About Me:

When I started thinking way too much about zombies: You can never think too much

What started my zombie fixation: Classic horror movies: Night of the Living Dead

Favorite zombie movie: The walking dead (TV i know)

Favorite quote in any zombie movie: "mumble growl shuffle"

Sex: Male

Height: 6'2 or 188 cm

Strange beliefs: I believe in giving credit where credit is due so if you give me an idea or suggestion or maybe I purposely steal one of your rocking idea I'll make a note of it in the text and send you a thank you.

Survival Skill Set: Tracking Animals, Hunting, Sword Use (Fencing, Kendo, Celtic), Firearms Use, Agriculture, Foraging, CPR, First Aid, Knapping, Bushcraft, Archery, Canoe Construction, Various Marital Arts, Fishing and Food Preservation.

Regular Skill Set: Construction, Research, Fabrication, Automotive Repair, Cooking.

Odd Skill Set: Dog breeding, Ice Carving, Trivia, Viticulture, Ballroom Dancing (oh oh don't ask please for the love of god don't ask), gymnastics (again please don't ask), knitting, crocheting, sewing.

Favourite Activities: Wasting Time On-line, Writing, Reconstructing Lost or Abandoned Tech, Smithing, Industrial Art, Hunting, Canoeing, Sailing, Hiking, Playing Practical Jokes, Designing Personal Equipment and Fishing.

Other Stuff: I am a proud Celtic Mutt they threw in Acadian and other stuff just for fun. I compete in the highland games. I do the Caber toss and Sword competitions I've done them for so long I can no longer remember why.. Ah well throwing a telephone pole is fun I have a dog named Pax and he basically goes everywhere with me. It's quite funny having a dog at work but no one bothers me. I'm usually very easy going not much will tick me off. I have been working on various projects for personal reasons for years such as my survival binder, wood gasifer and redesigned hot air engines. I am kind of an amateur inventor and am constantly building into my truck, building machines, or kludging strange things. Improvisation is my specialty and I collect Enfield Rifles with some American designed guns thrown in for fun. I have an odd love of grapes and am trying to refine the Manitoba Wild River Grape into a table grape.

My location: Canada
Is my plan dependent on zombies in your home town, or anywhere? Zombies everywhere: bug out before the **** hits the fan, to turn a phrase, the side roads won't be clogged at the first sightings. Keep mobile and stay alive if the roads are blocked the battle wagon can blaze its own trail. Peoples fear will spread the infection so i will get out.

Will I be staying in my home or headed somewhere else? I'll be heading North to my hunting grounds. There is plenty of fish and game It's got decent soil quality too. I know the land very well and what resources for construction and survival it has available. It is far enough away from the beaten path to not be noticed.

If I'm heading out, how do I plan to get there? My customized hunting vehicle.

It is an upgraded 1947 Panel truck modified to run off gas/ethanol, propane or woodgas. The suspension has been heavily upgraded allowing for changes in clearance. the original straight eight engine was replaced with a 350 Chev small block and the drive train was made into 4WD. I've added a full roll cage and rubberized the inside, mainly for ease of cleaning, it can fit several people and a large amount of supplies.

There is a folding bunk in the back I used when hunting. It has interior L.E.D lights and exterior cameras mainly for backing up and to check clearance. The truck has a water tank as well and an assortment of tools. The seats in the front are captain's chairs on swivel mounts taken from an RV. The vehicle has a built in entertainment system that I created. I wired the entrainment system through a dismantled laptop. The visible parts fold up with the bunk and can connect to my ipod.

The small block Chev is lighter and smaller then the original straight 8 therefore there was more room in the engine bay. The vehicles electrical system has been heavily upgraded and modified due to the additional space in the engine bay. I upgraded the battery system by adding in multiple deep cycle batteries and isolated the double engine batteries from the electrical system. There are inputs in the power system for external sources salvaged from an RV. The engine has been modified with a second belt less alternator and the original one has been replaced with a higher output model. There are additional generation points in planning including an exhaust pressure turbine generator. These current modifications have greatly increased the power available to me and I installed an inverter. The fuse panel has been replaced with circuit breakers from military sources. A water system with a tank salvaged from an RV allows for pure water storage

The vehicle has a high powered electric winch for all my winching needs. It has off road steel rimmed tires and a multiple point trailer hitch. The various hoses and lines have been replaced and armoured. The engine belts have been replaced with agricultural chain. It's a work in progress I am constantly improving and modifying it. I am a tad sentimental about this vehicle as it once belonged to my grandfather, it was quite worn when I began the modifications.The battle wagon had a good long life as a work truck. I used to play in it as a child.

Got anyone I want to take with me? My dog Pax, and hook up with family members and friends on the way. (it's complicated in other matters )

Eventually everyone will make it to my hunting grounds. Part of the evacuation plan of my family is dividing up whom and what to take. My Brother in Law and Sister live close to my parents they are to grab them and my little sister. She still lives with my parents. I will haul equipment and supplies. There are semi permanent structures and a ruin on site. I will make these permanent but I do not like disturbing the natural beauty of the site.

My friends who will be joining me and will grab other people and supplies and meet up at the hunting grounds. It is the standard disaster plan so why mess with it. My brother in laws bug out vehicle has a weeks worth of supplies and a larger person hauling capacity then mine. If possible my sister will haul their camping trailer behind their vehicle. The camping trailer is winterized and all metal. It occurred to me that this emergency plan would double as a zombie plan so I didn't need to modify it to a single person plan. I've gone back to the original plan. Thanks LJ126 you're right survival plans should be more universal rather than specific to fictional characters and creatures.

How will I communicate with the outside world, or do I plan to go the hermit route? The van has a C.B. radio installed it just fit with the old school styling. I will also be driving around and passively looking for other survivors. I have purchased a a set of hand held scrambled radios for link up with my group. I intend to pick up a multiple frequency radio scanner to monitor my area for trouble.

How am I planning to get food and water? Hunting, foraging for wild edibles, fishing, scavenging canned goods, small scale farming.

I will relocate to area where clean fresh water is plentiful. I will be heading North. I keep several bags of dog food in the truck already for Pax. The battle wagon when not in use is great for storing those big dog food bags. Water filtration will be required since I will be living to a ripe old age. I've elected for a charcoal sand filter to remove water impurities. As suggested by another user the waste heat from the engine and fire of the gasifer can be used to boil the water free of parasites when on the move. I can regenerate these filters from easily obtainable materials sourced from the wild.

What’s my weapon of choice? Do you need to reload that thing? Gotta plan for that? I will be using multiple weapons from my collection that I am familiar with. Some of the listed weapons are named. It is tradition I chose to name them in either Latin or Gaelic. The names denote what they mean to me. I am an excellent shot with a bow, as it is my favorite hunting method, a good shot with a rifle and a horrible shot with a pistol. I am taking classes to improve my handgun use hopefully I can become a serviceable shot with a pistol.

