As I’ve written about in another post, I had the unfortunate opportunity to bug out three times, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons doing it. Before Christmas, I promised you all that I would do a series that included Bug-Out-Bags. As I got to brainstorming I realized that there’s so much more to say than just talking about bug-out-bags.
So we’re going to begin a bugging out series. I wanted to give you a brief overview so you know what to expect as we go on. Topics I’ll address include:
What items should I include in my every day carry?
Everyday carry is exactly what it sounds like. These are things that you carry with you every day, but they fit in with bugging out because if I touch on things in bug out bags and assume that you carry certain things with you every day so I don’t include them, well, we’ll be in trouble, so I want to start here. What things should you carry with you as normal everyday life goes on?
Where should I bug out to?
I don’t have a stocked bug-out retreat, do you? Most preppers dream of having one, but few of us actually do. If we don’t own property with a cabin or something similar on it, where do we go if we need to bug out? What types of places are an option for bugging out? What circumstances should inform where we bug out to? If you find yourself planning to bug out to a place that you have access to now, what types of things should you take and leave there now, so you don’t need to take them with you when you bug out.
When should I bug out?
This is a harder question to answer than you probably realize. Having had to decide whether or not to bug out on more than three occasions (living through six months of almost constant rioting will do that) it’s not an easy decision to make. There’s no dried in the sand answer to when you bug out. I’ll share some tips as to what helped us to decide to bug out.
What should I include in my bug-out-bag?
What should you put in your bags? How do you develop your own bug out bags that meet your family’s specific and unique needs?
Having a stocked bug out bag isn’t just a list of things that you need (though I will give you a sample list to help you evaluate different possible items that you may need). Having a stocked bug out bag means that your family will be provided for a short period of time with the things in each of your bug out bags. I help you think through that mindset, give you probing questions to answer about your unique family.
What should I include in my child’s bug-out-bag?
Children need their own bug-out bags catered to them. Different factors such as age, ability to carry a bag, ability to think through their own bags (for older children), items that would cause distress if not included – all these influences what you should put in your child’s bug out bag. We’ll talk through different factors and again I’ll ask questions to help guide you as you put together your child’s bug out bag.
What should I include in my pet’s bug-out-bag?
We have had several different pets through the course of our marriage. One of the times that we had to bug out, we took our cat with us. There were certain items that we don’t think about needing or wanting for emergencies for our pets if we haven’t taken time to work through our pets’ needs before there is an emergency. So we’ll take some time and discuss different types of pets, items specific to many different types, options if you can’t take them with you, and other pet-related bug out concerns.
What about you?
Are there other topics specific to bugging out that you have questions about and you’d like to see me address them? Have you had an experience where you’ve had to bug out, and you’d like to share your story so we can learn from it? I’d love to hear! Leave a comment and share with us below.
Together let’s Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome
There are links in this post. Some of the links may be affiliate links. Some of the links may not be. My promise to you is that I will only recommend the most economical version of the best quality of items to serve you. These are the items that I have bought for my own family. You can feel free to use my affiliate links, of which I will get a small amount in compensation (without you paying any extra), or you can choose to search out your products on your own.
Has it become unsustainable here? Will it become unsustainable here? Will the majority of us survive the journey? What are the odds we be going into a better situation? Risk/Threat analysis
Just like combat the answers will not be clear and sometimes there is no right answer. You just gotta choose and be at peace with the outcome.
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