The Fallacy of Bugging Out

I suspect if I bugged out, there would be somebody bugging into my house within a week if things got bad. So, short of a nuclear or disease issue, I will be staying put where I have a bed, blankets, a tight house, generators, and a reasonable amount of food. Clean water would probably be the biggest issue so you don't get sick. There is a lake within a half mile, which is a natural highway with fish and water. Have to deal with the water purity issue, but it is do-able. Transporting it would be the more difficult task.
 
@22-rimfire A water cube and a motor vehicle
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or if you are doing things manually a terrain appropriate cart of some sort. Hauling stuff is a pain though, gravity and cisterns are easier to work with. You can tell people it's for watering the plants. ;)

I agree about the possibility of unwanted guests if you were to bug out.
 
sideways said:
@22-rimfire A water cube and a motor vehicle
Reconditioned_Ibc_1000l_Containers.jpg


or if you are doing things manually a terrain appropriate cart of some sort. Hauling stuff is a pain though, gravity and cisterns are easier to work with. You can tell people it's for watering the plants. ;)

I agree about the possibility of unwanted guests if you were to bug out.
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A few of those, a generator and an ice machine. You will be the king of barter. Ice will be gold when the power is out. ;)
 
The proper term is "hunker down".

Makes all the sense in the world. Why wander off with a few items in a backpack when you (should) have everything you need at home? band with your neighbors and defend your street/neighborhood as needed. -This has been done in the USA during emergencies and has always worked to keep looters and trouble away. Has also worked well in the rest of the world.

I always find it silly to read posters here with their bug out bags. Brand new gear, an excess of knives, and no practical experience on what it takes to survive in the outdoors. Most of us in the USA live in urban/suburban dwellings, how does one plan to reach any wilderness by foot anyway?
 
Shotgun said:
A few of those, a generator and an ice machine. You will be the king of barter. Ice will be gold when the power is out. ;)
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Can't really utilize ice when you no longer have refrigeration.

People will barter hard for booze, tobacco and ammunition.
 
Clearly bugging out can present some unpleasant challenges. I plan on staying put unless I absolutely can't, and with the San Onofre Plant 15 miles away bugging out may be a necessity. Regardless of the challenges of survival in a bug-out situation it makes sense to prepare for the possibility. As a long term strategy for survival it's iffy, but the willingness to adapt to any unpleasant situation is key. If I can keep myself from drinking it all up I'll have plenty of booze for barter...so I give myself a 50/50 chance.
 
Perhaps I do not understand Bugging Out.

When the Hisbolah rocketed my town, 90% of the population left.
I had food and water in my car for a couple of days
This gave me a grace period to organize who I went to stay with.

Also
I live in an earthquake zone
What is is called if there were to be an earthquake, and I had to take care of me and my family

Katrina?

All these are short term Bug Outs
Not going to the woods
But outside your house for a time
 
Hmmm... Well, as a kid I was a boy scout, went on to be an eagle. I joined a form of venture crew called ESAR (Emergency Search and Recovery) and did that for a while. A few years later I got into rock climbing, kayaking, and some mountain biking; all the while from about 14 on I was in the woods trapping, hunting, fishing, and camping. As a matter of fact, one of the things we did to test out "wilderness survival" was get dumped out in the woods with only what we could put in a 1 gallon plastic bag and told to make it for 3 nights. Ive grown older, I discovered beer, and Im not in nearly as good of shape as I was back then. That said, I would rather rely on myself and a few friends and family members than try and babysit a bunch of strangers through a post apocalyptic situation. I don't know how long I could make it on my own, it would depend pretty heavily on where I was at. I can say with absolute certainty though, I would rather die cold and alone than try to teach people from ground zero how to live for themselves, that said, I don't much care for most people now days. Ive been told my whole life I was born a few hundred years too late, theres probably some legitimacy to that. I might be able to sustain myself a hell of a lot longer in a group, I just don't know that many people I would really like to sustain it around?
 
Ah, the "post apocalyptic situation." The Apocalypse has been predicted from 1000 on. People gathered on mountain tops all over Europe waiting for the End. Books are written periodically about the coming collapse. Good tinder.

Unless you live in a war zone, it is likely more useful to prepare for mad weather and massive power outages. But be happy in your work.
 
neeman said:
Perhaps I do not understand Bugging Out.

When the Hisbolah rocketed my town, 90% of the population left.
I had food and water in my car for a couple of days
This gave me a grace period to organize who I went to stay with.

Also
I live in an earthquake zone
What is is called if there were to be an earthquake, and I had to take care of me and my family

Katrina?

All these are short term Bug Outs
Not going to the woods
But outside your house for a time
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Thank you for your input Neeman - I've been waiting for your comment on these types of threads!

I lived in Bosnia for 7 years and in Sarajevo for 4.5 of them. Those folks *had* to "bug-in" - there was no bugging out. I have pages and pages of notes and hundreds of photographs on how folks managed to survive during the siege there from 1992-1995. My friends shared their experiences and learned lessons openly with me and I can tell you that much of what is glamorized here on the internet has utterly nothing to do with real life experience. Bugging out is a temporary situation at best - and this is presuming a "safe" destination and a lack of aggressive, organized, equipped antagonists.

