What if you HAVE to bug out? A mental exercise

Some of the replies to my post on the 3 day hike got me wondering about this.

Let me start by saying that I believe that everyone has to do what they feel is best when the time comes. What is right for you, may not be right for the next guy. All of us face different challanges when dealing with a crisis, children, elderly family members, personal medical history that is not compatible with buging out are all factors. Others feel that they have found what they need and are not budging period.

But what if you have to? What if the situation is such that your position is no longer livable?

No matter where you are at, there are a few disaters that could make you have to rethink your plans. So, what are you going to do? Where will you go? What will you take? And how will you get there? Are there any back up plans in case your primary plan falls thru?

You don't have to go into vivid detail, just give me the gist.

phishi

 

My first option would be aboard one of our company vessels, preferably the Lana Rose. There are adaquate supplies and fuel to manage quite comfortably for a couple of months, longer if suplimented with fishing and watch the fuel consumption. Boats offer a different set of parameters than most other survival plans and a broader ranger of emergency communications and response options. I will probably be responding to what ever would force my evacuation from my home, rather than fleeing.

 

I guess it would really depend on what it was, natural or manmade disaster or worst case of solid waste hitting the open air oscilator. If it was natural then bug out if I had to would be in laws. manmade would also work to some degree there but it would depend on what it is and if the winds can carry it.
Pretty much I have a different plan for each type of situation. The places remain the same but in different priorities. I also made sure that they cover the four points of the compass so I always have a safe haven no matter which way I have to roll.
I'm sure that it's not exactly what you wanted but I'm starting to go brain dead here and thats about the most I can come up with right now.
Take care Be safe Poacher.

 

My house is a Fortress. 1ST option is to stay put and hold down the Fort...

We have an outdoor kitchen with running cold water derived from a well on our property and using a Solar/Battery pump. Our house is on City Water. We also have a 600 gallon tank that we feed by the well. 6 5-Gallon LP tanks fuel the Gas BBQ and a Double Burner Stove. Our Solar/Battery system will power our Dish Network Satellite System and the Living Room TV, along with my CB Base and FRS/GMRS Base and several NiMH Battery Chargers. Our backyard is surrounded by a natural hill. Our large garden produces more vegetables than my wife and I can eat and we give away the surpluss vegetables to our coworkers. We have about 15 fruit trees on the property that bear fruit year round, due to the San Diego Climate. These fruits include Anna Apples, Guavas, Persimmons, Pomengranites, Lemons, Apricots and Calamansi. We have 2 large 7-Day BOB's in the trunk of the car and the last photo shows what I carry in my pockets. Ric

 

For me the big thing would be Macovelian (sp?) thinking. Basicly contengency plans for the contengency plans.

For my family we dont nessicarily drill the stuff but our first thing if something were to happen is to all get in one place. The primary plan would be to get home, if that isnt an option then we are to meet up at a friends about 5 miles away, if that isnt an option then we meet at a preset location 15 miles the other way and if none of these are at all viable then we meet at our primary bug out point about 100 miles away, though I do want to implement plans for a spot for a deadman drop for messages localy to use prior to heading there.

Once we all get together the primary plan and the one most energy goes into improving is to hunker down at home and just make some minor changes from present since we already do a lot of our own food and dont have security patroling for us. If thats not an option we have a the second meeting spot to head to, then our primary bug out spot 100 miles or so off and a secondary spot about 20 miles from there.

I figure if SHTF in any truely big way then Murphy will be ruleing the day and I try to be sure and have at least a couple plans ahead of him.

As to how we would BO it would depend on the options, preferably by vehicle by secondary hiways avoiding the main interstates, next by bicycle, then by foot with packs on our donkey or in a cart behind him and if ALL else failed then its walk or lay down and dont plan to lay down.

