The Modern Survival Retreat was obviously written in the wake of federal government atrocities at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco Texas. Benson considers the greatest threat to the survivalist to be government use of force against American citizens thus his focus is preparing against attack by some alphabet agency.
As Benson states; “Today people must contend with a host of regulators, bureaucrats, and other officials who want to micromanage how we work, play, interact, and simply live. But make no mistake about it – if you attempt to defy these authorities in the open, you will be taken down, often at the point of a gun. You will lose your freedom, and you could lose your life.”
While the above statement holds truth, The Modern Survival Retreat offers little to combat the situation. I expected detailed advice on retreat location, construction, concealment, stockpiling, weapon choice and defensive techniques – unfortunately the book offers little usable advice in those areas.
I liked that the book wasn’t written from a tin-foil hat perspective. As Benson points out that you’re more likely to have a run in with the EPA, school board or local zoning commission than U.N. troops or black helicopters. These are the organization that can and will come against you taking away your freedom to do as you see fit.
There is elementary advice given for those wanting to drop from government view, but this is covered much better in other books dedicated to the subject.
The idea of anonymously owning a retreat with water well, 1,000-gallon propane storage, tractors, stacks of firewood, garden, domestic animals etc., that is off government radar is a pipe dream at best. I’m not saying it is impossible – but unlikely with limited resources.
As for defensive strategies when the government comes hardcore against you, I like the fact Benson is honest in his assessment that you’re screwed, with the only viable option being to run or surrender.
No matter how well-trained or equiped we are, if a government agency is hell-bent on taking your retreat, there is nothing you can do about.
Sure, you can put up a fight, possibly taking a few jack-boots down in the process but they’ll be replaced. Takeout a tank or APC and they’ll bring in two more. The best you can hope for is to escape to a new location before they ram your door.
As Benson points out no one will come to your rescue when you are surrounded and cut off by government forces – you will be on your own. Not only will you be on your own, you will be demonized.
Their public relations experts will put their own spin on things making you into the most dangerous, racist, skinhead, KKK, child molesting, drug dealing, survivalist (or prepper) who ever set foot in a bunker or compound.
What’s that you say. You’ve never been in a bunker or compound. Don’t worry as soon a their public relations experts release the story to the media your retreat - even if it is nothing more than a thin-walled travel trailer or plywood shack will be labeled as such.
While there are a few bits of information within the pages of The Modern Survival Retreat, I don’t think the average survivalist will find much of it of use in our present situation. I think Benson’s other book on retreats was much better and of more practical use to the survivor.
Have you read this book – what did you think?
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I haven’t read this book yet but I did read his book on urban survival and I thought it was worth the price. Lots of good advice about staying out of sight and out of the conflict.
Yeah and you got to watch those bunker people there not living in reality, for the think their going to take on a few dozen infantry soldiers, when in reality their can be tanks, helicopter gunships, Artillary, and air strikes that’ll blow your property of the map in the blink of a eye. Leaving is a much better idea and not call attention to yourself in the first place.
I totally agree that it does appear to be a losing
battle entertaining the notion of messing with Big Brother.
Remember, after the collapse, they will have fuel, vehicles, and sophisticated electronics. they have been building underground bunkers and stocking them for 60 years!
You can’t fight a Apache Attack Helicopter with a rifle. You can’t erase a heat signature, conceal it a little maybe, but hide it no. You can insulate against metal detectors but not ground penetrating radar.
Heck ,they can listen to your dinner conversation if they want to. What did Ruby Ridge teach us: You can’t fight 100 heavily armed professionals with a deer rifle.
As far as Waco goes, even if you have manpower and fire power, they will show up with tanks!
Nothing the average American can afford to build will stand up against a bunker buster bomb. Ask Saddam,oh, wait-never mind.
I agree that Benson’s earlier book was better. The average retreat might repel a gang of juvenile delinquents but the most powerful military on earth-No Chance.
mobile and out of sight. that’s how to fight a overbearing government such as ours. gain the most using the least amount of resources. That is why we can not win a war against the Taliban, we lost Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and every war since ww2.
Yes but they fought in a different way not in large head on confrontations and fixed positions. Theirs a reason their are no such thing as forts and castles any more!!!
Okay – so here is the neophyte in me coming out… This is probably common sense to most blinded by nativity to me… I had not thought about this when thinking about a BOL. Thanks for the reality check and the heads up on something I should have known already.
A modern retreat along the lines of something Rawles and many other preppers suggest would be tantamount to suicide. I have a very small cabin that I’m adding two rooms onto for my retreat, it is hardly visible from the land or air, and I don’t plan to add anything else other than a small garden and a chicken coup to it.
