Hi, I'm very new to this and would just like some advice on what everyone would recommend I should have at home if I was to bug in. I have 2 small children under 4. Looking for ideas on food, water, protection, clothing etc. Thank you
Bugging in
- Thread starter Esme80
- Start date
Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:
Here is a starter article for you with ideas and links to other ideas for how to prepare to bug in: http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/preparing-to-hunker-down-in-place/
Jontte, I live in North Carolina in a very rundown area on the edge of a town of 50,000 in a county of 120,000. Bugging in is not feasible for me here. It's too dangerous.
I'm pretty glad we don't have big citys like London,New York or Los Angeles here in Finland, my capital Helsinki has about 600 000 and with the surroundings about 1 mil people..there are about 7 major exits out,some smaller..it would be bugging in at first later sneak my self out
FOOD - Ideally, some source of renewable food is always good. A small garden, etc. Even chickens and rabbits can be kept in the city. But all of these require a level of upkeep too. Storage wise, get some good buckets that accept gamma lids, some mylar bags, and store: Dried pasta, cereal, rice, dried beans, mashed potato flakes, dried corn, flour. Have bulk spices, powdered milk, powdered cheese, powdered butter (as normal versions won't store long). Stock up on canned foods (especially those that require little to no actual prep). MREs or Dehydrated meals are great (but expensive). I recommend these only for a "to go" kit.
WATER - Again, a renewable source is great. A rainwater catchment system is usually the best way to go for home, and having some stored water in drums is a good idea (even for temporary emergencies). Flats of bottled water are great too, for drinking purposes. There is one great product I've seen, that is a plastic bag that fits in your tub, that can be filled for emergencies. This is great to have if you have some warning and know you may lose water soon.
PROTECTION - A good pistol and long gun for every adult in the house (with appropriate safety features for the kids). At least 1000 rounds of ammo for each weapon. Granted, these are expensive, so cheapest and most encompassing option is a shotgun or two (and easy to find ammo for them). Also, don't need to be a marksman to hit your target. Additionally though, a good sturdy bat is handy.
CLOTHING - Should have clothes already, but may want to have at least a few outfits for the kids, to allow for some growth. How long and how many depend on your storage space, but thrift shop and save for these. Be sure to have multiple shoes too.
MEDICINE - Stock up on all medicines and medical supplies.
here is my list, I tried to break it down for your situation (kids) If you can bake from scratch this should help if not, then disregard some items in the list and substitute, I broke my inventory list from a year to 3 months though my list is more for adults I substituted some in this list to accommodate for your kids, the list is set for 4 people, I hope it helps.
3 months 4ppl (adults)
water 360gal
wheat 100lbs
flour 60lbs
rice 30lbs
oats 15lbs
spaghetti/macaroni 16lbs
corn meal 3lbs
pancake mix 6lbs
cold cereal 24lbs
white sugar 40lbs
brown sugar 8lbs
powder sugar4lbs
honey 8lbs
corn syrup 16oz
jam/jellies 128oz
jello 24oz
pudding 24oz
pancake syrup 128oz
powder milk 16lbs
evaporated milk 4 cans
cooking oil 96oz
olive oil 32oz
shortening 4lbs
mayonnaise 64oz
peanut butter 112oz
canned butter 48oz
chicken 24cans
spam 24cans
tuna 48 cans
beans/lentils 20lbs
canned beans 48 cans
applesauce 12 cans
raisins 64oz
vegetable 48cans
patatoes flake 16lbs
yams 6cans
canned tomatoes 24cans
tomato sauce 48cans
tomato paste 24cans
spaghetti sauce 104oz
baking powder 20oz
baking soda 16oz
salt 2lbs
yeast 16oz
powdered eggs 1lbs
baking cocoa 20oz
cornstarch 16oz
lemon juice 16oz
vinegar 32oz
bouillon chicken and beef 16oz
vanilla 16oz
any spices you want
chocolate/baking chips 4pkgs
dry onions 16oz
cooking spray 4 cans
corn muffin mix 4boxs
brownie mix 4boxs
stuffing 4boxs
potatoes/scalloped 8boxs
tang 6lbs
hot cocoa 6lbs
apple/fruit juice 12(64oz)
BBQ sauce 32oz
ketchup 20oz
mustard 12oz
steak sauce 16oz
parmesan cheese 8oz
olives 4 cans
salad dressing 64oz
soy sauce 16oz
teriyaki sauce 16oz
worcestershire sauce 16oz
canned broth 12 14.5oz cans
macaroni and cheese 8boxs
ramen noodles 48pkgs
chili or soup 24cans
stew 24cans
cream of mushroom/chicken 16cans
food bars 96bars
crackers 12boxs
chips/pretzels 6bags
fruit or applesauce cups 48cups
candy 4lbs
multi vitamins 90count 4 bottles
toilet paper 96rolls
Don't forget about some defensible place either in the house or on the property. A regular house is not secure from a 22cal. much less a high power rifle. I've read that 12" of concrete will stop a 50cal. I liked gazrocks idea of planters made of concrete that you could hide behind. There are lots of ways to camouflage a protective barrier.
