Search Results for: bug out

Planning, Training, and Exercising for “Bug Out”- Part 1, by Mr. E

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Many of us, myself included, have been guilty of fantasizing about what we would do during a scenario where we would want to “bug out”. It is easy to say things like, “My plan is to grab my go bag, my family, and run for the the hills.” For others, it is easy to imagine ourselves traversing chaotic streets with a group of our most trusted friends, loaded to the teeth with weaponry, battling our way to our off the grid location. While no doubt these daydreams can be interesting to entertain, it is important we take a holistic and realistic approach to “bugging out”. There are plenty of fantastic articles on why you should or shouldn’t bug out and even more on how to set up and prepare your area of refuge that you and your group will bug out to. For the purposes of this article, we will…


Guest Post: A Discussion on “Bugging Out”, by Max Alexander

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Let’s have a discussion today about “bugging out”. This is in fact a huge topic and often discussed across the prepper-sphere. There are many aspects to this and a detailed discussion, including the debate about “to stay or to go” is written up in “Contact! A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival. The issues, pros, cons, and mistakes around this are further illustrated in the collapse-novel Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises. Foolhardy Bugging Out On Foot Given the breadth of the topic, my plan today is to focus on the idea of bugging out on foot with a “never coming back’ mindset. Much has been discussed before about the problems of trying to survive in the woods, or of becoming a refugee, and I think that there are a number of issues with the idea of trying to bug out from your home base carrying a huge load on your…


Bug In, or Bug Out?, by H.C.

…of a regional or national emergency I have on my checklist to immediately contact my doctor to ask that she make a request that all prescriptions have at least 90 days worth of medications. My doctor did this after 9/11 and I can’t see her giving me any problems in the face of an emergency in the future. It is these types of concerns that keep me awake at night.  Will I be able to recognize an untenable situation in the making near home? Will I have any better chances for my family if I “Bug Out” instead of just hunkering down and “Bugging In” ? There are some factors other than my medications that I feel start me off in the “Bug In” column at least initially. I live a few miles outside of a small east Texas town. There are numerous creeks  and ponds within easy walking distance…


Guns for Bugging Out, by N.B.

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…and provide for those you love if you are dead. All other concerns are secondary to this goal. General Bug-out Plans As a slightly off topic side note, if I were to bug out I would not carry the bulk of my belongings in a backpack. I have devised a system that I think works much better, with the caveat that it is less suitable for challenging terrain. Obtain a high quality garden wagon. Obtain a well-made, well-fitted battle belt with suspenders. Run a strap from the handle of the wagon to the lumbar portion of the belt. In my experience, unless the terrain is very difficult, you can move 150 pounds of cargo with this method with no more effort than a 50-pound backpack. Now, we can get to the meat of the article. Firearm Selection For Bugging Out My bug out “team” would likely consist of my wife,…


Survival Skills and Gear, Part 1: Bug Out Kits and Bugging Out, by E.F.

…ready in the garage. If your primary retreat location is far, have those extra gas cans full and ready to pop into the truck quickly. There will be no stopping for fuel in a bug out scene. The car or truck should have all its necessary gear carried at all times. Spare tire, or two. Jack and mini-air compressor. Extra set of keys in a key-safe. This is a minimum. Future installments of this article will discuss the “bug out vehicle” in greater detail Your “Bug Out” day pack should have only the most critical items, and should be easily carried. If the car fails, or traffic is clogged, you must plan on being on foot or bicycle and a large heavy pack will not do. Moving quickly may be paramount to survival, and walking, jogging or bicycling may be necessary to get beyond a critical danger zone. Each town…


Should I Bug Out or Survive in Place?- Part 3, by Jonathan Hollerman

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…take care of them, but they will also act out on their resentment for the rich. My belief is that the hungry and starving will go after the rich neighborhoods first, before looting suburbia. So, what if you weren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth? How could you possibly afford to have a bug out location? The truth is that there are hundreds of thousands of effective bug out locations in existence; you just need to locate one of them. The key to bugging out on a budget is having a purposeful Plan of Action in place before the SHTF. Please be aware that the various plans of actions I will propose all come with risks, some more so than others. At the same time, those risks are minor compared to the risk of trying to survive in the city. My first recommendation would be to join an…


A Little Planning and a Lot of Rehearsing, by Todd S. in Colorado

…make a sketch of one and walk through the concept of the plan.  This works as a suitable substitute to a terrain model rehearsal, provided that everyone can read a map.  A forest fire or even routine road construction might cause road closures and the need may arise for you to use your alternate route to your safe haven, and this type of rehearsal helps easily illustrate that contingency.  A bug-out location should have optimally two entry-egress routes.  You do not want to become trapped in your bug-out location or have only one way to travel there.  This type of rehearsal works well for contingency plans.  You might only have time to do a full rehearsal on your main travel route and do a map rehearsal of the alternate route later. Computer Rehearsal– It would be difficult to rehearse a bug-out or bug-in scenario with a computer, but computers allow…


The ‘Perfect’ Bug Out Vehicle, by Crazy Frenchman

Introduction. Not all of us can quit our jobs and live year-round at a permanent retreat. Yet some of us may be able to afford a semi-permanent retreat (e.g. vacation home), at least partly stocked (a.k.a. main supplies), and located within reasonable ‘travel time’ to the city where we work. As a catastrophic event would unfold, you would bug out ahead of the crowds. Otherwise you could begin by staying in your house, assess the situation, and never actually bug out. If the situation would deteriorate besides all hope, then bugging out would become a sound option. As part of the concept of retreating you would need a vehicle to bug out. Assuming a retreat located less than half a gas tank away and fully stocked, then almost any 4×4 vehicle could do. Otherwise you need to think hard now, and select a bug out vehicle (BOV) as suggested next….


