In the survivalist & prepping communities, there is always a lot of debate regarding whether you should bug out (leave your home with your family) to a remote location or shelter in place (stay home with your family). Bugging out has several advantages that should be considered under specific scenarios.
Checklist For Bugging Out…
1. Do you have a place that is safer than where you live/currently are?
2. Can you readily get to your planned destination?
3. Is your distant site protected and secure?
4. Is your remote site adequately stocked?
5. Will these supplies outlast your current stores at home?
6. Do you intend to pre-stage supplies? Consider the size and weight of the items you’ll need to bring. Food storage is bulky, and ammunition is even more overweight.
7. Is the disaster local, national, or global in scope?
Additional Bug Out Recommendations
Your remote site must be safer than your current one. Is it difficult to locate? Is it easier to defend if discovered than your current location? Just because you reside in a city does not mean that a trip to the country is safer.
You must be able to reach your remote location on less than a tank of gas. Travel time must be factored in. This is especially true if roads are congested or there are weather delays. Even so, your isolated location must be far enough away to put some distance between you and the threat. Bugging out to a remote place 15 – 30 miles away may be helpful in a WROL situation, but it is useless in a hurricane.
A bug-out bag usually contains three to five days’ worth of supplies and a few garments to get you to your bug-out site. You are to stay in your remote location for the length of the calamity. This could be an extended length of time. The majority of your supplies will be kept at your isolated location.
Is your distant location far from the threat to keep you safe? If you are fleeing a WROL situation, you should be in the woods at the end of a network of dirt roads. Your choice of place must be defendable.
Here are some things you should think about with your family:
Are you trying to get away from a hurricane? You’ll need to put a lot more distance between yourself and the storm’s route.
If the crisis is regional, how long do you think it will last, and how severe will it be?
Is the situation a national or global disaster? Will you be any better off bugging out? You might be better off staying at home and waiting it out.
Most families do not have a distant bug-out site or shelter, as most can’t afford to build one. Instead, construct or turn your house into a haven in the event of a tragedy.
Considerations for Shelter-in-Place
Staying at home may be your best bet. You need to figure out this with your family – what are your best viable options? Here are a few things to keep in mind that may assist you in making your decision.
Do you possess any land that might be used as a bug-out location?
Do you have the funds to build a defended, fully furnished second home?
Can you safely and swiftly reach your remote location?
Is your health such that you could reach your remote location if you were stranded somewhere along the way?
How far can you hike while carrying a load?
Is the calamity local, regional, national, or global in scope?
Additional Considerations for Your Shelter-in-Place
To develop your bug-out spot, you must first own property and then have the funds to build and stock your distant shelter. Then you must be sure that your faraway site will be available when you arrive. Others may take over or steal your supplies even before you arrive if they are found.
Your personal or family’s current health issues may also be a deciding factor. Try registering for a 5K marathon and see if you can merely walk it. If you can comfortably complete it, consider that you’ll be carrying a backpack with supplies for yourself & maybe kids, etc. It may change your mind. For most families, staying at home is a natural choice.
This decision will allow you to concentrate your efforts in a single area and devise a strategy that does not involve leaving or carrying supplies between locations.
Considerations for Without Rule Of Law (WROL)
Are you going to want to be transporting goods in an actual WROL situation? How large of a truck full of supplies or a car pulling a trailer will you be?
This last statement is quite important. Marauders, gangs, and even lone wolves will be hunting for easy meat in a WROL environment. If you’re walking with a pack, you’ll be a target for someone hunting for supplies.
In a WROL situation, prepare your yard to appear as if your house has been looted. Place debris in the yard, furniture, and even trash to hide your residence. These will give the impression that your home has previously been inspected.
Turn off your lights at night to give the impression that no one lives there. Do everything you can to give the impression that no one is at home or you have anything worth stealing.
How long do you think the emergency will last? If there is a regional, national, or global emergency, you are usually better off staying. You may even be in greater danger when you are not at home.
What Happens If You Have to Leave?
If you stay, there may be a disaster that will virtually certainly kill you. Wildfires, category five hurricanes, flooding, or if your primary house is damaged are all solid reasons to flee or bug out.
If one of these disasters occurs, causing you to leave your home, you will also be forced to abandon most of your supplies. You cannot bring your complete supply inventory.
Make a strategy to load and depart in a short period. Assume you have 15 minutes. Your plan should include a list of critical goods such as shelter, food, weapons, clothing, and medical supplies. Prescriptions and other essential medical supplies will also be included.
Experiment with loading your supplies into your vehicle. Make changes to your strategy based on the amount of space you have in your car. Make the most of every available area in your vehicle. Remember to have the materials you’ll need right away handy.
