Owning Woodland before the Crunch.

I am not a lawyer. Discuss any legal issues presented herein with a solicitor before acting.

There are a lot of arguments for owning things outright before the crunch comes. First and foremost, of course, is that the government cannot take it away from you, and you therefore have a permanent residence throughout the year, no matter what the socio-economic state of your country may be.

The United States of America covers an area of 3.79 Million square miles, including Hawaii and Alaska. The American government owns ~28.8% of this land, with ~2.5% of it being dedicated for military use. Only the North-western coast is heavily forested, with most of the rest of the country being arable plains.

Across the pond in England, however, we have only 50,350 square miles of land. However, 10% of this is forested and these forests are spread across the length and breadth of the country. Slightly further East, Europe covers 10.1 million square miles (including the United Kingdom), roughly a quarter of which is forested.

Therefore, in such high population density area such as these, where flat, arable land is at a premium (arable land ranges from about £69,000-£70,000 [Approximately $99,500-$112,000] for 6-7 acres), and set to increase in price by at least 10%[1] in the first half of next year, it may make more sense to buy a similarly sized plot of woodland/forest for roughly half the price (typically ranging upwards of £29,000 [$46,000] for between 2 and 5 acres[2]).

Of course neither of these types of land is available for development, but this article is not about constructing a primary retreat (which would represent a far more significant financial outlay). It is instead to provide insight into the advantages which can be gained from ownership of forest or woodland.

First of all, as a secondary retreat location, forests offer great defensive locations. The flat plains of America are often referred to by preppers as “Tanker Country”, and with good reason. Even a small hill can give many miles of range to your visibility, and nothing in those wide plains offers the least bit of an obstacle to a mounted force, and may infact improve it’s speed when reaching you, as there is no need to manoeuvre tight confines such as would be found in a town or city. Woodland, however, is the vehicle killer. Most woodland for sale comes with a narrow, winding, track to permit access to the owners, but is surrounded on most of their circumference by other woodland. This means that either an invading force will have to drive down your track at a snail’s pace (and this will, of course, be rigged with defensive measures and early warning systems, won’t it) or dismount and walk across several acres of other woodland in order to find you, losing both combat effectiveness, and tiring their soldiers out. Meanwhile, your group can be sitting camouflaged in the canopy, invisible until you decide to strike, if you do. Furthermore, the very “out-of-the-way”-ness of most forests mean that they won’t be on the regular patrol schedule of most forces, which will be focussed on control and suppression of higher population density areas.

Second, there is the issue of sustainability. This works pre-crunch as well, as purchase of woodland provides; wood (and dried leaves every autumn) for fuel; nuts and berries which can be harvested and preserved for food; and, most importantly, the ability to legally hunt and trap wild animals. Under the Hunting Act 2004[3] most forms of hunting are illegal, with the primary exemption of any hunting performed on land owned by the hunter, or with the consent of the owner. As you are the owner, you can now hunt all sorts of game, up to and including deer[4], as long as you abide by the covenant of ownership of woodland (basically ensuring your hunting activities do not cause disturbance or distress to your neighbours). It is also legal to pursue game which you have commenced hunting onto a neighbours land, providing you dispatch it as swiftly as possible. Many areas also come with streams or rivers running through them, which would make provision for fishing (as well as possibly an alternative route of escape should it be large enough).

Another useful advantage of owning woodland before the crunch is training. True, you could go out to a public wood and get your bushcraft on, but you’d also get some very funny looks, and also possibly reported if your actions are perceived to be breaking the law. On your own, private, land, you can practice all you skills to your heart’s content, whilst still maintaining maximum OPSEC. You may even be able to make a small amount of money by renting your woods out to those running bushcraft courses, or any training courses which require a wooded environment, as long as you abide by the above mentioned covenant.

You could also use the land you now own to set up various structures which maybe you don’t have space for in your home, but have always wanted. A small forge, for example, would be fun now, and vital post-collapse. A small cold-store room could easily be set up underground in a flatter area of the land, meaning that your food stores wouldn’t all be lost if your primary location were to be attacked. In fact, secreting several caches around the area will ensure that you have back-ups for most eventualities.

