why would you need to "bug out?"

[XtvvmEb]

I do not understand the prepper fascination with the concept of "bugging out" the way it's commonly discussed.

I get why you might need to get from Point A to Point B in any number of disaster scenarios--forest fires, hurricanes, etc. I have no argument there.

But where does this fascination with a no-electricity, roads-clogged-with-broken-down-cars, and hordes-of-angry-people-wanting-to-kill-you-and-steal-your-food-and-gas scenario come from?

The threads go on-and-on. I have to have a bug-out vehicle that is 4x4 with high ground clearance and has a bug-out boat hooked to the bumper, a bug-out bike on the front and a bug-out cart inside in case we go on foot.

Could somebody please suggest for me a few scenarios where that type of situation could actually exist?

[nkawtg]

Because in a wrol situation there may be riot gangs roaming the streets in your neighborhood.
Do you want to bug in and maybe put your family at risk?

[Chemsoldier]

I do not understand the prepper fascination with the concept of "bugging out" the way it's commonly discussed.

I get why you might need to get from Point A to Point B in any number of disaster scenarios--forest fires, hurricanes, etc. I have no argument there.

But where does this fascination with a no-electricity, roads-clogged-with-broken-down-cars, and hordes-of-angry-people-wanting-to-kill-you-and-steal-your-food-and-gas scenario come from?

The threads go on-and-on. I have to have a bug-out vehicle that is 4x4 with high ground clearance and has a bug-out boat hooked to the bumper, a bug-out bike on the front and a bug-out cart inside in case we go on foot.

Could somebody please suggest for me a few scenarios where that type of situation could actually exist?

Welcome to the forum.

[Smurf Hunter]

Volcanic eruption.

[Knecht]

It's simple. The bugout believers are all very generous people, who intend to go to the woods, bringing guns, ammo, traps and supplies to those who would be there already
While I keep couple "emergency kits" around, I don't really have a bugout kit. Where I currently live is the best place for me to be when bad things happen. Not very likely would they happen right here. I'm here, keeping the place and supplies for the rest of the family - whoever survives would arrive here, sooner or later. The whole house and it's surroundings is my bugout kit.

[r_w]

Because it is fun, and making it a little extraordinary makes it feel safer to play along. 

Zombies and jackboots and EMP's, oh my!

Once in a while you can get a good idea out of it, but for the most part it is mindless entertainment.  Just a little more thought than watching TV.

[Carl]

I do not understand the prepper fascination with the concept of "bugging out" the way it's commonly discussed.

Could somebody please suggest for me a few scenarios where that type of situation could actually exist?

The only good answer is when you have a place to 'bug 'to and prepositioned supplies. Unless forced by circumstance or 'the man' for your own safety.

[machinisttx]

Chemical spill
gas leak
loss of habitable home(fire/tornado/earthquake/etc)
riots(sports team wins/loses, rodney king kinda thing)

Once, when I was a kid, we had to "bug out" for a couple nights because the dog killed a skunk under the house. Intolerably stinky....vomit inducing stank.

[Mr. Bill]

I get why you might need to get from Point A to Point B in any number of disaster scenarios--forest fires, hurricanes, etc. I have no argument there.

That's mostly the focus on this forum.  Disasters of the sort you read about in the news regularly, rather than post-apocalyptic scenarios.

But where does this fascination with a no-electricity, roads-clogged-with-broken-down-cars, and hordes-of-angry-people-wanting-to-kill-you-and-steal-your-food-and-gas scenario come from?

Because it's more fun to think about?  I don't know.  I mean, it might happen.  I think the details would vary quite a bit depending on your exact location, but in any case I don't expect it would be much like Hollywood portrays it.

[excaliber]

in my opinion bugging out is a great option for many, think about the millions who live in a small apartment in the middle for New York City. or in any other huge city, where they have a small apartment in a highly populated area. or inner city. These places will be the worst. for people like me outside of city limits of a small (under 12,000 population), I am kind of already bugged out. I have an acre of land and what I need. but the guy in the middle of Chicago needs to find a better place.