The Weapons List:

Ranged Weapons

Hunting Bow with a leather quiver and 2 spare bowstrings. It is named Velox (Swift)
Hand made split Cedar Arrows 20 / 20

English Crossbow with a leather quiver and 2 spare bowstrings
Ash Bolts 35 / 35

Slingshot with a leather pouch and 4 spare bands
3/8 inch steel BB's 50 / 50
1/4 inch steel BB's 75 / 75

Firearms and Ammunition

Lee Enfield SMLE Mk. III (ht). It is named Deis Deiridh (Last Chance)
Lee Enfield SMLE Mk. III. This was my grandfathers.
.303 British rounds 4000 / 4000 with a Pattern 1907 bayonet and 17 magazines

Lee Medford Mk. I in British .303
Black powder rounds 15 / 100

Pietta PPS-50, 22LR with six 30 round magazines and two 50 round drums
.22LR 3000/ 5000

Winchester Model 1912 Shotgun 12 gauge
Stoeger Uplander Side-by-Side 12 gauge Shotgun

Slug 400 / 400
Buck shot 600/ 600
Bird shot, 300 / 300
Flare 50 / 50

Springfield Model 1840 Rifled Musket with 6 powder horns, shot mould, bayonet, leather pouch and flints. (Reproduction)

.69 Round shot 30 / 30

Luger P08 with 3 Magazines
Luger P08 with 3 Magazines
Luger P08 with 3 Magazines
Walther P38 with 3 Magazines
9mm rounds 3000/ 3000

Melee Weapons

U.S. Calvary Saber with a Metallic Scabbard

Scottish Claymore with a Leather Scabbard. It is named Cori (Heart)

Scottish Dirk with Leather Sheath. It is named Anam (Soul)

U.S. M1917 trench knife with Leather Sheath

Hunting Knife with black Leather Sheath
Hunting Knife with black Leather Sheath

Handmade Gunstock War Club

Mk. I Collapsible Hunting Spear with a Canvas Sheath. It is named Caligo (Mist)

Thanks oldannyboy37 for the pistol info. The pistols are quite old but they are legal. They are some of my Grandfathers and Great Grandfathers trophies from the First and Second World Wars. They predate the majority ban on handguns in Canada. This should be interesting, it seems I am a horrible shot with a hand gun. I am improving slowly because I took Treelegs advice and am taking a darned class. I can now hit the broad side of a barn with my Walther P38.

The intention with the Side-by-Side is to convert it into a Lupara only after the SHTF. The barrel and stock will be shortened and the gun modified to allow for it's use in its new roll. This abbreviated shotgun would serve as a mid range weapon, the limitation being that it only fires two shells before needing to be reloaded. The stock will require reshaping to make it more hand friendly. It will kick like a mule but it would serve its purpose in the intended post apocalyptic world. The Luparas ammo of choice will be buckshot. The modification to the stock and barrel will include a collapsible pistol grip under the barrel to control the weapon in its new configuration.
The Gun will remain unmodified and remain in the roll of a hunting weapon until the day that civilization collapses. I may slightly reshape the furniture for comfort in my hands beyond that it will remain stock.

I can no longer legally use my favorite loads for my Enfield as a hunting round, so i've shifted the bullets into my stockpile. A small percentage of the shifted ammo has been allocated to target shooting and practice shot roughly 500 rounds. I've stockpiled these rounds at every opportunity I get as they are no longer in production. I need to find a new hunting load for my Enfeilds.

Since I am in a vehicle I can carry larger amounts of ammunition. The bow and crossbow are all wood framed. I can easily replace or repair the bow and crossbow as I made both myself. I can resupply and restring by using natural material and cordage such as nettle fibers and game. The ammunition will be conserved but will eventually need resupply. I intend to save the shell casings of the .303 and reload them whenever I scavenge useless calibers of ammo and other require materials. I have the required tools to reload this caliber. I will add to my weapons collection as I am able. I won't be carrying my entire arsenal on me at all times, I like having options available.

I will continue my travels after camp is made raiding targets of opportunity such as: hardware stores, shops and homes and abandoned cars for anything useful. I am not foolish enough to believe I would find weapons or supplies in areas such as military bases or police stations those areas would probably only contain raw material for kludging mainly scavenged components, discarded junk and what everyone else seems to ignore. In a survival situation junk is very useful. You must look past the obvious and think of what it could be. The raids will be more for raw materials than finished products.

I will also be open to trade with other survivors or groups of survivors I have sourced the location of materials to create black powder in the area I will be in and plotted the locations laminated maps. The lead for shot can be salvaged from automotive batteries. The slingshot is simply for silent hunting of small game, small river stones can be used in place of BB's. I have other Lee Enfield .303's that I may take with me and an assortment of parts and spare magazines that will definitely come. The Ross rifle though chambered for .303 rounds will probably be left behind because outside of the shooting range it’s a very temperamental rifle. I will acquire another more common caliber of rifle due to advice I received, I haven't decided the type yet it will require more research. I prefer bolt action but will not be opposed to a semi-automatic for a secondary hunting rifle.

I have aquired a Lee Metford mk1 rifle, the precursor to my beloved Lee Enfeilds. The .303 British was designed for the Lee Metford. The .303 MK.1 round used black powder for a propellant as cordite had not yet been officially adopted yet. The rifle can handle modern propellants it is a transition piece between black powder and smokeless powders. It is mechanically similar to the Lee Enfield the main difference is in the type of rifling used it is far shallower in the Lee Metfords. The empty .303 rounds will able to be reloaded with simple black powder.

If there is sufficient time I will take my entire weapons collection with me and all the related ammunition, tools and spare parts I've gathered. This list will be including my family relics and my own creations even the temperamental Ross rifle. This will all depend on the amount of time I have. I could trade some of the weapons for supplies or if I found unarmed survivors to arm them if they decide to join me.

Other Survival Tools: Axe, hammer, chisels, hatchet, multi tool, Swiss army knife, wood saw, hacksaw and blades, game processing kits, bow saw, hand drill, jumper cables, welding sticks, automotive air compressor, backpack with supplies, med-kit, charcoal, hotplate, cast iron pots and pans, pic axe, shovel, cast iron kettle, 3 x mess kits, tin cups, can opener, knives, toolbox with automotive tools, tool box with construction tools, metal working tool kit, gun tools, spare parts, tire sealant, tire patch kits, wire, rope, bow string jig, flexible solar chargers, dynamo flashlights, road flares, flare gun, fire piston, matches, sharpening stones, 4 x Gun Cleaning kits, dog bowls, duct tape, twine, netting, med-kit, an Ulu, 5 x compass, 2 x steel buckets, box of knitting supplies, 8 x tarps, large pail of non hybrid seeds for later use, A generator modified to run off of woodgas, nails, metal and wood files, fishing rods and reels, fishing net, spare line, tackle-box, pitchfork, hoe, scythe, a wooden wheel barrow, farming tools, 5 kg of powdered chlorine, paper maps of North America, large flint stone, two man saw, chainsaw and parts, 4 x Jerry cans, lifesaver jerrycan, copper tubing, vinyl tube, mig welder, welding mask, Canoe and 2 paddles.

