Nomad Survivalist

I havent seen this here yet and its not for everyone but I think it is a possible alternative to "digging in".

I am a Nomad now and think it is a good survival idea, you can quickly move from bad areas to less bad areas, live off the land, sell your skills to those that need them and have much more flexibility in your choices than those trapped in their own bunker

I will use my current life as an example

I have a Harley and on it I carry everything I need to survive pretty much anything

Camping gear
Med kit
Guns
Tools
etc

I am a carpenter and combat vetern so I have usfull skills to trade for what I cant carry. I live in the dessert so I can even go cross country if needed. The nearby mountians provide good fallout shelter if needed and I can live indeffently on game here. The Nomadic mindset offers many advantages to survival and a flexibility a bunker doesnt offer

reply to post by lastrebel

I am a Nomad now and think it is a good survival idea, you can quickly move from bad areas to less bad areas, live off the land, sell your skills to those that need them and have much more flexibility in your choices than those trapped in their own bunker

Excellent survival idea, IMO, for those who don't have families to care for...

My question for you is ,depending on the situation(s) for survival/WSHTF, how would you know which are the bad areas, versus the less bad areas?

S&F; I don't think that there are very many nomads out there like you, but you could find yourself in a better situation than a lot of us if/when that time comes...

reply to post by lastrebel


You can't live indefinitely on game. You need other nutrients that game doesn't provide. How off road worthy is your Harley? It will only provide enough transportation as the gas and oil and parts required are available. If you shoot the animals, unless you are really really really off the beaten path and none of the other survivalists out there with the same idea are around... you will attract attention by the noise. Hunt quietly if you can The lone survivalist vs the group effort. The lone survivalist can last a while, no doubt. But this isn't the America of the last century or before. Unless the population really dies out, you will most likely end up with neighbors of SOME sort at some distance. Staying alive on your own for a few weeks or months can be done, while things quiet down elsewhere, but the idea of going it alone for a really long time is harder and harder to do. Remember the old Japanese that held out in the Pacific Islands for decades past the end of WW2? Interesting. But they were pretty scrawny hermits by then, that's for sure! On the other hand, I do agree with you and try to be prepared for a similar eventuality myself, just realizing its a temporary thing. Have you seen The Postman? Kevin Costner? Society has a way of forming and there is strength in numbers.

reply to post by sonjah1


I carry a laptop with wifi and an emergancy hand cranked radio and there is always word of mouth. The main advantage is you can usually outrun what you cant outfight and will not lose everything you have by leaving the area

reply to post by jaxnmarko


There are more of us than you think, we often ride togather and I could see us forming bands WTSHTF. The idea isnt to completly avoid society but to sell your skills and then move on. Besides game there is plenty of edable plants and you can trade game for veggies

I agree lastrebel. Being nomadic has proven to be a viable way of life before and may yet again should the SHTF, It may well be forced upon us depending on conditions. If things break down food, medicine and other essentials may be in short supply and you will have no choice but to move elsewhere.
You can live on game but it does have precious little fat, one of the main reasons bear hunting was so important as they are the only North American mammal found on land that has large amounts of fat.
Study the native American tribes that had to move often - they relied heavily on acorns, chestnuts, walnuts and hickory nuts as well as wild roots and tubers such as duck potatoes, wild carrots, wild parsnips etc. These are the plants one needs to learn to get by while on the move.
You can also trade for grain and veggies or just raid farmers' fields at night for a few potatoes or ears of corn.
Nomadic ways of living have been pushed out of existence as established cultures have taken over land. In fact it's the basis of the Bible and the Koran - nomads vs settled communities.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


I can see society falling back into those 2 groups in a collapse, the farmers and the nomads, but this could be of benifit to both. We could help trade by bringing in goods and skills that the farmers couldnt get in issolated pockets, they could provide us with goods we couldnt produce. The plains Indians are perfect examples of what a sucsessful Nomadic group could become, traveling in small bands, uniting during times of need, a very fluid leadership.

I think it presents a very flexible adapatable way of life and as I said before there are 1000s of Bikers living like that now

Im sorry but this story seems like it was fabricated. My man has watched way to many movies and living in the desert as a nomad being able to maintain the upkeep on a harley while providing everything else he needs for daily survival im just not so sure. To many people here on this site live in a distant fantasy world where they project these insane ideas. How can you prepare for an event you cant see coming, yeah food, water,etc the BASIC stuff ok i see you there . But in choosing a "bug out" location how can you plan for that when you dont have an idea of what ELE type threat you would be facing. Put more time into your arguments, ideas, and planning. Gaining knowledge is key the tv can only teach you so much. Practice makes perfect so even reading thousands of books on the broad subject of survival wouldnt mean # if you couldnt put those skills to good use.And what about when you bug out are you gonna carry ALL of this printed material with you? Lets be logical and get our # together before its to late to save humanity.

reply to post by Jstrange36


Quite true, all the books in the world teach nothing if you cannot perform the skills necessary in the field.
Practice does make perfect or at least possible. You can't carry all the books you would need with you so you must learn these skills and plants so that they become second nature.
A real world disaster would sort out the knowledgeable from the amateurs rather quickly.

