Realistically how can I hide a shipping container out in the woods and just live in it for a few years without getting caught?

Realistically how can I hide a shipping container out in the woods and just live in it for a few years without getting caught? Asking for a friend

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  1. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Bury it.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      one google search, you morons

      Though made of steel, shipping containers are vulnerable to underground pressures. You need to have an extra amount of structural support on the roof of the container. A reinforced roof can be achieved by welding strong steel bars to the roof of the container and covering it with concrete.

      Good because the “it will collapse” is a meme. It will not collapse

      Look at a picture of a container ship on the ocean. Fricking containers stacked up one of top of the other huge stacks. And that ship is bouncing around getting tossed by waves for weeks at a time.

      The very idea that a container that can withstand this will somehow collapse if you put a little dirt around it is obviously stupid.

      Bury it bro. Hide the entrance with some bushes.

      The plain and simple truth is that a shipping container is designed to be stacked and have pretty much zero horizontal external pressure.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        >designed to be stacked and have pretty much zero horizontal external pressure

        Yeah they are designed to be stacked that is what I wrote. But if you don’t think riding in a stack while on a ship being tossed by ocean waves doesn’t exert pressure in other directions you need to go back to grade school physics.

        Bro they pick these things up with cranes swing them around. Full of furniture and iphones and stuff from China.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          The frame is what gives it the ability to stack and be lifted. On a ship the frames are bolted together. They will literally stay linked together like lego under almost any condition. That has nothing to do with the sheet metal closing in that frame. The sheet metal isn't structural. It won't support the thousands of pounds of pressure backfilling dirt will put on it.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          To bury it you'd have to add structural support like gabions or block wall around it, and at that point why even use a container? Just build a concrete bunker.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          Anon, why ask for advice if you think you already know everything?

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          i've actually buried containerS before.
          LOL be sure to make a thread and update us on your failure. This is going to be funny as frick.

  2. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Don't bury it, it will cave in.

    I did this last summer while building my "shed". If you own the land get a green one and put it under a bunch of conifer trees. Toss some camo netting over it for good measure. Get a land use permit if containers are allowed in your area and it won't be suspicious. Tell them you need a place to store tools and camping gear. It's unlikely to be spotted by sat or plane if it's hidden well enough, but if it is and you have a permit no one will care. If it snows, swap out for winter camo netting.

    The powers that be will say no sleeping in it. If anyone asks, say you were resting your eyes!

    Another option is to set up a tent inside. Then you're technically sleeping in the tent.

    A third option is to ditch the container idea and get a skid mounted "shed", picrel. I couldn't get an answer on the laws regarding them, so that means in my area there aren't any. It's hard for them to say it's a structure when a truck dropped it off. They come in diff lengths, but in general all are about 10' wide due to the need to haul them down the road.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      Where do I find plans like this anon? I have some family land, and wanted to build a little spot like that hidden by conifers and a brook... awesome!

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        If you need plans search for tiny cabin on etsy. Pay the little extra for a good one that will give you all the minute details required if you're a total newb to building. Don't get too crazy either, evaluate yourself and be conservative in what you want to tackle. I personally built a micro cabin to live out of and turn into a shop once I build something more substantial. 12x10 with a double loft built in a few months. Spent six months in it so far.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          Awesome anon, I will look into this. Going to "map" out a spot the summer.

  3. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Maybe build a mound over it so you'll live like a hobbit

  4. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    How big is the forrest you want to live in and how far from civilisation do you want to get away? Using a container would mean that the place has to be accesible by a truck. How about building a Yurt? You could use small trees for the frame and then cover in with thick plastic tarps + a wood stove for heat and cooking.

  5. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    bury it

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      Many have done that and regretted. The sides will cave in.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        i refuse to believe you

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          Good because the “it will collapse” is a meme. It will not collapse

          Look at a picture of a container ship on the ocean. Fricking containers stacked up one of top of the other huge stacks. And that ship is bouncing around getting tossed by waves for weeks at a time.

          The very idea that a container that can withstand this will somehow collapse if you put a little dirt around it is obviously stupid.

          Bury it bro. Hide the entrance with some bushes.

          • 11 months ago
            Anonymous

            I can punch a hole in your drywall and not collapse your house. The frame and the sheet metal siding on containers serve two very different purposes.

            • 11 months ago
              Anonymous

              Fax

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          Good luck then.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        >the sides will cave in
        lmao plumbers and concrete johnnys everywhere laughing at your cowardice

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          Many have done that and regretted. The sides will cave in.

          [...]

          i've actually buried shipping containers before.
          you need to weld in reinforcements and i would highly suggest burying a wall around it to reinforce it. there's many cheap approaches to do so.
          the floor will also be unsafe to bury with all the shit it off-gasses, you will need to take it all out and replace it with marine grade wood or something.
          even then the biggest problem has not been overcome yet. condensation and air flow is the biggest issue even when these things are above ground. let alone burying one. good luck solving that cheaply.
          shipping containers are NOT cost effective especially when buried. they're NOT cheap anymore. its probably more cost effective to hire someone to build an actual fallout bunker these days.
          even if you do your own welding and fabrication its not cheap.
          you missed the boat by 10+ years.

  6. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    In my state absolutely nobody will care or ask questions

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      I live in Newfoundland

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        You're golden then assuming you're in a decent part of the island. Literally no one gives a frick.

        >t. ex newfie

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        What're he at, b'y!? Another brother here on PrepHole!

  7. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Mound a hill around it

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      burry it halfway then mound. you will have the dirt you need.

