Moving for PreppersDaisy Luther The prepping community is always full of well-meaning advice about where a prepper should move to increase the chances of survival during an SHTF scenario, but the information on how to move is hard to find. Im in the process of getting ready for a big move across the continent and into another country. Ive been at this prepping gig for quite some time, and have relocated several times throughout, but Ive never undertaken a venture this big. When we relocated here to the forests of Central Ontario, I thought the 8 hour drive in the moving van was a pretty big deal. Now, Im putting it in perspective against our upcoming 40+ hour drive, and it seems like a walk in the park. As with any move, there are the basics that you must take care of: Sorting through all your stuff and packing is the biggest job when undertaking a move. Many people who lead a preparedness lifestyle have accumulated a lot of stuff we dismantle no-longer-working items for the spare parts, we save buttons and rubber bands, and we have stockpiles of all sorts. I have been going through our belongings a bit at a time, and Im feeling rather hoarderesque. Its hard for me to discard those things that might be useful someday but we arent taking a lot. Were moving on a budget, and you have to consider that in a long distance move, everything you take costs money. It takes up valuable space on the moving van and the additional weight of each item uses gas. For some things, it will be cheaper to replace them on the other end. When sorting through the contents of your house, you need to ask yourself a few questions before you discard it: 3. Is it worth the space in the moving van? We are towing a trailer for our move, so space is limited to the most important items. How you choose the importance of an item is a personal decision for everyone. We are taking some things that arent particularly useful, but they are sentimental gifts from departed loved ones and photo albums, for example. We are also taking expensive preps, like the Big Berkey water filter, the pressure canner, an assortment of books collected over the years, hand tools, and other off-grid kitchen tools. My beloved collection of canning jars will be among the last items to be put in, as they could be fairly easily and inexpensively replaced if they dont fit in the trailer. A great way to save space is to pack clothing and linens in space bags. Over the next few weeks, we will have the entire house sorted. Were giving away some items to friends and family, holding a yard sale, and then donating the rest of the items that didnt win a place on the trailer. There are many options for moving your household. The options for moving your belongings are many: We have opted to buy a trailer and tow it behind our SUV. We can either keep the trailer when we arrive, or we can sell it and recoup some of our moving costs. We compared the cost of buying a trailer vs. renting a trailer, and for this amount of time, the amount was nearly identical. Animals are another consideration. In our situation, we are sending our cat by air and a friend will pick her up at the airport on the other end and keep her until we arrive. (I cant imagine listening to the cat wail throughout a week in the car, plus Im worried shell bolt at the first opportunity out of her carrier.) The dog, on the other hand, is an enthusiastic traveler (not to mention a bit of added security), so shell hang out with us in the SUV, head cheerfully out the window breathing in the smells of 2 provinces and 11 states. The move itself The end of the undertaking is nearyour truck or trailer is loaded up with all of your worldly possessions. The kids are buckled in, and the dog has her head out the window. There are some considerations for the road trip itself, some of which are unique to preppers. For me, I have to combat my discomfort at being on the road, far away from home. I always worry that a life-altering SHTF event will occur when Im in the middle of a field in South Dakota, with no friends or family within 500 miles. (I cant be the only one who thinks this way!) It is the preparedness mindset to constantly run scenarios EMPs, sudden gas shortages, nuclear disasters, natural disasters if these things happen while youre on the road, you are a refugee. The good news is, if you are driving your possessions, you have every prep that you felt was worth keeping in that big rolling bug-out bag of a trailer. The bad news is, you have to protect those items, and you have to get them to a secure place. Be as prepared as possible, with food that doesnt require cooking, comfortable hiking wear readily available, camping gear easily accessible, and all of the necessary defense items. Another consideration is general security. This is particularly important if you are moving weapons. Be sure that your truck or trailer is locked securely and consider installing some type of alarm on the door of the cargo area. Be prepared to protect your family and possessions (all within the confines of local laws, of course). Choose stopping points and parking spaces carefully, and consider cracking a window if you are staying in a motel, so that you can hear what is going on outside. Use common sense safety measures during the road trip: OPSEC A very important issue is OPSEC (operational security). If you choose to hire a moving company or have people you dont know extremely well unloading your truck, you want to take care that your possessions dont scream PREPPER. Otherwise youll hear that phrase we all love so much, I know where Im coming if I ever run out of food. One option is to box up your supplies like long-term food storage or weapons in boxes labeled with different names even something vague like basement. I know that all of the moving specialists tell you to be specific about what you write on the outsides of the boxes, but you really dont want people commenting on the 37 boxes of beans or the 20 boxes of ammo that theyve just lugged into your new abode. Of course, the best OPSEC is moving all of the items yourself. Undertaking a cross country move is an enormous operation. Be sure to smell the roses during the trip by enjoying the sights of the country through which you are traveling. Were planning to make this the trip of a lifetime, by stopping at some interesting destinations and camping in some of the most beautiful places on the continent. When you arrive at the other end and get everything unloaded at your destination, the months of preparation will all be worthwhile. I cant wait to start digging in the dirt in my new garden and setting up our new homestead! 