I could see both nomads and settled communities co-existing where the nomads could bring in trade goods and news to people who are isolated.

If I left the impression I lived in a cave in the dessert hiding from society I am sorry.

I live in the dessert and ride from town to town working here and there, doing jobs ranging from Ranch hand, Carpenter etc, even did security on a porn shoot once..........lol. I often camp out though and know the plants and such around here. The entire key to this is not how many books and and supplies you can carry, but developing the skills NOW and being mobile so as to move to where the water, food, etc are at.

I also see us coexisting with those more settled in trading for goods and services which we each lack

As I am a bit of a nomad myself I live on the wet and you live on the dry. I live on my sailboat along with my wife. We have a few solar panels and a wind gen that seems to do the job a watermaker for the water. We have lived on board for about 18 years and sailed around the world on a 3 year journey

Does anyone remember the tv show Then Came Bronson starring Michael Parks? It only aired 1 season in 69 and 70. He was dissilusioned by society and traveled in the west on his Harley Sporster. Man I loved that bike. When I read the OP it reminded me of that. He worked odd jobs and usually helped someone in need in each episode.

www.youtube.com...

It helps having diverse skills that you could use anywhere like construction experience. Being a nomad could be a good way to go. It's good to make plans you never know when you will them.

reply to post by Rede2go


I am reminded of this show often, funny how long that one hit wonder show has been remembered.

The odd thing is these days people can not seem to conceive of this lifestyle, especially police who think you have to be up to something because you dont have a permanent address. That is why I prefer it out here in the west, they seem to be a lot of us here or maybe the cops are just more understanding

This reminds me of reading "into the wild" and his mentioning of the camps in the desert near the springs. And how to be truthfull I would not be surprised if there were more people than we can even behold who live this life. The current grip of the recession, peoples need to be off the grid more and more lately. The current, just state of the world in general, I feel is going to create more and more nomads and diverse cultures. Shanty citys that form small communities that grow as more and more become disinfranchised with the way things are going. I for one applaud you, see the world, or for this much your country, make great associations, and keep those memories, and always stay one step ahead. I for one would want to learn something new, and teach something to someone everywhere I go. Enjoy your travels and never stay put its a huge landmass, see it while you can.

Good on Ya
SaneThinking

I plan on using a sailboat to be more or less Nomadic if TSHTF, I would most likely Base from close to where I currently live because I live close to the ocean and a rather large lagoon with plenty of citrus groves and small farms in the area so I am almost positive that some kind of community would pop up. I see myself doing something along the lines Kevin Costner did in Water World ( going out and scavenging and then trading my goods for other goods) I doubt I'd do it solo though most likely it would be with a small group of 3-5 others.

The "live off game" idea is a good one for the short term but not long term. It may be different in the desert but as an example let's look at the great depression. When food and money was scarce in Georgia the people went to the land for food. The entire herd of Georgia deer was wiped out in a single year.

The deer in Georgia stayed gone until the 60's when they're friends in Michigan and Ohio began capturing wild deer and shipping them south to begin an entirely new herd.

Originally posted by lastrebel
reply to post by jaxnmarko

 

There are more of us than you think, we often ride togather and I could see us forming bands WTSHTF. The idea isnt to completly avoid society but to sell your skills and then move on. Besides game there is plenty of edable plants and you can trade game for veggies

I think there is a term in the genre for these type people - MZB Mutant Zombie Bikers. If nothing else being a nomad after the SHTF will get you more often than not get you a quick lead injection.

Especially if a group of people dressed like bikers come riding up - I doubt many people are going to wait to see what your intentions are. Sorry, people's prejudices are going to go into survival overload and they are likely to shoot first and negotiate second.

Besides no one would really want a bunch of wanderers around to spread the knowledge of where the compounds/groups are and gathering information as to their strengths in personnel and items.

While you may indeed be a great guy - not many are going to take the chance when it comes to their food and daughters of letting a strange lone (or group of) bikers into their area for a while. You could be a recon element for a larger element casing the place or whatever.

Nomadic scavenger/gatherer type groups (or individuals) are not going to mesh well with settled farming/hunting types.

The best setup, in my opinion, would be a farming "homeland" with confident nomads investigating the surroundings. As much of a lone wolf as you want to be, you'll inevitably forge friendships with the surrounding inhabitants. Both are crucial to survival, and the sorts should be weeded out accordingly.

Caveat Traveling Nomad as when The SHTF there will be roadblocks (martial law and banditos) and more chance encounters along the road with various bad elements (from modern day "highwaymen" to biker gangs, etc).

A star for you, my man.
Very good prep.....as same as my style, BUT then again....family matter me the most.