Bug out / Bug in considerations?

[usmcveteran]

Just trying to brainstorm here. When should you bug out vs bug in and how do you know? How long should you take in making the determination?

How often do you think you should go over your plans and keep them updated?

[24Pink14Stink]

1. Stay put until staying put no longer works, unless you have a predetermined location that's already stocked and it's part of you initial plan of action.

2. Review anytime situations critical to you/your area change or annually at least.

3. Practice frequently.
​​​​

[BigJohnH]

1) Stay put until forced to leave IE bad guys show up and I/we were forced to defend ourselves!
2) As soon as the last body hits the ground!
3) There is no changes to details so just a quick reminder before bugging!

[thughes]

What if you have a decent arsenal at home base (e.g.: a few dozen firearms and several thousands rounds of ammo)? It's tough enough trying to pick a couple of guns to take to the range for some fun much less which one or two you will pack for a bug out. One must also consider that if you bug out, all of the weapons and ammo you can't take with you will have to be destroyed lest they fall into other's hands (hiding them would not be practical).

Would it not make more sense in this scenario to have a group of trained individuals who would rally at your place, bringing with them a prescribed amount of survival supplies, providing 24/7 perimeter defence, and functioning as a scout/foraging team? Yes, there will always be the possibility of conflict and personality clashes but that is counteracted for the most part by the comfort of the social aspect and sense of belonging.

Just my 02.....

[usmcveteran]

My thought process is that if your going to bug out you should probably do it in first 48 hrs before people get really desperate and crazy.

I think thats the toughest part to is deciding if it's even necessary to bug out.

I don't remember if it was on here or where but remember hearing about real life situations in other parts of world where individual blocks would work together.

[24Pink14Stink]

Depends on where you live and how quickly craziness could get brought to your neighborhood.

[thughes]

My thought process is that if your going to bug out you should probably do it in first 48 hrs before people get really desperate and crazy.

I think thats the toughest part to is deciding if it's even necessary to bug out.

I don't remember if it was on here or where but remember hearing about real life situations in other parts of world where individual blocks would work together.

Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, etc. Real life horror stories of urban survival.

[24Pink14Stink]

http://shtfschool.com/survival-psych...s-to-consider/

[WARFAB]

Would it not make more sense in this scenario to have a group of trained individuals who would rally at your place, bringing with them a prescribed amount of survival supplies, providing 24/7 perimeter defence, and functioning as a scout/foraging team? Yes, there will always be the possibility of conflict and personality clashes but that is counteracted for the most part by the comfort of the social aspect and sense of belonging.

Not everyone has such a team and/or defendable location. Having younger children also factors into the decision. Bugging out to friendlier locales is preferable to making a stand with your kids in the house.

If things really started falling apart I have my defensive options, but my parents or in-laws would probably be safer locations for the family. I have one neighbor who would probably be down for playing defense. One neighbor that might be. One family that will probably be running to my house with their kid looking for protection, and the rest I have no idea about.

I live in the suburbs. The houses aren't jam packed together, but they're closer than is ideal for my skill set. Too many blind spots and not enough open spaces.

[24Pink14Stink]

Warfab- sounds like you have a potential destination. Are they like-minded? Could you preposition supplies (food, water, medical ,etc) there? If no, are you trying to solve for that?

[thughes]

Not everyone has such a team and/or defendable location. Having younger children also factors into the decision. Bugging out to friendlier locales is preferable to making a stand with your kids in the house.

If things really started falling apart I have my defensive options, but my parents or in-laws would probably be safer locations for the family. I have one neighbor who would probably be down for playing defense. One neighbor that might be. One family that will probably be running to my house with their kid looking for protection, and the rest I have no idea about.

I live in the suburbs. The houses aren't jam packed together, but they're closer than is ideal for my skill set. Too many blind spots and not enough open spaces.

Valid point. Some of us are in a situation where there are no young children or elderly family members and the team consists of several single adult able-bodied males (enough to cover all the blind spots of a typical urban dwelling).

[24Pink14Stink]

the team consists of several single adult able-bodied males.

You mean those guys from the bathhouse you were telling me about?

[WARFAB]

Warfab- sounds like you have a potential destination. Are they like-minded? Could you preposition supplies (food, water, medical ,etc) there? If no, are you trying to solve for that?

The one destination is well stocked and well situated. The other destination is unlikely to see much chaos and has features that would maintain an enviously comfortable lifestyle in all but the most disastrous of events. Either situation would be better than my house as far as I can tell. I'd try to hold out as long as I could, but if push comes to shove I'd have to vacate.

I like to think this is all fairly unlikely to happen, but since we're talking about bugging out......

[24Pink14Stink]

You can always be my overwatch.

[BigJohnH]

Well in my case I am about 15 minutes from town, if we are talking about just a bunch of towners I stay however if we are talking about a small number of military a patrol and they get overly curious I use my plan. We know this area better than anyone and with hidden provisions we are good in the woods.

[big flash]

bugging out for me is one thing if i can pack the truck and suv. but it is another entirely if we are talking EMP or something that disables the toyotas.
my bug out plan in that situation sucks at best as we have a toddler. you can only fit so much in a radio flyer wagon.
in the case of an emp i would probably bug in longer

location is a huge factor though, when i lived in the city. my bug out plan was everything, i didn't want to have to bug in at all. cache if needed.

[WARFAB]

in the case of an emp i would probably bug in longer

Interesting point. On the one hand I think an EMP would cause things to fall apart faster than other possible scenarios. But, if everyone's cars are toasted they're not going to be traveling as far to steal supplies and create chaos.

Worst case scenario: load the kids into the bike trailer and make the trek down the canal path to backup location A.