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So, I have the chance to purchase a used "pop-up" camper for a really good price... $500. I live in a rural area and have access to 200+ acres of land, much of it secluded and off the roadway. My primary plan for when the SHTF is for myself and my family to stay in our home, but you never know what exactly is going to happen when and if that day comes. If there are riots in the streets and groups of marauders out plundering anything and everything within sight, it may be necessary to get a good distance off of the roadway and live in seclusion. That is where the pop-up would come in handy by planting it somewhere on the property I have legal access to. I figure that anything along a road is where the most attacks are going to happen, and the predators are far less likely to be walking through seemingly empty fields and wooded areas. The downside is, it's very small, and would allow for a limited number of supplies. Maybe a small amount of food, some guns and ammo, and medical supplies. Oh, and the camper also has a stove.
AND, if I changed my mind about it, I could always flip the camper for a prophet of a few hundred bucks.
Something else I was considering is building some kind of shelter { not a bunker } underground into the side of a hill, but I wouldn't even know how to start.
So, should I take this step? Have any of you bought similar campers for this type of situation? I guess rather than ask your opinions on what I should do, I really would just like to hear about similar purchases and plans from you all.
Pop ups arn't that great, and while it is good to have an alternate sleeping arrangement (Threat of fire, contamination, or any reason which can make you leave your home.) a popup isn't a great choice.
But for $500, I'd do it so long as long as it is sound.
I'd keep it (So long as you arn't taping your emergency fund) and move up later.
Definitely buy it, for that price. I talked the owner of the acreage we just bought, into leaving the 24' camper that was on it, just where it is. He agreed. Back here at home, we have taken delivery of another used camper, at about 28'. You never know when you may need extra sleeping quarters.
My one caution is that you do NOT leave the pop-up white, or whatever color it is. Will stick out like a sore thumb, even if not really visible from the road. Go to your nearest big-box store and grab several cans of spray paint...dark green/olive, dark tan, dark gray, black...you get the idea. Start spraying the outside of that thing - including the rooftop - with splashes of color. "You mean like camouflage???" That's exactly what I mean. Don't forget the gubmint's eye in the sky; they can spot a freckle on your nose with those cameras. You do NOT want a white camper showing anywhere, if TSHTF.
That's cool, WS88. Just remember that maintenance is important, esp if it is located off the beaten path. My guess is that there will be a lot of work to do at the location you choose, so maybe on weekends you can make "camping trips" up there to do other prep work and maintain the location. Maintenance will be a constant effort, so just keep that in mind.
IT sounds like a good investment to be. But I'm biased!
I have spent my summers living in a pop-up camper for several years. It sits at my unimproved acreage and gives me a ready location whenever I'm able to make the trip. The caution to camouflage is something I should consider, though the neighbors know I camp frequently from March to November. The camper gets popped up in the spring and taken down as late in the season as I can manage.
As summer is winding down, I've been considering what I can do to make the camper accessible during the winter months this year. I have some parts from a wind damaged garage in a box. I've been wondering if they are tall enough to use as a frame, or if I need to dig some holes for placing tree trunks as supports. My thought is to wrap the camper in a large envelop of plastic sheeting, placing straw bales next to the camper walls for insulating purposes. While I am not planning to live in it for any length of time, I do like to spend time at the farm during winter months to take in the changes in the landscape. Having a dry spot out of the wind to take a break would make my trips there more productive.
For the price I'd say it's a good deal and certainly wouldn't hurt if it's sound and in reasonable condition. Pop-ups aren't ideal, but they're better than nothing. I agree with Nor'Eastah - paint that sucker with camoflague if you intend to hide away in it. If you can securely leave the pop-up on location, you can always take "camping" trips out there to do improvements and see what it's like to live in it during all weather conditions. A small storage shed will help the pop-up not get too cramped and you can always extend the living area with other small buildings or tents.
