bug out ,bug in

[PeteM]

Before bugging out, there's bugging in.

I'm perfectly happy camping, but what's the point of leaving four solid walls and a roof unless absolutely necessary? I'm prepared to get out, but things would need to be pretty bad.

[lemondrop01]

i am going to bug in if possible to start with but next year i am going to do a recce on a couple of locations i found on google earth and maybe camp there over night to get the feel of the places (people movement-if any,animal movement etc) then if one proves good make it a bug out location and store some caches of food/equipment around the area

[skaus84]

One thing to consider when bugging in is disease to to a build up of rubbish, backing up of the sewage system, or dead bodies if people were to die in the initial SHTF incident, being murdered for their supplies, or starving to death.

I would look to bug in until my supplies ran out, or until it was unsafe to stay in my home / the city. I know a lot of people believe that rural areas would become crowded quickly with people trying their hand at bushcraft, but I think if the SHTF incident was serious enough, then a large percentage of the population would end up dying in the first month or two, so natural food resources wouldn't become as scarce as some believe.

[Maddosammo]

One thing to consider when bugging in is disease to to a build up of rubbish, backing up of the sewage system, or dead bodies if people were to die in the initial SHTF incident, being murdered for their supplies, or starving to death.

I would look to bug in until my supplies ran out, or until it was unsafe to stay in my home / the city. I know a lot of people believe that rural areas would become crowded quickly with people trying their hand at bushcraft, but I think if the SHTF incident was serious enough, then a large percentage of the population would end up dying in the first month or two, so natural food resources wouldn't become as scarce as some believe.

I understand what you mean but have you ever been to some where, out doors say a national park at peak time in the season it's heeving. Im sure some of them people that are outdoors regularly would be able to survive, at least a little bit.

[gandelff99]

Bug in for a while for me i think,like a few of you have pointed out,logistically things will be a nightmare,assuming no ones knicked me car,or stole the petrol from the tan,also the roads would bi blockedk,i think strengthening the security of my home and keeping very low key until events dictate otherwise.
I store my supplies there and at a push could defend it single handed if needed.

I love my wild bushcraft skills but has anyone ever tried living off the land nowadays?
Unless you live near agriculturalfarms the sustainability and practicalaspects of surviving off what you can catch and eat is actually quite hard.I've tried snaring rabbits and game with little or no success, fishing...ha,waste of time...however the coast provides us with an abundance of resources often overlooked
The romantic notion of hunting deer,rabbit etc is quite an over estimated state of affairs.
Old school poachers (usually farm hands working the fields ) used to supplement there food requirementsfor there families,however nowadays its just too slim picking for the average joe bloggs.
Our attitudes have changed,as has our lifestyles,them old rogues sometimes went without but they had years of experiance often handed down generation to generation.
Anyway,I digress,the thing I'm saying is bug in,unless your confident that you can manage out there.
I think I could survive a while,but that's all it'd be...survival.

[hazzy]

I don't live in a large city so I will be bugging in also. Everything I need, stores and cooking facilities self defence items and tools etc. in the loft. The loft is insulated, can be blacked out and using smokeless fuel nobody would know I am there.

If the SHTF the entrance and exit points to any bug out space are the weakest parts. A loft has only one easy point of entry so can easily be defended. The loft ladder can be secured from the inside and also covered by a metal trap door above it. If someone is determined enough and decided to burn me out I could either knock through into next door or climb out of the sky light and escape using a rope ladder. If this fails I would have to use what ever I can to resolve the situation including "reasonable force". In case of fire I also have supplies hidden elsewhere.

I am sure the army would have brought law and order back within a month either that or most people will be dead, or too ill and weak to bother me. Also being part of a community such as this I am sure we would be in contact with each other locally and be able to meet up and help each other out.

[ynotshi]

bug in for as long as i can and stay invisable as i can, then go, because they way i see it most non preppers will head for the hills straight away beliving that most preppers will be there and will save them or go with the intent of finding all these stashes that the tv has told them that are there.
in the worst case lets say no power everything will come to a stand still, so with in a week lots of people would have died through no water /food and sanitation so disease would be a big problem, so you would try and keep you distance where as if you sleeping in the woods you more exposed to the now airborn infection. but saying that i would eventurly leave to find more food etc and other people to make new communities .
but saying that i am prepared to go at a drop of a hat, so in answer to you question it depends on the situation but would prefer to bug in

[redskies]

We are in the perfect bug in location. Food and water are sustainable and available, especially when I've got my seed bank and some stores up and running. The area is very secure (off mainland), and there's an excellent community which we're involved in. Unless the area itself becomes unlivable, there's no reason for us to go anywhere. On the other side of that, I can think of at least a dozen people who plan to head here should, in their words 'the zombie apocalypse happen'!

[gandelff99]

yep.totally agree,you can stay low profile in your homes for a few weeks at least,obvious stuff like(assuming the powers gone) having the curtains drawn,no powerful torch lights or tilley lamps burning away to advertise your prescence.

even smells,thinking about the obvious toilet wastage,bag it n bin it if poss,but even cooking smells can be carried on the wind,and you think on,hungry mob couple hundred yards away and your making a kick ass curry for you and your family...watch out,take pecautions,think in advance.so blackout blinds and curtains,maybe painting your lowers windows with paint,disposing of rubbish items away from where you bug in.old school spy tricks of cmmunication if comms are down with other preppers by using dead letter drops and chalk marks on walls to leave messages in pre determined locations,sounds too james bondish or tinker tiler soldier spy,?well communicationsare gong to be vital for the long term.


seed banks/window boxs can be kick started in as soon as possible,supplementing your dried and tinned foodstocks asap with fresh veg is a good excercise mentally and practically.
those living near waterways or rivers can start getting there fish traps out too.
i dont know if "many" people will f died in the first few weeks,i think we have to consider that given our island status and our old battle of the blitz stiff upper lip attitude many people will be alive,formed there own groups and inadvertantly become self made preppers..stands to reason,human nature,the inner ability to survive.
i think if the army or police havnt restored order then gangs would roam,inner cities would be no go areas for many so why venture out.

[redskies]

Inner city areas *shudders*

We lived in one. So glad we don't anymore! The logistics of planning for a bad situation in a place like that are just a nightmare.

Whatever way it goes, you're going to get roaming gangs knocking off folks supplies. Anything else is going to depend on how much warning there is. If there's a day or more, then I think a lot of folks will simply pile into whatever comes to hand and get the hell out. If there's no warning, then it's going to get bloody; I would have used whatever means necessary to defend my family, up to and including lethal force. Lots of others will do likewise - and I suspect the ones that don't will be the first to go. I suspect that for a lot, the veneer of civilisation is just that; a veneer. For a lot more, they're going to really struggle to defend themselves and their house, because that little voice in the back of their heads is going to be wittering about 'reasonable force' and 'illegal'. Those who can grasp the realities and react accordingly have the best chance of survival.