View Full Version : How 'bout bugging in?
There's alot of stuff out there about bugging out, and rightfully so. There are more people living in urban locations.
But what about bugging in?
If you are in a position to bug in (i.e.- live rurally), what are you doing to prepare your home?
What are you doing to build relationships in the community with people that will possibly save your life?
If there was a medical emergency, who do you know of that you could call to come right then? Because when the going gets tough, there will be no ambulances coming to rural areas.
Well we live in Floridian suburbia and bugging in is only a short term possibility. We figure at most we could stay in our home for 3 weeks to a month before we will have to move due to various factors beyond our control. So right now we are trying to find a place where we could bug out to to bug in. That may take the form of a permanent move or it might be a collective effort to find a place and maintain it.
However should we ever find a good bug out / in location (prefreable prior to SHTF) then we would indeed try to form bonds / friendships with our neighbors for the very reason you point out.
However our ultimate goal would to have an association of individuals with various skills who would all meet at one location.
Rmplstlskn
09-17-10, 17:37
My personal opinion is that anyone who plans on jumping in their cammies and loading on the packs and web gear without a FIRM, SECURE place to go to BUG IN will be not make it for very long in a true shtf event... Too many hungry, desperate people out there to do a Rambo for any length of time...
BUG IN is the best option for sure if you live in a place conducive to that... If not, then it will be iffy at best for you...
Rmpl
I have young children, bugging out is a last resort. I will do what I can to stay put as long as possible. Bugging out on foot will be difficult at best for my family. If road travel, by vehicle, is possible I have places to go and people to see.
Unless your home is about to be destroyed due to a natural disaster, then bugging in is the safest option IMO.
Keep in mind that on a Friday evening, a small fender bender shuts down the highways. What will the highways be like in a SHTF situation? Completely clogged and impassible. So if bugging out, you would likely be reduced to walking with whatever supplies you can carry on your back.
If you bug in and have laid in a supply of food in advance, and either you have access to water or have it stored, you can say bugged in for weeks or maybe months.
And as pointed out above, if you have small kids, or if you have older family members, bugging out may simply be a recipe for quick death.
FromMyColdDeadHand
09-18-10, 02:05
Here in Denver, where are you going to bug out to, if you don't have a pre-planned place? How long can my 7 member family hold out against a concerted attack? If it is still habitable, being prepared and staying in place seems a far better plan. To the north there is....Calgary. You can Donner party in traffic to the west to SLC. To the south there's, Mexico? And to the east is Kansas City.
Hitting the road and playing on other people's turf doesn't sound like it will go well.
I've said it before, these fantasies of hitting the road and finding a new Eden make good movies and a bad strategy. Depending on how bad things were to get, your true survival will depend on how useful and how revengeful your closest 100 friends are. Work on you leadership and teamwork ability and skills that people will want to have around.
First one to "Warlord" status, wins.
NavyDavy55
09-18-10, 12:29
Being 54 years old and not in the best shape I'll be bugging in if the situation is sudden. If I can see it coming, I may try to bug out.
My closest family is a 4 hour drive, but during a SHTF situation that may as well be 4 weeks of travel.
I live close to a city of 350,000 and that is what bothers me. The hords of people traveling and looting are a major concern. If I can survive the first couple weeks when a large portion of the looters die off, I should be fine.
I think that most everyone agrees that Bugging In is preferable to taking to the road...but Bugging in isn't always possible....
Take a look at my Bug Out Situation as posted back just after it happened....https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=26930
Pics on site
The following is a summation I posted about the experinces I went through after my home was hit by a Tornado...I thought it might be good to repost it.
"I always try to keep a positive attitude towards diversity when it hits and even though this was the third time we had been hit by a tornado, and the second time we had been displaced. I learned that while we are perhaps better prepared than many households are...there is always room for improvement. If you live near the ocean you have to expect that eventually you might get hit by a Hurricane. If you live on the West Coast...Earthquakes. I have never been one of the types to go crying and asking, Why me? Instead I ask what can I learn and do to prevent this in the future?"
Rat,
Good advice. Glad the sheetrock did not crush you or your loved ones. I just went round two with leukemia this summer. It is in remission again. Before my chemo started I thinned out my gun collection to pay some bills and keep only the ones I really wanted and use. One if the things I've thought about is my ability to carry and care for my weapons if I need to leave. I could not carry them all but the would fit easily in my truck or my wifes suv.
mikeross506
09-20-10, 19:42
I'm planning on bugging in as long as possible with some very close neighbors. In the complete interior of my home I created a safe room. While I wanted to make it as strong and safe as possible, I couldn't afford to use cinder blocks due to limited space and logistics. However, when I drywalled it I lined the walls with a heavy gauge chicken wire between the studs and sheet rock to prevent any thing from violating the integrity of the wall....
My plan is to bug-in. We should be able to feed ourselves for a year, without resupply. There's a spring fed stream running thru my property & I have more than enough firewood to last the winter.
Unless they decide to nuke this mountain, which is 40 miles from the nearest decent sized town, I'm staying.
mikeross506
09-21-10, 07:08
I'm bugging in as long as possible with a small network of reliable friends and neighbors. Bugging out will positively result in my house being ransacked. In the absolute interior of my home, I constructed a safe room. While I was considering to use cinder block for the walls, it just wasn't logistically an option. Instead before I hung the sheet rock, I lined the walls with a heavy gauge chicken wire. Basically, this will save the integrity of the room from any flying objects. It should keep us safe from any anything next to a tree.
...and either you have access to water or have it stored, you can say bugged in for weeks or maybe months...
Even in suburbia surrounding a decent sized city bug-in (at least temporarily) is probably the best bet unless it's a disaster that threatens your home or you can foresee the event far enough in advance to get the jump on the masses.
But water is what I see as a problem... Even at 1 gal per person, per day (consumption, food prep, washing), we are talking 21-35 gal per week for a small to medium family. If the city water is down it could become an urgent need far before food.
In suburbia if there is no city water supply, access to water sources are often limited, scarce, or non existent. How much water do those living in suburbia (and planning to bug-in) store, and how do you store it?
In some instances, there may be a need to bug out for your family's safety. If that's the case, you can't hesitate to do so. Keep in mind though, that the home you return to after the emergency won't resemble the home you left.
Amazing experience, rat31465!
Thanks for passing on the advice.
Knowing exactly when to bug out seems to be the key.
I'm planning on bugging in as long as possible with some very close neighbors. In the complete interior of my home I created a safe room. While I wanted to make it as strong and safe as possible, I couldn't afford to use cinder blocks due to limited space and logistics. However, when I drywalled it I lined the walls with a heavy gauge chicken wire between the studs and sheet rock to prevent any thing from violating the integrity of the wall....
I don't have Chicken Wire...But I do keep a couple pounds of Fencing Staples and a Heavy Duty Staple gun on hand....Along with a roll of this Hardware cloth (Galvinized 1/4" mesh wire.) for covering windows should the scenario arise.
https://www.m4carbine.net/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=1398
I figured that covering the windows thus would help make the place a little safer and thrown objects out.
"Bugging in" is the most logical solution for me. My house is surrounded by 30 or so acres of thick woods and my nearest neighbor is about half a mile down the road. I have a ground well for water and across the street is a 150 acre farm.
The dozen or so chickens don't hurt either. ;)
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