If you are in the middle of Sydney it would be a lot safer to get out, I have two bug-in locations, one in Australia and one in Thailand. The one in Australia is currently in QLD however I will be looking to go to the northern part of NSW (yep a queenslander in NSW, I will need good defences).
This is just my view however say the power goes out, in the middle of a busy city like NSW with no waste, water, fuel, food and extreme crime ( over time ). No power means no water pumps, no waste systems so you could be living in an area that will not be ideal for a family.
Rurual areas are the best in my view, you can get 100 acres in rural NSW for $100,000 and under. You can get the same in QLD however with the introduction of land tax and other restrictions NSW is a far better option.
Rural land also means the kids will be occupied in a SHTF situation, you can grow a lot of the food you need and there are many ways to power a house from solar through to gasifiers (yep they work and have been playing with them to see what else they can do). I would say prep to leave the city and get into the rural area asap while you have the fuel. There is a website run by a local that sells land in rural NSW from $15,000. You can get a container home for around the same and a bunker for about the same as well, so 45k and you have land, house and bunker.
Food for thought.
This is just my view however say the power goes out, in the middle of a busy city like NSW with no waste, water, fuel, food and extreme crime ( over time ). No power means no water pumps, no waste systems so you could be living in an area that will not be ideal for a family.
Rurual areas are the best in my view, you can get 100 acres in rural NSW for $100,000 and under. You can get the same in QLD however with the introduction of land tax and other restrictions NSW is a far better option.
Rural land also means the kids will be occupied in a SHTF situation, you can grow a lot of the food you need and there are many ways to power a house from solar through to gasifiers (yep they work and have been playing with them to see what else they can do). I would say prep to leave the city and get into the rural area asap while you have the fuel. There is a website run by a local that sells land in rural NSW from $15,000. You can get a container home for around the same and a bunker for about the same as well, so 45k and you have land, house and bunker.
Food for thought.
Some houses (like mine) are concrete block though too. 
Even still though, fire will work on the other parts, and that is really the biggest threat for my own home defense. Simply put, so far, my only counter to it is to try and keep folks too far away to throw it, but it's a difficult tactic to fight.
Of course, any band doing so, is pretty much going to burn up the resources they are after, so shouldn't be a likely tactic, but still, I really worry about this one.. I think I'm adding a sprinkler system to my list. In FL, we get lots of rain, so don't normally need it, but may be a good idea.
Even still though, fire will work on the other parts, and that is really the biggest threat for my own home defense. Simply put, so far, my only counter to it is to try and keep folks too far away to throw it, but it's a difficult tactic to fight.
Of course, any band doing so, is pretty much going to burn up the resources they are after, so shouldn't be a likely tactic, but still, I really worry about this one.. I think I'm adding a sprinkler system to my list. In FL, we get lots of rain, so don't normally need it, but may be a good idea.
I have a metal roof and cement fiber siding, so a moltov cocktail wouldn't do too much damage, but all that would barely slow down a bullet.Some houses (like mine) are concrete block though too.
Even still though, fire will work on the other parts, and that is really the biggest threat for my own home defense. Simply put, so far, my only counter to it is to try and keep folks too far away to throw it, but it's a difficult tactic to fight.
