Is bugging out a romantic fantasy?

Dylside, I am interested by your bugout-bike idea. Two questions. 1. How much do these things cost? (I mean, basic model, not necessarily the best out there, but one that would do, in decent "used" condition); and 2. Are they street-legal, or are you relegated to just off-road use?
 
I keep some essentials in several places. Basic water,fire,shelter stuff. Having a mindset of the "greater good" allows me to walk away from most objects. Sure I will miss the gun collection,computer, cars, and tvs but they can be replaced. In the moment my family and I will use knowledge and what ever gear we can pack to get somewhere safe if staying put is not an option. I am not saying I am expert in everything but I can provide most of the essential needs with stuff I can find even if I lose all my gear. Not easy or comphy but survivable. I would offer to everyone here to look around you. Make a list(mental or written) and give some thought to what is important to take in a bug out. Even if stuff is not prepacked at least when the time comes you will have a better idea of what to grab in haste.
 
I'm already "bugged" in my home location. I'm not planning on going anywhere.

But if I'm on the mainland, my plan is to get to the back roads and head home on foot if the truck is trapped on I-5 in a big jam or that sort of thing. I have my main pack, rifle, and ammo. They can be carried in bags that look pretty harmless. My wife and kid also have packs. We always carry a flat of water bottles and some food.

If things get really bad, I'll take a position of high ground or a home that can be fortified by force and wait for things to settle down. I can go 2-3 days from the pack just fine before foraging.

It depends on the emergency, but short of a global catastrophe which somehow sinks the island, I'm staying put. Problem people on the island will be dealt with severely.
 
Brian Jones said:
I'm liking this thread because there's much debate about what to do. Good discussion!
Click to expand...

Totally agree. There may be a day when we may have to the unthinkable, and leave it all behind. Good discussion brings up good ideas to keep in mind.

Now, what if we have to bug out? I mean not just the mother of all hurricanes or weather related, but something in the way of a small nuke going off like in that movie with Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman. I can see how something like that will make it a need to leave. But what about the problems it would bring.

First, the thing that most worries me is our own authorities. Martial law and gung ho troops acting as the authority on the scene makes me shiver.

I think one has to think outside the box. Over, under, around, or through. Forget the usual vehicles. With the entire population of an area getting out, I can only wonder how many very small local airfields have unattended planes waiting around. Is taking flying lessons too far out in case of having to "liberate" a Cessna from a small airport?

But in the case of a electromagnetic pulse, nothing is going to be running anyways.

How about water? Alot of cities are located on the water, either coastal or rivers. In the rush to evacuate, how many owners of that boat at the marina will be locked in traffic in thier Benz, and not notice for a very long time, if ever, thier sailboat is gone? Or even canoes. Heck, the old trappers went from St. Louis to Bents Fort near present day LaJunta Colorado by canoe. In the very early days, the west was explored by canoe and keelboat.
 
I think the "when" questions is as important as anything in this scenario. If you can bug out early, then you can make it in your vehicle. If you try to go at the peak, you'd better choose alternative travel -- foot, horse, bike, motorbike, etc. Here one has to consider who is going along. If I was going alone I could probably take what I needed on foot (talk about heavyweight back packing -- I doubt ultralight packers factor in ammo:D), but that won't work if my 6 year old daughter is along. In that case, it might be better to "bug in" and hunker down and then only go days after the chaos has peaked, if you don't think you can ride out the whole disaster (depends on the nature of the disaster at this point).
 
Return of the J.D. said:
Dylside, I am interested by your bugout-bike idea. Two questions. 1. How much do these things cost? (I mean, basic model, not necessarily the best out there, but one that would do, in decent "used" condition); and 2. Are they street-legal, or are you relegated to just off-road use?
Click to expand...

I bought my last XT225 brand spankin new for about $3500. Donovan bought his used in awesome condition for $1500. The new XT's (2008) aren't quite as cool as the previous years (2007 and before) which is why I'm switching to the new 2008 WR250R. Both the XT and WR are street legal so you can go where ever you want (where its legal unless you're willing to run). There are a few other companies that make something in that range in a dual sport like Kawasaki and Honda, but I have been on all of them and I prefer the Yamahas. Any of the new ones, you can pick up between $4K and $5K. Sometimes you can get a better deal depending on who you know. I work at a bike shop so I get that perk of being able to buy stuff at dealer cost. Unfortunately, just like everyone else, I still have to pay the prep, doc, tax, and tag fees. Most people think we're lying when we say "I can't take that fee off." lol. Trust me, unless they're making the money up somewhere else, they can't. I've been in love with dual sport riding for a long time. It's great. You don't need a trailer to tow your dirtbike to any of the trails, they get awesome gas milage, and you can go where ever. Sometimes I'll just head up the highway and iff I see a spot off the road that looks good, I'll go check it out. Powerlines, fireroads, random trails, all within instant reach. Not to mention the bugout capabilities. The only thing that it won't live through is a nuclear war, and if that happens, not have a bike that runs on diesel is the least of your worries. At that point, being outside at all is a bad idea.
 