 

I would hope that we would be able to bug out with vehicles, given just a little advance notice. Two 4x4's and trailers packed to the gills with food, water, extra gas, 4-wheelers, motorycles, outdoor supplies, guns and ammo. I don't have a close retreat set up, although I could get to family within a couple of hours. If time permitted I could get to my family ranches in 8 hours on a good day, no telling what it would be like in a SHTF situation. I would need to rethink my avenue of escape to avoid the major thoroughfares that we tend to take. That would be a good mental excercise just getting out the maps and looking at alternative roads that would avoid all of the major cities. Preparing for flats (don't ask me as I just dealt with a situation there that I THOUGHT I was prepared for), carrying at least one extra jack, tire, etc. not to mention extra gas would reduce the load of things I would like to take. If we couldn't bug out in the 4x4's then bugging out in the fourwheelers hooked to trailers would be the next option. If we had to walk out we would be in trouble. We just aren't set up for it. I would need a couple of good backpacks, the typical BOB would be dramatically reduced, the ammo load would have to be incredible light, and forget about 7.62, it would be 5.56 all the way. We have water close by, so a couple of canteens and the Katydid, and the rest would be food, cloth diapers (which I need to pick up a few of) my little pup tent which we could all fit in, a change of clothes and a blanket or two to protect us from the elements. That is it in a nutshell, with the exception of some specifics like first-aid, leatherman, etc. With a small child and an infant or pregnant wife the going would be extremely slow, and we would be looking to hole up somewhere really soon. Where? Good question. Maybe down the road to see Ghostrider.

 

I have a few cache hideouts. The one lesson that I have learned in living most of my life on a boat is how much shit you really don't need. Rather than breaking out the tactical wheel-barrow, I tend to travel light. Good Shoes, clothing that doesn't stand out. I avoid every effort at looking like an armed refuge. Nobody can be completely prepared to hit the high road with what they can carry and survive for long without resorting to looting; just look at all those kind people in New Orleans. In a word, if it becomes a dog eat dog situation, the quicker to react usually eats first.

 

Another thing to consider (and I just got the supplies now need to finish it up) is that you may want to pick up a map for EACH BOB for each member of the family and be sure they know how to read it then highlight the route to your BO spots or at least to the area and maybe put some of the info in some kind of short hand they would understand on how to get there. If things get to the point in any kind of wide spread SHTF situation where you are FORCED to BO or if you happen to be out of town or detained for some reason when the rest of the family has to bug out or even the unthinkable and something happens to YOU in route and the rest of the family has to make it to you BO spot on their own then it would be bestto be sure they have a way of knowing how to get there and with the map as long as they know at least the basics of how to read it then they can also determin alternat routes if mandated. This could also come into play if another member of the family were away and has going tohave to meet up with you there as they could.

 

Bugging out here wouldn't be too bad, by foot. There are plenty of choices in any direction, except north to the big city, to disappear into the woods and survive for quite sometime, without packing a bunch of food and water. Food and water wouldn't be a high priority, unless we bugged out by vehicle. There is too much water here for us to be carrying it, same with food whether it's game, fish or vegetative (native and farm grown fruits, vegetables and grains). With 5 backs to carry the load, we can carry quite a bit in our packs. Bugging out by vehicle would just make life a little more comfortable.

 

Literature for the trip, since I haven't practiced all the survival skills in these books.

 

I guess I'm in a pretty lucky position, because I have access to infinite means of relocation. As a part time military guy, I'll either be at work, which means flying around the world in a strategic airlifter, or at my cabin in remote Alaska. While I'm an enlisted aircrewman for the military, I'm also a licensed pilot. I also have dozens of hours in my plane's flight sim, which is harder than the real thing, as well as plenty of time in UH-60 flight sim, of which there are 20 of them less than a mile from me (I used to be in that unit, and know how to access them in a DIRE emergency). I figure if the S REALLY HTF, then I could bug out from the city where I temporarily work, to my cabin ( I'm not an expert helicopter or heavy aircraft pilot by any means, but I think I could confidently get one to where I needed to go safely). Or, if the SHTF while I was actually working (flying) then I'd have anywhere from 4 to 11 flight hours to figure out where to go along with my crew.

