One of the many reasons why I plan on bugging in...

Good video.

Even some of us who are preparing don't fully realize how fragile the food supply is. Best to not put off getting what we're going to need.

We've all seen examples in the news of the runs on stores when something happens (tornadoes, floods,earthquakes), or just before an impending disaster (hurricanes).

I'm with Elinor0987...I'd rather avoid the chaos.

 

I'm with Elinor and Sue... I went through Hurricane Andrew and the ones that followed. I know what empty shelves are all about. Thank God for a well-stocked pantry and MREs' (C Rations tasted better from my experience in the war).

 

I agree, better to have what you need then fight a mob for a loaf of bread or gallon of water.

 

I have to say that I am planning on staying put unless the big bomb hits and then I won't be around anyhoo. I figure that being a nature gal and knowing all of the wild edibles here in the area and already knowing how to harvest and use those wild edibles and having my own pantry fully stocked(it could be so much better, but we are working on it) it would be worth it to stay here. In case of power outages we are stocked up food and water wise and I know how and where to get more.
We have power outages at least 4 to 5 per year and some can and will last over 4 to 5 days. If I knew it was gonna last longer then there are quite a few things that have to be done(like canning absolutely everything in the fridge and freezer if it is summer), but it would give me something to do without my computer!

Now the neighbor does have a huge generator on a cart as he is a contractor and uses it for his job, and he will come over and run it at our house for a few hours to charge up the freezer and we can refill our water jugs and flush again(we do have four containers that are just flush sized that we fill up and keep handy and they are easy to take to the river and refill for flushing.) and that kind of thing. The last time he refused to let us pay for the gas.

 

Couldn't get video to boot up, but I also experienced empty shelves durring Hurricane Andrew. Luckly we had some food and were able to leave the area for a while.

 

A few years back, a hurricane was approaching - but it actually swung away and we just got a good rain. I was already well stocked, so drove down to the local WallyWorld a couple hours before the predicted landfall, to see 'the show'.
Hehehe..... Soccermoms battling College Kids and Bubbas forthe remaining bottles of water, canned goods and batteries. Nobody going for camping gear (though they did sack the flashlight display next to it!), no runs on blankets or other likely useful items. The TV talking heads played up the "water, canned goods and batteries!" angle, so that is all the sheeple were after.
Normally good calm people battling like some demented gameshow or multiple shopping spree!
The gas stations were packed too - and I pity those fools hitting the highways at that time - they were 'parkways'.......

Unless something truly deadly is coming down our throats, I will bug IN too.

 

Last time I took a snowplow saftey course , the road authority rep said that with the 1 1/2 day (average) stock rotation plan in most major grocery store chains that it was policy to keep the highways open unless the plows got stuck . the 1 1/2 day supply is for a normal day not when there is an emergency. If SHTF and you don't have it , just forget you wanted it. :gaah:

 

Around here, every time there is snow in the forecast, stores are a circus. Every container of milk, carton of eggs and loaf of bread vanish from the shelves. The media loves to splash it all over the 11:00 news. How much would they enjoy their sensationalism if those shelves couldn't be restocked within a couple days? I really enjoy watching it as opposed to being a part of it.

 

The biggest problem, in my opinion, of bugging out, without a bug out location owned and stocked with supplies concerns all of the supplies and equipment that is stored at my home. Getting sufficient carrying capacity will be a very difficult challenge to overcome in an emergency situation.

I intend to bug in until a situation has dragged on for so long that supplies are running low and bugging out is the only viable option left with supplies on hand (gasoline, food, etc) to get to friends in the country that I could bug out to.

That means that I would have less to leave behind with the limited amount of transport capability that I currently have.

In the last few years, I have decided to get a camper. I am realigning my budget now so that I can get the truck and camper combo that will do the job. I can have the camper standing by at my home, pre-stocked with food and other supplies. In an emergency, I would need to load water, weps/ammo, clothes, meds, and financial papers, hook up to the truck and go!

 

Bugging in is very viable if it's in response to a temporary emergency, such as a snowstorm, temporary power outage, hurricane (if you're not looking down the barrel), and so on.

I think it's different if we're talking about a longer term, unresolvable crisis like financial collapse or energy shortages.

And then, I think a major determinant is where you live.