After the SHTF, if it does, then I am prepared to do more depending on the circumstances, but rest assured I would never plan to defend such a place against a heavily armed force. Evade, hide, and perhaps come back later to scope the situation out would be my plan. One man with a can of gas and a match could destroy 99% of retreats given the right weather and wind conditions, so it would be foolhardy in most cases to attempt to defend most retreats from inside them. The defense would have to come from the outside. Remain mobile, have multiple caches, and do your best to blend in with the surrounding community. Those are my plans.
My “average retreat” is my home. It blends with all the other homes in the neighborhood and has a garden and other survivalist amenities but nothing uncommon for the area.
You’re right templar knight, why build a bunker and attract unwanted attention when all your needs can be met while blending in with your surroundings.
A bunker says I have something unique to offer. A typical neighborhood home says I’m like everyone else, move along.
If for some reason I have to retreat, I’ll reload at a cache position and try a few family locations. If that doesn’t work, looks like we’re going camping for a while. Never give up.
I’m sorry, but I can’t resist — Against whom would the chickens be rebelling? (chicken coup)
Why, it would be the Feds, serfsup, the Feds….LOL!
Those who want pies! We don’t want to be pie! ; )
Colonel Sanders and his jack booted thugs.
Rawles sells his site to armchair survivalist and armchair commandos. You won’t find much usable information in his books or blog. If he wrote his own content it’s might improve his blog but he don’t.
I disagree. There is a lot of good information submitted by both survivalist like us and by experts in various fields with information relevant to our goals. The overall tone of his site might make a newbie think they need to spend $50k to prepare, but many valuable ideas come through his site all the same – just like they do in comments here.
Haven’t read this book, either. I don’t read many survivalist books. Here’s the reason: if you’ve read them, chances are good the people you’re trying to hide from or defeat or overcome or surprise have read them, too. If you use a plan that is contained in a book, then your plan is not a secret.
It’s like the books that tell people how and where to hide things. They seem like good ideas until you stop to think about what the book is doing — it’s giving the other guy ideas about where to look for your stuff.
These books, in my opinion, are providing your enemy with information that could be used against you.
I’ll say this in defense of survival books, they are trying to help people prepare. That’s a good thing. People new to prepping can get some ideas, but then people should come up with unique plans (if at all possible) so they aren’t cookie cutter survivalists. In other words, we’ve got to keep the bad guys guessing.
Patton read Rommel’s book, and Rommel read Patton’s. The point is, know what your enemy knows. Read the book, but take from it the knowledge to come up with your own tactics. Put your own twist on everything to make it your own.
Take the ideas and modify them to your specific needs. There isn’t much new under the sun, and there is no use in trying to reinvent the wheel. Ignoring info b/c others have access to it is not a good approach. Turning it around, why are you reading this blog?
Are you asking seriously or merely trying to bait me with that question? I’ll bite, but just this once.
I read this blog to find out what’s going on in the prepping community in general. From what I’ve read here and elsewhere, there are many who have a handle on things and many others who are only playing at prepping. I suspect many who are only pretending are young or very lonely.
Also, there are some interesting suggestions made by a handful of people here and elsewhere. I’m open to learning new things, but not rehashing the same old stories, like how to build a retreat. Nobody can tell you how to build a retreat unless that person knows how you live now, where you live, what your specific needs are, how many will be with you, how long you have to plan, what your financies are like, where you work, your age, etc. As MD Creekmore said, this particular book is too general. That’s because it can’t be specific, being specific would require volumes to cover every type of individual needing a retreat, or the book would cover one type of scenario which would necessarily further limit its targeted audience. It’s like writing a book about art or writing a book about a specific artist. Most likely the book about art in general will sell more copies than a book about a specific artist. That’s playing to the audience. All authors play to their audience, and the bigger the audience the more books they sell. It’s economics, nothing more.
I already have my retreat — it’s my home. It’s not camoflagued or in the middle of nowhere. It’s not under 24-hour camera surveillance. It’s not guarded by pitbulls or mastiffs. It’s got 3 fences, it’s got me and mine and it’s got neighbors of like minds. Not all of them are able to defend our neighborhood due to age or infirmity, but most of us are prepared and praying nothing happens. We don’t always agree on politics or what to include in our stores, but we give each other some breathing space and only talk about prepping when some news story ignites another warning shot over our bow.
My retreat is knowing whom to trust, not trusting in a secluded cabin in the middle of the forest or the desert.
I hope that answered your question satisfactorily. If not, oh well.
A long answer that missed the point of the comment and rhetorical question. I agree that a secluded cabin in the middle of the forest or desert is a not ideal for post-SHTF, as a few survival books have also pointed out.