Is bugging usually considered a long term/forever situation or a short term only? That can change the whole game. Short term local can require not much more than an over night bag and a credit card for the first available hotel room.

I was in Fl on a short notice visit to family when hurrican Floyd started moving in. We decided to get back hame to NJ. We had to change our place of departure from Orlando to Telahasse. It took us 12 hours. Bottled water was scarce, gas was running out at stations etc... We were lucky to score a room in Telahasse. It was kind of scarry as we had come with carry on only luggage = no tools. Ever since then I'll check a bag no matter what with a knife, multitool or SAK, water purification tablets, light and extra batteries, whistles, chem sticks, ponchos for all of us, and other necessary items in case we're jammed up.
 
Since motor vehicles are generally a bad idea, how would you transport small children? Or worse, children too large to carry but too small to walk more than 5-10 miles at a stretch with a load? This applies very much to me, btw.
 
Thanks, Dylside--I'll have to think about all that.

Nuclear war: outside may or may not be a bad idea. I gather that MOST of the radiation would be of a very-temporary kind, so once you got past the initial explosions and stayed out of the dust for 72 hours or so, it wouldn't be radiation issues you were dealing with, except in the immediate area of an explosion (where you'd have a concentration of the radioactive elements with massive half-lives).

Bike idea: might work best as part of an overall plan. Bike advantages you've noted: extreme mobility, high gas mileage. Downsides: can't carry much gear; hard to carry more than 1 passenger, and must be pretty able-bodied. You mention the existence of a wife. One thing I think about is, what if one of us were injured? It's easier to transport someone injured in a car, I'd imagine.

Kids--when they come along--are a whole new level of complexity. I guess you could strap even a baby onto your back, papoose-style--but that's a limited number of kids.

As I think this through--thinking of my own situation, with a pregnant wife and 4 kids ranging from 1 to 7 years old--the bike would be of interest for mobility, but might work best in conjunction with a higher-capacity vehicle. I could see using a 4 wheel drive SUV for, say, an initial evacuation, and then the bike for forays out after food, etc. Could also imagine ferrying one passenger at a time to some bugout spot, if roads were impassible.
 
I don't think it's a fantasy for me. Where I live a traffic jam doesn't exist and even if everyone in town decided to leave at once it would add maybe 5 minutes to the drive. There's lots of open space, lots of wild game, and lots of water if you know where to go. I should be good to go for a long time.

I will agree it is a different situation for you people stuck in civilization. :p
 
"Stuck in traffic" - STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE:
fce22c02.jpg

76cfa4ef.jpg


Seriously though, I keep my bug out equipment in a back pack so I can throw it over my shoulder. I have packed enough to "hopefully" get me home within 48 hrs.
 
Of course there is the romantic fantasy aspect to the whole idea, but that's what makes it fun. Otherwise being prepared would just be a chore.
I am a firm beleiver that being properly prepared is mostly about knowledge, skills and attitude, less about equipment. But I do have a lot of gear and will continue to add, upgrade and adapt my hardware and how I organize it. For me, doing this and practicing some skills is the fun part of preparedness.

I was not in central Houston during Rita but about an hour away and saw alot of the evacuees, and I know numerous people who did flee from the city. The major roads were like that picture, but the back roads were hardly affected. One person I know was stuck in the mess and took 10 hours to get to Austin, another left at almost the same time but took the back roads and made it in less than 5. It is normally about a 3 hour drive.
Maps are a very usefull part of any kit.
 
Return of the J.D. said:
Thanks, Dylside--I'll have to think about all that.

Nuclear war: outside may or may not be a bad idea. I gather that MOST of the radiation would be of a very-temporary kind, so once you got past the initial explosions and stayed out of the dust for 72 hours or so, it wouldn't be radiation issues you were dealing with, except in the immediate area of an explosion (where you'd have a concentration of the radioactive elements with massive half-lives).

Bike idea: might work best as part of an overall plan. Bike advantages you've noted: extreme mobility, high gas mileage. Downsides: can't carry much gear; hard to carry more than 1 passenger, and must be pretty able-bodied. You mention the existence of a wife. One thing I think about is, what if one of us were injured? It's easier to transport someone injured in a car, I'd imagine.

Kids--when they come along--are a whole new level of complexity. I guess you could strap even a baby onto your back, papoose-style--but that's a limited number of kids.

