Bugging out is a thing that is beat about on all
survival forums and magazines, either by truck or car or hiking etc. The one
question I always have about being on foot is, when is the last time you ever
hiked any long distance with 50 to 100 pounds on your back in the heat summer
or winter cold? Most will not be able to last a few miles. What about your
family? Being under stress will be a factor that you cannot ignore, plus at
some point you will stop and throw gear out of your pack deemed not needed
because it is too heavy to be worth it, or it is just worthless. I feel the
fantasy of bugging out on foot seems like a romantic adventure, that is the
lure of heading for the hills. Get out your bug out pack now and go for a hike.
Be sure someone can pick you up, I doubt you will get far. I know of a
few who could do it, but even they will have a tough time of it.
I love it when some writer says to get out ahead of the
crowd. What is your info source that will allow you to know you are ahead of
everyone else? You really have no more info than anyone else
and that’s the
hard truth. All roads are like a river with many side streams that add to the
flow. Everybody is not starting out from the same place, but feeding into the stream/road
at different places. Witness the roads we are seeing in Canada with all those
poor folks in a huge traffic jam. “Oh I know a short cut”, really? Well so does
everyone else, they have maps/GPS just like you, cars running out of gas, flat
tires,
overheating and other things that break you down are lurking. Wrecks
will be everywhere. Its bound to happen and no one to call to remove the wrecks
off the road. Nightmare alley is the name of the game. Panic stricken
drivers will make a lot of mistakes to be first in a race to nowhere. The
unlawful will most likely be around every curve looking for a pickup that is
loaded with gear, an easy to spot target. You might be a badass, but so are the
ones who will covet your gear and they won’t be alone.
Then there are people who will say “well I am living
in my bugout location”, by definition that is impossible. A bugout
location is somewhere else other than where you are. Think about it, no matter
where you are now that you think is a safe place you can be displaced by
events. Events like huge fire storms, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods to name
a few things that can upset your location. You always need a backup plan, but
it has to be viable for you to execute. Now is the time to check out how far it
is and what if someone else took over your bugout location before you secured
it. Oh the problems that you may have to deal with. A fire fight is really not
an option in real life, they are just
as desperate as you are. That leaves to
chance being killed, good guys do not always win. No one wants to chance being
killed or wounded that might lead to death. No matter how well one may think
they are off the beaten path. If there is a dirt road or a path that is a
problem in a large scale SHTF. If you are settled in have a few locations that
you can bug out to planned ahead. You most likely will not be able to really
defend your location against several bad guys. The bad guys are determined to
get you out and take your gear and maybe your life. It is much smarter to fade
away to another location. Know your AO ahead of time, explore while you still
have time.
I am just using common sense here and identifying some
problems. Remember the best plans happen really fast once they begin,
circumstances change in a unforeseeable manner. Be ready to shift with the
wind. I hope this will get you thinking about your bug out plans.
by Dude McLean
