What is Bug Out?

Example 1. You're living in (or visiting) New Orleans, Louisiana, and a category 5 hurricane, like Katrina, is swirling in the warm water of the Gulf, and it is expected to hit land in one or two days. You board up your windows, grab your survival gear and leave town - you Bug Out.

Example 2. You live in Wichita, Kansas, and you see a huge tornado heading your way. You grab your BOB (Bug Out Bag), get in your car and leave town - you Bug Out. No need to board up the windows. If your house is hit, it may be gone when you return.

Example 3. You live in Los angeles, California and experience an 8.5 scale earthquake. When the shaking stops, you have no power, no water and your house is ruins. Streets are full of fallen debris, so you can't drive, so you pack your survival gear on your mountain bike and ride out of town - you Bug Out. In this example, your bike is your BOV (Bug Out Vehicle).

Bug Out means to evacuate a dangerous place and go to a safer place. It is also called G.O.O.D - Get Out Of Dodge [here, Dodge probably means Dodge City, not your Dodge pickup.] It's the same as Bug Out - get out of town.

Note that in all three examples, you have a bag or backpack prepared in advance which contains essentials for survival. This BOB - Bug Out Bag/Backpack - is of extreme importance and will be given much attention at this web site, starting here.

Why Bug Out?

Very simply, to avoid extreme hardship or death or both. Note that in Example 1 and 2 above, the disaster is coming, but in Example 3 it has already happened (earthquake). You may want to bug out anyway, because the earthquake has created another dangerous situation which may threaten your safety or life: no water, limited food, no power, house unlivable. In Examples 1 and 2, you may return to find that you have no house, and so may opt to remain bugged out elsewhere.

How Do I Bug Out?

Have a plan! This web site is dedicated to helping you prepare for hard times, disaster and worse. Bugging out successfully is not simply a matter of accumulating a bag of gear and food and then leaving town with it. Your bug out plan must consider the following:

1. What kind of hardship/disaster am I preparing for? (see SHTF or TEOTWAWKI and BOB/Defense)
2. Where can I go which will be safer? (see Survival Retreat and Where Can I Bug Out?
3. How will I get myself and my gear to a safer place? (see Bug Out Vehicle)
4. What will I need to take with me? (see What Do I Need? and Bug Out Backpack)
5. What time period am I planning for... how long do I plan to remain bugged out? (see FAQ)
6. What will signal to me that I can return? (see FAQ)
7. Whom can I count on to bug out with me? (see FAQ)
8. What is my plan if I can't return? (see FAQ)
9. I have a good BOB, but I've never used most of the stuff in it. (see Bug Out Events)
10. Are there any good books or web sites about this stuff? (see Resources)
11. Should I make another shelter someplace where I can bug out? (see Survival Retreat)
12. What if someone takes my vehicle, my gear or my retreat? see Bury Extra Gear and Plan B
13. What do I do if my Plan A fails? (see Plan B and Bury Extra Gear)

What This Web Site Offers

This web site deals with things I know well, not from reading what others say but from personal experience. This web site cannot replace a handfull of excellent books on disaster preparedness, written by people with experience. It also cannot do your planning for you. It does have a lot of information gained from my own experience and study which will help you in your planning and preparations. You will also find a list of resources, like books and web sites, which I found useful, where you can find additional information.

Books are written by people with various skills and experience. In one area of preparedness I consider all books (that I have seen) lacking: food. They almost unanimously give terrible advice on what to eat and what food to carry and store. I have a lot to say, from many years of experience, about food, so this web site can help you on that where books, I believe, have failed miserably. See BOB/Food

This web site also hosts events which are open to the public. If you are in or near Arizona, you may like to participate in a Bug Out. Here's why:

Most preppers (as they are called) have collected a pile of gear, dried food, clothes and survival stuff in their own version of a BOB (Bug Out Bag/Backpack), but few have ever actually put that collection of things to a test in a realistic situation. Setting up a tent in the living room is not the same as in the bush. Does that crank radio/flashlight really work? Is that food really edible? Does my tent smell like plastic and give me a headache? Can I carry all this stuff comfortable for hours? What if it's raining?

So, a Bug Out Event is simply a practice Bug Out - to make sure preppers are familiar with their gear and to swap information with other preppers. What I want to offer is a 'trial run' to make sure all goes reasonably well, if and when you actually have to bug out. That is not the time to discover that you don't know how to use your water filter, or that your batteries are dead or are the wrong type, or you forgot your matches, tent stakes, rope, compass, band-aids or whatever. See BugOut Event for details.

About Me

Who am I to talk about survival? I have some experience in disaster situations and have been teaching related subjects for many years. See About Me for more information.

I am also currently building and stocking a self-sufficient Survival Retreat of my own design in the desert. See www.SurvivalRetreatPlans.com for more information. Topics there include: Site Evaluation, Shelter/House, Water System, Heating, Cooling, Greywater, Security, Transport, etc.

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