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Bugging out has become quite the norm within the prepping community, I myself have thought about that being a viable option, but this is something that I don’t think many people actually thing about when considering it.
There are pro’s and con’s to each and that is what I want you to understand here today!
We often think that we are more capable than what we actually are. I know its a slap in the face to most, but it’s true. We all have weaknesses and we don’t all realize them. I know that I’m not perfect as well.
- Lone Wolf!
- Bugging out with Family or a Group?
- What do I think is a good reason to BugOut?
- Why would I want to bug in?
Lone Wolf!
We have all watched the movie’s, they are quite entertaining after all! Things can be deceiving though.
There are a lot of aspect’s we don’t consider, the biggest one is family. I’ve seen a lot of family men say they will go out by themselves and be a lone wolf. This to me is very unrealistic. You mean to tell me you would just up and leave your family? I think not.
If you are single then I can understand your reason’s for doing it, but before we decide it’s the best thing to do, take these into consideration!
Food and water!
With it only being you, you won’t need to lug around a bunch of food and water, but that also mean’s that you will need to obtain it along the way. Do you feel confident enough that your snare will make do?
Once SHTF, a lot of folks would go to the woods and hunt their food, in season or not. The wildlife population would last for a month or so I would imagine but after that, things will start to become scarce.
Your body would still need about 1700 to 2200 calories a day to stay in peak condition. Even though you can technically last 3 weeks without food, most people after 3 day’s will be very drained.
Water on the other hand won’t necessarily go scarce, but it could become contaminated upstream! You should always filter water or boil it before you consume it! Failure to do so can make you very sick!
Imagine having the Hershey squirts for one week without a shower! This does not sound fun!
Exhaustion!
Think of the amount of weight you would need to carry on your back. Have you already got your bug out bag ready to go? When is the last time you have took it on a 20 mile hike through the mountain’s or even through a park?
Did you have any issues at all? Any lower back pain, feet or leg cramps? Did you get too hot and start getting heat exhaustion?
While you went out, you didn’t have to worry much about other people when you slept right?
In a SHTF scenario, when there is no law, how do you plan on staying secure when you sleep?
You can only do so much, sure there are some who are insomniacs who don’t need much sleep at all but that isn’t the case for most!
You will slowly get more and more drained, having to do everything yourself can be very over whelming on the body. Even if you are in great physical condition, you will eventually get exhausted plus this can be very bad for your mental health!
Even though you don’t currently have any mental health issue’s, you very well could develop some after SHTF!
Once we are exhausted we start making mistakes. Those mistakes could cost you your life!
Finding or making a shelter!
This is something that would possibly be easier being by yourself, but it also has its drawbacks. You can hide by yourself in relatively small quarters, but adding another person in the mix can make things difficult.
Even if you have a tent, how long will it last? Do you have multiple patch kits? Tarps fail as well. Eventually you’ll have to find solid shelter, unless you want to just brave the element’s, but that isn’t very good for your health!
Are you going to have the energy to continue pitching a tent and packing it up almost every day? I don’t see the point in bugging out just to stay in one place for an extended period of time. So you would be moving often.
Bugging out with family or a group?
Your chances of survival go up when you’re not having to do it all by yourself.
If you have a BoL (Bug out Location) set up already and good to go, your chances are much higher!
With a group you have more protection! You can actually get some sleep and not have to worry so much about someone coming up on you!
Weight Distribution!
The more people you have in your group, the more weight that can be carried throughout! Also keep in mind that with more people, you’ll need more supplies.
If you have little one’s in the group, let them carry a little bit of the weight as well. It’ll make them feel useful as well as tire them out!
Don’t over load the kid’s though. Just have them carry light loads!
You also should consider that its safer for everyone to have a little bit of every thing. Things like basic medical supplies or trauma kit’s, you don’t want just one person to be carrying them.
What if something were to happen to them? They could lose their pack or worse they could go floating down the river!
Dividing up some of the medical supplies could just save the lives in your group!
Doing the same with food can also help alleviate the weight. Just make sure that no one is carrying too much weight as this would tire them out faster than the others.
Power in numbers!
With more members in the group, you’ll be a harder target for those wishing to do other’s harm. Who would want to try to take on 5 to 10 people or more?
You’ll need to understand that with more people, that mean’s more rest stops. Not everyone can go all day without stopping.
You can get more rest when you’re with the group. It won’t take as long to set up shelter and take it down. Ultimately you’ll want to be headed to a BoL, otherwise you’ll run into other issues.
What Do I think is a good reason to bug out?
There are very few reason’s that I feel are necessary to bug out for!
Things like a chemical spill in the area that effects the air you breath, you will need to leave your house for that one!
If your house burns down after SHTF you’ll not have much of a choice if you lost everything.
Those are the only reason’s that I can think of that would constitute bugging out. Anything else is not beneficial!
Why would I want to bug in?
Safety would be the top reason! You are better protected from the elements and people wishing to do you harm!
Food and Water Storage!
You can have plenty of food and water stored around the house! Most have extra closet space and space under their beds to store supplies!
You should have as much food and water as possible! Remember that you’ll need to have at least .5 gallon of drinking water per person per day! I find it best to just go with a gallon of water per person per day, that way you can also do some basic hygiene and utensil cleaning!
You can have a Deep freeze that you can set up to run on renewable energy just in case the power goes out! The deep freeze will store a lot of food! They will usually last for a number of year’s!
You can already have your garden in place, so that you don’t try it when you actually need to rely on it!
Shelter in place!
You won’t have to worry about finding shelter with bugging in place! You can have protection from the element’s while also being able to use it as a tool for collecting rain water! You will need to check with local laws and regulations on this but after SHTF, who care’s right?
If you install a fireplace, you’ll be able to keep warm during the cold winter month’s. You can also invest in some wood that gives off less smoke! to help conceal your location!
Sleep in your own comfy bed!
Although camping in tent’s can be fun, or sleeping in a hammock, nothing beats the comfort of your own bed!
This can also help keep your mental health in check! Staying well rested does wonder’s for your body especially in high stress environment’s like a post apocalyptic world!
All in all if you can stay in and not have to bug out, that would be your best bet. Although others might think differently, you need to do what you think is best for you and or your family! Bugging out is not a long term sustainable option!