Got a survival philosophy? Keep your supplies, salvage and hunt before you break into your supplies keep mobile. You have to keep moving to more fertile ground. You follow the herds and pay attention. Watch wildlife because their silence will mean danger. Keep in mind what plants are edible and at what time of the year. Collect all the wild edibles I can and survive. Stay away from cities until the dangers caused by the decay of technology pass and then rebuild.

Am I willing to hook up with other survivors? Yes, easier to hunt if there's someone watching your gear and someone to help you haul the carcases.

Is my plan based on a book/movie/blog/scientist other survivors may have heard of? Not to my knowledge.

Creature Comforts:
4 heavy wool blankets, 1 light blanket, two pillows, 1 dog bed, 2 sub zero sleeping bags, 30 reflective emergency blankets, case of scotch, 15 lbs coffee, 10 lbs honey, 5 tea bricks, changes of cloths and socks, 25 toothbrushes, 5 lbs cinnamon sticks, salt and pepper, eReader, 20 books as well as an mixture of hygiene products.

Personal Gear
Targe, Heavy Canvas Work Cloths, Heavy Leather Gloves, Work boots, Wool Trench Coat, Heavy Leather Jacket, WW2 Helmet, Wool Toque, Leather Neck Guard, Water Skin, Belt, Backpack, Suspenders, Shoulder Pack, Binoculars, Maps, Goggles and Mask.

Things I Need to do:

Acquire : Small wind generator, High efficiency electric heater, Flexible solar cells to mount on the hood.

Build : Design a system to electrify the door handles using a detachable capacitor bank. Finish design and construction of trailer. Apply reflective insulation to the interior surfaces of the truck.

Stuff to Lookout For While Roaming
food, fresh water, cloth, yarn, chain, tires, salt, ammo, wood fuel, propane cylinders, welding sticks, medical supplies, chlorine, dog food, dog toys, batteries, tools, automotive boots for added security.

It occurred to me that should I survive with a group of others it would be prudent to have plans on construction. My hunting grounds would become a new village on a finger of land surrounded by water. These lands due to natural defences and a large amount of natural and transplanted resources could in theory support life. I have been planting wild fruits and vegetables native to Canada on the lands and surrounding areas for years to attract more game to the area. It is heavily forested and has a few ponds of its own.

Years ago the area served as some form of resource camp. These were common in Canadian history and it could date anywhere from the late 19th century until the outbreak of World War Two. I do not know what the structure originally was used for but it is made of stone, cement, brick and mortar. It is a two level structure so possibly it was a saw mill. It is only an empty shell so I can only guess. The walls are solid and in excellent structural shape. It is empty of anything and has several rooms. There is no real roof. The intention is to re-roof the structure and repair it prior to anything happening. It would serve nicely as a cottage it is quite a nice looking building.


The Plan: Ruin The building is well concealed and would act as an excellent strong house. A new timber framed roof would be installed and sheathed in either slate or shale stone tiles or clay tiles. Chimneys will be constructed and the lower room further subdivided. The interior walls will be reinforced with a layer of locally sourced stone and new heavy timber doors will be made lashed with metal. The First floor will contain living areas and barracks styled accommodation only marginally divvied.

The second floor will contain the armoury, supplies and materials. This area will contain food stores, water stores and the majority of our equipment. The access points to the second level will be retractable and will contain bunk cots and kitchen will be upstairs. The windows of the second level will be barred with iron and heavy shutters will be added to allow for them to be sealed. The modifications to the Ruin will commence this fall to preserve the building. The timbers will be cut this fall and allowed to season. This will serve as the first residence of my hunting lands.

Once the first layer of defences is complete it will allow for construction of other buildings. Eventually it will be returned closer to its original purpose as a supply depot and workshop. The modification for a workshop will see small outbuilding constructed around. These five outbuildings will contain a large Kiln, a forge, a Still and charcoal supplies. The assembly and storage of items will take place within this strong building. A Stone wall will isolate the new industrial area from the rest of the settlement. The Mega Geo-Catches will be within the perimeter of the ruins defences.

Plan: The Defences

The first layer of defences is already in place. This was done by the Ministry of Natural Resources prior to my purchase of these lands. These include stone rubble piles, earthen fire break mounds and fire ditches to prevent the spread of wild fires. These are located all over heavily forested areas to hinder the spread of wildfire. These defences would go unnoticed because to reach my location you have to pass several of these firebreaks.

The first line of defences that I placed is natural in origin. I have spread seeds of plants such as stinging nettles and poison Ivy to limit where people will tread. The intention originally was to prevent poaching and trophy hunting on my property. Further defences will be built in stages. These plants are harmless to local wildlife yet will hinder humans.

The First of the purposely defensive construction will be a sandbag and wood palisade that will encircle our encampment while construction takes place. These will be of simple construction and not permanent. It will help keep the zombies at bay and will slow raiders allowing us to muster a defence. An armed watch will be on 24 hours a day. This will provide a measure of security while more elaborate and secure defences are set up.

The second layer of defences will involve digging a ditch around the future site of the permanent settlement. The earth will be compacted and used as a soil rampart. A set of thicker wooden palisade will be built atop the rampart. A layer of rubble will be placed between the two palisades consisting of river stone, stone rubble, sand and pulverised burnt limestone and clay will be placed between the two sections forming a crude binding mixture. There will be two access points to the new palisade. One access point will be to the rear and one will be facing directly at the narrow road. The exterior of the palisade will be sheathed in a mixture of burnt lime and clay.

The interior palisade will be dismantled at this point. The gates of these new constructions will be sealed with timber lashed with iron doors. A secondary wall will behind the doorway with holes dug in the earth allowing large wooden beams to act as reinforcements. The sandbags will be kept on hand to fill this void in case of attack. A timber framed drawbridge will act as a bridge over the ditch. Stone walls will be built over time at a distance from the palisade with a gap between the two sets of walls. The settlement will be within the palisade.

Wooden palisades will defend various strip farms an gardens located behind the settlement with a small defensive fort akin to a 19th century North West Mounted Police fort to guard our crops. This will contain a small battery and a barracks style building with a small amount of supplies surrounded by a palisade. Areas which may be penetrated will have thousands of gopher hole traps and thick brush will be planted hindering access to the settlement further. Some bear traps will eventually be constructed for placement later. The farming fortification will occur during the clearing of the land and after planting. The clearing for farm land will provide a source of seasoned timber for construction.

The Plan: Settlement, Homes, Farming and Infrastructure

Eventually we will need housing, sewage and water systems, and large scale food storage. There will be ample room to construct within the lines of the inner walls. Agricultural sections will be the first construction in this section. Land will be cleared and the timer used to construct tresses and a light palisade style wall to protect the strips of crops. Pasture land will be left empty and undefended beyond a simple beam and post fence.