[BillyS]

I've had to evacuate twice. The first time I had a duffel full of crap I didn't need and a backpack full of stuff that I did need. In the backpack- flashlight, phone charger, $40 cash in small change, magazine to read on the side of the road, and a pack of baby wipes. In the duffel- guns, ammo, camping shit, axe, beer can stove, shovel, etc, etc. I've since taken the common sense thinking of the backpack and applied it to my duffel. now it's merely a 3 day overnight bag with a flashlight, a knife, and a gun just in case.

But yeah, it takes digging though useless gear and not finding clean socks among the zombie-killing equipment to realize that you're being a dumbass.

[Ms. Albatross]

But yeah, it takes digging though useless gear and not finding clean socks among the zombie-killing equipment to realize that you're being a dumbass.

 

[Carl]

I've had to evacuate twice. The first time I had a duffel full of crap I didn't need and a backpack full of stuff that I did need. In the backpack- flashlight, phone charger, $40 cash in small change, magazine to read on the side of the road, and a pack of baby wipes. In the duffel- guns, ammo, camping shit, axe, beer can stove, shovel, etc, etc. I've since taken the common sense thinking of the backpack and applied it to my duffel. now it's merely a 3 day overnight bag with a flashlight, a knife, and a gun just in case.

But yeah, it takes digging though useless gear and not finding clean socks among the zombie-killing equipment to realize that you're being a dumbass.

AMEN...testify brother.....

[Jeremy Downing]

But yeah, it takes digging though useless gear and not finding clean socks among the zombie-killing equipment to realize that you're being a dumbass.

Every now and then you stumble across a gem of truth. Ta-da! haha.

[Cedar]

Check out the recent and ongoing Fort M.cMurray wildfires
Oil spill into that Virginia river
Noxious fumes which inundated that California town
The big landslide in Washington State
The radioactive leak in a southern state near that town
All the railroad wre ks with noxious chemi als which would kill you in minutes over the last two years
All tbe refinery explosions over the last two years
Look at how many people had to get to higher ground due to flooding across the US and Canada in tbe last two years. Check out the Calgary flooding.
Lead in the city water in MI
Hurricane Katrina, Ike and the one on the upper east coast
My cousins had to BO when Mt St Helens exploded and fhey lived on the Toutle River,

Look further away like Donetsk, Aleppo, Homs...

Cedar

[osubuckeye4]

I'm glad you mentioned disasters... because that's the reason the vast majority of people should have a reasonable "bug out" bag prepped and ready to go at all times.

But where does this fascination with a no-electricity, roads-clogged-with-broken-down-cars, and hordes-of-angry-people-wanting-to-kill-you-and-steal-your-food-and-gas scenario come from?

The threads go on-and-on. I have to have a bug-out vehicle that is 4x4 with high ground clearance and has a bug-out boat hooked to the bumper, a bug-out bike on the front and a bug-out cart inside in case we go on foot.

Could somebody please suggest for me a few scenarios where that type of situation could actually exist?

I think that once people cover the basics, they get bored and let their imagination run wild.


It's sort of the same reason why my wife owns 9,000 pairs of shoes (hyperbole  ). Why does anyone need that many shoes, you can only wear one pair at a time?

To her, it keeps her going and gives her something to do when all of her other obligations are taken care of.

[Stwood]

I'm more like Knecht. We are not planning on bugging out. We're planning on staying put and surviving here off the grid. I've been trying to get the extended family to get their chit together so they can get here if need be. So far it's mostly fell on deaf ears and hasn't sunk in.
One of my sons when they were here last, I grabbed some pantry supplies and gave them to him. I told him *here's your start, buy a darn bag and continue.*

[Greekman]

ALL of the above, plus

it is fancy,
it re-activates men's (mostly) adventure gene, that has been rendered dormand nowdays,
it is good for the industry.

