Airstream as the bug out home

[idroba]

Last year at this time I had to evacuate my home due to wildfires. The Airstream was great, and neighbors used the Argosy. We were able to go to a Forest Service campground about 25 miles from home. Our homes were not lost but that was luck. It was nice to have a familiar place to stay with all the comforts.

This year I have had to abandon my home due to incredible smoke here in Idaho. I could not see 1000 ft from my house. Breathing was difficult and not safe for me due to other health issues. The house is again threatened as fires are within a few miles of me, moving my way. I could not take the physical stress of the smoke or the psychological stress of the potential loss, so I got out again.

So, once again the Airstream has provided refuge. Unfortunately the only way to go was East to Montana, and today the smoke is very bad here too, but not nearly as bad as at home.

I am not looking for sympathy, fire is part of life here in the west. But wherever you live, some natural disaster could force you out of your house. Keep your Airstream stocked up, you never know when it might become the best home you have, and it is on wheels too.

[mayco]

Absolutely

[AnnArborBob]

I'm wishing you the best of luck!

[Danattherock]

Hope your situation improves.

[sunnygirl]

Hope you and your home remain safe from the fires and you can return soon.

Susan

[AWCHIEF]

Hope the situation improves for you. Seems there is no paradise, imperfections and dangers exist everywhere. Living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast my Airstream is definitely my bug out pod. I keep the fresh water tank full with fresh water (changed monthly), a two week plus supply of WISE foods and nearly ready to go. I also keep a minimum of ten gallons of fresh gas on hand to top off the tank before hitting the road. Batteries are kept properly charged and make sure I have at least one full propane bottle. Additional bottled water and food enough for two weeks, clothing and weapons kit top off the list. Most is presorted, packed and ready to load out. I can be fully loaded and on the road in less than an hour. There is no way to be fully prepared for all contingencies but we can be as proactive as the situation allows. As I write this there is a hurricane in the Atlantic that is very loosely projected to possible come this way. If it does I will be ready to move.

[eubank]

We thought about keeping the AS as a bugout in case of a bad forest fire here. At least make it to the evacuation area.

Until we found out that we ARE the evacuation area.


Lynn

[Gsmblue]

Wow. I feel totally unprepared... Thanks for the wake up call..

[mandolindave]

No one had power for about 10 days. Trees and wires were down and you couldn't get very far. Any station that had gas needed generators to pump, and gas lines were hours long. Spare generators went to the sick and elderly. NO stores had any generators left. Banks were closed and grocery stores were emptied.

Then we had another long power outage

My trailers batts didn't last but a few days. I did have gas hot water in the house. So I ended up living off of the fireplace. Since then, everyone bought generators, and we haven't lost power since.

Point is…without a genny, RVs don't make a very good escape pod. Basically just off the ground and dry.

[DHart]

Hope your situation up there clears out soon!

We have always thought of our RVs (previously 5th wheels, motorhomes, and now Airstream) as 2nd homes that are mobile, not just for pleasure travel but also for emergency housing, bugging out, what have you. Being well prepared to get the RV into motion fairly quickly (pre-packed, along with having storage containers ready to quickly load into) can be important. We also keep the fridge running continuously when the AS is parked by the house so that it would be ready to load immediately.

Don't forget to have a good checklist ready to use.

[TerraYacht]

We are not as well-prepared as AWCHIEF, but the water is always full, gas tank never less than 3/4 and just had the gen set dialed in. Our hazard would be earthquake, of course.

[J. Morgan]

It is prudent to ALWAYS have the camper ready to go!

[WaLee]

During this years fire season I've left the AS hooked up and ready to go. We've had one good scare already. We've been taking a few weekend trips so it's pretty much in bug out prep. It'll stay that way until it starts raining.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[nrgtrakr]

For those living where forest fires could be a problem, please mitigate around your home and buildings or have someone do it.
In the past the forest service would fight the fires no matter what. Sadly the forests became sick as a result. So letting the fires burn (to an extent) is the new norm as is mitigating for wildfire danger.

[gdod25]

Time to rethink the let it burn policy and allow some logging. We are in the Bitterroot and a similar situation.

[idroba]

Originally Posted by nrgtrakr

For those living where forest fires could be a problem, please mitigate around your home and buildings or have someone do it.
In the past the forest service would fight the fires no matter what. Sadly the forests became sick as a result. So letting the fires burn (to an extent) is the new norm as is mitigating for wildfire danger.

That mitigation has been done at my home, but short of cutting down every tree and bush and pouring concrete all around, there is still danger of loss from fires of the magnitude that we are having. My house was rated as "probably survive" a fire. I have sprinklers for the yard, but if the power fails, they don't work. At least it is green.

My community is under Stage 1 evacuation alert as of 1 pm this afternoon (realize you may have to go, be prepared). Even the historic (and working) Ranger Station down the road 3 miles is in danger. Due to historic preservation, they have wood shingles on their building roofs. At least I have a metal roof.

But, as I said in my first report, I left early due to the smoke issue. My health is more important than my house. I write this from the comfort of my Airstream in a Forest Service Campground south of Missoula in Montana. The Argosy is at home, I could not move both of them.

[lewster]

Rob,

You should have come west! No fires threatening the Columbia Gorge, even though there are many around us at Mt. Adams and and Warm Springs. We had a few slack wind days this week with some smoke flowing down from the Adams fire, but the old reliable west wind scoured it all out in less than a day.

Hope you all of your stuff stays safe!

[tevake]

Lew is so right.
I spent most of the summer in Northern Ca, Orgon, and Washington state.
Mostly near the coast. Had clear air the whole time. Just a bit up wind of the fires and no problem.
Now I'm a little east of Salt Lake City on the way to Colo. and you can cut the air with a knife. About half way across Nevada I started to see the haze, and it has gotten thicker by the hour of travel east. Am wondering if this plume will spread all the way to Colorado?

Can't imagine how bad it must just a short distance down wind from any of these big fires. Rob, sure hope when you are able to return home that you fine all is O K. There.

Cheers Richard

[coastal me]

Smoke and fire locations:
WunderMap® | Interactive Weather Map and Radar | Weather Underground

AirNow


Having the Russian fire smoke earlier this year in Oregon, it's interesting to see where the smoke travels.

[GammaDog]

Best of luck to all of you dodging fires in the west!

Here on the barrier islands of the east coast of Florida we're watching hurricane Danny moving west across the Atlantic. The AS is prepped for our next trip anyway, which could come sooner and take us in a different direction if nature chooses. That was part of the rationale for our purchase of the AS. We think of it as our own silver ark.