Frequently Asked Questions
About Your Membership
Are pets allowed?
Yes, members can bring pets for vacation visits, as well as during a collapse. You are responsible for stockpiling your own pet food and your pet may not compete with our guard dogs for food. In addition to cleaning up after your pet, it must not disturb other members.
What does membership cost, and what do the dues cover?
Membership includes a one-time buy-in plus quarterly dues. Dues cover stocked food and water reserves, facility upkeep, security infrastructure, and your annual vacation stays. A sales associate can walk you through current pricing and the room types available at each location.
I am interested in joining, but my spouse isn’t concerned about collapse threats—is this a common situation?
Yes, many couples have one spouse concerned about the threats we face, and another who is not, or does not want to think about it. Fortunately, we are a vacation and recreational facility as well, so the two weeks/year free stay at any Fortitude Ranch location is the big appeal. For many members, the savings on lodging and vacation costs offset much or all of their quarterly dues.
What is the difference between the spartan, economy and luxury rooms?
We offer spartan rooms for people looking for very low cost memberships. RV memberships are also relatively low cost. For more room and generally better location, economy rooms are available. Luxury rooms have windows, and nicer accommodations. Some locations also have luxury rooms with a private toilet and sink in the room.
Do you screen and vet prospective new members?
Yes, we employ a variety of means to screen out potentially unsuitable members, including background checks and staff interviews. No one can join without going through discussions with sales associates and then the Ranch Manager. Our staff understands the disadvantages of members who are likely to be either too difficult to deal with in a crisis or disturb other members. If someone has a conviction for a dangerous crime, or appears likely to pose a safety risk, we politely decline to offer them membership. This is extremely rare; people who apply to join are overwhelmingly great, responsible citizens.
If I move, or another Fortitude Ranch location opens closer to me, can I transfer my membership?
Yes, you can transfer membership at no cost. You may have to wait for your type of room to be available, but membership transfer is allowed.
Can I visit Fortitude Ranch locations more than two weeks a year?
If you want to do additional free visits beyond the two week/year limit, a Ranch Manager can approve them if the location is not busy. We also offer a “Roving RV” membership for RV owners–for an added fee, you can stay at and travel among all our locations year-round (some locations are limited by season or length of stay).
Can I bring guests to the Ranch?
In good times, members can pay a small fee to have guests join them in vacation, recreation stays at FR. But in a collapse, only members are allowed as our facilities turn into survival communities.
What if the collapse never happens — what do I get?
Even with no crisis, your membership functions as a vacation and recreational property. You can visit any FR location and stay for free to enjoy scenic, rural settings with hiking and games; , plus the peace of mind of being prepared. Many members view Fortitude Ranch as insurance they hope they never to use.
During a Collapse
How do you alert members to come to Fortitude Ranch in a collapse?
We use the Collapse Survivor App and recommend all members have the App on their phone. We can also email and call; but train our members to assume that if they cannot contact us a collapse may be developing so they should head to their “home fort.” Since we are also a vacation facility, it is never a problem to show up at a FR. If traveling, members are trained to carry and use the instructions to reach the nearest Fortitude Ranch location—you can shelter at any FR location in a collapse.
What are members expected to do during a collapse?
Survival is a shared effort. Members are expected to contribute to guard duty, and other work groups including food preparation, gardening, hunting, firewood gathering, medical clinic, and other teams according to their abilities and preferences.
What if there is someone in the community I can’t stand to be around?
If there is a person you find very unpleasant to be with in a crisis situation, we can arrange eating/work schedules to keep you apart. That’s another advantage of a having a large, spread out facility rather than a small, all in one place location. With lots of guard posts and work teams, we can schedule work assignments to keep people who don’t want to be around each other apart.
How long can the Ranch sustain members during a collapse?
Each location is provisioned to support its members for an extended period, with stored food, water, fuel, ranch animals, gardens, and the ability to produce food on-site. We promise to be able to provide at least a year of food in our membership contract, but expect to be able to go much longer by expanding our gardening and ranch animal populations in a collapse.
How is security and defense handled?
Each Ranch is built defensively, with many guard posts, perimeter protection, and cleared lines of fire and defensive walls in a collapse. Staff members oversee guard shifts, and every member is required to pull guard duty (most capable members in the key guard positions and times). We are confident that we would inflict heavy casualties on even large and highly capable marauder groups, and thus can deter their attacks.
What medical care is available?
We maintain basic medical supplies, anti-biotics, first-aid, limited surgical capability, and clinic rooms with a hospital bed and operating table. Most important, we have medical personnel in our membership. We expect hospitals will not be available in a collapse.