Bug out/Prepper Questions

[twin40fives]

I've listened to, and rationalized both sides of the emergency situations of having to "bug out". Some would prefer to dig in, while others are gonna grab their s#%t and go. I'm temporarily relocating for my job for about 6 months, and my guns and ammo are coming with me. As I'm packing this stuff, I keep thinking about the impracticality of toting it all in a real emergency, particularly if you're on foot. Forget about it!

For those who may go mobile, have you thought about what, and how much guns and ammo you plan to take? Until tonight I thought "take everything", but the ammo in particular is very heavy. I'd like to hear your thoughts and ideas for a situation like this. Thanks

 

[hdfinder47]

We are older and will have an extended family of 14 to absorb so we will have to dig in. If whoever's military comes, we'll either march quietly to the camps or die quickly from long range ordinance.
If societal breakdown occurs, we are fairly well prepared to shelter in place and not have to worry about what to take.

 

[johnnyflake]

My friends and neighbors, will stand and fight, from where we are. We have access to everything we need, where we are, and you can't bring it all with you. Bugging Out makes no sense to us!

 

[Model29Lover]

My friends and neighbors, will stand and fight, from where we are. We have access to everything we need, where we are, and you can't bring it all with you. Bugging Out makes no sense to us!

I second that

 

[Murdock]

My reasoning has been that in a SHTF situation living in a small town where everyone knows everyone else has better survival potential than running into the unknown to face chaos. A mix of skills in the community and a sense of shared adversity count for a great deal. We are not designed to survive alone.

I too work away from home quite a bit, but I have a "get home bag" good for 3-5 days rather than a bug out kit.

There are things more important to immediate survival needs than guns and ammunition (e.g.; clean water, shelter, heat, caloric replenishment, communication/signaling, emergency medical management, etc.).

Sure, provide for personal security and defense, but don't over burden yourself with it. A concealable sidearm with one or two reloads and a magazine-fed carbine with a bandolier of ammo will be all I would consider, so that I could manage the really important stuff.

And once you are one foot, (see photos of the highways in Atlanta during last year's "Snowpocalypse") how will you carry what you need?

 

[forrestinmathews]

Murdocks post makes a lot of sense. I have been doing some winter backpacking of late. My gear which includes a tent, stove, sleeping bag, food (several days), water (1.5L), a change of clothes, first aid kit, and an E-tool...weighs about fifty pounds. I can move about three miles an hour average in mountain terrain. Add 15 pounds for a carbine and ammunition and that speed is surely going to drop. Forget carrying multiple weapons. A pistol and a rifle with a few reloads is going to be it. You'll need things to help you live days and carrying too many guns actually lessens that chance by limiting your mobility. Also you're going to fight whomever you come across if they are hostile and they choose to engage you. You sure as heck aren't going to out run them. You'd do best dividing up your gear amongst a few people to lessen the load, split up the survival chores, and defend the group better.
Just my thoughts. Carry as much as you want.

 

[The Big D]

Oh, my; here we go again.

For all you doomsday preppers and bug out baggers: Where are you going? Don't come to my 'hood.

I am NOT taking you in. We very obviously don't think alike.

Be safe.

 

[EugeneNine]

To bug out or bug in depends on the situation. If your house is on fire bug out, don't stay in there and burn. To be well prepared is to plan for either.
I prefer to have a layered system. My CCW is first in line with a spare magazine then the BOB has 4 more spare magazines. The BOB is the first to grab then the bigger pack goes in the bed of the truck. That has more ammo and the AR7 and .22lr for it. Should we be forced to switch from truck to foot my two packs can be combined into one.

 

[Lycan]

It's also very dangerous to think that your "community" or neighbors can be completely trusted...I don't care how well you know them. Don't think for one second people won't choose self-preservation or the safety of their kids over a sense of "community" or loyalty. In really bad circumstances, when it comes to pure survival, they will look at what you have as theirs very quickly. The only ones you can really trust are "close" family...and then there are exceptions. So basically, you will be better off NOT sharing with other what you have or what you can do because you may very well be putting a target on yourself and your family. It's sad that it usually is that way but it is also human nature at it's core.

As far as bugging out goes, I think it's better to already have an alternative location set up if possible that already has essential prepper materials, ammo, guns, etc. I realize that isn't always possible, but it give an effective "bug-out" alternative without the burden of transporting hundreds of pounds of material at a moments notice if the need arises. Again, don't advertise the location or it could very well turn into someone else's location and supplies before you can get to it.

It's people's mouths that usually get them in trouble. Bragging about how ready you are or what you have is the same as inviting someone else to take it.

 

[shouldazagged]

In the unlikely event that the excrement hits the fan on a catastrophic scale before I croak, I'm not going anywhere without a valid evacuation order. Period.

 

[s&wbest]

I live down wind from Chicago. If a terrorist dirty bomb larger American cities bugout may be a reality. My closest interstate is also southbound from Detroit. My car is good for 300 miles without a gas up. Without a car movement further south may only be 10 to 80 miles a day on foot or bike. I have seen INCH bag list that advocate an ammo list that weighs 90 to 120 lbs. The reality is you may start out in a vehicle but once that is no longer functional due to no gas you are stuck with a very limited radius. Being stuck in an interstate highway traffic jam could limit your distance further. Not knowing the afterlife of an airborne fall out situation I guess that you may be at least a month or more away from going back home if you are lucky enough to have a small event. I would think that hitting the road on foot and not being rounded up by a martial law decree would not allow you to camp in the nearest national forest. I hope to make it to friends homes in a 250 mile radius and hopefully out of any down wind situation. I am more worried about refugees from Detroit and my greeting from locals on my way to my destination. I would expect to be viewed as a danger if walking down the local road with an Alice pack and a carbine slung over my sholder. That is why I am planning different levels of gear for car, bike, on foot, and urban stealth. You can't take it all with you. You can't walk around looking like a sweet target for someone who only packed a pistol.

