you purchased that specific location?

Hey "Admin1" Thanks for joining in and expressing your opinion. Of course as I am banned from posting new post and replying to to hawgrider (I guess I pissed him off in the past)

But WTF is your point? We don't know where you live. If we don't know where live then the "how far would you want to it to be from your current location?" is just typical of you.

I've been out of Out Door for a few weeks, I have been banned from posting new articles or replying to "hawgrider" for several weeks.

Woe is me when after a several week hyatus I find Hawg posting under an alias. Oh and your articles still piss me off!

[Arklatex]

Hey "Admin1" Thanks for joining in and expressing your opinion. Of course as I am banned from posting new post and replying to to hawgrider (I guess I pissed him off in the past)

But WTF is your point? We don't know where you live. If we don't know where live then the "how far would you want to it to be from your current location?" is just typical of you.

I've been out of Out Door for a few weeks, I have been banned from posting new articles or replying to "hawgrider" for several weeks.

Woe is me when after a several week hyatus I find Hawg posting under an alias. Oh and your articles still piss me off!
You're not as smart as I had you figured for. He is obviously from Georgia...

Is it possible for you to NOT be a dipshit??? WTF is wrong with you man?

[RWalls]

I have been banned from posting new articles or replying to "hawgrider" for several weeks.

Woe is me when after a several week hyatus I find Hawg posting under an alias. Oh and your articles still piss me off!

Im not sure how you figured you are banned from posting new threads.

[Inor]

im not sure how you figured you are banned from posting new threads.

wtf?!?

[hawgrider]

What a effing idiot i havent banned him from my threads for weeks now he is effing delirious. Effing nutcase.

Haha and the kicker for insanity is I have an alias? LMAO! Ok admin back me up and check my I.P. I run no effing alias. Drunkin dipshit from Montana (dental floss tycoon)

[RWalls]

What a effing idiot i havent banned him from my threads for weeks now he is effing delirious. Effing nutcase.

Haha and the kicker for insanity is I have an alias? LMAO! Ok admin back me up and check my I.P. I run no effing alias. Drunkin dipshit from Montana (dental floss tycoon)

We have a setup where we get notices when two users share.

[Slippy]

This was a nice little thread about BOL that I enjoyed reading, what the heck got Montana Rancher so worked up?

[hawgrider]

This was a nice little thread about BOL that I enjoyed reading, what the heck got Montana Rancher so worked up?Not sure I saw him posting and was going to mind my own businesses since he still has a beef with me. But it was more than the beef with me he took a shot at admin1 and James and Ark pretty much anyone that crossed his path. I think Ark called it right... he must have been on a mean bender. I got enjoyment out of the self destruction. Twisted I know..... "Lord Im sorry for that right there.Please lord feed the starving chilren in New Guinea " :pray:

[hawgrider]

:microwave:

[DerBiermeister]

Not sure why I got quoted in his most recent thread (June 11). His dialogue never even dealt with what I had posted. It was just a harang against Hawg and RWalls.

[tc556guy]

This sounds ideal,except for one thing. It will be IMPOSSIBLE for a single family/small group to defend 300 acres. I would whittle that down, a lot, to about 10 acres.

This is the important thing
Lone wolves wont last long regardless of how impressive their preps are
Long term survival will come from being part of a larger group, as large as a small village, with space for residents to grow stuff and work together
A good location will depend also on the nature of any calamity that occurs.
If you have a world class shelter located in the area of Yellowstone when it blows, you're SOL.
Or CA if the San Andreas lets loose.
Skillsets and redundancy and depth of supplies to sustain yourself and prosper regardless of the specific societal issue are where most people in society fall short
We've become a highly specialized society whose citizens often lack what our forefathers would have considered very basic skills and instincts

[Coppertop]

I would starve to death in a year (with a year and a half of preps stored) if I just had 10 acres in this country. 1 sheep/5 acres in a very managed grazing plan. We would get one or two lambs a year and due to grass requirements- butcher by July or August. Our garden would be short term in the spring depending on the amount of water we could produce with a well/haul from a surface source and those are few.

It really depends on what your range can carry for food (garden and livestock), how accessible it is/isn't, etc. The place I want to buy is about 5 miles from any road other than the two track in to it. It is about as difficult to get to as any place I have seen around here that you can purchase. It's 640 acres of woods and hills.

Do you have to defend it all? all at the same time? I would have to defend the house and where the livestock are feeding at the time. Not saying I would allow squatters - but sometimes using the land and holding reign over it are two different things. This area is pretty inaccessible so I am not too worried about it.

I guess having enough land comes down to what you need to survive, not just what you can control. I know this is different than in other places - but it's where I get to live.

Hope that makes some sense
Coppertop

[Arklatex]

In that situation it really depends on your neighbors and your standing with them. Yall are probably far enough out to not have to worry about anything except livestock.

[tc556guy]

Yeah I can see where an actual working ranch would need more land to continue functioning
I wasn't thinking in terms of an actual ranch with dozens or hundreds of various animals
I would think that hundreds of acres would be fairly hard to defend.
How many personnel do you envision needing to keep operations going in a best case scenario and also a worse case scenario.
If you don't have the needed personnel employed and working now, what's your plan for taking on and required additions to keep things running as smooth as possible?