I've seen cabins to castles in the woods to mine shafts. Could the answer be a little easier? Lets all commit to doing at least two things this week. I've been saving Pepsi bottles and filling them up with water. While one 10 can of dehydrated stew cost $40, I instead bought 30 cans of chili and 14 cans of tuna for the same price. I got a back hoe and dug a ditch 20 ft wide 20 ft deep and 70 ft long, it will be finished around the 20th, I'm placing a non running motorhome in the middle. For less than $1000 ill have the beginning of a bug out. I'm not completely underground but in a 20 ft hole. That will give some protection. I am experimenting with ways to create a bug out. Lets hear your ideas.
What is the best and safest bug out? For an EMP CME?
- Thread starter Dianne1
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Do you have the proper drainage dug in for your ditch? Just asking. Just a word of advice from one of your other posts where you advised people to stock up on duct tape to keep mice out of their motor home or what have you. Ummm.... the field mice around here just lick their lips and ask for more duct tape. Seriously, if you want to keep mice out and you can find the hole, go to the dollar store and get the metal scrubby pads. Stuff them in the holes and then use spray insulation over that on the inside. Mice can't quickly chew through the metal like they can the duct tape.
Are you putting gravel and drainage piping down before you move the camper in? I've thought about doing something like that but with a school bus and backfilling over it. I know that the roofs on those are reinforced to take the weight as long as I don't try to go too deep.
Whatever you do, please don't try burying a shipping container for a bunker unless you've properly reinforced the sides and roof to hold the weight loads that the dirt will put on them. In fact I think we have a member that just had one cave in on her and her husband, that thank God they were not in at the time.
Also, thank you for not advertising on the site anymore.
Are you putting gravel and drainage piping down before you move the camper in? I've thought about doing something like that but with a school bus and backfilling over it. I know that the roofs on those are reinforced to take the weight as long as I don't try to go too deep.
Whatever you do, please don't try burying a shipping container for a bunker unless you've properly reinforced the sides and roof to hold the weight loads that the dirt will put on them. In fact I think we have a member that just had one cave in on her and her husband, that thank God they were not in at the time.
Also, thank you for not advertising on the site anymore.
Yes this is an experiment to learn from, to actually place in practice and see the results, the pit is inclined and has a deeper trench, as we do this we will take pictures so that everyone can learn with us. My posting to to encourage people to take action. Sometimes people do not do anything because they have no idea of what to do. Or they think its out of reach beyond what they can afford. We did a motorhome 4 years ago and learned from those mistakes. This is our second. And yes field mice are resilient and so destructive. We owned a golf course and between the field mice and voles it was crazy. We used bubble gum, they ate it and died. Bar pasting concrete inside and out, or welding the motorhome into a solid block we will have problems with rodents. Trying to get others to take action is our goal. We had a concrete bunker that mice also infiltrated and ate through our plastic tubs where we had many types of food, they ate our sleeping bags, other bedding and peed on everything. The only things that survive one season was canned food. Pretty disappointing. We are also experimenting with large concrete sewer pipe. It fits a bed, and storage. How do we post pics on these forums?
diane.below the box where we type in what we're gonna say,and to the right.you'll see a icon that reads upload a file.there you can choose what pic's you want to upload into your message..
mice in the bus..was it covered already when that happened?not sure how they'll get into a bunker.unless they get in through the air vent.
The mice could be carried in with your preps if they've been in storage, much like bringing roaches home from the supermarket in boxes.
ah yes.hadnt hought of that..smarty pants
Having lived in a 12' 1972 camper for the past 5+ years....usually parked on BLM land; I must say that I have mastered the art of NO MICE! (I'm a traveling nurse and instead of staying in motel rooms that creep me out, I just bunk in my Skamper Camper on BLM land at no cost!) The secret is moth balls. Seriously, I just sprinkle them around the exterior of the camper and toss a few under it and I have never had a mouse, never! And trust me, this 'ol camper is certainly not air tight! I also do the same thing around our horse trailer with living quarters, as it sits for months at a time and likewise, no mice.
Blessings,
Shenandoah
Blessings,
Shenandoah
Moth balls are supposed to be good for keeping snakes away too, but I don't want to run the risk of a dog eating one, so I'll keep my trusty snake killin' hoe.
My dogs don't go near them....honestly, I don't think any critter will. A forest ranger told me they put them around their tents when they are in the back country to deter bears....now, that may be a bit like putting a lasso around your tent to keep out snakes--I don't know that it will work at all, but it may help you sleep a bit better!!
Blessings,
Shenandoah
Blessings,
Shenandoah
I'll have to try it then.
i've heard that moth balls works on mice.but dunno bout snakes thoe.i've also heard if you take a rodeo rope or some other kind that has the hairs sticking out.and make sure its a thick one.put it around your tent or what ever.the snake wont crawl over it cause the hairs get between thier scales,
I can tell you with authority that if you drop a cinder block on one, you'll ruin it's day.
I still don't know if it believe it!! I have had snakes crawl over the top of rough lumber walls to eat my chicken's eggs and they didn't seem to mind splinters!! I will say though, I've not had a snake in my camper either!!! 
so maybe mothballs work on smakes too!!
Blessings,
Shenandoah
so maybe mothballs work on smakes too!!Blessings,
Shenandoah
Most excellent!! My personal choice is a shotgun..even excited and doing the "snake dance" I don't miss!
I had to laugh at your hoe comment, regarding your weapon of choice for snakes...my husband still refers to his grandmother as a "Ninja" with a hoe when it came to snake killing!! She was Cherokee, living in the mountains of North Carolina and my husband said he used to tell everyone about his Ninja Grandmother!!
Blessings,
Shenandoh
I don't mind a blacksnake or a kingsnake around the place, a kingsnake will kill copperheads. Copperheads though, nope, they get the hoe.
About the only snakes we see here are Green Rattlers..I have been told we have Bull Snakes but I've never seen one on our place....Rattlers, we have an abundance of and yes, they are green. I suppose they have adapted to the terrain as they are the same sage green as the chimisos and rabbit grass. They aren't real long 3 to 3 1/2 feet long but fat, much like the Timber Rattler back east. We don't see them near as often as when we moved here 10+ years ago, mostly because we have bush hogged and cleaned the property up...pushed those snakes onto someone else's land!! But, we do kill 2-3 every year it seems.
Blessings,
Shenandoah
We have rattlers here too, but we see more copperheads than anything. I was bit by one by in '10 and woke up getting last rites from the parish priest while I was in ICU. I lost part of my finger over that, got lucky.
Holy cow dude. They say that once you get bitten from a venomous snake, and the doctors have to use the anti venom, that you can only get it once, Cus your body will try to fight it off the next time the anti venom goes in your system, and you will get anaphylaxis shock from it(allergic reaction)
I didn't react well to the anti venom and they gave me something like 9 vials of it. Let me tell you, that stuff ain't cheap at all. I was in the hospital for over 2 weeks after several days in ICU and the bill for my meds alone was ungodly.
