Posted: 8/3/2008 10:56:52 AM EDT
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This is my first post so I figure i may as well jump right into the fray! What I'd like top know is where do people think they are going to "Bug out to" if SHTF? I can see the necessary preps to get home. But these BOV, BOB scenarios seem like a head for the hills theme. If you already have a place there, then again, it's to get home. Otherwise there's gonna be an awful lot of folks running around the national forests or farmers fields. (An farmers ain't gonna like that too much.) I've always felt you should stick to the places you know best. I have had survival training both military and "unconventional" in the civilian world. It's harder than most think. Lastly, in the event of TEOTWAWKI I can see heading for remote mountainous regions but only if you've trained in those areas to survive in the primitive sense which most aren't prepared to do. What am I missing here? Rafter |
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I agree with you in theory, but I think you are missing one important point. The majority of those in this site who talk of bugging out are referring to going to a predetermined location. This location is most likely pre-stocked with supplies. This could be a summer/vacation/hunting cabin or the "family farm". The decision to "Bug Out" to this location would be made when it was decided that one's current home is untenable, and it's time to go. The idea of just "heading for the hills" to live off of the land is also known as becoming a refugee. This is NOT a preferred option for anyone who has though out the concept much... Welcome to the forum... |
| "Bugging IN" or what I call hunkering down and riding it out is far and above the most prefered option for me, and by far the most likely given any level of threat assessment. "Bugging Out" would only come into effect if we had to evacuate, chemical spill being the most likely as their are some very active tracks only a mile or two from the house. We camp quite a bit, and being ex-military I like to have all of my grear clean, serviced and "kitted" so I could have the camper loaded and be ready to go quite fast, and if thats not quick enough, load the car and we have 2 very large tents in the garage as a backup. As to "where to go" - in event of a chem spill or something really nasty near Nashville (about 35 miles WNW) my answer is either south or east. We move farily often so I don't have a BOL, but a camper with a decent generator gives us alot of options. |
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Whitewater, your not missing anything at all. Heading for the hills is a good idea for a flood, but not for SHTF or TEOTWAWKI. Trying to live off the land would be very difficult, especially when lots and lots of folks are trying the same thing. Hungry people don't make good neighbors when your all after the same food! Most of us have BOL to go to. The only reason I have a BOL is the fact that one house is easier to maintain than two. I will be taking care of people in two locations so consolidating during a really, really bad crisis is alot easier to do. You are also correct in the idea that I will be home when I get there! The house I live in is nice and cozy and will get us through just about anything. Once something worse than "just about anything" comes along, our family will pull together to get thru. |
Welcome to the Site I live out in the country, there is many hills and woods right here in my back yard, I will hunker down here. If I have to hide there are a few caves/river holes that barely anyone around here knows about because a lot of City people bought property around here and never walk it or visit it so us "Hilljacks" or "Hay Seeds" that grew up here know the land very well. Where in Ohio are ya from WWR ? |
| You guys are lucky, I live in Phoenix, and there's a not a whole lot of places to bug out to. Not to mention that an accident can gridlock our freeways for hours, so any kind of catastrophe and you're not going any where, any time soon. My plan is to bug in if possible, and then when I need to move, I'll move. |
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bugging in is not a bad choice depending on where you live. if your in an apartment, or MAJOR metropolitan area (houston, chicago, new york city, atlanta, los angeles, etc) it's probably to at least consider leaving. mainly cause all the sensible people will be leaving all the riff raff to pester you if you decide to stay. an apartment in one of those cities would be very hard to defend imo. me, i live in a city of about 700k. it's pretty well spread out. i'm starting to take measures of defending it at all costs. I'm looking into various types of fencing, and so far i think the privacy fence with some dense shrubry is probably the way i'm going to go. i was thinking about doing a 8ft tall concrete/brick wall, but the price tag on that was going to be well over $10k. the front yard will be very difficult to defend, as i can't exactly set up sand bags in advance without tipping off the neighbors. so i think some raise flowerbeds might be in the works. keep in mind though if your going to bug in, your walls will be easily penetrated by 5.56 or a 7.62x39 round. if they can't shoot you out, they can always burn you out. |