The agricultural layout will be similar to the seigniorial system of colonial Quebec but the length will be shortened and protected from animals with Huron style shortened palisades. The crops will be rotated in a three field system allowing for the soil to retain its nutrient base. The spare field will contain composting mounds manure and allowed to fallow. The buildings constructed on the agricultural lands will be of log and split beam construction. Dead trees will be harvested to build the structure of the small fort because they are seasoned. The palisades will be of unseasoned green wood with seasoned pillars.

There will be eight tracts of land for agricultural use sufficient to farm and to produce a surplus for the population. Huron, Organic and French Canadian farming techniques will be employed to increase yields. More land than is required will be cleared and fortified to create decoys and to allow for further growth. Once the agricultural base is constructed the inner colony will be constructed. This will include a pit saw for hewing lumber. The exterior buildings are of slat and log construction the Inner building will be of stone and seasoned wood construction. The first resources harvested will be dead trees to give a supply of seasoned wood. If a nearby logging camp exists any pre cut logs left will be used.

The first construct will be a saw pit, to process the raw lumber. The first interior building built will be a Barn. As we have the future industrial site currently for residences storage for the eventual harvest will be the first priority. This will also allow a place to store our vehicles and it will provide a place for timber to season. This building will be of wooden construction and have either a shale, clay tile or cedar shingle roof depending on the materials available at the time of construction and the time of year.

The second building built on sight will be of stone design it will be the magazine. It will mimic the construction of those built during the early 19th century and contain no metal or conductive parts. It will be sunken into the ground and the roof line will be covered with a layer of sand a layer of clay and thick layer of topsoil. Wild edible plants will be grown on top of the magazine to add an extra food supply. Four sunken root cellars will be constructed looking similar to the magazine. These buildings will have less elaborate roofs to store food products because lightning strikes would not be an issue. Garden plots for vegetables and herbs will be planted throughout the settlement; this will reduce the amount of wasted land and increase the food supply.

A notched log smokehouse will be built soon after. A smoke rack can be used in the meantime. The gardens will be surrounded by stake and beam fences to simply isolate them from foot traffic. Wood will continually be harvested and allowed to season or be chopped into firewood during this period for the winter months, the firewood will be stacked near the manufacturing complex for ease of use for the first winter. The residences will be the last section built due to the existence of the ruin.

A central hall will be built next this haul will contain the main kitchen of the encampment including the bakery. This building will be of stone and wood beamed construction and will serve as the center for the colony. It will contain the armoury and the collected books of the colony. It will be the administrative center. It will contain no residences or divided offices it will have a counsel room only in its government function. It will act as a storehouse for seeds and other rare supplies. It will contain a large central hall and two side halls. The central hall will act as a meeting area and communal mess. The each of the wings will hold a set of either a kitchen and bakery or the library and reliquary. The stored documents and history of the colony will be written here as well as a register of the citizens and the basic laws and rights of each individual. The second floor will be store houses and armoury of the colony. A small vestigial third floor will contain a large bell to act as a warning of attack.

A small paper making building will be built far away from the manufacturing center due to its wet nature. It will be a single room shed and used to create hand laid, rag and vellum papers. Wax will be used to help preserve the handmaid and rag papers. It will be a wooden building with shingle roof and water tank. Another minor building will be the wood storage building. This structure will be created in the center of the residential complex to store firewood it will consist of pillars and a roof and be used to store chopped wood.

The boat house will be at the tail end of the colony closest to the water. This building will be a simple wooden slat building holding racks for Birch Bark Canoes, Voyager Canoes and Clinker Hulled Longboats. The structure will be of post and beam construction holding: 10 x Birch bark canoes, 4 x Voyager canoes and 2 x Longboats. The colony will have a central well dug for sourcing water in emergencies only it will be dug below the waterline. It will be of stone and mortar construction and have a wooden lid to prevent contamination. Prior to the sinking of the shaft the soil will be mixed with clay dust and burnt to act as a random filter.

The bathhouse will be built instead of ornate individual bathing and washroom facilities in each house. This public bathhouse and washroom facility will be built atop of a covered channel lined with clay pipe. This channel will transect the colony providing drainage for this facility and minimise the sewage system needed. This structure will have heated showers and individual stalls it is modeled on a Roman Bath. The washrooms will contain a sluice gate connected to the water drainage system which will divert the bath flow water to the washrooms. This system will be emptied into a pre dug pit containing layers of gravel and sand to separate the soil mater from the liquid. The modified septic system will have an covered input trough for the various simple washrooms of the settlement.

Two small barracks will be built near to the city gates. These will be wooden buildings with a single room and bunks and a small mess and cleaning facilities. It will possess a small armoury and a hand wound signal device to warn of trouble. These will be very comfortable constructs allowing those on guard duty a reward for their term of service which will rotate other community member in after a set period of time. These two building will contain the only private shower facilities in the settlement.

The residences will consist of a series of modified longhouses to conserve resources to heat these areas. These longhouses will use post and beam construction and be roofed in tile roofs. Natural light will be emitted through upper windows. Several arched fireplaces and chimney will be used to heat the structure and light wattle walls covered in thick felt will provide the partitions. Small food preparation areas will be at each hearth, however the main food area will be in the community hall. The flooring will be plank wood except around a 10 foot circle around the hearth which will be of thick clay tiles to prevent fire. Water basins will provide drinking water and an isolated room will provide rest facilities into containers placed in a cart. The cart merely acts as a backup for winter periods if the drainage system is frozen over. Semi-communal living will reduce the amount of resources required to keep everyone alive during the winter months therefore freeing up time during the year for other needs. The inner structure will be of wood beam and post construction and it will be faced in brick.

A granary will be constructed to store grain. It will be of 19th century Canadian design. It will be elevated in a two floor structure the bottle level containing sealed ceramic vats for food. This granary will combine ancient styled amphora storage and 19th century bulk storage capacity. The upper portion will be divided into areas for specific grains and the cells will be made of brick. The foundation will be stone and the inner walls will be of post and beam construction with wooden sheathing for the exterior walls. This will isolate the cells yet still provide usable protection for the other stores. Large root cellars will be dug to protect the produce.

A small clinic will be constructed in the adjacent to the area of the longhouses to isolate the sick and injured it will be a small brick construction whitewashed regularly It will have 10 rooms, 6 will be isolation rooms, 3 with multiple beds and 1 room for storage of supplies. The isolation rooms will be sealed with double doors, allowing patients or those in quarantine to still receive food and water.

A windmill will be constructed near the rear exit to process the grain from the fields. This will be a wooden replica of a Dutch tower mill design dating from the late 13th century. The wooden peg and cog drive mechanism will have an extended drive shaft which can connect to a cam which will turn the manual saw pit into a powered sawmill. The drive shaft can be disconnected to allow it to function only as a grits mill. The blades of the rotor will be sheathed in birch bark and lashed with leather. This mill will exist near the granary for ease of use.