I live in a small town; I don't expect riots when food runs out, don't expect wandering hordes (at least in the first week or two).

But if I lived in a city, I'd look at this much differently. I think cities are going to experience severe problems in any kind of longer term scenario.

I took some people to O'Hare airport in Chicago a few weeks back, and even though it was off-hours on a weekend, we *still* found ourselves in a traffic jam on a tollway. Imagine how it would be if everyone tried to leave (those that could, anyway).

I can imagine roving gangs preying on people stuck in traffic on these routes out of town. Gangs could "harvest" what they wanted/needed from people stuck in traffic. What could be done about it? The police (who would likely be busy elsewhere) couldn't respond, it's a traffic jam!

Would we have gunfights in traffic? Chicago's a bit different because of their gun laws (though we'll see what happens now), but what about other places?

This scenario, of course, implies that bugging in is better, but how long could you sustain yourself in a city once people started going door-to-door looking for food?

If I lived in a city, I'd try to have a cache someplace I could get to, out of town. Not that this is a new idea.

 

I am also in the process of picking up a camper as a BOV and "second home". I will also be bugging in since my new place upon retirement will be in the hills of Tennessee and away from most of the sheeple. There are also a couple of caves nearby that might prove useful. Plenty of game and fresh water in the area and some good soil to grow crops. :melikey:

 

We have the same concern. A camper is a good idea, perhaps I'll start watching prices. Thanks.

 

Timing will be everything. We once lived in a flood plain in Kansas. When the river was rising a neighbor came over and placed a rock in the road. When the water reaches the rock, he told us, it's time to leave. If you wait any longer you won't get out because your escape will be cut off three blocks away.

Prior to Katrina, those who waited met snarled, bumper to bumper traffic and gas stations with long lines. Many never reached their destination and had to shelter in community centers, churches, etc.

It's nice to think one has all the bases covered for bugging "in" but you should always have a viable escape plan no matter where you are. Once you have a plan, knowing when to put it into action will be the most important decision of all.

 

If you have more coin than I have at the moment, the SportsMobile is an amazing unit. Combine that with an off-road enhanced tent-trailer and you have a great BugOut Unit that will be able to traverse many roads and barely-there-roads (FSR).

If I remember correctly, you have three children, so, whatever vehicle you choose must be large enough to safely carry the kidlettes, and, other than a van (as linked above), my next choice would be a 4x4 CrewCab Dually truck with a camper mounted to the bed and a hitch to carry the "extras" in a trailer (tent, utility, enclosed, etc) that would make your BO location easier to access and stay at without needing to "go into town" for "one thing" that you will need.

For myself, I have Jeeps as my BugOutVehicles. One is highly modified for all terrain, one significantly modified for most terrains, one modified to handle lots and the last one just has a BIG engine to tow anything that can be attached to the hitch. It is in the planning stages to be significantly modified from stock, similar to the second Jeep listed.

 

Actually I have 4 - 1 is a baby, we are stopping because that fills our cab and a half truck :gaah: (I don't know the term - 2 doors but a bench seat in back). Unfortunately we are low in the coin department, but sometimes older campers are cheap. Right now we are looking at buying land in a more remote location, if that falls through we need to come up with a better bug-out plan.

That aside, if there are food runs / short-term panic we will be laying low, perhaps with just enough action to look as lost as everyone else. When in Rome ...

 

Sounds like you have a crew-cab then. Having four kidlettes in one of those is going to be tight when the oldest reaches 10 - 12 years old. I don't envy those highway trips! :gaah:

Chevy / GMC has the Astro / Safari van that is based on the S-10 chasis and it comes as AllWheelDrive that is easily converted to FourWheelDrive - add a lift and bigger tires and you would have room to haul the brood, power to move them and 4WD to make sure that you get there. IF I had as many people to transport as you have, that kind of vehicle would seriously enter my thoughts as a contender. Older, easy to repair, parts plentiful and common enough that it doesn't draw too much attention - unless you build it like my friend Pete did with his van ...

I am tryin' to find a picture so that you can see what he did with his Astro ...

 

Found a picture :congrat:

 

That is a sweet rig.

 

NaeKid, your photo is so large that it makes the margins on this page wider so you have to scroll over to see the type. Is there a way to reduce the size of your photo? It would be easier to read. Just wondering.