If you’re in the preparedness community, you’ve heard about bugging out. I mean, if you regularly read my blog, you’ve heard about bugging out. What you don’t hear often though, is bugging out is really an option of last resort. It’s for when it’s more dangerous for you to stay in your house than it is for you to leave. That’s why today we’re going to discuss Bugging In.
You’re going to find more of these types of situations now. A category 3 or 4 hurricane is barreling down at your location and you live near the coast. You bug out. Riots taking place in your area? You bug out. Chemical spill on a highway near your house? You bug out. It makes sense. It’s more dangerous for you to stay than it is for you to leave.
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Why You Shouldn’t Bug 
Out in a SHTF Situation
But in a true SHTF situation, bugging out (unless you have a fully stocked bug out retreat) should be your last resort. Why? In a true SHTF situation, if you’re bugging out, chances are you’re not coming back. If you’re the typical prepper, you’ve got the majority of your preparedness items at your house. Even if you have a bug-out vehicle, you can only carry a small fraction of your items to the place to which you plan to bug out. If you’ve prepared, you’ve got relative security at your house. You’ve got all (or the vast majority of your stuff) at your current location. If you’ve been working to get to know your neighbors strengths and weaknesses and you have been building up closely knit friendships with them, why would you leave?
If you have supplies, (relative) security, networks of people who can work with you to the betterment and protection of you and everyone around you, you will probably have no reason to leave.
What is Bugging In?
Bugging in is exactly the opposite of bugging out. Bugging in is planning to stay safely at your house during a long-term SHTF event like the Balkan War.
Bugging in entails:
- Using the resources that you already have in place in a non-conspicuous way.
- Living in such a way that you are as self-sufficient as can be.
- At the same time, finding suppliers who can help out with what you don’t have
- Doing daily chores so that everyone has what they need when they need it.
- Setting up weekly chores so everything gets done – even things that take longer.
- Making it look like your house is abandoned.
- Working closely with trusted neighbors for the security of your area.
At it’s heart bugging in is living life. I think that’s so important to remember when we consider a SHTF situation. We still have to live. We still need to be able to laugh – though it may be harder. We still need to be able to have some form of down time and forms of entertainment – though they will be used much, much less than we used them before. Life still has to be worth living.
How Do You Bug In – 
Because Preparation Starts NOW
Where are you living?
The first question you need to ask yourself is are you living in an area that is good for bugging in? If you are living in a less desirable area of town, if you are living on the corner of major streets, if you are living pretty much by yourself out in the country – you may want to consider relocating while you still can.
I can hear some of you now. What?!? If you’re living off by yourself in the country – that should be the most ideal place to bug out. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Selco, but he’s a survivor or the Balkan war. He said that one of the biggest things that got his family through the war was his neighbors. You have each other to rely on and to help. He said that living off by yourself out in the country actually made you more of a target.
If you are living in an area that will make bugging in even harder, now is the time to consider moving.
What amenities does your house have?
There are certain things that when they are in the house they will make living in a long-term SHTF situation much easier. Having at least a wood-burning fireplace is a must. And while this may only be able to be used at night in a true SHTF situation, you will at least be able to heat your house and cook over the fire at night.
If you have a wood stove, you’re a step up. Wood stoves allow you to heat, cook, and (in some) even bake. Again, this may have to take place at night because people can see the smoke during the day, but it would be a huge step up over not having a way to cook or heat a house.
Is your current property near a water source or does it have a swimming pool? While you’re certainly not going to be swimming in the middle of a SHTF situation, a pond or a swimming pool can be used as a water catchment vessel and if it’s already filled, you can use the water if it’s filtered through a good filtration system like this Zero Water – which I prefer to the expensive Berkey systems.
How is your house fortified?
Pre-SHTF security and post-SHTF security look totally different. While before the SHTF you may want security cameras (even if they are fake) as they are deterrents to modern thieves.
But Post SHTF, you don’t want to look like you have electricity if no one else does. You don’t want security cameras, and other bells and whistles. That will only paint a target on your house. You want to make your house look like everyone else’s house. If they aren’t using electricity, either don’t use it or don’t let it look like you are. If people in your neighborhood have broken windows, perhaps you should break one of yours. You don’t want you house to stand out and look like you have supplies.
What does your garden look 
like?
Does your garden look like a well-manicured plot of rows? Or are you practicing what I call guerrilla gardening, where you are growing things in such a way that people don’t know that you have a garden? Look for this topic in next week’s post.
Do you have a water catchment system?
This is so important. You can survive much longer without food than you can survive without water. Start thinking about your own water catchment systems now, get them set up and get them ready for use, even if right now you’re just using it on your garden.
What About You?
Have you considered bugging in? What systems do you have in place now to prepare for a possible long-term SHTF situation? Please take a moment and leave a comment below so we can all be better prepared.
Together lets Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome
I agree bugging out is my absolute last option, but a good plan should be at the ready. a good guerrilla garden option is plant in 5 gallon buckets or those hanging planters, you would be surprised the amount and size of fruits and veggies they produce. I use miracle grow on my garden and it shows, I also use potting soil and my own soil in the buckets. the next thing that I suggest is learn how to can, this will be a Godsend if shtf, you might have a huge garden but if you can’t store it you are screwed.
Technically, the term “bugging in” doesn’t make sense although those of us in this community know what you mean. I think “hunkering down” (my Southern roots are showing) is more to the point. I’m too old for hitting the road with a heavy pack so unless my house is on fire or floating away, I’m hunkered down for the long haul. I didn’t gather all this stuff just to go off & leave it!
true, but the term battening down the hatches, staying put, or riding the storm out would also fit. I do prefer having a plan just in case, before said shtf takes place.
If I have a saltwater pool, do the filtration straws or water system filtrations prevent harm?
I don’t think that they would filter out the salt. If I were you, I would store water for drinking. BUT you can use that for flushing toilets.
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