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Original poster

City or country, if the SHTF?

14 replies

MotherWol · 12/02/2019 14:05

(lighthearted - I hope this isn't a real risk!)

I've been thinking about where I'd rather be if there was a significant chance that the SHTF. Say if there were riots because of no deal, would you prefer to be in a city, with more people (and rioting) happening around you, but in a defensible flat, within walking distance to things like hospitals and places to get food, or in a more rural location but anything you might need would require driving? At some point potentially your storecupboard might run out, and your transport choices would be more limited.

Assuming you don't have a moated castle to hide out in, would you rather take your chances in a city, or the country?

OP posts:

bellinisurge · 12/02/2019 21:35

Country but only an area I was completely familiar with otherwise I would be at a massive disadvantage. I'm more a bugging in in my suburb kind. If it has to be city vs country, I would pick country and try to make myself useful to people who actually lived there.

FlyingMonkeys · 12/02/2019 21:47

Country - hospitals and shops aren't much good if you can't access them due to riots. Shops will be bare if there's looting or rush buying too.

BiddyPop · 14/02/2019 15:05

Country. It might be hard work, but you should be able to forage some extra food supplies, fuel supplies and find water. And more places to hide away than in the city.

happyasasandboy · 14/02/2019 15:17

Country.

We have an old well in the garden with clean water in it (would have been the drinking supply long ago, gravel traps to filter etc), oil and electricity and solid fuel heating/cooking systems, neighbours with guns to shoot rabbits, neighbours with chickens for eggs, a fledgling veggie garden (not much cop for March, but could help through the summer).

I wouldn't fancy our chances at defending any of it, but I reckon it'd have to be dire in the towns/cities for someone to steal our water/carrots! So I'd be more comfortable for longer in the country than the city.

redhat · 14/02/2019 18:07

Country. We have access to water, hens, vegetable patch, places to forage and far fewer people about.

BlackeyedGruesome · 14/02/2019 21:54

I would prefer to be in the country. It was scary when there were rumours of riots near us in the city. Thankfully they were only rumours.

Potentialmadcatlady · 15/02/2019 07:46

Country in the wild with all my camping gear... my only concern would be fitting it all in car along with all the pets and kids to get us there... somewhere totally wild... ( but with hot water)

Ainba · 16/02/2019 11:20

I live in the country, so country! Better to hunker down then bug out to a random location in a shtf situation.

falcon5 · 16/02/2019 13:06

I'd say stay where you are at, know and have friends / family. People may not be super accepting of outsiders suddenly appearing in any situation where people are stressed scared hungry etc.

ZigZagZombie · 17/02/2019 09:14

I'm in the country already in a small village. We'd creep out at night straight up into the mountains.

TipseyTorvey · 17/02/2019 10:09

I'm in the suburbs but 10 mins walk to the first field at which the countryside starts. I'd feel far more comfortable here than a lawless city. I wouldn't want to be trying to protect my DC in a volatile city scenario where there might be raiding parties. This thread is making me think though that it might be worth putting some stores in the garden so if we do get raided they won't find it all (suspect DH will tell me I've really lost it if do that though )

housewifeoflittleitaly · 17/02/2019 23:01

Deffo countryside, we have lots of land here that I know very well. Ideally I’d have an underground bunker with lots of supplies.

Snugglepumpkin · 18/02/2019 02:24

If the whole population of the UK spread out evenly across the country, you would have approx 277 people per square kilometre.
You would be able to see each other you would be so close to the next person, you are talking about everyone having a few square metres to survive on each.
But of course that is not going to happen, everyone is going to want to bug out near a clean water source for a start so that renders much of that landmass not suitable, never mind the bits that already have buildings on, farmers who won't let you hang out in their field etc....

We are not the US with it's massive tracts of land bigger than our entire country so frankly the idea of bugging out & living wild in our countryside ONLY works if it's a few thousand people at most doing it while everyone else stays home.

Backwoodsgirl · 03/03/2019 02:39

Country, avoid the city at all costs

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