BUG OUT THE HARD TRUTH

 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