Finally there is the issue of residence. I have a friend whose greatest dream is to live in a house in a tree. Not the basic one room things made for children, but a full residence nestled in the boughs of a tree. Whilst this is probably untenable in a post-SHTF world, having an area of land of significant size wholly owned by you would be invaluable. Semi-permanent shelters can be constructed relatively easily, and if you’re in need of raw materials, hey, you’re in the woods, you’re surrounded by it! You can also live on your land semi-permanently throughout the normal year (and what an adventure for kids that would be!) to get yourself acclimatised to it.

Which brings me to another minor point (so the residence thing isn’t final, so what). Before the crunch, you know have a large area of land to; hold barbeques or picnics; camp with family and friends; hunt with your buddies; set up small agricultural or ruralized industries and any number of things which you could imagine.

Hopefully this article has served it’s purpose. I’m not saying you go out tomorrow and purchase half a dozen acres of forest. I’m just saying keep it in mind as an alternative or extra component to your prepping.

[1] www.vantageland.co.uk

[2] www.woodlands.co.uk

[3] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/37/introduction/enacted

[4] Subject to The Deer Act 1991: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/54/contents

Demon Days.

Described by Damon Albarn as being inspired by a trip through Asia, where:

"It was basically dead trees as far as the eye can see. Dust bowls, loose earth rapidly turning into desert. There are little satelite towns in the middle of these semi deserts that are absolutely on their knees. And it's the size of Europe this area. And then you wake up in the morning with this nightmare in your head and it's blue sky and beautiful sand, which looks fantastic now but was probably something else millions of years ago. And that will happen to us in our lifetime."

the album is a beautiful metaphor for TEOTWAWKI.
The intro is a hectic conglomeration of sound and audio assault, fading quickly into Last Living Souls. It continues on in a weird journey through a post-apocalyptic dream, segueing wonderfully through a series of smooth a abrupt transitions. Most poignant are the tracks; "O Green World", In which 2D (Albarn) beseeches the world not to abandon him; El Manana (also a single with a beautiful Video), meaning "Tomorrow" in Spanish depicts bleak emotion backed by a choppy bass line; and Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head, which depicts a small society ravaged by government/army types saturated with greed.

I apologise for the randomness of this post, and the amount of time between it and the album having been released, but I believe it well worth a (re)listen., and I just had the urge to share.
Regular, non-random, posting will commence Monday.

Team Structure for the next world - 5 essential specialisations for the coming storm.

It is often said that, in the event of societal collapse, specialist skills will be at a premium. This has been mentioned elsewhere, in a “learn-skills-so-that-you’re-useful” way, but I'd like to take it a step further.

I am proposing a purpose built team, each with a specialization (or, in a couple of cases, two or three with a specialization) which will be of use in the next world.

This also links to a point in apocalypse fiction which I hate, and that is lack of specialization. Look at any military force in the world, and there will be regiments of G.I. supported by snipers, mounted platoons, ancillary troops, medical staff, engineers and countless others, and yet, look at the forces portrayed in shows such as “The Walking Dead”, or “Falling Skies”, and their forces are almost entirely (I’d guess at at least 98%) assault rifle or SMG armed infantry.

One quick point. I am not saying these are absolutely necessary skills for post-collapse, nor am I saying they are the only ones worth considering. It is up to each team to decide upon it’s own optimised load-out. This is simply the team I would strive to prepare.

Military roles:

“Storm Troopers”:

In WW1 Germany, Stormtroopers (German: Sturmtruppen) were elite troops charged with, well, charging enemy trenches. Originally a unit called the CA Detachment was formed, armed with heavy body armour and full body shields, but was never deployed in it’s intended role. This unit was followed by specially trained units equipped with grenades. Their tactics included infiltrating up to trenches, filling them with HE, and charging into the ensuing carnage.

That makes this my role. The man with the big, dangerous weapons. The guy running 10ft from the enemy, taking out targets. Of course, that’s a lot easier in a country where projectile weapons are easier to obtain. In our situation, this is the man with the heavy blade, the thicker armour, and the blood splatter on his chest.