For bugging in for any length of time greater than a day, medications (especially those which are required for day-to-day living) are obviously #1 and followed closely by a large stock of antibiotics and other sterile medical supplies. The means to attain and/or sources of potable water are second which are then followed closely by safe/nutritious food. Otherwise, one of the greatest resources is having good relationships with neighbors and friends (as well as the ability to communicate with your friends if they don't live close by).
 
Shotgun said:
A few of those, a generator and an ice machine. You will be the king of barter. Ice will be gold when the power is out. ;)
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People will pay big money when for ice when the power has been out for a few days. That's why Florida enacted the price gouging laws in the 90's. Retailers were charging over $10 for a bag of ice that usually went for less than a buck during Andrew's aftermath. Bottled water, ice, gasoline and alcohol are hot commodities after just a few days in the dark. People freak out quick.
 
Apocalypse. That's funny. You know what? Those country folk in the mountains of Kentucky will survive. Those tribal villagers in Amazonia will survive. Those mountain folks don’t call it “bugging out.” They call it “the way we live every day.” Those mountain folks and tribal villagers have communities and time-tested skills that they all share, that have been passed down over generations. They know which plants not to eat, which herbs will cure a stomach ache, when the mating seasons of different animals take place, etc., etc., etc.

I have a book, a few articles I've read, and a few camping trips behind me. I've never spent significant time in the mountains or in the jungle. And I don't have a community of people with skills who will be assets keeping me alive. And what if the apocalypse does happen and I run to those mountains to live with the mountain folks? They'd shoot me on sight; take my shiny, little-used gear; and promptly throw me off a cliff. And I wouldn't blame them for it.

That said, I do have a few skills and a bit of knowledge (like knowing to purify water, the rule of threes, etc.) and a "bug out bag," if you want to call it that. Yes, there's a knife in there and some para-cord, but it's mostly for rigging stuff and getting me out of a jam in case my building collapses or something. It's not for building permanent shelters in the woods and processing wild game I've hunted down Rambo-style. It's designed to get me through a few days, maybe four at most, until I can get help. I've got three days of water in my house, plenty of candling and fire-making stuff, and some non-perishable food. I've got a hand-crank emergency radio, glow sticks, whistles, etc. I know the importance of having plenty of light, drinkable water, and signaling gear. I'm way ahead of the curve to survive the kind of crap that might actually happen to me... for a very short period of time until the authorities can rescue me. I won't be one of those dumb arses who doesn't even have a flashlight when disaster strikes.

But planning to survive an apocalypse for an indefinite period of time? If the apocalypse happens--and I don't find myself under the protection of the remnants of armed authority and supply chains--I'm dead. Period. I just hope death comes in the form of a beam hitting my head and killing me instantly... and not a slow death of dysentery, wandering around delusional and talking to myself in a bombed-out city... or being butt-raped to death at the hands of marauding, filthy post-apocalyptic biker gangs, à la Mad Max. But I don’t think the apocalypse is going to happen, so I’m not worried about those scenarios.
 
SHTF Survival Q&A: A First-Hand Account of Long-Term SHTF Survival

Mac Slavo from SHTFPlan.com recently posted a compilation of a forum thread put together by Chris Kitze from Before Its News. The original thread, found on the Survivalist Boards, features one man’s (name Selco) first-hand account of living in a SHTF situation with his family during the Bosnia collapse of 1992. Many of the forum members peppered Selco with questions which he was graciously willing to answer. This is a compilation of those questions and answers.

In this compendium, Selco describes what it was like living in a city for a year without power, fuel, running water, food distribution or any semblance of traditional commerce. Their currency was useless, there were no police forces or government, and the streets were ruled by gangs and violence. The survival strategies that he, his family, and community used to stay alive are eye-opening and may change some of the priorities that you have when it comes to preparing for a SHTF scenario where you live. Although it’s long read, I highly recommend it given the wealth of knowledge taken from someone who’s lived it.
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http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/shtf-survival-qa-a-first-hand-account.htm
 
CWL said:
Most of us in the USA live in urban/suburban dwellings, how does one plan to reach any wilderness by foot anyway?
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Urban areas still have trees, squirrels, birds, other animals, earth available for growing vegetables, insects, and the list goes on. Everyone will not have the knowledge or skills to take advantage of things like this, so to the OP, competition is a non factor IMO. Also the amount of space in the United states, along with populations of animals such as hogs and deer alone is more than enough to sustain those who can actually take advantage of it. My opinion is the people whom already have property , live on farms, hunt, grow crops will be ahead of the game. And sure, you can survive by scavenging already available canned foods and materials and stuff in cities, but it will run out eventually. The only way to go is renewable resources.

I do agree, most will not be able to cut it when it comes actual survival, and when supplies run out, there will be nothing for them to do. Natural selection is going to take over somewhat. But a lot of people will be able to make it provided they are healthy, have some experience and are intelligent enough to make the right decisions and have some luck. Calling it bugging out, is really the only silly thing about it IMO. You either know how to take care of yourself or you don't... Don't assume everyone else cant or that its not feasible . There always seems to be a thread about this kind of thing. If you think its silly, or wont work, or isn't feasible that's fine by me..

There are too many variables though to say for sure what would happen, and i don't know that an entire collapse of society on that scale is even possible. Either way, i still like to learn, Its fun and i still find the skills useful.
 
no bugging out? we would be banned from at least a dozen forums for such sacrilege!

one thing for sure- "bugging out", BOB's, preppers, zombie hunters, black helicopter watchers, etc have made a real contribution to our economy :D
 
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