Preparation Could Mean Survival, by D.S.A.

…location, you may want to limit the access too, out of fear of travelers/hordes looking to pillage.  Depending on the situation be prepared to negotiate, barter, trade and or shoot your way to your bug out shelter. You may end up using all those methods along the way. Bug out to a secondary location comes with its own set of pros and cons.  To me, the hardest question is: When is it time to bug out? No one can predict the best time, but I will say before all of the gas is used up. In our area of South Texas, you can hear a V-8 engine a couple miles away.  Remembering that a panicked society wants to take your stuff because they did not prepare and believe they will die without your stuff-What I am trying to say is err on the early side of bugging out.   The Bottom…


Bugging Out: Some Realities, by Mr. Zipph

…is to hunker down and not to bug out. However, I will be ready to bug out by vehicle or by foot, if needed. I do have a lot of work ahead of me: I need to build a network of like-minded people in the area I need to start my new gardens I need to develop a hunker down plan for my new location I need to identify a couple of potential bug out locations I need to decide my route of travel for potential bug out by foot situations and preposition caches at key points on those routes I need to exercise more frequently to get myself in better shape for a bugout by foot scenario I believe that this dry run has added value to my bug out strategies as well as my overall prepping strategies. Have you developed detailed bug out plans for these two scenarios?…


Six Letters Re: Bicycles as Bug-Out and Utility Vehicles

…those readers with access to full-auto pistol style SMGs like the mini or micro-Uzi in some sort of holster attached to the handlebars might be an option to spray bad guys in a surprise ambush. Many of the readers will consider their bicycle either a vital part of their bug-out-bag or even a secondary bug-out vehicle so carrying cargo is important to discuss. BOB trailers and kid carriers are good for open roads, but an overly wide trailer can make moving a bicycle onto sidewalks and between cars difficult to impossible even in normal times. Cycling with anything past a light comfortable backpack leads to fatigue. Panniers and rack and handlebar mounting is the best option for gear, let your bicycle shoulder the weight, there many options available on discussion boards. It is important to remember that your loading should not get in the way of quick defensive firearms access….


The “Power of Ten” Planning Model, by Sandkicker

…depend on the Interstates.  Don’t plan to use that great GPS navigation box in your car.  The GPS system is managed by the government.  It can and has been shut down in the past by the government when they thought they had a need.  Get good paper maps. Mark routes.  As to the Interstates, the legislation that funded them states that the Government can restrict use of the Interstates to military use only as needed. Okay… you should work towards having plans as follows: 1 and 10 Day:   Weather Related Infrastructure Civil Breakdown Winter Bug in/out Bug in/out Bug in/out Spring Bug in/out Bug in/out Bug in/out Summer Bug in/out Bug in/out Bug in/out Fall Bug in/out Bug in/out Bug in/out This does not mean that you need 24 plans… In your individual situation, you probably will only need 2 or 3 bug-in and bug out plans that you…


Bug Out Bags for Dogs, by James from upstate NY

Bugging out is a plan during a disaster situation for most preppers, and most spend numerous hours planning out what items to put into their B.O.B (bug out bag). In the area of prepping, it seems that the natural focus in on having a bug out bag. You can picture in your mind the last disaster, whether it be natural or man-made, that you watched unfold on your nightly news and then envision you and your family leaving ahead of the undoubtedly numerous people who waited too long. Having a bug out bag for you and your family members is only logical. Now if you are a responsible owner of the more than 137. 2 million pet dogs in America, then you’ve probably thought of the logistics of caring for your dogs’ needs in an emergency bug out situation. A logical solution would be a bug out bag for your…


A Holistic Approach to Packing a 72-Hour Bug Out Bag- Part 2, by C.T.

Water. Though you may die after three days without water, that is most likely in ideal conditions with low exertion. If you have ever gone hiking before, you know that after an hour or so you are pretty parched already, and by the end of a single day you will be pretty much functionally depleted of water and in desperate need of rehydration. Especially if your bug out happens to be in the summer or a very hot time of year, water is going to be the most important element you need to keep going effectively. This is where knowing your bug out route is essential. If there are going to be places you could refill from natural sources, you don’t need to carry enough water to get you all the way from Point A to Point B. If you have a short (under three day) bug out route that…


Should I Bug Out or Survive in Place?- Part 1, by Jonathan Hollerman

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Where are you getting your prepping advice? Why? Should I try to survive in place or should I bug out? This is a hotly debated question in the prepping community with many people firmly entrenched on both sides of the aisle. There are numerous articles discussing the topic, but most are only a handful of paragraphs that never really explain how or why they arrived at their recommendation. To answer the “Bug Out” or “Bug In” question effectively, we must discuss essential background information and context. I will break down the discussion into three sections: your source for prepping advice, what SHTF scenario you are preparing for, and how to bug out if you don’t have a survival retreat. So, grab a cup of coffee, find a comfortable chair, and put on your seat belt as I get ready to challenge a good bit of commonly embraced ideas and “prepper…