 

[John R]

For all you doomsday preppers and bug out baggers: Where are you going? Don't come to my 'hood.

I am NOT taking you in. We very obviously don't think alike.

Be safe.

I think your safe.
No one in their right mind would head to Maryland.

 

[Beachcomber]

If I had to decide whether to bug out or stay put... I would have to agree with what HDFINDER47 said due to my age and my local family ties. (Not to mention... I have no place to bug out to... so by staying put I do not turn into a refugee.)

In your case, where you are/will be temporarily assigned to another location, I would carry a handgun of sufficient size & caliber to meet my perceived needs (a duty sized handgun in my case) with at least three reloads (magazines/speed loaders) and a box of cartridges. The caliber I would chose would be of sufficient power and would be readily available in a normal, every day economy. (9mm, 38/357, 40S&W, 45...etc) By having a caliber that is readily available you stand a better chance to acquire your ammunition should you have to resupply down the road. (You can bet it will be much more expensive at that time.)

In the event that I did opt to "bug out" and had very little hope of returning home... I would add some form of a rifle (AR, AK, M1A) to my equipment to have during the long haul.

...

 

[firebreather]

Due to physical limitations my options on "bugging" out are different than they were 20 years ago, then I could have humped a 200 lb. ruck and just been tired at the end of the day, it would take me an hour to walk a mile on level ground now. I now either have to leave early and abandon everything my wife and I have worked for all our lives, or pretty much wait until I'm forced from my home and unless the place is on fire that'll take some doing. My advice to anyone on "bugging" out is:

1. Never leave a place of safety for an unknown destination. Prep your destination BEFORE you need it.

2. Have more than one destination and more than one route to each.

3. Be prepared, both gear wise and mentally, to fight your way to your destination. Sometimes being obviously willing to defend yourself will avoid confrontation.

4. Make a plan and keep your mouth shut about it's details. If you run your mouth about your "safe haven" and stash you may arrive to find an unwelcome someone you've blabbed to sitting on your stuff.

5. Update your plan often.

Rob

 

[mtrvl]

Pack what you feel will keep you alive, with mobility. As for weapons, I will take the best knife I have(Falkniven) and a .22lr caliber rifle and pistol(or two).I can lug around a couple of thousand .22s, versus a couple of hundred .45s.But, just where is everybody going to "bug out" to? The end will simply be the end. Enjoy.

 

[Arik]

It's also very dangerous to think that your "community" or neighbors can be completely trusted...I don't care how well you know them. Don't think for one second people won't choose self-preservation or the safety of their kids over a sense of "community" or loyalty. In really bad circumstances, when it comes to pure survival, they will look at what you have as theirs very quickly. The only ones you can really trust are "close" family...and then there are exceptions. So basically, you will be better off NOT sharing with other what you have or what you can do because you may very well be putting a target on yourself and your family. It's sad that it usually is that way but it is also human nature at it's core.

This is second hand but a friend of mine who grew up in civil war has a completely different experience. Communities do band together for preservation. Everyone knows something and the group becomes one unit. Maybe not a 100% functioning unit but it was better than going it alone. Someone cooks, someone cleans, someone trades for suplies, someone guards. The lines were divided between religions and nationalities but not community. Preservation and safety of their kids was easier when multiple people were doing one task than if it's only 2 people for everything. Hard to watch your kids if you have to remove the daily excrement, patch things up, prepare food, watch the perimeter, find things to trade for..... Guns and ammo were always in demand but what was more important was running water and toilet paper along with disposal. Waste builds up fast and if not taken care of kills fast too. There is only so many holes you can dig around your property. Sticking together also goes beyond basic human nature. ..it goes to basic nature. Look at all other animals. They stick together because it makes them less of a target to predators and ensures the survival of the group.

 

[Waywatcher]

Bug in is superior--if possible.

A hurricane, an earthquake, a chemical spill, a flood, a tornado, a fire, all might make your current location uninhabitable.

 

[indiandave]

In a SHTF situation when you bug out, you better have a place to bug out to. If you don't, you become a refugee. Look how well refugees have faired in the past. Not to well.
I'm staying.

 

[MattNH]

I'm more worried about the kids getting home from school and me getting home from my office. One school for 2 of them is 5 miles away, other is 6 miles opposite direction. Two hour walk. My office is 15 miles from home, via highway, and one river to cross. That's a 6-7 hour trip on foot.

Bug out from home only if the area is uninhabitable. Everyone with a pistol and a rifle or shotgun. Wife and kids each get a Beretta 92FS, I take the Highway Patrolman. I get the Marlin 1894C, oldest boy gets the 870, the other 3 get Marlin 22's.

 

[Brian41]

My choice is also to stay put unless fire or something else forces me to leave. Then my first option is the woods out back and that could be rough. I probably shouldn't have sold my camper but do plan on getting a travel trailer.
When I was n Vegas last year my niece's fiancé showed me his gear to get out of town with. He had it pretty well thought out and is young enough to handle all that gear but at my age I couldn't. When I was his age my plan was to head to my sailboat a hundred miles away but the risk was would it still be there. Always helps to have a plan B in the ready. Mine then was my parents cabin 30 miles from there but even then what do you do when you get there and it's occupied?
I'm in the country and have good neighbors but who says they'll have room for us should we need it? Best to plan on staying right here in my circumstances and family that'd likely show up too.