We do keep our 5th wheel stocked and stored in a storage lot near our home. The lot is away from any tall structures. We live in earthquake country and have always looked at the 5th wheel as sort of a life boat in case of a disaster.

That being posted, I'm not concerned over the state of the country/world. There are cycles good and bad. For the last couple of years the added dialogue of presidential hopefuls makes things seem a lot worse than they really are.

During the missile crisis and cold war of the 60's my dad sat me down one day and said "Because of where we live (south of Los Angeles), we are high value target. If Russia bombs the US we would be gone in a flash" That's because we were right in the middle of oil fields, railroad yards, port of Los Angeles plus numerous Nike Missile sites. I think I was more worried about suffering than the actual bombing because after his talk I didn't worry about the possibility.

just in general as a fulltime boondocker........I try to keep alot of dry goods in stock ,Im not big on canned goods except for tuna and a few meats...but my ability to eat and survive would be up to about 60 days as it sits....I also have a 52 meal emergency freeze dried bucket onboard for disaster purposes

I guess if you just set your rig up for boondocking with a decent solar set up and a Few DIY things the rest will be a wing it!......really if SHTF do you really want to head where everyone else is going?

I have my hangouts in the mountains of the northeast so guess they wont look there!!

Raymond, Lucky Mike has a good point. Going where everyone else is going may not be the best idea. On the other hand, being too much alone could also be a problem. It sounds like you would like to connect electronically with people who have already scouted the country and have an idea of where to go and what to take.

For my money, I'd consider two scenarios. First, and most likely, a severe weather event that would require you to leave where you are for some period of time. I'm thinking about a hurricane, fire, or earthquake. You would have at least some warning about the first two, but not the third. Each of the three is somewhat geographically controlled, so if you are in an area that is not affected by any of those three things you probably are pretty safe.

Second, and it sounds like the one you want to consider, is a complete political meltdown, possibly even going as far as a civil war. What you do then probably depends on what position you take compared to what is happening around you. If you happen to be surrounded by people who think as you do you probably don't have much to fear. On the other hand, if everyone around you is 180 degrees off of your opinion you probably would want to go elsewhere.

No matter what, keeping your coach ready to go as quickly as possible is probably a good idea. Right now I've got the engine batteries disconnected because I'm doing some electrical work. Otherwise, we can be moving in about 30 minutes. We've got emergency food on board and normally have a full water tank. Diesel is always topped off just before arriving at the campground.

Hope this helps.

I purchased my camper as a bug-out vehicle after Hurricane Katrina, and used it to evacuate my family and pets for Hurricane Gustav. As an army vet from the soviet era we were always training for " the balloon to go up" so were used to planning for all eventualities. Naturally after I got out, I maintained this mindset, which has evolved over the years as my threat assessment probabilities have changes. I think my mobile FT retirement plans are a natural offshoot of this philosophy. Certain events, like a severe weather event/natural disaster is much more likely than others, like civil unrest, however I have seen all types of scenarios in my lifetime from killer hurricanes in the south, to earthquakes, forest fires and civil unrest (the Rodney King riots) in Ca.) I have been forced to evacuate my home and leave all my worldly possessions more than once, not knowing if they would be there when I returned. Having a self contained RV that I'm living in FT I will never have that worry, as I will surely take everything with me if forced to leave an area.

Bottom line - I have considered exactly the thing you suggest for very many years. Any homestead or fixed installation could never be secure from a multitude of natural or man made disasters, as it could not be secure or defended, in the worse case scenario. I am planning on a very large solar system, so I can be energy independent off grid. I will have a high-efficiency mini-split heat pump powered by a bank of 8 deep cycle batteries and between 1,500-2,000 watts of solar. This is doable now that solar power has fallen in price and panel efficiency is improving. This gives me the ability to be independent and stay away from the crowd, (boondocking in the desert Southwest) as has been suggested. In cooler weather, it also will allow me to conserve propane use, as the heat pump I'm looking at will provide 12,500 BTUs of heat while only consuming 600 watts of battery power (as long as the temp doesn't drop too close to freezing). An efficient electric fridge/freezer is a good idea too, as it does not consume propane (which may be akin to unobtanium after a disaster, even a limited duration or regional one like Katrina and Sandy brought) especially if you have essential medicines requiring refrigeration which must be stored.

I plan on survival fishing (and hunting if possible) to extend my food stores, as well as foraging and some indoor gardening, as I believe that in a total meltdown of society scenario, gardening or farming will just make you a target for unprepared desperate aggressors who value their lives much more than yours. You may eventually have to defend yourself from small parties of roving brigands, but you will be less likely to need to do so if you don't make yourself a target, and even less likely if you are a moving target with a good communication network of like minded individuals. Water will probably be your most critical item in a desert survival bug-out scenario. Since water is very heavy, so only a limited amount can be carried on an RV, a good portable water pump/access system coupled with a reverse osmosis or other filtration system in your RV is recommended. It would be advantageous to make use of the 7 gallon blue Aquatainers, toad or TV carried water bladders, spare fuel cans, unique vehicle parts (like spark plugs, air and oil filters), tools, etc. Many FTers use these things, like RO and whole house water filtration systems in "normal" (pre-disaster) times too.

Books, blogs, etc. can and have been written on surviving and thriving in whatever scenario one can imagine. You only have to apply and adapt this info and advise to your own particular family needs, capabilities and talents. An internet search will give you more info than you could possibly digest in a lifetime. Some of it may even be worthwhile. ;)

Chip