A country club with underground bunkers, but no tennis courts or pool? Welcome to Fortitude Ranch

July 17, 2024

IShould the apocalypse strike, you can secure a bunk bed on a small, remote ranch about two hours from any major city for just $3,000 in advance.

This is the concept of Fortitude Ranch, a survival and recreation company that markets itself as similar to a country club until the proverbial poop hits the fan.

“We want the middle class to survive a collapse, not just looters and politicians. And our motto is: prepare for the worst and enjoy the present,” says Drew Miller, founder of the company.

Miller, a former intelligence specialist in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, has long been a “prepper,” the name given to members of the survivalist movement who proactively prepare for crises, including but not limited to the end of the world as we know it.

At Fortitude Ranch in Colorado – one of the company’s seven properties – Miller speaks openly but seriously about how such a societal collapse could have happened.

Drew Miller, founder of the survival company Fortitude Ranch (Drew Miller)

Most likely he tells The Independent, the power grid will collapse and the US will sink into darkness and chaos. Other possible disasters he predicts include: electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), pandemics deliberately caused by foreign powers like Russia, or a nuclear war.

The ranches, however, are equipped for all eventualities and have common areas, clinics, greenhouses, animal pens and, yes, even underground bunkers – although Miller stresses that the ranches’ main defensive force against most corners of the world is their remoteness.

Miller is adamant that Fortitude Ranches are not timeshares. “With a timeshare, you own a piece of property,” he says.

“It’s like a country club, you join Fortitude Ranch. You’re a member. You don’t own anything. Is there a room we assigned to you? Yes, there is. Is it yours? No, no, it’s not yours. And your stuff is stored there in case of a collapse.”

Like a regular country club, members can visit the ranch any time of year. Unlike a regular country club, there are no tennis courts or swimming pools.

For the cheapest membership, guests pay $1,000 per year, which includes the cost of replenishing food supplies. (Drew Miller)

“The Wisconsin ranch is on the lake and is a nice vacation spot,” says Miller. “Some members come by to relax, but most of our members are professionals… so it’s a long drive.”

“We are a rural leisure facility, but if you were to visit one of our sites, you would probably find few or no members actually vacationing there.”

Think of it more as a storage unit where you can sleep if your own home suddenly becomes uninhabitable.

How much does Fortitude Ranch membership cost? That depends on what level of comfort you want, although unlike other luxury survival companies, the accommodations are intended to be “affordable for the middle class.”

At Fortitude, the cheapest option is a “Spartan” shared room for one person with minimal privacy but access to all facilities. It costs $1,000 per year, after a $2,000 deposit. Other options include “Spartan Private” and “Economy” rooms, up to luxury rooms with private toilet and sink.

“By then, you’ve spent $20,000 up front and then probably about $2,000 per person per year in quarterly membership fees and food replenishment fees,” Miller said. The Independent.

The Fortitude Ranch offers its members a recreational space and is operated as a “country club” until the collapse of society – although the guards are armed (Drew Miller)

Survivalist company Survival Condo offers luxurious and custom-built underground bunkers, including mezzanine, full-floor and even penthouse options.

A full-floor condo suite package sleeps six to 10 people and features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a dining room, according to the company’s website. Each unit also has special windows that simulate the view outside, creating “a normal living experience as if you were above ground.”

The retail price of this package is $3 million.

Although it’s not at the top price point, Fortitude says it’s doing well. The company currently has locations in West Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Wisconsin and Nevada, as well as two franchises in Tennessee and New York. Miller says he also has “more than a dozen” franchises in development.

“When we started (in 2014), the problem was that I couldn’t get anyone to invest. Prepping was considered a crazy thing. Nowadays, it’s not anymore,” he says The Independent.

Each Fortitude Ranch location has communal facilities such as greenhouses (Drew Miller)

While this may seem like a scary and dystopian prospect to most, Miller believes that preparing for the apocalypse doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.

“Yes, we are prepared to survive. But that doesn’t mean we have to live in fear,” he says.

“We go on holiday at our locations, we live a normal life, we have peace of mind because we have real life insurance. Not a life insurance policy that pays out to your dependents when you die, but a life insurance policy that ensures that you stay alive if you collapse.

“So our members are not paranoid. They are confident that they will survive and get through when the shit hits the fan – when it happens.”