Of course, any band doing so, is pretty much going to burn up the resources they are after, so shouldn't be a likely tactic, but still, I really worry about this one.. I think I'm adding a sprinkler system to my list. In FL, we get lots of rain, so don't normally need it, but may be a good idea.
I have metal sheeting under the shingles, but the shingles, roof substructure, and interior walls are wood, so fire is a real threat. Somewhat luckily, my wife is paranoid about fire, so we have a lot of alarms, CO2 alarms, and fire extinguishers.
I have three extinguishers in the house, but just the other day thought about not having any In my shop/garage. I'll add it to my list. Thanks for the reminder.
I really need to get a fire extinguisher. It was on my list of essentials but somehow it didn't get purchased.
Make it a couple as you can afford it. if you have a kitchen fire sometimes one wont put it out completely.
That is my primary concern now that I am canning and cooking more. I made a phone call last night to my friend who works at Lowe's and will have a couple of fire extinguishers in the house this evening when he gets off work.
I get them at WalMart for about $20 a pop (ones I put in most areas). I go for the larger $30 model in the kitchen, the stables, and the garage though. Eventually, I'll have one in each room (and paint it to blend in for the more living area rooms).
I like the camouflage idea. They aren't the most attractive things out there. One thing I have going for me is my house is styled after early american crackerbarrel restauraunt! I'll hang any old rusty tool or gadget on the walls, so its an ecclectic mess anyways. My poor wife tries to keep me in check but has a hard time keeping up. I would love to find some antique ones! (It would fit right in with the antique guy
We have themed rooms, and are still in the process of painting them, so don't really want it to clash. (I'm an artist, so my wife and I plan murals throughout the house).
In the Dining Rm, theme is maps (old world style), and we're doing a mural of the Game of Thrones world map on a scroll, on the wall (just to be a bit different). Our bedroom will have an Egyptian tomb theme with those scenes all on the walls. Our master bath is an animal print theme (stripe of zebra pattern and stripe of leopard pattern on brown walls). Living room is a medieval castle theme (faux stone block muraling on walls). Main bath is already done, and is an Orient theme (black and red, gold accents, and murals of Chinese characters). Den is done, and is a western ranch theme (even a big pair of longhorns over the fireplace). My son's room is done, walls all black, with a Misfits skull mural on the wall (though we'll also add a Nightmare Before Christmas scene as well). My daughter's room is going to have a Wisteria Lane theme (think Lynette's house from Desperate Housewives...my wife's theme idea). Our ranch gal's room is going to have murals of Irish castles and landscape. The ManCave area is going to be black and made to look like a bar (with neon signs, etc.).
In the Dining Rm, theme is maps (old world style), and we're doing a mural of the Game of Thrones world map on a scroll, on the wall (just to be a bit different). Our bedroom will have an Egyptian tomb theme with those scenes all on the walls. Our master bath is an animal print theme (stripe of zebra pattern and stripe of leopard pattern on brown walls). Living room is a medieval castle theme (faux stone block muraling on walls). Main bath is already done, and is an Orient theme (black and red, gold accents, and murals of Chinese characters). Den is done, and is a western ranch theme (even a big pair of longhorns over the fireplace). My son's room is done, walls all black, with a Misfits skull mural on the wall (though we'll also add a Nightmare Before Christmas scene as well). My daughter's room is going to have a Wisteria Lane theme (think Lynette's house from Desperate Housewives...my wife's theme idea). Our ranch gal's room is going to have murals of Irish castles and landscape. The ManCave area is going to be black and made to look like a bar (with neon signs, etc.).
I've always been envious of freehand artists! I can stencil with the best of them.
Finally getting around to working on the Game Of Thrones map mural in the dining room.
Here's what it looks like so far: (map drawn in, some of the scroll work painting done). I still have to go in and "age" the scroll and add some burns, etc. and of course, paint the world map on the scroll. I'll post some more in progress pics as I go.
If you look real close (upper left), you'll see a pic we took with the actor who plays "Ser Lorus" on the show, and beneath that, one we took with the actor who plays "Hodor" on the show. The pics below that are of us on a replica throne from the show. Just to the left, are signed character pics of these same two, and a pic my wife took with the actor who played "Kal Drogo" on the show. As we meet more actors from the show, we'll be adding pics to this area. I'll have to take a pic of the whole room when done (and when we have the new light fixture).