[surfivor]

 I think you could end up in an area where there is no electricity or running water, there's crime and the govt or police might tell you you have to leave. Either go to a shelter they provide or leave the area

[Carl]

If everyone went to the woods to live,their would not be enough food and it would be over crowded and produce much lawlessness
as people resorted to violence for food and big screen TV's and beer.I think I will stay at home unless I absolutely must  leave due
to danger. And then I will go to my BOL and live comfortably ,well beneath the surface.

[Stwood]

I'm already in the woods. 

[Canadian Prepper]

There's definitely some types of situations where people have to "bug out" as in the Fort McMurray fires and the sudden evacuation of 180 000 residents of Mississauga, Ontario in 1979, so there's an argument for being prepared for such eventualities, though there was no significant crime or violence if any associated with those evacuations.

I know of people that had to be ready to suddenly deploy for work purposes that took them into fairly remote areas and a variety of climates, so they had to have gear ready to go on a moment's notice. We've also had opportunities for Red Cross and possibly ARES to deploy on short notice, so I've on occasion found myself adjusting my bags for that.

Lots of us like to camp, sometimes even fish and hunt in the bush, so I regularly pack my gear for that and know many others who do. For a while I had gear sorted in such a way that it would be ready for a couple weeks at a fishing or hunt camp, plus my more condensed camping gear and 72 hr bags, with the idea that I could also use the gear for an extended ARES deployment, etc. I could show up ready to operate for a few days with a BOB and perhaps an extra radio bag, or pack more gear into a vehicle for a longer duration.

Though some of my hunting, shooting and tactical gear could work for some of the dramatic situations spoken about on survival forums, the likelihood of having to conduct a SERE style escape from my home city is miniscule to say the very least. Of course, we don't have anything like a crime ridden American inner city here, but even there I would see it as unlikely.

[rustyknife]

I'm pretty much in agreement with Cedar. Too much chance of either man made or natural disasters. I also carry a spare tire in my pickup even though I haven't had to use it in years. I have seen first hand what a grocery store looks like in a panic buy by the public. I live pretty much where I feel I can make a stand if I have to, if not, then the mountains are only a few miles away.

[Bolomark]

Why would I need to bug out?

1.survival till tomorrow.
2.the same reason I wear a seat belt when driving and flying (just in case i need it)
3.to get back to some sorta resemblance of normality.
4. I do not trust the government to save me, just look at the fine jobs in the past (new Orleans, ect . they roll in once it is safe.) even in japan the most  prepared country in the world was not ready and botched the handling of the area after the earthquake and tsunami. life goes on like nothing happened around the area of incident,so why would you want to stay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti7nZwxUEjU
5.the most of all.... i am responsible for my own life and that of my family. job one
You Only Get One Life. Rise Up And Live It. (Terry Goodkind )

[XtvvmEb]

I appreciate all the responses, amigo!

I certainly agree with all of you who provided scenarios in which a bug-out might be necessary.

And, I'm in favor of having kits and gear pre-packed and ready to go in case of certain scenarios.

But, none of you really provided a scenario which fits the fantasy with the exception of localized riots. (A scenario in which all the power is out, people are shooting each other in the streets, you need a 4x4 vehicle to head cross-country to escape the zombies, etc.)

The most helpful comment to help me understand came from @Greekman: "it is fancy, it re-activates men's (mostly) adventure gene, that has been rendered dormand nowdays, it is good for the industry."

I like the first 2 reasons. And I think it does activate a bit of that adventure gene.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy reading "Lights Out" or "Patriots" as much as the next guy. I've just never been able to understand a plausible scenario to get to that level of WROL.

I look at Venezuala right now and, although I'm sure violent crime is on the rise, I don't see zombies in the streets.

Thanks for all the input!

[Cedar]

But, none of you really provided a scenario which fits the fantasy with the exception of localized riots. (A scenario in which all the power is out, people are shooting each other in the streets, you need a 4x4 vehicle to head cross-country to escape the zombies, etc.)

