Stealth Cabin?

Ever get tempted to build a little cabin far off in the woods where nobody can find it? I know I've been. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that it's almost impossible. There are more people wandering around the woods than one would think. Odds are pretty good that hikers or hunters could come across your little cabin. They will tell their buddies about it.

Years ago I thought I found the perfect spot. It was miles from any road or trail. My idea was to build a small cabin hidden in a dense stand of spruce trees. The spruce trees were on a slight rise of land surrounded by dense swamp. Hunting wasn't very good around there and it was hard to get to. I thought someone would have to be extremely lost to stumble across a stealth cabin in those woods.

You know what happened? A few years later a logging company put a road though that swamp all the way to the stand of spruce trees. Everything was logged flat. So much for that idea.

For a while back in the 70s a number of survivalists would bury all the components to a small prefab cabin. The idea what that if everything went south they could hike out into the woods and set up a cabin in a few days. I wonder how many little cabin kits are rotting in the ground across the country?
It doesn't sound like a horrible idea -unless you live in an area that gets 8 feet of snow. That might be a problem.

One guy I know built a tent platform on a mountain without any official hiking trails. The platform got his tent off the cold wet ground. Nearby he hid a cache of tools and some food in a bear proof container. It was pretty minimalistic, but made long term tent camping a lot more comfortable.

Another guy I know had an old army wall tent set up in the woods. He had a couple of old salvaged woodstoves for heat. The tent lasted a few years before it rotted away. No one bother it, but there really wasn't anything of value to steal there either.

I've come to the conclusion that a stealth cabin would most likely get found sooner or later. If someone's still tempted to try it, I'd suggest going pretty low budget. Don't have anything worth stealing. Your money might be better spent on good camping equipment. That way you can bring your shelter with you and move it as needed.

-Sixbears