Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat

The standard survival retreat advice has always been to find a remote place in Idaho or Montana, with at least 20 acres, a 2,000-square-foot log cabin and a bunker underneath, a barn, pastureland, and a stream running through the property. But how many of us can afford such a spread without a crippling mortgage? If you can't make the hefty payments on your survival retreat, the bankers will evict you, leaving you worse off than those who failed to prepare in the first place.

Living off the grid in a travel trailer isn't for everyone. But if you are looking for a way to own a debt-free home—and enjoy the security that comes with it—here's the author's dirt-cheap plan for finding suitable land; buying a used trailer; securing it against the elements and intruders; providing alternative power sources; dealing with water and waste issues; maximizing your space; and establishing a workable storage system for food, water, medicine, tools, and other equipment. The good news is that the author has done the hard part for you.