Food dryers and smoke houses will constructed following plans dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The food dryer will be a divided brick building with slats for holding fruits and vegetables to be heat dried. The top will be ventilated. A fire will be built in the lower level and the smoke will travel up the walls and out the building. The fire will be fed from outside and the bottom level will be slanted to at a gentle slope to aid in fueling the fire. It will be loaded from exterior doors made of iron. The smoke house will be of notched log construction and will have dirt floors and racks to hang meat from to smoke the meat. A ventilation shaft will be added to keep the fire burning.

The Plan: Building Hidden Outposts Eight small outpost structures will be built for survival and scouting situations along the routes to the settlement out for around 50 kilometers. These buildings will provide shelter for scouts or hunters and will be deeply concealed. They will contain a small reserve of firewood, a set of slat board bunks a bench and shelf for eating and a small fireplace for warmth. They will be buried underground akin to the structures of the polish resistance from the Second World War. They will be of stone and notched log construction covered in soil. They will be waterproofed by a combination of clay tile and pine pitch. The walls will be coated in a fine layer of clay and cooked lime mix to cover the pitch. The hearth and small cooking area will be entirely of stone. It will have a small concealed timber door it is meant as an emergency and scouting building alone. Native inedible plants and grasses will be cultivated to hide the structure further. These buildings are for the survival of scouts or people outside whom are outside and encounter trouble. It will be used mainly to ensure that the colony is not discovered by simple passersby and will warn of any approaching threat.

The Plan: Resource Camps and Solar Salt Stills The resources here are gathered at different times of the year due to heard patterns, weather and location. The resources which can wait will be gathered between the periods for other resources. The camps will be of locally sourced materials.

Lumber: The river routes can lead you to many places in Canada. These will be used to access resources as not to deplete my area or remove the concealment of the forests. The lumbering camps will be set up several miles upriver allowing the natural current of the river to bring logs down towards our area. We will recreate the log drivers of old, in smaller scale. This will be the primary source of firewood and construction wood after the wood extracted from the cleared lands and deadwood is exhausted. The main processing center will be in town in the industrial site. The area chosen to log will be not accessible by roads. This will prevent random people from stumbling on the encampment. It will be a simple wooden cabin with bunks near the river’s edge near a source of wood. It will provide protection from the elements and will have a rack for the canoes and a bin for the pine cones gathered. The wood will be de-branched and sent down river while the pine cones and usable tinder are gathered up and shipped back by canoe. The pine cones will be processed and treated, some will be allowed to germinate and be spread others will be roasted into pine nuts and stored for food.

Salt: The river routes eventually will lead to the salt water Salt deposits form on the islands of James Bay these will be harvested. A passive solar still using diverted salt water will increase the amounts it will be powered by wave action moving water into an evaporation pool. If not dried by the sun when the harvesters arrive the water can be boiled off creating a supply of salt for meat preservation and use. The solar stills are simple a simple wood lined trenches leading to a shallow pool this will be filled by wave action as the stills will be pointing towards the waves. It will be accessed by canoe.

Clay: There are several clay rich islands along the rivers and lakes of the area. A small five person shack will be built for when clay will be mined and shipped back to the Colony.

Metals: Metals will be acquired through salvage, any usable metals found will be returned to camp. This will include dismantled automobiles, rail tracks and spikes and any metallic flotsam found. Eventually mining will resume and certain depression era mining camps have been plotted and will be used as sources once our demand outstrips our supply.

Charcoal: There is a rocky island not far from camp with perfect per portions to be converted into a concealed charcoal mound. Wood will be burnt in piles and covered producing charcoal and the resulting charcoal will be shipped back to the settlement for industrial used. The source wood will be taken from the timber camps. It will contain a small shack for someone to observe and tend the charcoal mounds. When the wood is ready groups of harvesters will transfer it to the stone fuel building near the former ruin.

Fish: The Rivers will be a major source of fish. At the forks of several rivers small camp sites will be cleared and posts driven into the ground. A weighted net will be used to catch fish. The location of the campsite will change to allow for the fish population to repopulate. The fish will be processed on site with collapsible smoke houses, air drying racks and salting stations. The supplies will return to the settlement after each use for repair and maintenance. The discarded fish parts will be towed behind in a specially built canoe and will be buried in compost and allowed to decompose in the agricultural sections.

Meat: Hunting game such as Moose will increase our food supply and camps will be constructed near the migration patterns of these animals. The camp will be a cabin and a processing and storing station. Collapsible smoke houses and salt will preserve the meat. Trap lines will be set up to trap fur bearing and food animals. All will be returned to the settlement via canoe. Unused portions will be buried. Bones and antler will return to the settlement for processing into tools, handles, needles and materials. The hunting camps will be like the fishing camps multiple units allowing the herds to regenerate.

If possible livestock such as sheep, cattle, pigs, turkey and chickens will be kept on site. They will be acquired if possible and kept in site in dedicated barns. If chickens are in short supply grouse eggs can be substituted. . These animals as well as rabbit would be kept for primarily for their labour or material value with meat being a byproduct. Donkey or Horse may be kept as pack and or draft animals for use in agriculture

Sulphur: The source of sulphur will be one of the now abandoned mines mapped with sulphur deposits or from previously charted waters with high levels of dissolved sulphur. A small camp would be built next to the spring and sulphur would be boiled out. The camp would be a small cabin and a large fire pit with quadrapods to hold the pots above the flame.

Potassium Nitrate: this material will be manufactured using the decomposition process in a dedicated site off a small distance from the settlement. A small palisade will divide it and a ditch will isolate it. This area will be fed by a hand cart and the resulting material stored.

Stone: this material will be sourced from the rivers and shore for general construction. Limestone will be brought in on heavily built canoes in bulk as planed from down river. As rivers drain mostly to the north the current will help in the transport of this heavy material. It will be processed or stored as acquired.

Bricks: Bricks will be formed and moulded on site and baked in mound fires. The brick recipe will be for Babylonian baked bricks. The materials needed are straw husks, sand and clay kneaded together. They will be baked in African style kiln piles. The location will be a cleared space outside of the settlementt.

Sand: It will be gathered from suitable beaches and lakes, air dried and a small supply stored. It will be harvested as needed.

Glass: Glass will be scavenged and recycled to create the needed glass wear as well during thunderstorm season electrodes will be driven in to sand and used as lightning rods creating new glass which can be refined with recycled glass increasing my supply of glass to work with. Glass can be infinitely recycled without electric power. If I could source tin and keep it molten then I could produce flat glass otherwise panels of blown glass will have to be made.

Padding and Insulation: Padding and insulation for bedding will be harvested from milk weed fluff. It is quite soft and can be used to produce pillows. It will be stockpiled and used as needed.

Resin: Pine Resin will be harvested from the globules of sap extruded by nicks in the pine trees bark and refined.