 

* "Heavy shelling by the Ukrainian Army and paramilitary units have caused civilian fatalities in Donetsk. Human Rights Watch has called on both warring factions to cease using BM-21 Grad in populated areas, and has said the use of these weapons systems may be a violation of international humanitarian laws and could constitute war crimes





I doubt there are 'zombies', but I am pretty much thinking anyone who could get out of Donetsk in the last two years has. Believe it or not, there are people who did not leave for some reason living under the streets in communities in something which looks like it would have been in a Mad Max movie scenario.. these people have no electric, very little food, very little water, no outside contact that I can tell unless reporters go in, film and come out. There are men, women and children of all ages living underground. And that still does not keep their 'world' from shaking each time the bombs go off.


* Homs.
"Homs is one of many cities in Syria where large anti-government demonstrations have been held, part of the wider Syrian civil war. It has been referred to as the "Capital of the revolution." Thousands to tens of thousands gathered in the city's main square on 17–18 April 2011 in a sit-in protesting the government of current president Bashar al-Assad. At least 62 people were killed by government security forces in armed clashes against local anti-government militants.

Starting on 6 May 2011, the city has been under siege by the Syrian Army and security forces. The Syrian government claims it is targeting "armed gangs" and "terrorists" in the area. According to the Syrian opposition, Homs has since become a "blighted city," where authorities regularly block deliveries of medicine, food and fuel to the inhabitants of certain districts. By June, there were near-daily confrontations between protesting residents and Syrian forces. As a result of these circumstances, there have been more deaths in Homs and its vicinity than in other areas of Syria.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Homs_offensive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Homs



There are still people living here as well. How? I have no idea. Why? No idea.


* Fort McMurray
The people have not been able to return to their homes yet. Many had nothing except what they were wearing. Power was out, radio stations were out/dying, tv was out, had to use vehicles to escape cross country as well as deking the fire off the road at times (see photo - they had to go though the grass due to the fire to the left side of the photo) . Many were 4x4's because that is pretty much what is required up in that part of the country. Again, no Zombies, but I am sure there were enough smoke inhantant exhausted humans to qualify as such. Now (today) health authorities reported an outbreak of gastronenteritis in shelters for people evacuated from Fort McMurray, with 105 cases tallied so far, majority in one facility.



The fire was 371 miles long as of 2 days ago, and now has crossed into the next province. No one has been able to get back into Fort McMurray since it started 23 days ago

http://www.wired.com/2016/05/case-forgot-canadas-massive-northern-fire-still-burning/

I do not understand the prepper fascination with the concept of "bugging out" the way it's commonly discussed.

I took your opening post as reality, not the fantasy. For me, possible/probable is the way it is commonly discussed, as I loathe any talk about Zombies, "The Walking Dead" and so forth. Since you are new, and have only 2 posts both in this thread, perhaps you have been reading OTHER forums where that FANTASY thing tends to be more common, but maybe you ought to read more of the posts around TSP and see we are of a different flavor (most of the time).


Cedar

[XtvvmEb]

Cedar,

Thanks so much for that awesome link! Interesting to see a Mad Max world in real life.

I know this forum is more practical than many. I'm glad for that.

I'm a long-time listener to TSP and a long-time lurker here...just haven't chosen to contribute anything in the past.

I guess there's just this consistent theme of people planning for an immediate, violent collapse that seems pervasive through many prepper circles. There's an idea that, "I'll be at my desk, the bomb will go off, and I'll grab my bags, fire up my 4x4, and head off through the throngs to get home!"

Most events (even including the Homs example?) seem to be much slower in their onset. They seem to have plenty of lead time to get away before the crowds are on your tail.

[XtvvmEb]

btw, The Ft. McMurray story is very, very compelling. Truly incredible imagery.

[Badhog]

Has the OP's mother-in-law never come to visit?

[FrugalFannie]

Chemical spill
gas leak
loss of habitable home(fire/tornado/earthquake/etc)
riots(sports team wins/loses, rodney king kinda thing)

Once, when I was a kid, we had to "bug out" for a couple nights because the dog killed a skunk under the house. Intolerably stinky....vomit inducing stank.

right but you wouldn't be heading off to the woods and trying to live off the land in those cases. You would likely head out of the affected area to family or a hotel.