Survival Series Vol. #2: Bugging Out – When would you leave?

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” ~ Charles Darwin

 

If you’ve read Vol. 1 in this series, you have thought about what needs to happen to make bugging in an option. You also know that sometimes that isn’t the safest decision. How do you decide if leaving your homestead is the best option for your family? It’s a hard decision; home is most peoples comfort zone. Even when the outside world is chaos, being home helps to keep some sense of normalcy in your life. So when the world loses its mind and SHTF, leaving what’s left of the world as you once knew it may be the hardest decision you ever make. There are times though, when staying isn’t the safest option or even an option at all so you have to be ready for plan B – Bugging out.

 

When is the right time to bug out? It’s pretty hard to say because it’s ultimately a judgment call that only you and your family can make for yourselves. Leaving at the wrong time can be as dangerous as not leaving at all. One of the first questions you have to ask is are you going to want to leave before SHTF and everyone goes mad (if that is something that you’re able to see in advance) or do you wait it out until the initial craziness subsides and quietly get the heck out of dodge? Do you wait for the government to tell you to evacuate? Do you leave if they do? Do you have your own set of guidelines that you base your decision on? If you can foresee a bad situation you may want to consider leaving before the situation occurs to begin with. Often times though, such as with natural disasters or nuclear and biological attacks, there’s not always enough time to foresee the event coming so after the fact will be your only option.

 

 

Waiting it out however, can be the most dangerous if you aren’t properly prepared, don’t have a getaway plan already in place, and are not ready to defend yourself and your family when necessary.  In order to successfully bug out when bugging in is no longer the safest choice, you should have at a minimum, the following items already in place:

 

• A plan on how you’ll leave, where you’ll go, and how you’ll get there
• A BOB (72 hr. bag) for the family and any pets if you’re taking them with you (Check here for some tips on building a BOB).
• Leave as soon as you can after you decide leaving is the best option; don’t take the chance of things deteriorating further before you get the heck out of dodge
• Emergency Money anyone? You’ll need it and chances are ATM’s aren’t going to be the solution
• If you’re using a vehicle to leave in, make sure you maintain it regularly so that is ready to go and in working order when you need it most. Make sure you have spare tires, tools, etc. stocked and ready to go.

 

One of the best things you can do to help make the decision of when to bug out is to educate yourself. Pay attention to news, media, weather, criminal activity, changes in law enforcement or military presence, economic trends, etc. Keeping current on the basic everyday goings on in the world and your local area can give you some insight and a heads up to the warning signs that maybe things are taking a turn for the worse. Plan, Prepare, and Prosper.

 

What signs would be red flags for you that it’s time to leave the homestead and bug out? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

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