Finding a Survival Property for Your Rural Off Grid Retreat

We’ve talked in length about bug out bags, and bugging in or fortifying your home, but we haven’t covered bug-out locations that much.  A bug-out location is an off-grid retreat you and your family can safely travel to when the masses start looting for food.

In America, finding a rural piece of land is the easy part. Finding a piece of land that is self-sustainable on the other hand, is very different.

We’ve broken down our survival retreat search into 5 different categories.

1. Land And Gardening Opportunities

When you’re browsing for a rural property for sale, you’ll be amazed at how cheap you can find a patch of land. Unfortunately, a lot of lands can’t sustain crops or need an incredible amount of water. El Centro, California for example has a lot of cheap land and crops, but they need to constantly water them in order to get a return.  A solution to this could be setting up a greenhouse.

2. Water

If you are looking for a fully sustainable property, you’re going to need a freshwater source.  Digging a well will set you back several thousand dollars, so finding a property with a working well is a huge plus.

3. Wildlife And Hunting Opportunities

Your rural retreat should have a steady flow of wildlife running through it. Animals such as deer and elk might even become a pest if you’ve got a garden. It takes about 3 deer to feed a family of 4 all year, while an Elk can feed a family for over a year. It’s also important to conserve your habitat so they keep coming back.

4. Sustainable Energy

When you’re shopping for a survival cabin, make sure that it has a renewable source of energy like solar panels. If you rely on the grid or a generator for your energy, you’re not technically off the grid.  You also can’t rely on government power, or fossil fuels when SHTF.  They will definitely be hoarded and fought over.

5. Fortification

Can you fortify and defend your bug-out location?  If you’ve got an RV parked on flat land, the answer is no.  Your property should have clear choke points and areas that you can booby trap and defend.  You should also be able to see any incoming guests before they can see you.

Conclusion

After spending the last two weeks finding survival real estate properties around the US, we found a handful of homes that had at least 3 out of 5 of our criteria met, but only one had all 5.

The red cone retreat is a serious colorado off-grid retreat.

This property has over 40 acres of land, 40 miles outside of Telluride, Colorado. It is fully sustainable and has its own water well.

It has a garden and a greenhouse so you can continue growing food in the winter months.

The property has a stream running through it, and water shared from lone cone mountain.

The rotating solar panels pump out enough energy to keep the house purring, even in the cold months.

The stream funnels into a pond that has fish.  Elk, deer, bears, and wild turkeys feed at this watering hole.

The property’s driveway sits at the top of a hill that looks down on the road so it can see all incoming guests.

In closing, this is the only listing we give a 5 out of 5 for the following reasons.  It’s got solar, a well, a stream, two ponds, a greenhouse and garden, and wildlife, and it’s easily defended.

What do you look for in a survival bug-out the property?