How many folks have prepared bug out plans? My friends are regularly working to strengthen our plan. Of course - "The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men..." Still - it's better to plan and risk failure than to fail to plan and guarantee failure.
We are straddling the fence to invest in things that will bring value whether or not it all goes to crap. Some things are only useful in the "goes to crap" territory, but most items are stuff we will naturally consume over the course of a few years anyway.
Bugging out, more often than not is not feasible. You bug out, sure okay, where to? How long? Is there fuel, water and food reserves there that are secured and unmolestable? How isolated is it? How many are going to the same location? How long to get there? Is it accessable without the use of major roads, highways, or interstates?
There are even more variables than that to plan for. It's complex, and requires a significant time commitment and monetary expense.
Best plan is to make a castle of your current residence. If you're renting, i understand that there's not much you can do besides building a good food, fuel, and water storage. Start there with essentials. Do you have food to eat in a prolonged emergency? Do you have water to drink in a prolonged emergency? Do you have enough fuel to light your home, cook your food, and keep you warm in an extended emergency? Do you have sufficient guns and ammunition? Medical supplies? How about emergency cash enough for three months of essential living expenses? What about essential medications like Tylenol, Advil, and basic antibiotics? Do you have Independent communication ability, like a ham radio? Think three to six months worth of supplies for everything.
There's a lot of things you can do now that can put you in a very good place not just for emergency response, but if you just loose your income. You have food, water, money, and can start a job search with peace of mind. :)
Your point about bugging in is excellent... but I cant. Unless an EMP takes out my vehicle, Im gone like the wind.
I live in a condo at the moment, so bug-out ability is critical to me. Therefore, paramount in that plan is having a destination already set up and expecting me. I keep the tank 3/4 or higher at all times, and that is 2x as much gas as I need to make it to the bug out destination, my best friend's tiny farm about 150 miles away. He lives there permanently and is fully bug-in prepped including chickens, rabbits, goats, greenhouses, and enough adult family to defend it all. He is expecting me and knows that I may not be able to control the day/date of arrival, but that I will be 'backing' down the long driveway in whatever vehicle I am in (if not my own) at a VERY specific time on the clock.
Everything I need to be a contributing member of the farm is prepacked in bags, boxes, tubs, packs etc and staged in my spare bedroom closet. It can all fit in the trunk and back seat of the car and can be loaded in less than 15 minutes. Route has been test driven with paper map only, and no interstate / no 4 lane / no going through towns larger that 1000 population.
Notable prepacked items;
6 cases of MREs
Wise gun options; .22breakdown for hunting, 12gaAuto-Magfed for siege defense & .40cal pistol sidearm... and plenty ammo (AR10 reach-out-rifle is already there)
2 gallon seed bank (265 varieties of non-GMO seeds) I built this myself, and have test sprouted about 3/4 of the varieties.
3 cases of ceramic Water filters (5gal buckets can make the tanks)
2 pairs extra boots (new in box, the exact perfect boot for me)
Fishing pole and Zebco 330 + basic fishing gear; hooks, weights, line (ready for game fish on pole and roughage on trot/limb lines)
Constitutional Silver
Solar charger
Horse meds of all kinds; antiseptics, antibiotics, antivirals, etc
Trade Goods; Paper water filters, sewing needles, glasses, cheap whisky, cheap cigarettes, rolling tobacco, rolling papers.
Id say Im ready. We've had this plan and agreement for over 20 years, and talk about it at least 2-3 time per year.
I am in awe. Good work fren. i wish everyone had the forethought to plan like you have, starting 20 years ago.
Thank you. I credit my old Scoutmaster. Not that he was a prepper or taught me to prep... but he kept his boot in my ass and pushed me across the finish line.
Eagle Scout 1985
The absolute best prepper books in the world are the two book set; Boy Scout Handbook, and Boy Scout Field Guide. Be sure to get pre-1980 versions. Something was lost about the time mothers became scout leaders.
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