Tar: Pine and birch tar will be produced through destructive distillation in a low oxygen environment. For pine tar, strips of pine will be placed in a sealed container with a hole in the bottom. A second buried container is placed under the first container and a fire is built around it. The process is the same for birch tar but birch bark is harvested and burnt instead of the wood itself.

Food: Food will be produced mainly by agriculture, hunting and fishing. A secondary food source will be the by-product of the timber production mainly pine nuts all pine cones will be gathered and processed back at the colony to increase food stores. Wild fruits and vegetables as well as wild mushrooms will be gathered when in season to supplement our diets and allow for a reserve of food. This will help us get through bad crop years and will allow us to produce an agricultural surplus. Agriculture will be performed by a combination of Huron, French colonial Canadian and Organic techniques.

Cloth: Cloth will be processed out of stinging nettles and Flax as by-products of food production. The ballast fibers will be harvested and will be woven into thread and cloth at the manufacturing site. Fur will be trapped to provide pelts for warmth. Leather will be produced from moose and deer hide. The furs of various animals will be processed into felt for a durable fabric to retain warmth. If possible sheep will be raised on site for wool and the wool processed into yarn.

Cordage: suitable plants will be harvested such as the nettle to create the needed ropes for the colony it will be dried and made into ropes.

The Plan: Emergency Location This plan involves the refurbishment and re-purposing of one of the decommissioned early 20th century hydroelectric plants into a fall back location. A suitable out of the way unit will be selected and cleaned and prepared to be used. Any salvageable materials will be either returned to the settlement or used in the modifications to the building. They are hardened structures of stone and cement. The building will be made habitable and the old exhaust vents will be converted into chimneys. A kitchen will be constructed and washroom facilities added dumping into one of the water tunnels. A fuel storage bin will be built and storage rooms for food. A hardened room will be left for an armoury. Surplus metals will be stored in it. The heavy doors will be sealed and a beam and bracket lock added for additional defence. If the original colony grows beyond the ability to house the people this will become a secondary colony and another hydro plant will be converted as a fall back. They are not accessible by roads only thought navigation of the river routes. A folding dock will be constructed to bring the canoes ashore. The interiors will be threadbare bear with some simple slat cots built for sleeping. A small cache of equipment will be concealed on site. This will include some bladed weapons manufactured specifically for this site.

The Plan: Manufacturing Once the colony is constructed production can begin. The ruin will at this point be converted into a manufacturing and storage center. It will have the rooms removed on the lower levels and production of arms, cook wear, dish wear, tableware, cloth, tools, storage containers, furniture and equipment will be made. Weapons will include bladed weapons and ballista for defence bows and crossbows, shot, cannon and mortars. Gunpowder will be made off site in a specific mill away from the colony on one of the small islands to allow for a degree of safety it will be stored within the magazine.

The outer buildings will process raw materials, shaping or finishing requiring high heat. The interior will be cold finishing and manufacturing. Canoes and Clinker built boats will be constructed in the newly christened factory for our use. All manufacturing will be done large scale seasonally with small scale production as needed. Once the colony is constructed and production has begun of black power I will begin the construction of various types of artillery. Simple mortars will be built along the wall. Heavier cannon will be cast of bronze salvaged from any source. Sand casting is a method I already use to produce rough blade blanks.

Heavy multiple shot ballista will be constructed to guard the gate. The bolts will not be only javelins but explosive devices or thermite warheads. The current design is for three bolts to be tightened at once and each to be fired individually. A Number of black powder rockets of 19th century British design will constructed to be used as artillery. The warheads and engines will be stored in the Magazine. Flame projectors and Molotov cocktails will also be produced for defence. The source fuel will be a mixture of Ethanol and birch tar. These thermal weapons or the fuel will be stored in ceramic pits under the barracks.

Korean fire arrows will be grouped together and launched at attackers. Single shot wall guns will be placed alone the walls Since the supply of small arms will be finite it seems wise to have multiple options to deal with different levels of threat. Light threats will be handled in a different fashion than heavy threats. The modern guns will be conserved for the heaviest threats against the colony. The Kentucky long rifle will be produced on site.

Here is a list of the various plant seeds i keep on hand and grow yearly I've staggered the grow times so i will have food year round. This list is for my bug out locations climate and the area i live in as well. These seeds have high enough yield, disease resistance and genetic variability due to multiple sources to allow me a lifetime of food and the ability to maintain soil quality. Some of the plant species are native species of my province or other parts of Canada. Some of the specific cultivatres have been lost to time because my interest in agriculture came several years before my interest in survivalism. It did not occur to me to save the names, they have survived and thrived for multiple generations. I believe the "Indian corn" is a type of flint corn but I cannot say which particular type. Not all seeds are native to North America, but they all will thrive in my chosen region.

True Potato Seeds: Blue Victor Potato, Maroon Bells Potato, Anoka Potato, Irish Cobbler Potato.

Dry Beans: Pinto Bean, Black-Eyed Peas, Fava Bean, Navy Beans, Lima Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Common Bean.

Tomatoes: Siberian Tomato, Amish Paste Tomato, Black Prince Tomato

Grains:Hard Red Wheat, Oats, Flax, Rye, Indian Corn, Blue Hopi Corn, Ashworth Corn, Buckwheat, Sweet Corn, Wild Rice, Barley.

Fruits: Alpine Strawberry, Haw berries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Victoria Rhubarb, Blue Elderberries, Northern Black Current, Swamp Red Current, Northern Gooseberry, Riverbank Grape, Northern Spy Apple.

Vegetables: Black Valentine Green Beans, Golden Wax Yellow Beans, Cheyenne Bush Pumpkin, Mini Red Bell Peppers, King of the North Pepper, Braun Pepper,

Root Vegetables: Boltardy Beets, Autumn King Carrots, Amsterdam Minicor Carrots, Crimson Forest Onions, White Lisbon Onions, Hollow Crown Parsnips, Cherry Belle Radish, Black Spanish Radish, White Egg Turnip, Purple Top White Globe Turnip, Laurentian Rutabaga.

Other Plants: Stinging Nettles, Chives, Sweet Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Dill, Garlic, Mustard, Tarragon, Parsley, Mint, Peppermint, Sage, Catnip,Tobacco, Chamomile, Cumin, Marjoram, Clover, Coriander, Labrador Tea, Hibiscus, spearmint, Licorice, Lavender, Oregano, Red Willow, Chili peppers, Canada Wild Ginger, Horseradish, Winter Savory and Sunflowers.


I have begun to teach my sisters and little niece everything I know about growing food and wild plants. My niece is a little shy of a year old so I think she just likes poking the dirt, patting down the mud and being outside. She began to snack on the some of the seeds it was rather comic. These lessons will include everything I learned from my grandfather and from my own experience and research. My sisters want to learn due to the ever rising cost of food, they were always the sane and practical ones. I noticed my plan was too dependant on myself and am attempting to correct this major oversight.