 Being the Buddhist I always want the cause to the effect. What would cause society to fail so bad that it failed ... yet wouldn't destroy the planet? If it gets bad here I'll go somewhere else that it's so bad - radiated, poisoned, liberaled, flooded, hurricaned, tornadoed, or earthquaked and start living again. There's nothing so special about the plot of dirt I squat on that makes it worth sitting on while the waters continue to rise. People are important and there's always going to be somewhere better off to go once the SHTF if one is able to. It's nice to have a nest egg that can help out if one has to relocate as are marketable skills. |
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At a certain, to be determined point, I'd probably bug out to my parent's farm. I figure I'd be better off on a working farm than on an acre and a third. I don't think that I'd be able to sustain any type of life style here long term. Probably get together a convoy of other people I know that'd be heading to the same area and drive the 70 miles, if possible. |
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If you do not have a BOL yet, one easy way to establish a temporary one for little cost is to buy an inexpensive (around $1500 or less) travel trailer, and find a small RV park to rent a lot in on a yearly basis. Many will let you rent a storage spot very reasonable, then you move into a regular spot with hook ups when you visit. Not perfect, but they tend to be filled with better than average folks, fairly secure, and have ponds for fishing, etc. And the travel trailer is a get, quick way to get started and meets a lot of needs. |
The effectiveness of various BOLs is highly dependent on what you envison having to bug-out from. Something like Detroit68, where big cities are burning but the grid is still up and law-and-order are still the norm in most places makes southern Ohio a great location. However a TEOTWASKI (total FUBAR) is another matter. The rule-of-thumb is no closer than a tank of gas from any large city -- which eliminates just about everything in the East. West Ver. say in the hills near Senica Rocks might work, but that is one of the few places East of the Mississippi that I might consider. You are looking for a place out of the normal traffic flow lines. Lots of snow in the winter and long narrow winding roads as the only access, with lots of trees than can be felled across those winding roads. |
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think I'll head to walmart.... roflmao. I always had it in the back of my head that if folks thought the BOL was so much better in an emergency, then why the hell aren't they living there now? ;) enjoy your lives folks, it's not all about tinfoil hats and $.09 tuna (with coupon). Be prepared as you live, but LIVE dammit. *this message brought to you by the "semi-tinfoil hat association" 
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If you Hike, Camp, Fish, Hunt, and enjoy the outdoors, preps have a way of resolving themselves :) If I get a BOL anytime soon, it will be used weekly for fun! Skip 1 family trip to Disney and you can afford a lot of long-term preps! ETA: To clarify:) 1000-2000$ spent on a weekend is insanity, that pays a year of payments on a BOL, the ATV, the camper, and/or other fun...that I plan to use every weekend! |
| Living on LI, I don't have much of a choice except bugging in. Not a chance in hell I'd be able to leave for a while unless I had a boat, which I don't. The houses here are only seperated by a driveway so I would imagine trying to defend my home would be quite difficult. |
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Very astute first post! I agree with you 100%. It makes no sense to leave home unless home is in some downtown homey ghetto slum where you're gonna get whacked if SHTF. My preps are at home. My family is at home. I know the terrain around my home. I know the people around my home. I can readily defend my home. Personally, I think that "bug-out" is some Tapco-ized mall cop ninja fantasy. Be practical, folks. |
Outstanding! The point most people don't realize is farmers aren't going to convert to camp ground managers, the state parks can't handle all the people that would want to BO there. Sure, some people are really setup to go remote and go for the long haul. Most aren't. Remember in a real SHTF scenario: If ya' get down to just a pistol to defend your life...your shit's weak. If ya' get down to just a tent to live in...your shit's weak. If ya' allow yourself to become a refugee...your shit's weak. It's good to prepare for a rainy day but don't forget to spend more time playing with the kids and romancing the wife while the sun's shining today! |
Mine is as well, but I still find it practical to have an alternate location planned ahead in case home becomes unihabitable. |