I would exhaust every possibility to get to my cabin, as it is relatively secure, and offers sustainability. If I was already there, and needed to bug out, then I would be limited to how far a snowmachine, or Yamaha Rhino could get me accross the back country on a tank of gas plus a few 5 gallon cans. That would have to be a pretty rough circumstance however, since I really cant imagine what would make me want to leave my cabin.

 

Hmmm
Honestly, I hate to think about it!
It's gonna be another sleepless night, after I've read this and tried to think it through.
I'm already getting a migraine...as if my head wasn't in bad enough shape!
Ok,..... well from where I sit, I'm a dead duck!
No way out.
The highway is just about 100 feet from me, but "they" have recently put up some really cutesy 20 ft high walls, to keep the "sound" out of residential areas...Yeah I'm buying into that too!
That's why the walls are on the opposite side of the highway as well, and that's all commercial parking lots !
But IF I had the "TIME", and could get out, I'd go to my land up north.
That's not being very realistic, as it is a good 3 hours drive, uphill and I have to go thru several towns and cities....
Not a good choice as far as bugging out!
"IF" I had the chance, and the 'time' to get myself out, It would take me several hours to do so...ALL my supplies and equipment is in storage at this time, or I'd be living in the side yard, with the dog! Just too much to move. I'd need a CREW to load a larger sized, (24-26 ft), U-haul truck, then stop at another storage lot and pick up 1 of my 2 trailers, more than likely the 6 person travel trailer, than grabbing the utility trailer.
It would take me an estimated, (honestly now), about 4 1/2-5 hours to LOAD UP and get out of the area. to my safe haven.
That's being optimistic!
The pessimistic side says: at least 6+ hours...
The "realist in me says: I'd have to be out of my mind to try to do it all in 1 day!
(Now I'm going to my room and have myself a good cry!)
Bill

 

+1 on bug in, but if you have to bug out that's why I've a 3/4 ton pickup, with load A approx 700 mile range, in load A are bikes and a scout vehicle. If 4x4 down then goto bike or other vehicle and load B, attempt to cache remainder of load A if time allows. Continue on until arrival at long range bugout site(LRBOS) or death

If EMP then goto load B & scrounge for pack animals. Ouch that's a long bikeride/walk. Maybe able to barter for a ride?

Routes include highways, roads, railways, electrical powerline trials. "All roads lead to where ever you are, provided you are on a road". Lots of good maps.

looking to add 1 ton trailer and scout vehicle and extend range currently from 700 to about 1200 miles distance to LRBOS. So I'd have to scrounge or barter fuel or set up a cache now along the route. My load cap now will allow me to cary almost everything

 

Just the thought of having to bug out is scary as hell. Just thinking about what we take and don't take would be an internal struggle. My bug out location is a good 8 hours away on a good day. In a SHTF environment it would probably take days. I would like to split the load up between the two 3/4 ton 4x4's and trailers as best we could. If one became incapacitated and we had to leave it, then we would not be up sh*t creek with the other vehicle and trailer loaded with the same stuff. Mental exercises like this are really important so that we at least have an idea of what we need to do having thought the matter over before. It's going to be a shock, but at least we have thought about the issue in-depth. Like the 5 gallon gas cans. I have about 12-14 of the five gallon gas cans, and just bought four of the six gallon cans. That should be more than enough fuel to get me to wherever I need to go. When Hurricane Rita hit and millions were fleeing so many ran out of gas. They were not prepared for gas stations being out of fuel, nor for not having the fuel capacity to get to where they needed to be. Having that extra fuel could mean the difference between life and death.

While I was at the ranch a couple of weeks ago, I was talking about this with family, and we all have a lot of work to do.