Bugging In vs Bugging Out: Have you Planned for Both Options?
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Bug Out, Preparedness Posted by:
Rob Richardson
One of the most commonly asked questions that I receive has to do with the topic of Bugging Out. While some of our readers have managed to escape the trappings of the big city, most of our readers still live in highly populated urban areas. These are often the people who want to know how to Bug Out into the Wilderness once the SHTF.
Hold the crazy train, you want to do what?
While bugging out is a real possibility that you may some day face, I would never advice anyone just bug out into the wilderness. For even the most diehard outdoorsman, living in the wilderness full-time is something that most of us would never advise doing. In my opinion, you’re setting yourself up for disaster, and it’s not a realistic survival plan that anyone should have in mind.
Bugging Out without a Place to go is Not a Plan, It’s a Death Sentence!
In the event you ever have to get the hell out of dodge, you must have a plan of action. I hear way too many people saying they are going to “head out into the wilderness” once the SHTF; sadly most of these people haven’t spent a single night outdoors, and likely won’t last longer than 24 hours in a wilderness survival situation.
Are you saying there’s never a good reason to Bug Out?
Not at all; in fact, I think the people who swear they will “shelter in place no matter what”, are just as foolish as those who think they are going to live out some sort of extended episode of Survivorman.
The Pros & Cons of Bugging In vs Bugging Out
All too often I see people get hung up on the notion of bugging out. Many people foolishly put themselves into one of two categories, those that believe bugging out is the only answer, and those that say sheltering in place is the only way to go.
In my opinion, you must be prepared for, and thoroughly understand the pros and cons of both options.
Bugging out considerations: When Getting Out of Dodge is your only option.
The moment you decide to bug out, you must realize that you put yourself at immediate risk. Your safety and security, your ability to sustain yourself, and your ability to protect yourself from the elements are immediately compromised.
In my opinion, bugging out is almost always a worst case scenario situation. In order to do it right you must have:
- A detailed evacuation plan and you must know it like the back of your hand. This means constantly reviewing your route, practicing your get away, and knowing what things need to happen before you make the decision to bug out.
- A bug out location: Leaving without a place to go is not a plan. If you plan on bugging out, you need to have a predetermined bug out location or emergency shelter already in place. Planning on living in the wild, unless you are an extremely experienced outdoorsman, is a recipe for disaster. Wilderness living should only be considered if you have an adequate shelter already in place.
- A bug out bag filled with everything you need to make it to your Bug Out Location.
- You must know your routes, and you need to have a plan B, C, D, etc.. What if you’re route s blocked or impassable? Do you know how to find food and water along your route? These are all thing you need to consider and plan for now.
Bugging in considerations: Staying safe by sheltering in place:
If at all possible, sheltering in place is usually the safest option. First, most of your supplies are probably going to be at your primary residence. Second, in most cases you will have a higher level of security inside your home than you will traveling out on the street.
While sheltering in place is often the safest bet, there are some considerations that you need to keep in mind.
- You must always be prepared to leave. No matter how bad you want to stay, there will be times and situations that make it impossible to stay. If a category 5 hurricane is barreling towards your location, the last thing you want to do is shelter in place.
- Home security needs to be a top priority. The ability to defend your home, from those that wish to do you harm, is one of the most important considerations that you need to prepare for. From Realistic Self Defense Training, to fortifying your home, you must make home security a top priority.
- Neighbors may come knocking. During a SHTF situation, your not so prepared neighbors are going to be in panic mode. While most of these people might not pose an immediate threat, if things get bad enough those once nice neighbors will quickly become unpredictable. You must have a plan to deal with those that failed to prepare.
- If you live in a high density population center, you immediately put yourself in danger and make your chances of survival lower than if you lived in a rural area. While I’m not saying bugging in won’t work in an urban setting, it will become increasingly harder as the severity of the disaster increases. If you live in one of these urban areas, you need to seriously access your situation and understand the dangers associated with urban survival.
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Great advice, especially for women. It get’s a little old hearing from macho men who think they’re in a zombie movie.
Yes, I’m prepared to go if I need to but it’s the last thing I want to have to do. I guess it helps that I was one of the smart ones who left the city years ago, but you are right that even us rural folks have to consider we to may have to leave.
Question ?
What if you have to leave your home and your bug out location is compromised ………….(terroist attack)……ect. then what ??
… or there are squatters on your BOL property… I guess you have two options… 1) overpower them and take it back, or 2) find a new BOL
Well I’m no pillow pants so when the shit goes down i’m heading for the hills no matter what you say. If the natives can live off the land so can I.
I assume you mean Native Americans; if that’s the case, you might want to study up on how they actually lived. Not many of them lived alone in the wilderness.
Most of them belonged to communities (tribes) that looked out for each other. They also lived in either permanent or semi-permanent shelters.
There is a big difference from how they survived to the I’m gonna do it alone in the Wilderness attitudes that I see today. You also have to remember these people lived this life 24/7 from the moment they were born.