Typically, this will be assigned to the largest, strongest and fastest of your fighters (but remember, a combination of the three is better than excelling in any one aspect). More important than this, however, is mental conditioning. Stormtroopers throughout history have been required to advance under fire, right up under the nose of the enemy, and attacking face-to-face.

Required, and valuable, skill sets for you stormtroopers include a knowledge of the applications of various weapons, the ability to fight with a knife, long blade and (if available) short barreled fire-arms. Also necessary is a  rudimentary knowledge of explosives and the ability to perform in an infiltration-style scenario.

Equipment will typically include several combat-suitable knives, a long and a short blade, ‘grenade-style’ explosive devices and possibly trip-mines. Trench-knives, though hard to come by, are wonderful devices, as they have a blade and a built-in set of knuckle dusters.

“(Scout) Snipers”:

The technical definition of a military sniper is a shooter dedicated to firing upon targets at ranges of  upwards of 1000m. Clearly after the SHTF, those kinds of ranges aren’t going to be possible; even if you are a military sniper, the equipment probably won’t be there. Therefore a more appropriate term in a shooting sense would probably be ‘dedicated marksman’. In military nomenclature, these are shooters at ranges of ~400-800m. In this sense it’s anyone with a projectile weapon with range and power enough to make it useful as more than small game-killing weapons. The reason I’ve used the term Sniper, however, is that it encompasses a far greater range of skills than simply god-like accuracy.

By necessity highly trained in concealment skills, snipers must be able to; locate positions which provide a good firing position, easy self-extraction, and camouflage; operate alone or in pairs; Surveillance of terrain and other skills.

Some tactics which may be employed by are; reconnaisance-by-fire, whereby the enemy is forced to reveal or change it’s location by being shot at, as well as the fulfillment of a skirmishing role.

(Scout) Snipers will be lightly equipped, typically carrying only their weapons, alongside a day or two’s food in their packs, as well as camouflage netting, snares and trapping equipment for small game and humans and detailed area maps and markers for recording recon information. They will be the best shots in the group, and skill is more important than other physical attributes (although, a basic level of fitness will obviously be maintained).

The will typically have the longest ranged (and strongest projectile) weapons available to the group, but this comes with the caveat of weight. Long-bows or cross-bows with a draw of upwards of 80lbs would be appropriate in order to ensure a clean, one-shot kill, and spare strings (and in the case of crossbows, spare ‘prods’, the bow part of the weapon). Powerful bows such as these also provide a silent or near-silent shot important for stealth operations. Additional useful materiel would by camo nets and, if available, a ghillie suit.

Alternate weapons for a skirmishing role would include light spears or javelins.

Ancillary roles:

“Hunters/Trappers”:

This should be fairly obvious, and is a role which could be performed by (Scout) Snipers. However there are other skills necessary for a Hunter/Trapper. The primary skill necessary which the (Scout) Sniper might not have, but which is essential, is the ability to skin and butcher an animal. This is an essential skill set if your group is going to survive. Following on from this is the ability to preserve food, in the field if necessary.

As well as Hunting, Hunter/Trappers will need to be able to identify animal tracks and paths in order to be able to lay snares. Camouflaging skills will also be of use, in order to lay pitfall traps. These skills can be put to a military application in defense of a camping ground or retreat.

To this end, the Hunters/Trappers’ weapon set will be similar to the (Scout) Sniper’s, although a less powerful draw would be acceptable, with 60lbs-80lbs appropriate for most big-game, and 30lbs suitable for small game such as rabbits. A small, recurve bow with a draw of 50lbs would make a suitable all-rounder.

They will also have in their packs snares, fishing rods (either commercial or improvised), nets, fish-traps, camouflage netting and a small shovel for digging pit-fall traps. Also necessary is a clean, large tarpaulin on which to skin and butcher a kill, as well as a set of knives suitable for the task. Their pack must be large enough, and start with little enough in it, to be able to carry a substantial weight of meat and skins. This will eliminate the need to carry a whole animal back to the group, and may allow for hunting to continue after the first kill has been dealt with.

