JWR,
Thanks so much for your invaluable blog. I’ve been reading with interest all of the checklists on what to include when bugging out. But I’ll be 70 years old on my next birthday in January. So even 40 lbs. on my back is too much for me to travel very far. That limits what I can carry and how long I can stay viable. Then I remembered when I was camping in the mountains of eastern Oregon, I saw what some hunters brought with them to bring back their deer. It was a home made single wheel cart using a bicycle wheel with a frame above that held a sheet of plywood smaller than 4X8 feet. It was able to go on almost any trail and could haul one or two hundred pounds with relative ease. In this way, you could bug out and still bring almost everything you need for an extended period of time, not just a week or two, if there was a source of water that could be purified. I hope this suggestion is helpful for you and your readers. – Cary T.
JWR Replies: I don’t recommend a “bugging out” strategy for urbanites or suburbanites of any age, unless you already have a prepared retreat that is well-stocked. Unless you have a very large truck, there is simply no way that you can get your family and everything that they will need out of town in just one trip. Travel light, and travel fast (ahead of the herd.) 98% of what you need should already be waiting at your destination.
Deer carts and similar devices should indeed be considered, but reserve them for a worst case “Plan B.”