As I think this through--thinking of my own situation, with a pregnant wife and 4 kids ranging from 1 to 7 years old--the bike would be of interest for mobility, but might work best in conjunction with a higher-capacity vehicle. I could see using a 4 wheel drive SUV for, say, an initial evacuation, and then the bike for forays out after food, etc. Could also imagine ferrying one passenger at a time to some bugout spot, if roads were impassible.
Click to expand...

Yeah. With a prego wife and that many kids, I think I'd be looking for something similar to a jeep or SUV. An absolute must would be fuel cells, good offroad tires, and a winch. When I had my '86 Bronco, it was decked out for the "end of civilization" event. The whole car other than windows and lights was flat black primer, wheels and all. The windows were illegal tint so no one could see how well supplied I was. The tires were big and mudderiffic. Had a winch that could lift two of that truck up a tree. and so on. I think if I had a family and not just the wife, that would probably become plan A again. This time though, I think I would go with something very close to brand new. There were a couple of times I fixed that damn truck on the side of the road. I'd hate to have anything but the best reliability in that situation. I'm actually in the process of selling my car to get a more family oriented vehicle (truck or SUV with 4 doors). I think it's second function will be the next DDV "doomsdayvehicle". If nothing else, I love the way they look all blacked out and strickly bidness.
 
Dylside said:
Yeah. With a prego wife and that many kids, I think I'd be looking for something similar to a jeep or SUV. An absolute must would be fuel cells, good offroad tires, and a winch. When I had my '86 Bronco, it was decked out for the "end of civilization" event. The whole car other than windows and lights was flat black primer, wheels and all. The windows were illegal tint so no one could see how well supplied I was. The tires were big and mudderiffic. Had a winch that could lift two of that truck up a tree. and so on. I think if I had a family and not just the wife, that would probably become plan A again. This time though, I think I would go with something very close to brand new. There were a couple of times I fixed that damn truck on the side of the road. I'd hate to have anything but the best reliability in that situation. I'm actually in the process of selling my car to get a more family oriented vehicle (truck or SUV with 4 doors). I think it's second function will be the next DDV "doomsdayvehicle". If nothing else, I love the way they look all blacked out and strickly bidness.
Click to expand...

Generally agreed, and good thoughts, all.

I am, however, still interested in filing away some information about the dual-sport bike idea. Part of it is that I commute miles from the wife and kids, from the suburbs to big-city downtown, each day. Could see that providing a way of getting home to them, if things went awry. And, second, I could see it becoming part of a bigger plan under some circumstances. Or, say, you saw the disaster coming, packed the wife and kids off to a safer, out-of-the-urban-area area, but still wanted mobility. You might be really happy to be able to go out on a good-mileage, maneuverable bike and look for supplies, hunt, go back for the purse your wife forgot and left on the kitchen table:o--whatever. Or say things got bad in a large town, but not quite bad enough to qualify for the apocalyptic. You could see a situation where it was good to keep your job, but also to pack non-essential personnel out of the city. I could see the bike idea having application there, even for a family man.

You say you're a bike dealer, and you seem to know about these things. (You certainly know more than I do--the most I've done is run a moped around an island off Mexico a few years back.) For those of us who don't know a Harley from a Vespa, could you elaborate a bit about what modifications you think are desirable by way of emergency prep for a dual-sport or off-road bike? I'm also curious to know about the range of those things, and general mileage.

Thanks.
 
I know many of us have dogs but I haven't seen dog food on any lists. Unless there's an extra MRE, or can of raviolis, for the four-legged kids. Good thread, guys. Thanks for all the ideas.

Frank
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
I know many of us have dogs but I haven't seen dog food on any lists. Unless there's an extra MRE, or can of raviolis, for the four-legged kids. Good thread, guys. Thanks for all the ideas.

Frank
Click to expand...

"Dog food"? I thought that was a redundancy . . . . ;):barf:

Seriously: indeed! It's very easy not to keep one's REALISTIC social situation in mind. If the dog is part of your family, it has to be part of your plan. If a wife is part of your family, a baby (or more!) may need to be part of your plan. And so on. One thing I've noticed, along the lines of SilverFoxKnows' good insight, is that there is no mention of providing for (or seeking out and evacuating, and then providing for) elderly people. Surely some of you guys have parents or grandparents or other invalid relatives whom you wouldn't feel right just leaving behind in the radioactive dust, no?
 
Dylan, if you bug out on a bike (great idea), just be careful and don't follow this guy's lead:
door2zf0.jpg


Sorry, deleting part of this for fear my humor was thread-killer...

Ok, seriously, some great ideas here. I'll add my further 0.02 in a bit.
 
In a localized problem you can move out of harms way a bit. We had a wee fire problem in San Diego last October and had to run with half a million of my closest pals. OK - take a few things and go a few miles down the road or try sheltering in place. In a worst case - huge area disaster my question is bug out to where? I'll shelter in place rather than try to escape on the SoCal freeways with wife and kids in the car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top