Which of these underground shelters is best? I hope to make one.

Some are bomb proof. The thought of leaving the comfort of my home to rush to a cave is a horrible thought. I thought I'd be procative and have one ready, just in case SHTF. Which do you like, if any. It comes down to costs to dig, stock, and funish. Which would you prefer?













Man Shelter??









It comes down to cost of course, and we would need a air filter for radiation and other things.

Any other ideas? What else do I did besides a backhoe and concrete?

Wow very cool.

I would say your customized one. To buy factory standard and keep it that way can be dull and not grasping the potential a shelter can have. Don't be afraid to mess around and install a home made vent system with filters, nor don't be afraid to go the extra mile and experiment with natural lighting some how and so on.

Every movement you make in your shelter is energy. You can rig it up so while you move, mechanisms are in place for capturing and transferring that movement into energy. Such as those new speed bumps that generate electricity every time someone drives over it.

Go the extra mile!

Originally posted by gandhi
Wow very cool.

I would say your customized one. To buy factory standard and keep it that way can be dull and not grasping the potential a shelter can have. Don't be afraid to mess around and install a home made vent system with filters, nor don't be afraid to go the extra mile and experiment with natural lighting some how and so on.

Every movement you make in your shelter is energy. You can rig it up so while you move, mechanisms are in place for capturing and transferring that movement into energy. Such as those new speed bumps that generate electricity every time someone drives over it.

Go the extra mile!

Thanks, it will be weird to sell my 3 story house and move in to a cave but wont hesitate when that day comes. Ive even considered buying a mobile home, bury it with 4 feet of dirt on top and reinforce with concrete so be sound proof and so no one falls in the dirt on top. Not to mention underground is a good insulator, keeping heat in and making summer not to hot.

For any of the choices, you need to consider your environment. How high is the water table? What is the freeze level? How acidic is the soil? I would try to excavate the central portion of a hill and bury your shelter there.

Seems like each model has its own merits. If this were my project, I'd want to know exactly how much money I can budget and then move forward.

The cargo trailer can be found economically unless you live in a rural area. Either way, one needs to factor in cost of having it transported to your location. But before I spent a cent I would want to figure out how to reinforce & finish the interior and its cost.

Heavy equipment could be bought, used and re-sold later but I would want to take along someone who knows what they are talking about so I didn't buy a used piece of junk. Maybe it would just be quicker & easier to hire out a local contractor.

It would be sweet if you had your shelter accessible from your basement. A large underground water storage tank may be sustained by rainfall depending on where you live.

Spring is just around the corner. Good time to go to a Camper / RV Show and take pictures of how things are arranged inside a house on wheels. Those manufacturers have been perfecting their vehicles for a long time so their lay-out should reflect optimal use for alloted space.

Actually, it would be easier in the end to put an old Winnebago in the ground and reinforce the outer sides and top. A high mileage RV with a blown trans or motor should be cheap enough but you wouldn't want to have it towed too far.

are you serious? i like your idea but seriously is that how shallow your thinking of having your bunker.. at least a hundred foot deep... if find the deepest one you can get with easy large access incase it caves in

Why sell your house? Can you not simply build the shelter near the house you are in and have a way to get there undetected? Also, a few hundred feet isn't going to be bomb-proof, I don't think, though it may keep you safe from zombies. IDK.

Other cool ideas: missile base property for sale.

6th one down, is pretty sweet if ya have a few million $ sitting around.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


Yes, cutting the side of a hill is easier than digging down. Thanks.

Originally posted by wongy
are you serious? i like your idea but seriously is that how shallow your thinking of having your bunker.. at least a hundred foot deep... if find the deepest one you can get with easy large access incase it caves in

I wouldnt let it cave in. I'd reinforce the roof, underground. There are many reasons I want to do this. Not just the threat of war on our soil but the polar shift and super storms with winds 300 to 400 miles an hour. We are starting to see some of this now with massive flooding, etc.

Hi OP, I have been doing research as well,and some pointers I have been given:

1- secure a safe water location, find yourself a water well, tube it and dig, get a connection to the water first

2-far away from large urban centers, it has the possibility of getting reaaally nasty amongst millions of us in real angst and hungry

3-keep it to yourself , dont tell anyone, lest the time comes when all your hard work was in fact for someone with a gun and a map.

4-get a two way radio, so you can transmit and receive, if electromagnetism is really an issue communication will be a key factor in getting organized

5-educate yourself in as much practical knowhow as you can, get some army survival guides, learn to read the weather, making traps, reading patterns, first aid, and general medical knowledge, and get some books on local medicinal plants, our ancestors did it far better than us with less, their methods still work!

It wont matter if you have the best bunker ever, being prepared and being able to adapt in a wider range of scenarios will mean in the end surviving!

