survivalblog.com -- has a TON of information, links, resources, etc. Founder of the site also wrote a book,
How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It. I used it for my high school SR project on how to survive the zombie apocalypse in my area, so it can be applied to more probable scenarios as well as the fantastic. Leans a little more toward people with money, but does provide some DIY alternatives for some pricier items that are less high-ticket luxury.
http://www.preppers101.com/ -- offers really great products and information. Also, if you're in the area and haven't heard of this place before, they offer classes, events, and try to make sure they've got a table at the local markets and small festivals. From what research I've put into price comparison, their prices for solar and water purification systems are some of the best I've found. Goal Zero, Berkey, etc.
http://earthship.com/ -- only because I haven't seen it mentioned/linked yet. Pictures on site are of "flagship" design, and therefore much more artistic and not at all incognito, but it could be. Plans and designs for natural climate control, water filtration, and sewage treatment. Greenhouse attachment is not necessary if you are a forage farmer; the design is easily adaptable. Also, the older editions of "how-to" plans and stuff can be downloaded in a .pdf, illegally I imagine. Your morals are yours.
I am currently involved in an off-grid project for the summer to learn and reapply to the region I prefer residing in. So NOT a hot weather person.
We built a solar shower, which is a structure (we used scrap wood with black tarp for walls), a barrel on top that we fill from the river, and a shower head piece that we salvaged from an old Winnebago. The water heats up in the barrel during the day, and by evening there's plenty enough water for 8 of us to shower. We do try to preserve water (turn it off while you're soaping, couples will sometimes shower together), but there hasn't yet been a day that someone has wanted a shower and hasn't been able to have one. Granted, some of the showers have been a tad chilly, and really cold days mean no shower. Really hot days, though, require a swim in the river and maybe a shower, but most of us call the river our hippie bath and enough is enough.
We built compost toilets, which is a structure with a salvaged toilet seat, over a 4-5 foot deep pit. Human waste is typically not fit for composting because it is very high in nitrogen, so we have a small box of wood chips or something of the like. After you do your business, throw in a handful of wood chips, which will add carbon to the decomposing process and make better compost. When the hole is close to full, bury it and let it sit for about a year. Then you can dig it up, turn it, and add it to the rest of your compost.
We built a water purifier, which is two 5-gal food grade buckets, some cloth, rope, two Black Berkey filter elements, and a plastic piece we use to keep the buckets from falling into each other. We installed the filter elements as per instruction in the top bucket, and covered it with the cloth. The cloth acts as a pre-filter, stopping a lot of dirt and debris from getting in with the filters, prolonging their life and time between cleaning. That bucket sits on top of a scrap piece of plastic that we cleaned and cut a hole in, and the filtered drops are caught in the bottom bucket. We pour this into the main water container we use at camp, and reserve it for drinking and cooking when the water is apart of the meal, and not strained out. I would perfect this design by 1) prefiltering at a different location. Water doesn't move quickly through the fabric, and it can be a tedious chore to stand there and try to fill a 5-gal bucket a 1/4 oz at a time. 2) Make sure the buckets have lids. The seal is much better and risk of contaminating leaks or exposure to bugs and dirt is minimized. 3) Have a stand for the filtering bucket, and clean catch buckets to switch out once one is full. Stacking one on top of the other works, but the filter elements are delicate and minimizing how often and how much that bucket needs to be adjusted or moved will help to maximize the life of your filter.
A solar dehydrator can be built out of an old refrigerator. We don't have one yet, but that's because we're still trying to salvage a refrigerator. We plan for a solar dehydrator, solar oven, and a smoker by fall.