However, if the trailer isn't road or weather worthy, your $500 may be better spent on a top of the line 6-8 person "family" tent.
Something else I was considering is building some kind of shelter { not a bunker } underground into the side of a hill, but I wouldn't even know how to start.
Here is how we intend to start our first root cellar, before we even get a basement dug: if you have a hillside, that is even better, so figure a way to DIG. I didn't say, "hire a Bobcat or backhoe", I said DIG. Digging costs less and calls much less attention to the process. It is never too soon to practice good OP SEC.
In our case, we were looking for CHEAP and FAST. I got the idea to use sand bags. All the dirt that gets dug out, goes into those bags, which pretty much solves the problem of filling them, as well as "hiding" all that dirt that gets dug out. You want to hide this stuff, as it points to the fact that something has been dug somewhere, and it takes years for underbrush to hide a large mound of dirt.
You lay up the sandbags just as you would bricks or cement blocks, sort of overlapping each other. This kind of "structure" works best in a round or oval shape. A straight side would tend to sag inwards as it gets farther from the corner, so avoid corners and just build igloo-style. Some people have actually built residences out of these sand bags; Mother Earth News featured one that I know of.
$500 is certainly cheap enough for plan B but if you won't use it for it's intended purpose i.e. camping, I'd go with an old school bus. (Alaskan special) You can probably find one as cheap. You might even find a camper conversion and you can carry a bunch of supplies into your acreage. A camo painted school bus doesn't look nearly as oddball as a camo camper and resale would not be hurt. However your neighbors might take a dim view of your escape pod parked in their neighborhood. If it were me, I'd get a bus outfitted for lodging and storage and park it well back on the acreage and hopefully it won't get vandalized. Go there and "camp out" when the weather is nice (and as Missing advised, not nice) to see how it works out for you. This advice applies to the pop-up trailer as well. Carry full supplies in a cargo trailer if you have to bug out.
If you decide on a pop-up with canvas, check out the fabric for rot and mildew. It might look fine when opened up from a standing distance but if it's weakened or full of mold, that's one expensive and necessary repair. Also floors are the next thing to give out as a rule. We were looking for a lightweight trailer to haul up and down the Alcan every year and after looking at the canvas issues, we ended up with an a-frame hard sider (Chalet, A-liner is another brand) and are very happy with that purchase.
So, I have the chance to purchase a used "pop-up" camper for a really good price... $500. I live in a rural area and have access to 200+ acres of land, much of it secluded and off the roadway. My primary plan for when the SHTF is for myself and my family to stay in our home, but you never know what exactly is going to happen when and if that day comes. If there are riots in the streets and groups of marauders out plundering anything and everything within sight, it may be necessary to get a good distance off of the roadway and live in seclusion. That is where the pop-up would come in handy by planting it somewhere on the property I have legal access to. I figure that anything along a road is where the most attacks are going to happen, and the predators are far less likely to be walking through seemingly empty fields and wooded areas. The downside is, it's very small, and would allow for a limited number of supplies. Maybe a small amount of food, some guns and ammo, and medical supplies. Oh, and the camper also has a stove.
AND, if I changed my mind about it, I could always flip the camper for a prophet of a few hundred bucks.
Something else I was considering is building some kind of shelter { not a bunker } underground into the side of a hill, but I wouldn't even know how to start.
So, should I take this step? Have any of you bought similar campers for this type of situation? I guess rather than ask your opinions on what I should do, I really would just like to hear about similar purchases and plans from you all.
Does the popup have a hard roof (some do)? If not, it is not much better than a tent in a lightning/storm situation.
OD
I'd go for a small regular camper to help keep warmth in the winter and be more secure, but for 500 u can't really go wrong, especially if u already have a way to bring it where u want it. Maybe get it and get some old boards from a burned home (or new) and build a solid roof and walls around the area that pops up, then saw a window or something. U can have a shelter there without having to build a floor, and it will be on wheels.
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