BTW, concrete all the way, think of it as artificial stone, stones have been around here for millions of years, good concrete will be around here far less, but still it can withstand quite a lot of banging!

Originally posted by LargeFries
Seems like each model has its own merits. If this were my project, I'd want to know exactly how much money I can budget and then move forward.

The cargo trailer can be found economically unless you live in a rural area. Either way, one needs to factor in cost of having it transported to your location. But before I spent a cent I would want to figure out how to reinforce & finish the interior and its cost.

Heavy equipment could be bought, used and re-sold later but I would want to take along someone who knows what they are talking about so I didn't buy a used piece of junk. Maybe it would just be quicker & easier to hire out a local contractor.

It would be sweet if you had your shelter accessible from your basement. A large underground water storage tank may be sustained by rainfall depending on where you live.

Spring is just around the corner. Good time to go to a Camper / RV Show and take pictures of how things are arranged inside a house on wheels. Those manufacturers have been perfecting their vehicles for a long time so their lay-out should reflect optimal use for alloted space.

Actually, it would be easier in the end to put an old Winnebago in the ground and reinforce the outer sides and top. A high mileage RV with a blown trans or motor should be cheap enough but you wouldn't want to have it towed too far.

My idea was to get many army bunks to house more people, I'd bury all food, safely in sealed containers. No one would know where. I do live rural and have the privacy to do this. Yes cost is a factor but can be done with little as long as I have access to a backhoe and bunks. The food and emergency supplies are already stocked.

Originally posted by BnletB
Why sell your house? Can you not simply build the shelter near the house you are in and have a way to get there undetected? Also, a few hundred feet isn't going to be bomb-proof, I don't think, though it may keep you safe from zombies. IDK.

Other cool ideas: missile base property for sale.

6th one down, is pretty sweet if ya have a few million $ sitting around.

edit on 3-3-2011 by BnletB because: (no reason given)

No I dont need to sell my house but I am planning to downsize. No one uses the family room in the attic and my twins will graduate in June. I may not move, my plan is to drive to a nearby mountain if SHTF. The problem I have is crossing the creek with a culvert, mobile home or truck for concrete. I have acreage but only 5 acres. I just prefer to be more secluded if all hell breaks out. Money will be worth nothing if things get worse.

reply to post by wonderworld


If it were me, I would take option one.

Besides a backhoe and concrete you need rebar, tie wire, wood to make the forms, form oil, and whatever wiring and plumbing and ventilation you need to install, plus the door.

It wouldnt be cheap, but doing the labor yourself could save you a lot.

Originally posted by TheOneEyedProphet
Hi OP, I have been doing research as well,and some pointers I have been given:

1- secure a safe water location, find yourself a water well, tube it and dig, get a connection to the water first

2-far away from large urban centers, it has the possibility of getting reaaally nasty amongst millions of us in real angst and hungry

3-keep it to yourself , dont tell anyone, lest the time comes when all your hard work was in fact for someone with a gun and a map.

4-get a two way radio, so you can transmit and receive, if electromagnetism is really an issue communication will be a key factor in getting organized

5-educate yourself in as much practical knowhow as you can, get some army survival guides, learn to read the weather, making traps, reading patterns, first aid, and general medical knowledge, and get some books on local medicinal plants, our ancestors did it far better than us with less, their methods still work!

It wont matter if you have the best bunker ever, being prepared and being able to adapt in a wider range of scenarios will mean in the end surviving!

BTW, concrete all the way, think of it as artificial stone, stones have been around here for millions of years, good concrete will be around here far less, but still it can withstand quite a lot of banging!

thanks for the tips. I have a water source nearby but needs boiling or bleach or both. I also have this thread on some of this. It needs work too. How To Keep your Butt Alive

A lot to think about, especially with Libya, etc.etc, etc

reply to post by wonderworld

I thought about the shelter option myself but there are a few things that have kept me from making the leap.
1. In the event of a catastrophic pole shift or earthquakes caused by same the shelter would be crushed. I would not want to be stuck underground with no way out.
2. If flooding became an issue and the structure was not watertight (most are not) it is essentialy useless.
3. You eventually have to come out, if air is toxic or radiation hazard exists all you've done is prolong the inevitable.
4. Groups of "bad guys" could be searching for shelters (the contractors, local zoning records) and if they find yours it won't be good, you'll be trapped.
There is strength in numbers, I believe you would be better off within a large group.

Here is a thread about the effects of the atom bomb. I cant give you a link straight to the report, but this member tells you how to get it from the OSTI website. Its a 4 min download and 256 pages, but about half way through the report it tell you all the information you want to know. Infact, there were tunnels directly below the epicenter of one(i cant remember which one), that survived! Its well worth the download.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

what is the best rock dig into?

If I could afford one i would build one like the ones Vivos builds. Theirs are componds that you can buy into incase of emergency but a smaller version would be great buried in your backyard.
www.terravivos.com...