If the knowledge is all in the heads of myself and a few friends it could possibly mean that my group will be left only with minimal food from the wild plant already cultivated on my hunting grounds and food sourced from nearby fishing and hunting. A limited situation like that is unacceptable for human nutrition and health. I am in the process of expanding my survival binder to include more detail on agriculture. I have begun spreading my seed stash among family to ensure enough seed makes it to the planned location, before if I died most of the food died with me. If you have any suggestions in increasing the redundancy of my plan your input would be greatly appreciated.



Honestly most herbal medicine is crap, a result of superstition, fraud and the placebo effect but a small minority is actually functional here is what I've gathered thus far.

Cinnamon: for bowl troubles. Cinnamon is basically edible tree bark, which is all cellulose, it acts as a source of fiber which tastes quite good on its own helping your bowls.

Red Willow Bark: it is the original source for Aspirin a minor pain killer

Charcoal: Good for upset stomachs and gas also if you've swallowed something you shouldn't. This will require processing to activate the charcoal it is used in modern hospitals because its basically an absorbent soaks all the stuff up.

Mint: when made into a tea it is good for sour stomachs and if you can extract the oil great for head colds. The smell forces your sinuses open, this was discovered by accident. It is one of the ingredients in Vick's vapour rub. The plant itself is great for keeping some insects and ants away. This is because well the oil overwhelms their senses and they can't navigate.

Lemon (or any citrus or bitter fruit juice), Honey, and Hot Water: This yields a makeshift cough syrup. It just soothes the throat for a little relief. You can add a little alcohol for better results however it is not needed to work.

Birch bark Tar: It is a minor antiseptic. The substance can also be used as a glue or as pitch for a torch as it is highly flammable.

Alcohol: it is an antiseptic. It will promote scaring though it is better than an infection

Salt water: will clear your sinuses when sprayed up your nose. I was born in Halifax and there is no such thing as a stuffy nose there at least at the coast.

Fiction - Winter readings:
Running with the Demons, Gravities Rainbow, V, The Crying of Lot 49, The Complete Works of John Milton, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, The Hitchhikers Guild the the Galaxy, the Canterbury Tales, War and Peace and A Tale of Two Cities.

Non Fiction - It never hurts to have material to fall back on:

Survival Binder. Greek and Roman Engineering. Red Cross First Aid Manual. Scout Manual. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods.The Complete Guide to Gunsmithing, Gun Care and Repair. Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field-to-kitchen Guide. Ten Acres Enough: The classic 1864 Guide to Independent Farming. Modern Hunting With Indian Secrets: Basic Old-New Skills for Observing and Matching Wits With Nature.

The Survival Binder:

This book is a long term work in progress containing a wide variety of materials from constructing emergency shelters, canoe construction, weapons plans such as a Roman balista, the Kentucky long rifle and the Sten Mk 2. This book contains needed chemical formula, resource maps, river maps, road maps, construction techniques, fortifications, survivalist skills, flint napping techniques, smithing information from various points in history, geology, a slew of my own designs, collected designs by others, bushcraft, food preparation, drying, canning, food storage, food preservation, ceramics, kilns and leather tanning. It represents the total sum of my knowledge on several critical topics as well as information needed to naviagte in a post technological world.


Currently i am redesigning my vehicles wood gasifier to be more efficient, lighter and require less fuel to create the wood gas. I hope to do this by utilizing lighter weight materials, design or locate a suitable electric heating unit and utilize the vehicles exhaust gasses to heat the wood in the anaerobic combustion chamber. These modifications would allow me to use minimal wood to start the gasification process. It would also use some of the unused energy generated by the vehicle in motion. If i can get a hold of some foamed ceramic insulators i believe it would reduce the weight of the by 40% to as much as 55%. A lighter load would increase fuel efficiency.The current firebrick insulation is quite heavy and not form fitting to the gasifer wasting space and fuel. Lighter modern materials could be swapped out for the current steel anaerobic combustion chamber. The current version is a modified copy of a ww2 era Finish design the firebox is stolen from a 19th century traction engine design so they are both woefully outdated. I do not know if this will work but it's worth a shot.

Redesign: SUCCESS, I HAVE MADE MY OWN FOAMED CERAMICS! I managed to make a small slab it is a far cry from what i need but still it's progress. Hopefully I'm not building a well insulated bomb.
Update: the casting attempts seem to be failing i need to improve my method.
I continue to have no luck casting a shape I have made another small square so the foaming process still works it wasn't a fluke. Back to the drawing board. My experiments continue to fail.

Trailer: I have acquired the frame to a cargo trailer for free!! and have begun modifying it to be bear resistant. The hitch will have to be modified to prevent easy disconnect i don't want my stuff to be stolen. the door will have a reinforced slide lock i need to continue its design. I could carry less critical gear in my trailer. I will be using it at my hunting base camp in life as protection from bears for my game.

Update: The suspension and basic frame of the trailer is complete. I am currently construting the electrical system for the trailer. I have yet to decide on a skin material. The tube and wire frame will require skinning I chose this method of construction because it does not affect strenth while reducing weight. I believe once the outer skin is complete I will sprayfoam the interior.

Firewood Fuel Manufacture: I am in the early stages of designing a system which will allow me to create fire fuel from agricultural, foresty and organic refuse. The initial design involves drying and grinding agricultural leavings and compressing them into log form. Initial thoughts on the subject would take a modified mill stone to grind the dried source material and mechanically compress the item into the desired density via a water wheel powered machine. This would increase the amount of fuel available for my use and would reduce wood and agricultural and organic waste not used in composting or soil conditioning. This thought is untested as of yet. This occurred to me due to the problem of deforestation in Europe due to the mass use of wood fuel for centuries. This would allow me to use materials that would otherwise go to waste. A possible ignition aid could be a mixture of birch tar within the ground organic matter.


Mega Geo-Catches

I am getting concerned with the shear amount of supplies I will have to carry with me to my Bug Out Location. I have been giving this a lot of thought and have mused on possible solution. The inspiration came from Zee-Man's Geo-catches. The plan thus far is to create a large buried catch of supplies on my hunting grounds for my use. I have been musing on how I would create these Mega Geo-Catches and ensure the materials concealed are still in good condition. In my area I can get shipping containers at a very reasonable price so it seems those would be a good starting point. This is all mental and I am still debating with myself. The Mega Geo-catches They would be constructed in segments from cut down shipping containers. When cut to pieces the shipping container would be manageable to transport. Once we arrive on site in the fall the containers will be reassembled and reinforced on top of a wooden frame work. It will be welded back together from the numbered segments. All the seams of the container with the exception of the doors will be sealed with epoxy.