  8. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Why not just build a few small wooden structures you can camp in on weekends?

  9. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Shipping containers are big, heavy, expensive, and probably filthy if you're getting it used (which you will). Poor ventilation, probably no insulation. They are also extremely easy to spot from a distance, unless you paint camouflage all over it.
    You're better off buying a prefab shed at Home Depot or whatever.

  10. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    >Realistically how can I hide a shipping container out in the woods and just live in it for a few years without getting caught?
    0 realism. First off containers are pretty shitty to live in, they get extremely hot/cold very quickly. They can be expensive and I'm guessing you aren't doing this on your own land, they're big and very noticeable, they're heavy and you will need a tilt-tray to get it in and out. Other thing is that I can tell you are one of those "aaaah I want to abandon society and live innawoods like based uncle ted" sort of people, running away has always been a human fantasy since running was possible. You are not the first and you are not the last, most people with this fantasy do it for a month then the novelty wears off and they go home. Save your money.

  11. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    why would you worry about hiding it though? there are literal hillbillies all over my county that have containers throughout the yard in various states of repair. you just buy the container and put it on your land, tada the end

  12. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Paint it camouflage and position it in a place that doesn't stick out

  13. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    I heard they'll even collapse on top if there's a good bit of weight because they're designed to take the pressure in the corners, not all over the top.
    Box culverts are what I heard are the real shit.
    You'd be pretty dumb to base any of these moves on PrepHole posts, though. Look into what people actually did.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      I have a container and can confirm the roof and sides are weak as frick. Climbing on top to set up solar panels and the roof flexes pretty bad under my weight. If it can barely handle my 200 lbs standing on a square foot it sure won't handle tons of soil pushing on it.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        You would need support for the walls and you could just hide the top with a tarp and debris or a thin layer of soil. It would be best to have a small entrance that is easy to conceal, probably cut into the top.

        • 11 months ago
          Anonymous

          >and you could just hide the top with a tarp and debris or a thin layer of soil.
          only if you're 10000% sure there will never be a vehicle driven over it, and keep in mind it has to get there by vehicle.

  14. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    If they just have a foot or two of dirt or some natural concealment then it's not going to collapse, you can build tunnels with a foot or two of soil with just logs and wooden planks to prop up the walls. In Vietnam they just had an arch-shaped tunnel design, so it held weight even under tanks and bombs like a cathedral arch.

    You can build a dugout blind or dugout shelter the size of a shipping container by digging the same hole and using wood or some support material. Consider a foot or two of dirt, or tarp+debris, with a hidden porthole entrance. So you can hide a smaller entrance and climb down with a ladder or something of that nature.

    I would put in some decent wooden flooring and either some drywall, plaster, or something for the walls. The ceiling is probably fine as it is, would rig up some LEDs or bulbs for lighting. And then normal things like a chairs/tables/couches/storage/electronics/water/ventilation/climate control/etc

    If you are building underground, you could reach well water or ground water pretty easily. That's a source of fresh water that can be purified and filtered without going to the surface. Surrounding the hidden entrance with debris will give you a place to aim a rifle as well for baiting wild game above ground to hunt from inside.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      >If they just have a foot or two of dirt or some natural concealment then it's not going to collapse, you can build tunnels with a foot or two of soil with just logs and wooden planks to prop up the walls.

      I think you would need the right soil or some special sort of re-enforcement for it to last for a long time. Even if the top did not have a heavy layer over it.

      If you built it like a sturdy tunnel, and then placed the shipping container inside, then it would have the same structural strength. However, at that point, you already have a large underground shelter.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        Reinforcement*

        You can build strong tunnels and underground rooms with the right design, but wood and stone can be sourced for free from the area where you are building.

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      Vietnamese tunnels held up so well because of the unique composition of the soil there. Similar tunnel systems would not work elsewhere.

      • 11 months ago
        Anonymous

        Yes exactly, which is why I'd recommend wooden framing for walls and a wooden ceiling. Unless you are building in a similar type of soil, which may be the case depending on where you live.

  15. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Here's the issue, in order to get it into the woods you're going to need a path accessibility by vehicles so by definition you're going to be close to civilization. The only other way would be somehow transporting it the woods away from any road or something idk how that would be feasible. TL;DR any place you'd physically be able to bring it to will be close to people

  16. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Why a shipping container when you could just get a RV or a van? Cover it with tarp and bush

    • 11 months ago
      Anonymous

      Why even cover it? Assuming OP is in America just got to national forest or blm land and move every 14 days. It's a very normal thing to do

  17. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Digging a hole big enough to bury a shipping container is impractical regardless of it caving in or not.

  18. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    What the hell, why are there so many PrepHole newfoundlanders here? Central reporting in!

  19. 11 months ago
    Anonymous

    Camo paint to breakup square outline.
    Raise an earth berm around it - not up against the sides and not on top.
    Camo netting, canvas tarpaulin or green shadecloth over the top pegged into the berm with a few poles to make a low tented roof.
    Plant fast growing shrubs on the berm and trail the branches out over the netting.
    A guy near me manages to hide a 20' on an 'undeveloped' 700m2 block just by using overgrowing shrubs and trees.

    Tip. Put the corners on concrete blocks rather than the base on the ground for drainage. When the blocks move and the doors warp because all shipping containers flex, just jack up the corner with a car jack and just 1-2 quarter inch plates under the lockcorner will square it up again.
    >Burying containers is a deadend but every moron still does it - the sides and roof collapse every time.

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