You will not know what night shade, poison oak, and the whole variety of poisonous plants will do to you.
But I’m betting you will learn fast when wiping with any poison ivy, oak, sumac leaves after the first time taking a dump with out toilet paper.
I’m trying to make a point with you know before you have to go whatbyour getting into.
I have studied the native americans way of life for years now an yes they did live in groups…. an even in a group its not easy..our forefathers traveled across this land in the 1700s an 1800s but they did it in groups from the trappers to the settlers..even the cowboys traveled in small groups….I’ve spent an expanse of time in the deep woods gathering knowledge of what it takes to live there…My latest adventure was 48 days an nights alone in campan at 48 years of age it was not easy..the reggers of every day work took its tollstaying dry gathering wood cooking hunting for food even fishing was a chore…but most of all just the kindles of being alone weights heavy on a mans mind you see man is a social animal as is many other creatures on the planet..Not having some one to talk to hurts your mind..I know..this being said whit all the chores to be done leaves little time for security letalone when you sleep….there has to be a group at least four more is better but that means more food the dalema???do as you wish for you see I know what it is I’m gonna do….
good artical tho….
The hard part here will be non-prepping family. We have a lot of family around here. Some will be ready. Some will be a drain on everyone else’s resources. But family looks out for one another. That’s how it works here anyway. Bugging out on a small scale would mean moving a mile or two down the road. Plenty of relatives’ houses to choose from. A medium range bug out would mean heading to a cabin out in the woods. Long range would be problematic since our geographically distant relatives all live in big cities, and those are bad places in large scale disasters.
I do not fancy heading off to try to live in the woods. Camping is great, but trying to survive out there would be grueling at best, and most likely end up in death. Assuming you have supplies, you’ll need to construct shelter, find a reliable water source, and food. Probably traps are the best way to catch animals. Edible wild plants aren’t too hard to find around here, but this time of year you could be dealing with snow and ice. If it weren’t for the cold, I think I’ve got enough skill and toughness to make is several days in the wilderness, but it would be unlikely to make it over a long duration. During Winter, I wouldn’t want to make any bets.
Bugging in is my hope (if any bugging needs to be done). But bugging out is still an option. Bugging way out (into the woods) is a last ditch, and strictly temporary, possibility.
“During Winter, I wouldn’t want to make any bets.”
“And pray ye that your flight not be in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.” Mark 13:18-19 KJV
Matthew 24:20
Bugging-In versus Bugging-Out decisions both have their advantages and disadvantages.
By electing to stay, you continue to have your same level of security and supplies… for a while. The more people within your ‘bug-in’ group the better for security. If you have a good relationship with neighbors around you can also improve your longevity; at least until conditions are approaching the ‘grave’ side of the spectrum for any member of your collective group.
You could ‘stay’ too long and conditions would no longer allow you to escape:
Official ‘road-blocks’ have time to be placed between you and your intended BOL;
Stranded vehicles block passage of the main roads forcing you to continue on foot (that includes bicycles and carts);
Alternate routes may take you through neighborhoods that have established their own local militia also prohibiting your passage;
You have depleted all your resources.
If you elect to leave, you need to consider all of ‘your’ options and obstacles. Being alone or just you and your significant other is easier to make a decision than if you have kids or parents that you care for.
Alone, your security becomes your biggest threat since you must sleep sometime.
Sound discipline is crucial when traveling with children if you wish to remain stealthy.
While carrying ‘everything including the kitchen sink’ may sound nice, your back and knees will probably give in before your mindset; you need to test your equipment and eliminate most of the ‘luxury’ or ‘comfort’ items.
In my mind, fortifying the home front is the first step. I live close to one of the few exits from my area and can observe the flow of any exodus. Being close to an exit increases the need for security as people leaving start to look at your place as that ‘last gas for 200 miles’ facility. On the other hand, being that close to an exit may allow you to get out ahead of the crowd.
Our early pioneers would gather at an exit point, i.e. Saint Louis, and create a wagon train with groups of families. I believe a bug-out situation would be similar where your extended family, so it may become, head out on a selected route with multiple vehicles; a scout vehicle out front with the main convoy and rear guard following. Having two-way radios would be a huge advantage.
We have already committed to the fact, that if we must bug-out, it will be a condition where coming back may not be a possibility so we bring what we can. We test our gear and skills in all seasons. We believe we are as ready as we can be, while still refining plans.
The scary part in my mind is the actual decision to leave; what if you leave too soon and it turns out to be a false alarm… your job may not be there when you come back. If it was not a false alarm, who cares about your job!
What if you wait too long and get stopped by ‘official’ roadblocks then shuffled off in masses to the local FEMA farm?
What are you going to do if there are squatters at your BOL? They don’t care if it is your property or not… haven’t you heard “Possession is 9/10 of the law”
Regardless of your decision to stay or go, if it comes to that ultimate decision it will certainly be scary times for more people than just you… and the Darwin / Spencer saying “Survival of the fittest” becomes reality.