My new goal is try and have this done by end of October. We should also have the new tile down by then in the main hallway. (already completed our bathroom, and a small tiled area behind the bar in the dining room). Hopefully have the living room painted (where we're doing a castle wall motif), by Thanksgiving as well as our master bathroom (the zebra stripes strip and leopard print strip on the walls). Mostly, want to have this all done by the time we host Thanksgiving at the ranch.
The mural in our bedroom (Egyptian tomb theme), goal is to finish it by Christmas, maybe even Thanksgiving if I can get it all drawn in by end of October.
The ManCave and our ranchhand's bedroom are just going to have to wait until next year. We're also converting our tack shop (horse stuff) to a crop room business (where a bunch of women pay to come and scrapbook, using tools, etc.), so will likely be repainting in there too. Again though, that would be next year. Planning to do the shop conversion in Nov though.
Here's what it looks like so far: (map drawn in, some of the scroll work painting done). I still have to go in and "age" the scroll and add some burns, etc. and of course, paint the world map on the scroll. I'll post some more in progress pics as I go.
If you look real close (upper left), you'll see a pic we took with the actor who plays "Ser Lorus" on the show, and beneath that, one we took with the actor who plays "Hodor" on the show. The pics below that are of us on a replica throne from the show. Just to the left, are signed character pics of these same two, and a pic my wife took with the actor who played "Kal Drogo" on the show. As we meet more actors from the show, we'll be adding pics to this area. I'll have to take a pic of the whole room when done (and when we have the new light fixture).
My new goal is try and have this done by end of October. We should also have the new tile down by then in the main hallway. (already completed our bathroom, and a small tiled area behind the bar in the dining room). Hopefully have the living room painted (where we're doing a castle wall motif), by Thanksgiving as well as our master bathroom (the zebra stripes strip and leopard print strip on the walls). Mostly, want to have this all done by the time we host Thanksgiving at the ranch.
The mural in our bedroom (Egyptian tomb theme), goal is to finish it by Christmas, maybe even Thanksgiving if I can get it all drawn in by end of October.
The ManCave and our ranchhand's bedroom are just going to have to wait until next year. We're also converting our tack shop (horse stuff) to a crop room business (where a bunch of women pay to come and scrapbook, using tools, etc.), so will likely be repainting in there too. Again though, that would be next year. Planning to do the shop conversion in Nov though.
Last edited:
Bloody hell Gazrok I could have given you a GoT map on canvas my son no longer wanted, five ft by four ft, I only threw it out a couple of days ago.
Wouldn't work well for portfolio purposes for our mural bit though....
We actually have a nice poster map that I used for reference.Though, in the ManCave, (black walls, red accents, and a few neon bar lights), I'll also be using some wall decals from Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.
might try stopping at yards,and look for clothes,for the kids.and get 2 or 3 sizes to big for them.seeing how they'll grow into them..and keep some of the clothes in a b.o.b...and swap them out as/when needed
I'm all about 'bugging in'. We have some 'bug-out' options in place, but if we have to go with any of those plans, it means that things are truly bleak. To that point, sustainable food & water (like Gazrok mentioned) is our primary concern along with defenses/protection. We are rural enough that intruders will not likely be a huge problem, but we are not so naïve to think that it won't happen. And more so as the duration of whatever event continues. Scout out whatever area you live in so that you will know what resources you may have available should they be needed, and develop some ideas/plans on how to access and use them before they are used up by others. One of our resources is a 68,000 head feedlot (cattle raising operation) about a half mile from us. Which means (maybe?) that we get to eat steak for a long time! Or, more realistically, we'll get to harvest a beef once in a while IF they don't all die a couple of weeks into 'the event' causing a plague of 80 million flies and enough stench to drive us out when the wind comes out of the wrong direction.
Good points. I definitely have a list of post SHTF "loot targets" that we'd hit (assuming they are fairly empty and uncontested). We have some major food warehouses around here, a few large propane sellers, and of course pharmacies, doctors' offices, etc. that would have resources we might need. But, we aren't going to get into gun battles for them....it would be more of an act of opportunity.