A useful, but not necessary, skill would be the ability to train animals, specifically dogs. This will give a wider range of options for hunting, especially if a pack of animals can be sourced and trained.

“Botanists”:
This includes food gatherers. Botanists have an extensive knowledge of plants and their uses. They can be used either as food-gatherers or rudimentary medics.

“Blacksmiths”:
Another obvious one. Blacksmiths are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the groups weapons. This skill-set includes bowyers, fletchers, armourers and gun-smiths. Their pack will contain the basics of their craft, including various hammers, tongs, planes, saws or axes for wood-gathering, a small set of bellows and a quantity of raw metal, wood, hides and other furnishings for weapons. The will also be responsible for keeping a stock of spares for the groups weapons, as well as sourcing material whilst on the move.

They should be well versed in basic smithing techniques, and be familiar with which weapons each group member uses. They should also be able to set up a rudimentary forge in the field to perform quick repairs.

They should also be able to source raw materials, such as rubber, coal, metals and hard woods.
As well as the groups weapons, they will be responsible for armouring the group, and should have knowledge of various skills used there-in, such as leather-working, lacquering, ring-mail construction and clothing construction.

So there you have it. Five roles which I feel it is essential to have within your group. It goes without saying that all of these will also be able to function as General Infantry unless they need to be deployed in their specialist roles, and there are certain duties all of them must perform, such as guarding the group, digging latrines etc. in order to maintain a fair division of labour.

There are a few other roles which I feel would be useful to have, such as mounted rangers, but they are less important than those mentioned above, and could b added easily after the crunch through the commandeering of suitable horses (which would represent a significant financial out-lay pre-crunch).

Book Review - Patriots: Surviving the coming collapse.

By James W Rawles

I could not put this book down. I read all 400-something pages in about two days, wrapped around various other commitments. It’s a brilliantly written piece, being part novel and part legitimate survival manual.
It’s highly detailed about the prepping aspect of the focal group’s lives, mentioning specifics about their equipment, upgrades, methodology, and even differences in opinion between group members. It also raised a couple of issues which most people (myself included) wouldn’t think of when prepping, such as the need for contraception, as well as the advantages of pets.
Further to this, the main story is split by accounts of the actions of several groups, and progresses nicely through stages of reliance, first on the groups stored food, then later on their abilities to hunt and farm, and finally reliance on a more militaristic model of society, and a focus on interdependence between various groups and retreats.

It was also sufficiently well written to provoke an emotional response when negative consequences befell the group, and I applaude the author for not glossing over non-action aspects of the scenario, such as child-birth within the group (a likely scenario to face in a prolonged retreat situation).
I would have liked to see more accounts of less prepared characters. I feel a lot could have been done exploring the trials faced by those without the extensive preparations available to the Group/the Templars. Several small groups were encountered, but not interacted with for long.

One aspect of the book I found unrelatable was the heavy emphasis on the religion of the group. Whilst it is understandable that Mr. Rawles, a firm Christian, is incorporating this into his prepping, and I hope I would make similar decisions in the same situation, it made it difficult for me, as an atheist, to relate to the group, with the frequent mentions of their prayers and “Christian duty”.
Another detracting factor was that, whilst the detail of the book lends well to it, and provides useful (and usable) information, it is possible to get bogged-down in it in parts, and I ended up skipping almost the entire section on the minutiae of radio-operation SOPs.
Finally, it was interesting to see some of the subtle parallels to American history scattered throughout the book, specifically the War of Independence, and the American Civil War.
All-in-all though, this is an excellent book, and a highly recommended read, both for experienced preppers and those just starting out (as is Mr. Rawles blog at http://www.survivalblog.com), although for non-Americans some additional research will be necessary if you’re unfamiliar with the Constitution and/or American history.

Rating: 4/5

The cold will kill your plan...

...And possibly you.



Recently, a large number of people I know, myself included, have come down with colds, or the flu. Work has been missed, parties and training sessions skipped, and a general pall of ill-feeling towards the human condition has fallen over us all.
I felt this subject would be a good one to discuss, given that is had caused me to skip two updates and post nothing on either the facebook or twitter feeds for over a week.

