Bugging out to the allotment

[PrepperJohn]

Hi All

I was down at the allotment the other day sitting on my shed having a beer and contemplating the world when I thought "this could be a good place to bug out in an emergency"

Just wondering if anyone else has had the same thought.

We are allowed a 10' x 8' shed on out allotment plus a tunnel and a glasshouse. I am thinking of putting a maximum size shed on my plot and fitting it out so I could live in it if I needed to.

The shed could look normal from the outside and maybe even normal on the inside until I needed it live in it.

I am thinking of insulating and lining out the shed, replace the glass with double glazed units etc. We get a lot of bubble wrap and large sheets of cardboard at work which would do for lining the shed without it looking too professional to the casual observer.

I have an old yacht stove that I could fit that is powered from a calor gas bottle. Could rig up a hammock from corner to corner.

We have toilets and mains water at out allotment but I also have stored water there.

I normally visit my plot early in the morning on my way into work and again on my way home and there is rarely anyone about so I rekon I could live there undetected.

What do you reckon?

PJ

[Midnitemo]

Nothing wrong with kitting out your shed as an alternate dwelling but I would expect an allotment to become a popular destination for hungry chancers when the shelves become empty

[PrepperJohn]

Granted but most of the reasons I see for bugging out do not really involve the collapse of society but things like being made homeless or having to be evacuated because of a local fire or something.

I am not really prepping for end of the world events more high probability low impact kind of things.

We have dogs and I am always aware that if we had to move out of our accommodation for any reason our options may be restricted as many places do not take dogs.

My allotment is moving more towards the perennial permaculture style gardening which to the untrained eye looks a lot like an untended un loved plot and most would pass it by.

I would have to keep equipment/supplies hidden in case the shed gets broken into but that is not a problem

PJ

[Midnitemo]

yeah go for it, as you say there any number of occasions/scenario's that the shed would serve you well.

[Devonian]

I can see your logic, but this time of year, it would be bloody freezing and I can't see bubble wrap and cardboard making that much difference.

If you are looking at this as being a genuine BOL I would consider investing in a couple of sheets of 50mm (or preferably 100mm) Celotex.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Celotex-50mm-Hig...m/p/190544

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Celotex-100mm-Hi...m/p/161255

Celotex will give a huge improvement over the likes of bubble wrap/cardboard.

Also are there any restrictions on what a 'shed' can be built of on your allotments? A simple block structure with a single shallow pitched roof would again be infinitely better than a bit of shiplap boarding......

[Spandex228]

Hello mate I hope you are well, look on any Prepper web site, and it will give you a list of characteristics of the ideal Bug Out Location, and you will see in my opinion it's very difficult to achieve in the UK, I believe we will have to make do as best as we can in many cases, hence why so many UK Preppers are prepared to BUG IN if you are concerned the allotment may get raided for food maybe a plan could be to have kit cached there buried, when it gets raided and stripped MAYBE when it stops attracting people for food, it could become a BOL then

[Geordie_Rob]

John, go for it with regards to kitting the shed out as an alternative dwelling. My allotment she'd is currently a tin 7x8ft thing so not really much I can do there personally.

However I'm hoping this year to have an additional shed built to 10x8 size. The tin shed used for equipment & the new shed to be used as a home away from home. There's no mains loos but I'm hoping to have a compost loo there in the summer aswell.

Cooker wise, I've got myself a kitchen unit from a scrap trailer tent & it's twin hob, grill underneath & even has a kitchen sink, draining board, drawers & 2 small cupboards. I think it's the dogs dangly bits. Runs off bottled gas but I'm also wanting a small woodstove to save the gas usage. Rather than a hammock, I'm planning on one of those high sleeper type beds so I have bed space but don't lose out on floor space. I'm not planning it as a BOL though, it'll be used for a little nap during days after my very early starts at work & my noisy neighbours doing their best to stop me sleeping. May I suggest, rather than a few windows, maplins do a mains free light kit. Solar powered, wiring kit, bulb holder & low energy 40w equivelant light bulb. All you need is a couple of car batteries to hold the power generated & you're good to go. With one of these, you'd only need 1 small window for ventilation as light would be sorted.

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Ignore my window comment. Just re-read your post & seen you already have windows in place.

[Steve]

I think a kitted shed is a great idea, not least because it will allow you to hone down the amount of kit you "need", and will allow you to actually learn to use the kit which is most important.

[PrepperJohn]

Agreed

So many preps seem to be stored away and never used. If nothing ever happens I will end up with a nice place to hang out when I am down at the allotment.

PJ

[Mortblanc]

Over here we refer to these setups as a "Man cave".

Most rural cultures have a long tradition of the men having barns, workshops, garden sheds or some other detached building to use as a retreat from the domestic sphere. The men would usually prefer to spend the day in a cold barn on a miserable day than remain inside the house with the women and kids.

In the US this spot has become the garage, built to house the vehicle but most often used as a social center for the male friends and neighbors.

I know people that rent storage units just to have a place to keep their gear and hang out away from the house. It is not unusual for a group of three or four friends to gather at the storage unit to tune up or install new brakes on a vehicle, drink a few beers and cook some burgers on the propane grill.