So let me see if I have this right, you ridiculed my opinion about survival books and now you’re ridiculing my response to your “point” AND your rhetorical question. Tell ya what, let’s make things easier for both of us: don’t bother reading my posts again. That way you won’t have to find fault with everything I say and I won’t have to put up with your lousy attitude.
You didn’t get it right. My initial reply to you was not to ridicule your opinion, I just disagreed (and still do-unconvincing argument). Reread that initial reply, nothing contemptuous or mocking. Pretty thin-skinned to think it was. If you didn’t understand, would have been better to ask for clarification than go off half-cocked. The internet allows for such rudeness to come quickly; it’s highly unlikely you’d talk like that to my face (an observation on the general behavior of people, not a cue for you to talk about what a badass you think you are).
Friend, you started this. I wasn’t the rude one here, you were. Your condescending attitude is not conducive for a friendship. You don’t find my opinions convincing, fine. I don’t give a rat’s ass. I’m not here to win you over. But that’s beside the point. The real point is you don’t like that I have an opinion which is different from yours — that’s your problem, not mine. You want to dictate what I should think, but I don’t much like dictators. So I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree. Here’s the simple solution: Since you don’t like what I say, as I stated earlier, don’t read my posts. I won’t be reading yours.
End of story.
If you give the US Military a non-moving target, they will blow it to smithereens. If you give them a moving target, they will blow it to smithereens, but they may blow up your neighbors by accident as well.
In Operation Cobra the Iraq’s were running away from their armored vehicles, and choose to fight on foot. If they had had better short range anti-armor missiles the fighting would have been a lot more costly.
It is true that the US Army has had a lot of problems fighting skilled light infantry. But the light infantry opponent has always had to be willing to take a lot of casualties. Casualties is something that a prepper cannot afford. So taking on US Military forces either as light infantry, or in some sort of fortified manor, is a big loser.
I totally agree with you creekmore “No one will come to your rescue when you are surrounded and cut off by government forces – you will be on your own. Not only will you be on your own, you will be demonized.” We’ve seen this happen over and over during government action against citizens.
As you’ve said here time and time again keep your head down, stay out of sight and avoid confrontation. Words of the wise.
I believe a lot depends on the Military itself. If they, the soldiers, confuse their government with their country than yes, we are in for a world of hurt. BUT if those in the military decide that they do not want to fight their own citizens, as some that they are told to fight may be their own neighbors, than we may stand a chance.
Midwesterner,
The book was not about U.S. citizens as a whole fighting a revolution against the U.S. government. It is about surviving government actions such as those aganst Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
As for U.S. troops firing on U.S. citizens – if they were told the truth about those under siege most would not fire.
But after a briefing and demonization of those citizens by their public relations experts most troops would fire without hesitation.
After all in their eyes you’ll then be a racist, skinhead, KKK, child molesting, drug dealing, sodomizing, terrorist, survivalist and a danger that must be taken out.
This isn’t the fault of those troops but that of officials in government, who will lie to them so they will do their bidding.
MD,
My youngest son is in the US Army, and I guarantee you he knows who the good guys and the bad guys are. And according to him, most in his unit do, too. That said, there are certainly many who would have no problem firing on their fellow citizens, for the reasons you list, and for others.
Bad times are here, my friend. Watch the November elections and you will see what I’m talking about, as our Department of Justice is empowering black supremacist groups like the New Black Panther Party to perpetuate violence against the Tea Party groups, and voting fraud on a massive scale will be overlooked by this same DOJ.
Louis Farakhan is demanding reparations from Jews and threatening them with violence, and the NAACP is condemning the Tea Party as racist. Sorry for the rant, but I am gravely concerned. I see a pattern developing here.
templar knight,
“NAACP is condemning the Tea Party as racist”
See what I mean – if they don’t like or you don’t agree with them, they use the media to demonize you. And as usual their favorite tactic is to make you into a racist, child molester or terrorist.
Like I said, I think most U.S. military would refuse to fire on U.S. citizens if they were told the truth by government officals. That is a big IF.
Templar Knight, you are so right (please excuse the rhyme). As a Tea Party patriot myself, I’ve experienced firsthand the way the current adminstration tries to demonize us. When Janet Napolitano (Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security = DHS) a year ago pronounced the biggest threat to American security was ex-military, “rightwing groups,” and similar groups (who uphold the Constitution), I knew she was laying the groundwork for a major media campaign to silence us, while the real threats to our country get off scott free. For examples: 12 Russian spies sent back to Russia – end of story. We get nothing in return. Radical Muslims tried as civilians despite being caught on the field of battle in the Middle East. The Lockerbie bomber in Scotland released with a wink and a nod from the US administration. The New Black Panther Party thugs get off with a slap on the wrist for intimidating white voters in Philly in 2008. The list goes on.