And so, if such a simple problem can cause such disruption in a time of plenty, where we have hospitals, doctors, and the comfort of an open fire and many, many blankets, imagine the havoc it cause reap in the tightly packed confines of a survival out-post or BOL.
Futhermore there is little to be done to prevent it, apart from maintaining cleanliness drills, administering treatment as soon as preliminary symptoms are noticeable, and quarantining anyone struck down with any kind of disease. Whilst this may seem extreme, consider the following: in a country of 6,000,000; half a dozen absentees put almost no dent in the workforce. In a community of 20, over a quarter of your force is out of commission, plus anyone you dedicate to care for them.

There's a lot of information out there about the cold, it's prevention and treatment, so I'll let you research in you own time, but I have to suggest medical professionals, even if they are only basically trained, be added to your team, as well as as much medicinal stocks as possible be added to your BOB, BOL and everywhere else.

Normal survival-y stuff will return next week.

Instruments for Survival and the Didgeridoo.

The didgeridoo. Instrument. Signalling device. Weapon? Yes. Read on to see the varied uses of this wonderful device.

A lot of people, when preparing for TEOTWAWKI prep only the basics, thinking of survival only in the most uninspired “will I starve, die of dehydration, or be eaten by a bear?” sense. Very rarely do I see posts pertaining to the morale of a survivalist, or more importantly a group of survivalists. If morale is poor, then performance will be poor. Simple as.
Therefore some form of entertainment is necessary. Electricity’s down, so the playstations out, so why not teach the kids to play an instrument whilst whiling away the hours in camp? Obviously there is a security issue, but as long as you have strong defences then I really see little problem with using an instrument as a form of entertainment. Plus, who doesn’t love a sing-song around the fire place? Another problem is weight, but a small fiddle, a flute, or any instrument of similar weight should pose little extra problems. It goes without saying that an instrument used for entertainment should not be the same one as is used for signalling.

Speaking of which, what happens when one of your guards spots an intruder? True, to start with it can be hoped you have some form of electronic device (walkie-talkies, mobiles etc.) but what about when they fail? Do your guards run to camp, abandoning their post? Or do they give three blasts on the old didge (the sound of which, believe me, carries a long way) and draw any available fighters to them? I should also mention the psycological effect of any kind of horn on a fighter. If you’re deep in the woods, and you hear that deep, bass note throb through your skull, your first thought probably isn’t going to be “Oh, that sounds like good news for me!”. This is the reason horns, bugles and the like have been used as signalling and rallying devices for hundreds and hundreds of years, often being the last sound a poor infantry man would hear before a couple of tons of man and horse smashed him into oblivion.

So why, then, have I chosen an article on the didgeridoo over a bugle or small horn? The answer comes in a couple of points.

The first is, I have no idea how to make a bugle, nor probably do I have the necessary skills. I’m guessing the average reader won’t either (if you do, go for it, and send me the results, it might end up on the site). A didge though, is a simple, hollow log. That’s not that dificult to do, if we’re honest, and if used for signalling, then you might need a fair number of them.

The second point is that a didgeridoo has uses other than as a musical instrument. They can be used to store things if not in use, adding a couple of square feet to your pack (dependant on length). They can be used to aid walking in the old or injured, and given their thickness and their design, will be of more use than a stick found on the ground. This also makes them emminently suitable as a support for a tarpauline tent (or other form of shelter), just make sure you don’t bury the end you blow into.
Finally, a (transportable) didgeridoo is a log of about 4 to 6 feet in length. If I smash you in the face with that, it’s unlikely you’ll want to get up for more. Whilst thick enough that they would be unwieldy as a permanent weapon, as an improv, back up or just desperate last grasp, they pack far more of a punch than a tin-whistle.

Obtaining a digeridoo pre-event shouldn’t be too difficult, either. I bought mine at a charity shop for £4, but you can buy them on Amazon for £15-£20 (although I’d keep scouring charity/60:40 shops and the like, so you can try before you buy, and get a decent deal).