Bugging out in the UK

[Medusa]

Bugging out for me would be a last resort. Our options would be camping. I am a keen camper but currently in Scotland with a tent (either mad or stupid). We have had bad winds, heavy torrential rain for 12 + hours, ice, hail, sleet and snow. It was minus 6 last night, we did have a form of heating and lots of wool blankets and can cope with this for a few days. Being forced to do it however for weeks, months on end is another matter.

[steptoe]

Bugging out for me would be a last resort. Our options would be camping. I am a keen camper but currently in Scotland with a tent (either mad or stupid). We have had bad winds, heavy torrential rain for 12 + hours, ice, hail, sleet and snow. It was minus 6 last night, we did have a form of heating and lots of wool blankets and can cope with this for a few days. Being forced to do it however for weeks, months on end is another matter.

Wow if your out camping in this mate you have a very big pair lol , i remember back in the day ringing mate mate on his mobile and asking where he was and he said come to the carp lake lol down i went and walked the lake to find him bivvied up and the kitchen tent in full swing with the breakfast and tea on the go lol , in the tent he had heating and tv and his 5 season sleeping bag and i kid you not the snow was a good 12" deep all round the bivvy he had piled the snow higher and said it is his own little igloo lol we sat there with a cuppa and a bacon butty watching the ducks on the lake lol .

I will say he did always tell me i am not a fishman i am a summer fisherman lol a really carp fisherman will sit the winter out round the lake in the hunt for the big one lol , i always said yes but i love my c/h and soft bed lol

[jansman]

Bugging out for me would be a last resort. Our options would be camping. I am a keen camper but currently in Scotland with a tent (either mad or stupid). We have had bad winds, heavy torrential rain for 12 + hours, ice, hail, sleet and snow. It was minus 6 last night, we did have a form of heating and lots of wool blankets and can cope with this for a few days. Being forced to do it however for weeks, months on end is another matter.

Wow if your out camping in this mate you have a very big pair lol , i remember back in the day ringing mate mate on his mobile and asking where he was and he said come to the carp lake lol down i went and walked the lake to find him bivvied up and the kitchen tent in full swing with the breakfast and tea on the go lol , in the tent he had heating and tv and his 5 season sleeping bag and i kid you not the snow was a good 12" deep all round the bivvy he had piled the snow higher and said it is his own little igloo lol we sat there with a cuppa and a bacon butty watching the ducks on the lake lol .

I will say he did always tell me i am not a fishman i am a summer fisherman lol a really carp fisherman will sit the winter out round the lake in the hunt for the big one lol , i always said yes but i love my c/h and soft bed lol

The carp fishing boys are fashion wimps. I am a hardcore river man ,rod,net,shoulder bag and a flask of tea!

[steptoe]

Bugging out for me would be a last resort. Our options would be camping. I am a keen camper but currently in Scotland with a tent (either mad or stupid). We have had bad winds, heavy torrential rain for 12 + hours, ice, hail, sleet and snow. It was minus 6 last night, we did have a form of heating and lots of wool blankets and can cope with this for a few days. Being forced to do it however for weeks, months on end is another matter.

Wow if your out camping in this mate you have a very big pair lol , i remember back in the day ringing mate mate on his mobile and asking where he was and he said come to the carp lake lol down i went and walked the lake to find him bivvied up and the kitchen tent in full swing with the breakfast and tea on the go lol , in the tent he had heating and tv and his 5 season sleeping bag and i kid you not the snow was a good 12" deep all round the bivvy he had piled the snow higher and said it is his own little igloo lol we sat there with a cuppa and a bacon butty watching the ducks on the lake lol .

I will say he did always tell me i am not a fishman i am a summer fisherman lol a really carp fisherman will sit the winter out round the lake in the hunt for the big one lol , i always said yes but i love my c/h and soft bed lol

The carp fishing boys are fashion wimps. I am a hardcore river man ,rod,net,shoulder bag and a flask of tea!