My point is, the tables have been turned and now what used to be right is considered wrong and what used to be wrong is considered right. How did this happen? The people fell asleep at the switch. Now we are all paying for the naivete of those who voted for “change” without really knowing what that “change” would mean, despite all the warning signs prior to Nov. 2008.
The times, they are a-changin’…and not for the better. We must prepare not so much for a nuclear war, in my opinion, but for an economic crash that the world has never before seen. As the Dark Ages were a direct result of the fall of the Roman Empire, so will a new dark age appear when America fails. And failing we are, it just hasn’t sunk into the minds of most yet — the majority of Americans are in denial.
Dear Mr. MD,
Even if our young people in uniform all refuse to fight American citizens what about the mercenaries like Blackwater ( or whatever they are being called this month)?What about UN troops or foreign troops? I understood what you meant about propaganda and “creating an enemy”, but what really concerns me are the fighters who fight for money. They won’t need convinced.
Back in my day the tread heads(Tankers) had a saying “If We Can See It We Can Kill It” the only reason a prepper might need a bunker is to give the military something to blow up while they get out of dodge.
All plans of a small or large defensive Safe place, should have an escape tunnel or some way to get the heck out while their at the front door. Hope the defenses last long enough to get out into the wind and blow the area. Even at you last stand or safe place it does not hurt to keep a bug out bag.
About U.S. troops firing on civilians, lets keep one thing in mind. There is a majority that will use their judgement in certain situations and act accordingly. However, my time in the military allowed me to see a large number of street thugs who decided to escape the streets and run to the safety of the military.
Unfortunately, the discipline which got through to most, ricocheted off of their dense skulls. Most of them still have gangster mentalities. And now, given a SHTF situation, they have gov’t uniforms and full auto weapons.
And, even the most well intentioned soldier will return fire if fired upon by whoever.
The Benson book to get is “Live Off The Land In The City And Country”
now out of print, so get one used while you can
Getting back to the point about the govt being able to take out anyone they want (agree completely), the key is not to get on that list. To me, that means doing everything LEGAL (aside from the run of the mill traffic violation, etc.). This means staying off the radar and having good OPSEC. Unless for specific, licensed employment, none of us need selective fire (or other illegal mod) weapons, explosives, etc. Pay your taxes, keep a low profile, keep identity concealed, much less chance of problems.
Suburban Survivalist, although I agree with your premise for the most part, I do believe that obeying the laws won’t keep anybody off the “watch list” if you hold certain truths to be unalienable. Belong to the NRA? You’re on somebody’s watch list. Write letters in opposition to your congressman? Then you’re on somebody’s watch list. If you’re on enough of those lists, you’re a potential threat to the powers that be.
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Ultimately a retreat will be useless against a group, whomever or whatever that group may be. You’ll give your retreat away through smoke from a wood stove, or the smell of venison being canned, or the flicker from your LED flashlight. Someday, somehow, your retreat will be found and you’ll have to decide whether fight or flight is appropriate, unless you have the backing of a trusted group of like-minded people.
There is an old axiom which states, “There is strength in numbers.” That is very true. The problem is in determining who is to be trusted and who is not. Knowing who is truly like-minded and who is only in it for the protection provided by others (not including the young, old, aged, infirm). Making that determination is the only kind of survival book I would read. Knowing the right questions to ask, how to size-up a potential member of a group, keeping the group safe from rats, snitches, cowards, and turncoats — that is information worth having, imho. Building a retreat is useless if you are alone to defend it. A trusted group is far more valuable. Start building your group now, see them in action not just what they say. Do they prep or do they only talk about it? If they are prepping, are they preparing for a specific kind of problem or are they planning for trouble in general? (I myself am a generalist when it comes to prepping. I see many potential threats, but believe the economy is the biggest immediate threat to my personal safety and security.)
Build your group before you build your retreat. In other words, if you can’t find like-minded people in your area, then maybe you need to move. (If you’ve already built a retreat, then it is much harder to move and start again.) Be sure you have strength in numbers because that will provide more protection and support than any other thing. If you have trouble finding a group, then rally your relatives and show them the light before it is too late. Then network through your relatives to find more like-minded people. Trouble is coming, maybe not tomorrow or even next year — but it’s heading our way and we need to be ready.
Completely agree:
The difficulty is that that is a much more subtle task than building a fortified cabin in the woods.
You make a good point. Books on interrogation, reading body language, and lie detection may prove valuable in that endeavor.
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