A large hole will be dug for the 20 foot shipping container and the hole will be lined with sand and stone. At dead center a hole will be cut on the top and a steel sleeve welded to the container. The sleeve seams will be coated in the same epoxy as the welded seams. Below the sleeve on the base of the container 2 loops will be welded to the floor. A frame work of dimensional steel will be welded into the container. A lip of steel will be welded to the container flush against the closed doors. The doors will be opened and most of the interior will be sprayed with rhino liner, leaving enough exposed metal to weld safely the doors shut on both the inside and outside. The liner will be allowed to set before the doors are sealed. Once the doors are sealed the remained of the interior will be coated. The top foot of the access sleeve will remain bare metal for now. The exterior will be sealed with a few coats of rhino liner and placed into the hole. The container will be moved with simple A frame wooden cranes sourced from local materials and powered by my various automotive winches. The hole will be filled and the Mega Geo-catch will be covered leaving only the foot and a half of metal sticking out from the access sleeve.

The interior will be wired inside of PVC conduit zip tied to the supporting framework. These conduits will end in LED lights or bare wires. The wire and PVC conduits will continue up the sleeve terminating 2 feet below the opening. Two inch PVC pipes will also be fed from the floor as well two feet below the opening attached with zip ties. A hatch will be made with four locking points and welded to the top of the sleeve. The final exposed foot will be covered in rhino liner and the dirt feathered out to conceal the hatch. At the base of the PVC pipes an exhaust fan and suction fan will be attached allowing for air flow and wired into the exposed wiring. The final length of ventilation pipe will be flexible and kept in a bag. The power lines will connect to a female connector and the male end will be will be kept in the same nylon bag as the flexible tubing. The connector will terminate in jumper cables allowing any automotive battery or vehicle to power the lights and ventilation system. The interior will be painted white with rubberized paint to better reflect light.

The hatch will be able to be sealed and will go in about 3 inches. A secondary plug made of dense Styrofoam and fiberglass will about 10 inches will add and additional seal it will also have two silicon o-rings. This secondary plug will have a connector for the bag containing the pipes and connectors and the collapsible ladder. The seam between the foam and fiberglass plug will be sealed with a thick layer of silicon caulking for air tight seal. Prior to sealing it would be filled with various survival items from my lists and things I use while hunting. Heat sealed plastic bags will help to ensure that materials are intact and they will be stored in plastic tubs. The site chosen will be in an area where there is protection from snow and where water will shed away from it. The top will be covered with wild plants and seed to conceal it for next spring.This will be done in fall because it will not seem unusual to have a large patch of dead leaves and dirt when the forest floor will be dead leaves and dirt. This is just an idea that is floating around in my head I may even build a small cabin on site one day. I would appreciate any input or suggestions on the design as this is all hypothetical, banging around in my noggin. I may use multiple such catches, that is if they are ever built.


The Mega Geo-Catches: Thoughts on Contents.

Tools: Once constructed these hidden structures would be loaded with a large assortment of tools. Many of these tools will be created by myself. These tools will be for construction, agriculture, resource gathering and processing, manufacturing and general maintenance. I have been making various tools such as hand planes, punches, chisels , spoon and hand drills, axes, pickaxes, shovels and agricultural tools as experiments for a few years to refine my technique. I have been gathering a large assortment of metal hand tools and refurbishing them or copying them for personal use and because they are interesting pieces of hardware. I source these solid metal tools from flea markets, barns, yard sales. Most of these tools would have little value due to replacement by power tools or their age. These items would not something I would be afraid to loose. Modern and commercially produced hand tools will be in my trucks tool bin to take with me. Knitting needles and crochet hooks and my self made bow string jig will be among the tools.

Parts: an assortment of parts will be in contained in these catches. This would include machined parts for my own creations, enameled wire, parts to reconstruct old tools on site such as pulleys and tackle and bearings as well as a large amount of rope. The parts would also be items that will be difficult to source once industry is gone such as fine enameled wire, springs, screws, nails and spikes, chain and cable.

Resources: a supply of resources will be contained within these catches such as a large piece of flint stone and obsidian, high quality metal pieces for planned projects, fishing line, resources needed to refurbish the ruin, woven nylon nets, powdered clay, dry plaster, sulphur, aluminum powder, paraffin wax slabs, granulated rubber, pencils, polypropylene sacks and sand bags, archive paper and silicon sealant are some of the needed supplies which will be difficult to obtain and will be stored. A few boxes of duct tape and nylon cord and synthetic twine will be placed in storage.

Goods: Several goods will be placed within these catches such as: glass mason jars and lids for food preservation, Canning equipment, containers for food storage, glass wear, dishware, tableware and cookware and water containers. The catches will contain a large assortment of books, laminated documents, designs, maps and will include a backup copy of my survival binder. A large amount of salt, soap and hygiene products and borax will be stored in these catches. No perishable goods will be stored within the catches. There will be an assortment of dog toys left in for my dog.


Preservation of the Contents:

The containers will be sealed from moisture by the rhino liner and sleeve plug. This will not be all the defences available to the goods within the Mega Geo-Catches. All items will be sealed within heavy plastic shipping bags heat sealed at each end to prevent oxidization and to be a moisture barrier. These heat sealed sleeves will be triple layered. The sealed containers will then be placed in plastic tubs and those tubs will have a bead of silicon caulk around the seam. The containers will be stacked. Metal pieces will be coated in a fine layer of grease and WD40 before they are sealed within the plastic sleeves as an additional protection. Paper goods such as loose documents and maps will be laminated still placed within the plastic sleeves prior to storage. Vacuum will be used on the books to remove air from the sleeves to aid in their preservation. A larger assortment of books will be preserved on a large array of topics.

The list of items is not absolute or complete. This entire section on Mega Geo-Catches is mere musing on my part to reduce the load I will have to haul. The books and materials would be duplicated and would be in case I did not make it to the location myself. A serious flaw in my plan is that other peoples survival is dependant on my own. If i should fail to arrive my family and friends would be short on equipment and be lacking the plans, designs and information I have spent many years creating and refining. Having at least multiple copies of my survival binder would definitely increase the odds of survival because it documents sources of resources needed for life. I may construct a small catch of hunting gear and tools as well as an assortment of hand crafted melee weapons to be added to the cache just in case.

Thoughts on Trade

I have been giving a lot of thought to trade; bringing people into my colony would seem foolish it would counter one of the factors I used to select the location, stealth. It is out of the way and has plentiful resources. After detailed studying maps of the region I believe that the river routes offer the best solution as they snake and interconnect in hundreds of permutations. I have located a suitable island in the rivers which will act as a trade outpost. It would be closer to civilization and accessible parts of the wilds it is positioned roughly 250 kilometers as the bird flies from my main encampment and is far south of my resource encampments. The plan is to build a bridge to the island and to hold trade markets on this site once a month for three days on the full moon from March to early November. The island will simply be cleared a low wooden wall constructed and a few cabins added. It will have an armed militia contingent assigned for when it is used and trade will occur. There will be no taxation of the site it will simply exist as an accessible market. The goods will be brought in by specially built wooden sail barges and these ships will be heavily fortified. The markets will commence roughly 2 years after the colony and its defences are complete. All trade will occur at this outpost.