LOL your right on kit mate got to be the latest stuff lol , i will say my mate is total mad for it , being ex army he loves the time alone to and well winter is such a special time , these days i can not do the over night fishing well much fishing to be honest i do dabble in the canal at the bottom of the garden but my mate 2 weeks out in the snow lol he said it was like a wholke new world when he came home to heating and flick the kettle to boil and so on lol .
These days carping they have it all so easy to with the powerbanks and tvs and computers lol i remember when it was in the bag with a good book or if you was lucky you had a hand held donkey kong game or pac mac lol , on the note of the pac man i give you the daily laugh when i met my wife in 86's i was on holiday with a mate and his ister and her hubby came her hubby was so so funny and he had a hand held game i forget which but you could not turn the sound off so dinner it was bleep bleep ping boing you name it lol well we had all been out on the drink i took my then g/f of 3 days now wife home and came back to my mate say shhhhhh listen his ister and her hubby had the master bedroom and i kid you not we lay so quiet ti hear ping ping got you you little B***** now i am bringing the big one out lol and his sister saying in your F****** dreams go to sleep your drunk omg so funny now i think back to those days

[Peter]

In any bugging out situation if there’s bad weather, we must remember THREE HOURS WITHOUT SHELTER can be, and often has been fatal. I know my limitations and if caught out in a winter storm I would need more gear than I could carry (in a backpack) to survive. Bugging out on foot can not be taken lightly, forget moving to the woods or wilderness, all land is owned by someone anyway. The best BO bet is staying with rural friends, maybe with some space for a good tent or caravan, it must be pre-stocked with sufficient food, water purifier, a means of cooking etc then you still have to get there.

At our age we won’t leave leave the home we have been preparing for over forty years, where all our preps are, unless it’s life or death. It will be on four wheels, our bags will be more suitable for a hotel (or to friends) than the woods. However if we are away from home and TSHTF our car is well equipped, it may take two or three days to get back but we have shelter, food, water and cooking gear on board...........reverse bugging .

[Trig.Point]

I've been thinking about this for a little bit. If I had to bug out I wouldn't go far. I'd leave my (rented) home but unless there was some enviromental risk I'd stay in and around the area I know.

All I would want from my enviroment is clean water and fuel (dead wood). I have basic water filtration systems, so it just needs to be a flowing stream. I have food that should last me frugally for 12 weeeks (though I will have lot a few pounds at the end of that time).

I think at the end of that 12 weeks things would have settled.

[Frnc]

In any bugging out situation if there’s bad weather, we must remember THREE HOURS WITHOUT SHELTER can be, and often has been fatal.

Yeah, people have died of exposure in the summer in the UK, if trapped on a hill at night. Obviously if you get wet it's much worse. There are occasional very cold nights in summer in the UK.

Golden rule: don't wear anything made of cotton that might get wet. Synthetics dry way faster and don't absorb much water to start with. Wool's not so bad because it insulates even if damp. Down is severely compomised if wet.

Fleece is not too bad if damp and dries quickly. However they tend to be bulkier than insulated jackets and with a fleece you need a windproof jacket as well.

Insulated jackets (eg https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/men ... c-jackets/) I think are not quite as good as fleece if they get wet, or they may take longer to dry. However they can pack down small if needed.

Obviously you need a waterprooof.

[Peter]

The legend is -
Three minutes without air
Three hours without shelter
Three days without water
Three weeks without food

[Trig.Point]

The legend is -
Three minutes without air
Three hours without shelter
Three days without water
Three weeks without food

Regarding shelter, just having some sort of cover that was dry would suffice. As long as you have dry warm kit to put on at night then you'll be okay. The ability to dry out waterproofs, and wet clothing would also be handy.

[Frnc]

The legend is -
Three minutes without air
Three hours without shelter
Three days without water
Three weeks without food

Regarding shelter, just having some sort of cover that was dry would suffice. As long as you have dry warm kit to put on at night then you'll be okay. The ability to dry out waterproofs, and wet clothing would also be handy.

You can often dry wet clothes just by wearing them. Obviously don't try that if it's cold and windy. Say you had nylon walking trousers on, and they got a bit wet. In the summer I'd just keep wearing them, they'd be dry pretty quick. A lot of thru hikers actually cross rivers wearing mesh trail running shoes and just keep walking. In fact when I used to go hill walking I wouldn't wear waterproofs in drizzle in the summer.

Another thing to bear in mind is that in cold weather if you get sweaty that is dangerous as when you stop moving you freeze. So don't wear too much and wear breathable and have pit zips preferably.