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No, Bugging Out Isn’t Always Ideal
Posted on January 2, 2020 by Jim Cobb
Bugging Out Isn’t Always Ideal
It is a common misconception, even among those who have been involved with prepping for quite some time, that bugging out should be your primary plan in an emergency.
I’m not quite certain why that is, but I suspect movies and novels have a lot to do with it. I mean, there’s something to be said for the high-flung adventures of the lone wolf hero who is trekking on foot across the country to rescue his family or just find his way back home.
Sometimes he is accompanied by an inexperienced but trustworthy sidekick and/or a loyal canine companion that is more intelligent than most people they meet in their journey. Standard gear usually includes a bug out bag that is seemingly bottomless and that contains everything from a dozen firearms and endless ammunition to enough food to last a battalion a month.
Doesn’t look like much
Reality Check
You’re not John Thomas Rourke, Mason Raines, or any of the other popular prepper/survivalist heroes. While you might have some great skills that relate to survival and preparedness, you probably aren’t going to get far with a bug out bag that outweighs you.
I know, I know, the more skills you have the less gear you need to carry. Someone needs to tell novelists to keep that in mind as they craft their adventure-filled tales.
Packing a bug out bag is one of the quintessential prepper tasks. That’s all well and good and certainly advisable. Some go so far as to choose their bug out locations and even plan different routes to get to them.
That’s great!
But, the step that is very often overlooked is deciding in advance when bugging out will make sense. Determine for yourself and your family what some of the “red flags” would be that would cause you and yours to beat feet.
If you give it serious thought, that list is likely to actually be fairly small. I mean, outside of mandatory evacuation scenarios, such as the all-too-common wildfires out west, there just aren’t that many situations where bugging out is going to be your absolute best option.
That’s especially true if you don’t have an established bug out location where you can hunker down and ride out whatever is happening. Hitting the road without a specific destination in mind just makes you a refugee. It also puts you at great risk, which isn’t nearly as cool and fun as it sounds.
Bugging out and leaving the preps behind
Most preppers store their gear and supplies at home, right? Yet time and again I talk to preppers and survivalists who almost literally drool at the thought of just grabbing their vaunted BOB and heading for the hills. Why? Why leave the bulk of your supplies behind?
Don’t be so eager to bug out in a crisis. Yes, there are times when that is going to be the best solution and you should plan for it. At the same time, though, you need to determine some criteria as to when it would make sense for you to do so rather than staying home and availing yourself of the supplies and gear you’ve so painstakingly compiled.
