Common mistakes while bugging out

SHTF School ^ | 4/11/15 | Selco

[Kartographer]

Bugging out is something that I once failed to do, because I did not even realize that it needed to be done, actually I saw what was happening but I did not „proccess“ the information in correct way, so I stay and had to go trough whole period of watching, doing, and getting hit by violence, together with being cold, hungry, sick and everything else.

Because bugging out is so important and survival done right is often not getting into survival situations in the first place I stress importance of bugging out (if you are not already live in great bug out location anyway)

Consider the following couple of mistakes that I witnessed (more than one time).

[Hardens Hollow]

“My dream would be a shallow well with my red pump inside on the side of the sink - like I grew up with - no electricity needed)”

Wouldn’t that be great! I hope you get one.

[Lazamataz]

Selco? That poseur? Go survive a civil war in Serbia and get back to me, pal.

[Lazamataz]

1. Not leaving early enough. Waiting until the last minute.

I am so screwed.

2. Never having practiced doing a bug out so many things get lost, missed, or too much is taken.

I am so screwed.

3. Being so obvious that bad guys will rob you.

I am so screwed.

4. Showing up to a location without anything but a small bag of stuff and becoming unwelcomed.

I am so screwed.

5. Not having permission of those you show up to.

I am so screwed.

6. Not being mentally or physically prepared for the level of violence to be encountered.

I am so screwed.

7. Not being prepared for travelling on foot or other means such as a bicycle as your vehicle or roadways are no longer viable. Motorcycles are a good alternative.

I am so screwed.

8. Using the same freeways and highways everyone else uses and not being comfortable using county dirt roads instead. Not knowing how to get around.

I am so screwed.

9. Not having your preps at your bugout location and trying to get them there in this one bugout sprint.

I am so screwed.

10. Not being prepared to bugout at all.

I am so screwed.

[CodeToad]

Laz, you’ve been screwed! Now if you can only just get laid instead!

[PA Engineer]

And I’m trying to figure out how to implement a greenhouse like yours.... is attached to the house better for heating, both the house and the greenhouse? I have a brick exterior- I wonder if that would make a difference.

I live in a rather cold and cloudy area of western Pennsylvania. Without knowing where you live, I can only take a SWAG at your passive gain.

I pretty much close ours off from the house in late November to the second and third week of March. I do have back up heat if needed on the subzero nights, however the temperature in winter from solar gain and ground temps hovers around 40º to 50º. Whenever we have a clear sunny day, the greenhouse temps can rise into the 80s and we use that to heat the house and placate the cats.

During September, October, part of November and March, and April, we use the greenhouse to heat our home. During the summer months, we close it off again because of the high temps. The two exhaust fans have been adequate to keep the greenhouse within a couple degrees of ambient.

I have a 6" concrete floor and black porcelain tile to capture the solar heat and provide evening storage.

The bricks on your home will provide substantial thermal storage as will a concrete pad.

I have been having some problems with our roof glass. I have argon gas filled double pain windows for the vertical and that provides decent insulation, however I went with triple pane krypton gas filled for the roof. This was expensive glass, but did offer an R10 equivalent insulation value.

I have been experiencing significant failures with the krypton gas filled units. I would consider checking out very carefully the suppliers before moving ahead with any greenhouse project.

[9thLife]

Are you asking about outmaneuvering a surveillance state during confrontations or now, while Big Brother is monitoring us?

In general and out of principle. I think every smartphone ought to have a little "personal space" jamming app. I think everyone ought to be able to have a infinite number of aliases pumping out information onto the net.

It will come, and it will pass, because the "burn through" mentioned in the previous reply to me can only be attained by an absolute bio-metric link, aka The Mark. But I'll sweat my last drop of sweat figuring out how to game that, too.

It's part principle, and part sport.

[PA Engineer]

City water, well water - and a large propane tank and generator, creek and pond water, and storing rain water are what I’ve got so far.

For your consideration, I have a battery backed up inverter system for my home. I also converted a 10 circuit generator transfer switch to pick out the most critical circuits to have on back up.

I use the generator to just charge the batteries (8-L16 Trojans Lead Acid). For about a gallon of fuel a day (125000btus equivalent) I can charge the batteries (about 5000 watts for water, refrigeration, some LED lights and Coms).

My well is 175 feet deep and down an elevation of 50 feet (about 100 feet from the house) and has a 3/4HP motor. There is a substantial inrush on a motor that size, so expect an inverter system that can handle an instantaneous surge of around 8500 watts.

For a longterm situation I have 6 solar panels to charge the batteries. This would be for water only.

Just an idea and another option. The setup is not cheap, however it has come in handy during many outages. The daily generator run time is about 1 to 1.5 hours. The shorter runtime is important for OpSec.