Vaya con Dios
Nice. I was going to comment, but you covered all I would’ve said and much more. Thanks!
bugging in or out makes no differance to me i live in the rural part of california by the rubicon trail my idea of fun is shooting and blowing shit up all day and passing out in the dirt by the bon fire way i was rased and while 2-3 week would not be so bad out there 2-3 months would be a lot harder butt you can allways come back and scrounge for basic supplys if needed and theres going to be somany people that sad to say just drope dead in a time like this or get shot that out here in the wilderness we will have no short stock of supplys we all know each other and look out for each other espesally in what we call up country remember how many of you say your headed to the wood well not many where i live are going the let people flood up from sacramento and take over are natral resources not tring to talk shit just speaking truths
The danger for those of us living in a rural area is that neighbors and friends don’t live all that close by. Someday, we might be faced with hordes of city folk bugging out, many of them criminals with weapons. Will us neighbors manage to coalesce into a protective group fast enough to survive? I don’t see that living in a rural area necessarily would make self defense easier than living in a suburb or city.
I don’t believe that kind of desperation will take place till after the rapture…..
In 1977 I walked the Appalachian Trail alone. I met people along the way. Many nights I camped alone. Sometimes it was a good thing. The rest of those alone times it just flat sucked. I did not have a support crew. Fished when I could and carried a .22cal with cb and short.for small game. I had just got out of the USMC. You’ll want a team for Security.
We came to the conclusion a while ago that there is little protection in the open.
For our family bugging out is the last straw and unfortunately the loss of a lot of stores.
With that in mind, we’ll probably dig in until the last second (which will probably be too late anyway).
I liked your article. But like all the ones I have read before, they seem to be writen to those that live in the city or suburbs. I live in the country. I plan on bugging in. But if things get really bad, where do you go? All land is owned by somebody. It seems dangerous to tresspass. I really would like a bug out location but when your already in the country where do you go?
TO THE CITY OF CORSE…….
Should have thought of that myself.lol
There are thousands of foreclosed houses on acerage within a few hours of most cities. Every couple of months go to Zillow and make a worst case list of places, in case all else fails and you need shelter for a short period. Just make sure you leave it better than you found it.
That option is only a last resort. A better option is to find 5 acres, save money, and buy it. Then invite friends to camp and hang out there on the weekends.
One solution: make an inventory of nearby old mines. Join a local rockhounding group that knows which ones have bad air that will kill you, or learn form them how to get equipment that will enable you to detect bad air before it kills you. Learn how to keep from getting killed in the many other ways that old mines kill people, like those pits that look like they aren’t that deep but they suck you down like an ant in an antlion trap. OK, it’s a desperate solution, but you never know how desperate things might get. That was how my parents prepared for nuclear war — a relatively safe mine with a spring inside. Most mines have water, usually poisonous as heck, be sure to test it before drinking, or bring a reverse osmosis system to filter out the heavy metals etc. My parents planned to use bottled water for drinking, but that takes a lot of effort and planning to get it in place.
Excellent advice! I recently read about how some preppers are going as far as having a “lights out” weekend, where they turn the power off to their homes for an entire weekend to really test their skills and find out what they would need in the even their power really does go out.
I have not done this myself, but was curious if anyone else has.
We have been looking at it lately, take for instance that dorner guy that was killing the police, until they pinned him down in a house they didnt get him while he was mobile. Look at the little stick house you live in chances are its not made of brick but wood, it will burn, bullets will go right through it. Two neighbors could take you out one distracts you the other shoots you through a window your not monitoring. Or if they set the nieghbors house on fire you are screwed
I have spent lots of time out of doors but I was younger once missed the trail head coming back from a elk hunt spent the night up in the mountains, hypothermic I walked out the next day.
Now you have half the town out there with you there wont be game other than yourself people trying to take what you have. I can imagine trying to make it through the winter up here out of doors
My thinking the best bet is to know someone semi rural that might be interested in prepping make a plan, get your stuff there ahead of time so you dont show up as a free loader. Six families have a lot better chance than a lone wolf. Consolidate Ideas such as at least buy the same caliber of weapons so ammo is less of a problem. Train and cross train
Just my two bits I overheard the guy at seven eleven talking about it when I was standing in line to buy a bear claw
I believe the most critical time will be the first one or two months after shtf. By then, the weak, the unprepared, and the criminal will be largely dispatched, … There will then begin an attempt at reorganization of society. I am prepared for a year or more, but the first two months are crucial.
If you live in a culturally diverse urban area, I believe you are better off getting the heck out of town. Your chances are better in a rural area to be able to create a safe haven.
I have no choice but to “bug in”. My health would keep me from being able to hike any distance and even if I knew a group of people that would be willing to take me on for my knowlege rather than being able to do anything physical I wouldn’t put them in the position of having to put themselves in harms way for me. Scarey but a fact of life. If the SHTF I’m probably not going to be a long term survivor.