Bug out or bug in???

OK, so you have gotten on board with prepping for survival in the event of a catastrophic situation.  Congratulations on seeing the light......now we must narrow our focus a little.  Specifically, are you going to "bug out" if a survival situation develops, or are you going to stay at home and weather the storm out (so to speak)?



Before going further, we need to establish some parameters on what we really mean when we say "bug out".  First of all, putting on your shoes, snatching the kids and running out the front door when a crisis hits does not constitute a bug out.  Grabbing your cell phone and a bottle of water on the way out the door doesn't count either.  But, there is a term that is used to describe the type of people you have transformed your family into by doing this:  Refugees.  Helpless, needy, no shelter, no food, no clothes, needing a handout, subject to the whims of FEMA and the Red Cross.  Is this the kind of provider you want to be for your family???


If we wish to avoid being refugees, we must make some plans and preparations and get a good idea of what a bug out is really all about.  To begin with, a bug out is never a spur of the moment idea conceived on the run.  It is implemented on the run, but it is conceived, planned and processed well in advance of ever being used.


To bug out is to rapidly leave your home with pre-stocked, pre-staged provisions and follow one of several carefully chosen paths to a designated, prepared safe shelter somewhere distant from your home.......not to wander the streets or "head for the woods".  


It is assumed at this point that you have a damned good reason for leaving your home in the first place, because bugging out brings its own set of problems to the table, and may place you further in harm's way than staying home.  


What are some good reasons for bugging out?  Maybe your house is going to be washed away in the flood that is surging your way......or maybe that category 5 hurricane has drawn a bead on your hometown .....maybe you have a rioting mob heading your way that is burning everything in sight......maybe a deadly pandemic is raging through your town.  The best rule of thumb that I can give you for calling a bug out, is that staying in your current position will put you at a greater risk of imminent danger compared to the risks you will assume traveling on public highways to a destination that may or may not be in the same situation as your hometown.


The thing you need to remember is, if you have decided to bug out, you won't be the only one with this novel idea.  Think of the worst gridlocked traffic jam you've ever been in......the one where you shut off the engine so you wouldn't run out of gas in the middle of the road......the one where you were tearing up the inside of the car looking for an empty bottle to pee in.....the one where even the cops couldn't even make it past by driving on the shoulder, because it was blocked too.......this is what you are signing yourself up for by conducting a bug out.  The big difference between these two types of traffic jams is that during a bug out event people are going to be in a state of panic and stressed out before they even get on the road and a large percentage of these drivers are going to be armed.  Does this sound like a situation you want to put you and your family in?


As mentioned earlier, this is the reason for having a number of pre-planned routes to your bug out location, to hopefully avoid some of the traffic, accidents, road blocks or other hazards that will be presented on your trip.  Stay off the interstates if possible, and have all the secondary and tertiary roads mapped to your shelter's location.


Also, personal communications bandwidth availability during an event that is causing a mass evacuation is notoriously poor.  This means that you and your fancy cell phone are going to have a hard time finding out if your personal bug out location is still secure and worth the risk in traveling to. 


Let's say that you just know, based on the location, elevation, terrain and distance of your bug out location that it will be safe when you arrive there.....the fact still remains that you have to get your family there in one piece before this becomes a viable option.  


You may have an occupied bug out location that you are heading to, ie: going to Aunt Edna and Uncle Charlie's house, and know that they are expecting you.  This can be more reassuring than heading to your "unoccupied" cabin in the mountains, which may have been taken over by squatters or looted before you even get there.  Remember Murphy's Law......  


So, you have an appropriate event occurring that calls for a bug out, you have an appropriate route to your bug out location pre-planned, and you have personal knowledge that your intended bug out location is secure and worth trekking to.  Now, to complete this maneuver properly, you must grab your bug out bag before leaving and take it with you.


What is a bug out bag?  In a nutshell, a bug out bag contains the necessary survival items that will sustain you and your family during the time of the crisis, or at least the time it may take for you to arrive at your bug out location.  


What exactly is in a B.O.B.?  There are a number of lists out on the internet to help provide some guidance in what to pack, and a future posting on this blog will address this issue from my point of view, but essentially you determine what you and your family are going to need and pack for it.  


A bug out bag should be provided for each member of your family, kids included, and can be more conveniently carried if it is a backpack instead of a duffle bag.  You need to remember that although you may have full intentions on driving the entire way to your location, events on your journey may occur that cause you to abandon your vehicle and complete the trip on foot.  Always plan for the worst case scenario, and you will never be disappointed.


If this has all sounded like a compilation of reasons not to bug out, you are correct.  In my opinion, in all but a select few situations, you are better off staying put (sheltering in place) rather than hitting the road and bugging out.  


This is due to the fact that most of the preparation you have done with respect to stockpiling food, water, weapons, ammunition and survival supplies has been done at your residence.  When you bug out, you are leaving most of this behind.  


If you have made all these preparations at your remote bug out location, God bless you, but you have to physically get there in one piece before they will do you any good.  The man who has placed all his hopes for survival at a remote location is really rolling the dice on whether he will ever be able to make it there to use them.


Again, for most people in most situations, you are better off making plans to shelter in place and provide the food and supplies you need at your home rather than bugging out.


A bug out bag(s) should be prepared even by those who plan to shelter in place, because situations are fluid and can change at a moment's notice.  Make both options available to you, but my advice would be to stay at home and defend the fort whenever possible.


Those of you who live in big cities may have great reasons for wanting to leave the area in an emergency situation, and I can understand why, but wanting to leave a major population center during a catastrophic event and actually pulling it off are two different things.


The best advice that can be given for this situation is to know your area, forecast the worst case travel scenarios that could occur during an emergency, have preparations (both B.O.B. & shelter in place) made ahead of time, and have several pre-planned strategies in place that you can utilize based on the specific details emerging during the event.


Bugging out or sheltering in place is one of the most important decisions you can make that will determine your odds in surviving a catastrophe......do not make either decision lightly, your family is counting on you.








LWM out.................