[maine-iac7]

My family has been laughing at me for years because I advocate RAISING donkeys -

Not only for the use you cite - but for ‘quiet’ travel - and gas up on grass along the way ;) ...- and a valuable trading item.

for packing loads, hauling etc...especially if needed to head off deeper -

[maine-iac7]

In general and out of principle. I think every smartphone ought to have a little "personal space" jamming app.

could 'Faraday' cages - homemade - be used to store phones in - and foiled lined pouches? I'm thinking an old microwave to store a shortwave and walkie talkies?

[9thLife]

I’m leaning more toward offense. Like a personal EMP generator.

[maine-iac7]

I’m leaning more toward offense. Like a personal EMP generator.

???

I like THAT idea! What is it?

[maine-iac7]

ahaha - thanks for the tip - gonna look at this

[Marcella]

“The government nanny will sweep in to take all that can be found stored in the burbs so they can feed their government dependents.”

“Same here. Very little doubt, given who is in power, that an orchestrated shtf incident will occur after which raiding American homes and businesses for ‘resources’ to support the mob which supports leftist gov will be job one.”

It's according to what the emergency is. If power is out over the country, you won't be subject to government anyone because their system won't be working. Remember, also, those who are in those agencies, down to the man in the military complex, won't be there, either - they will be home trying to save their families.

Always consider that every agency is comprised of PEOPLE - not robots that have no families to worry about. There won't be a way to tell an agency to do “x”, and if the message got there, no one will be there to execute the order.

Think of how large the US is and power is off. Obama is on his own just as each one of us would be on our own. Will the secret service agents around Obama stay with him and let their families die because they are not home to help keep them alive?

I think they will be the FIRST to bolt and leave Obama on his own to dash to his underground pleasure palace. I don't think it will as cozy as he thinks when there is no one, at that time, who gives a flip if he stays alive or not. Let his Muslim Brotherhood buddies come to his bunker and help him eat the food.

The point is, don't think the government will be super organized to come to your house for your supplies when there is no power, no way to organize masses of government guys across the nation, to come get your stuff. Those masses of men are going home, not to your house.

You could be in danger from local people who are starving, coming to your house rather than the government coming, however, if the locals don't think you have any more than they do, they aren't coming, either. Of course, if you have made it known to those around you that you are prepared to live for ten years on your own, you can expect to have to defend what you have - and kill people.

Inner city bad guys will loot the inner city where they are familiar with what's there. I doubt any of you live in the inner city where high crime is already there.

If you live in a state where guns aren't allowed, and you don't have any, get out now while you can and go where you have the freedom to own a gun - or four or five or ten. Bad guys always have guns in gun free states and they WILL come to your house - they will be there faster the closer you live to the inner city.

[Hardens Hollow]

“Not only for the use you cite - but for ‘quiet’ travel - and gas up on grass along the way ;) ...- and a valuable trading item.

for packing loads, hauling etc...especially if needed to head off deeper -”

My plan Z was to head into the Cherokee National Forest....

Are donkeys easier to feed, as in less temperamental tummies, than horses?

[Hardens Hollow]

Wow, you have done some planning!

We were considering solar as well, and if they can work in PA they should do ok in Tennessee. We’ll look into a wind turbine as well, since we have an open hill that might work.

Thanks for the ideas. Who says you can’t get water from a well when the power is out? (Actually my neighbor does say that...)

[Hardens Hollow]

You keep your cats in the greenhouse? Or did I read that wrong...

Using the greenhouse to heat your home, and the black tile idea, is brilliant.

Again, thanks for all the ideas.

[MHGinTN]

I figure the MRAPs will come out to play AFTER the starvation, disease, and chaos have reduced the population by a hundred million or more and the survivors are weary.

[Hardens Hollow]

“It’s according to what the emergency is. If power is out over the country, you won’t be subject to government anyone because their system won’t be working. Remember, also, those who are in those agencies, down to the man in the military complex, won’t be there, either - they will be home trying to save their families.”

Power being down all over the country is an interesting idea. I’d guess that power could be down everywhere but Texas, since the rest of the US is linked symbiotically with their transmission lines. Taxes has designed her grid to be severed from the rest of the , so she can’t import power from the US - only from Mexico I believe - but also will not be affected by anything going on outside her grid.

[driftdiver]

MRAPS require a lot of maintenance.

[Marcella]

“...so she can’t import power from the US - only from Mexico I believe - but also will not be affected by anything going on outside her grid.”

Actually, Texas sells her overage of power to Mexico. We don’t get any power from Mexico. If the worst happened, we would sever power now going to Mexico from us (Texas).