Bunkers - your very own...

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Tony

White bear (Admin)
Admin
Apr 16, 2003
24,128
1
1,875
53
Wales
www.bushcraftuk.com
So, there's the conversation going on in the woodland camping thread about bunkers so I thought I'd start a thread on them as they're quite cool and I've always wanted one. Has anyone got one? If yes tell us about it. If you've not then tell us what you'd like from a bunker and why you think they're cool.

I think at a base level it would be cool to have one for a man cave, just somewhere isolated and out the way. I do often think to myself that I'd like a container buried to store stuff in so that it's out the way...

Lots of work though....I wonder if there's a straight forward dig a hole and drop your mini bunker into it and cover it up option...Umm, I know there is so, that but affordable :D
 

Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
9
Brigantia
I want one too. I may be moving to Wales after my father passes, and if so, I'll either get a house with a basement I can convert, or a bit of land to build a makeshift bunker.

[I think I read if you are under 3 foot of earth, and a nuke hits, after 14 days, there will be less than 1% of the radiation from the initial blast left.
But it has to be built in a certain way, otherwise gamma rays can get through. I had to bring this up, and I personally dont think that sounds tin foil hattish at the moment either. Lets face it, is rather a scary world at the moment isnt it?]

But just an underground cave man.....hidden for storage, I'd want at least a years supply of food down there. I wonder how you would ventilate it properly?

:lmao:sorry tony if im taking it off on a tangent for the preppers.....its just one use of many....
 

RonW

Native
Nov 29, 2010
1,575
121
Dalarna Sweden
What keeps others out, will keep you in.
And if you can see it, you can hit it. If you can hit it, you can kill it.

Just some thoughts.....
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Well, today they can destroy most bunkers and underground systems....
And detect them too it seems.

Most bunkers seem to be wet and nasty. Would ruin your nice Carbon steel blades!
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Good. It was an incredibly useful thing. Nobody builds them today, which is a pity.
We used to buy fruit and veg in bulk. Used to hand the game there. Stored beer and wine.

The whole house is my Man Cave. It is a Woman and Man Cave.....
 

daveO

Native
Jun 22, 2009
1,453
513
South Wales
I'd be too paranoid that someone would lock the door from the outside. I'd prefer something in the earthship mould, built into a hillside at the back but with nice big windows facing the sun at the front for a good hydroponic setup.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
We had a tornado cellar in Iowa when I was little. Very hard to recall but I don't think we ever had to use it.
For storms in Canada, some homes have cast concrete walls surrounding the main bathroom. No moving furniture in there
that can kill you.

My house now has what I call a walk-in cold room, even has vents cast right into the concrete basement wall.
Zero chance of surviving much of anything in there. Good for food storage but little else.

Country property in the hills might hide your actions but what will you do to hide all the soil and rock from your excavations?

Load a bunker with durable foods (never buy any of that, locally, either) and you better be gunned up to the teeth when the foragers come looking.
Then you have a body disposal problem.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I find those 'end of days survival bunkers' mentally offensive.

I do not want to think that even in a 'situation' we would start behaving like savages.
I want to believe we would start cooperating for best possible chance of survival.
If that does not happen I am happy to join the crowd in Purgatory.

Our house here is built like a shelter. Reinforced steel shell. Hardened double glass with reinforcing plastic between. Steel doors ( encased in a wooden cladding).
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Yeah, noble thought but hopelessly impractical. Watch Puerto Rico.

After hurricane Ivan this island became like a hippy camp. The vast % of people cooperated, shared and helped. The off person went berserk and on a rampage.

Ivan wiped out this place. We do not have even natural drinkable water.
 
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BJJJ

Native
Sep 3, 2010
1,998
162
North Shropshire
There are a few old observer core bunkers that come up for sale occasionally and these are popular as man caves. Quite compact but functional for the original purpose. I think they go for around £25-30K.
 

Trig

Nomad
Jun 1, 2013
275
60
Scotland
There was 2 underground shipping containers discovered near me about 2-3 years ago. I think it was 2 buried, and one on top with a tunnel down inside it. Was used for illegal growing.
I know the bit of ground, and im not quite sure how they managed to dig a hole deep enough and big enough without being caught in the process, as it was right on the edge of an industrial estate. Probably just stuck a hi-vis vest on and people assumed they should be there.

Cant find the newspaper article for that one, but did find this one -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-containers-housing-plants-worth-150-000.html
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,978
7,755
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
My garage is built into the hill behind the house; I fancy putting a hidden door in the breezeblock at the back leading to a bunker. How long would it take to dig with a spade? :)

Cheers,
Broch
 

MrEd

Life Member
Feb 18, 2010
2,148
1,053
Surrey/Sussex
www.thetimechamber.co.uk
So, there's the conversation going on in the woodland camping thread about bunkers so I thought I'd start a thread on them as they're quite cool and I've always wanted one. Has anyone got one? If yes tell us about it. If you've not then tell us what you'd like from a bunker and why you think they're cool.

I think at a base level it would be cool to have one for a man cave, just somewhere isolated and out the way. I do often think to myself that I'd like a container buried to store stuff in so that it's out the way...

Lots of work though....I wonder if there's a straight forward dig a hole and drop your mini bunker into it and cover it up option...Umm, I know there is so, that but affordable :D


I do, a small one as a museum - www.facebook.com/cuckfieldnuclearbunker and I am part of a bunch of guys that caretaker 3 other bunkers round the uk ranging from derelict(ish) (West Sussex) to fully functioning (Suffolk and Dundee). All of which are 30'000 square feet or more underground and 2 levels.

this is all done as a history heritage thing rather than a prepper thing though.

been to LOTS of bunkers - see my website here

www.thetimechamber.co.uk
 

Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
9
Brigantia
There are a few old observer core bunkers that come up for sale occasionally and these are popular as man caves. Quite compact but functional for the original purpose. I think they go for around £25-30K.

I think the government told the people in the old ROC bunkers they would be safe, knowing that they were not safe from radiation.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
My garage is built into the hill behind the house; I fancy putting a hidden door in the breezeblock at the back leading to a bunker. How long would it take to dig with a spade? :)

Cheers,
Broch

Cool idea!

Should be fairly quick. Depends on how hard it is. Where will you dispose of the stuff?
 

Kepis

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 17, 2005
6,689
2,104
Sussex
A guy i used to work for had a nuclear fallout bunker built in his grounds and a huge rockery built over the top to disguise it, every time it rained heavily it flooded - had to laugh. :lmao:
 

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