January 31, 2015

8 TIPS FOR BUGGING OUT ON FOOT



1. LEAVE EARLY

This is critical if you live in a populated area.  The longer you wait, the hungrier people become and the more dangerous it will be.  Some people have suggested that when the collapse happens, the first few days will be the most dangerous and chaotic, and after those first few days or weeks, things will calm down.  Almost the opposite is true.  Yes, there will be chaos in the stores in the first few days, but things won't get REALLY dangerous until after that when people are killing each other for food and organizing their crime.  So, pack up, preserve whatever food you can, and leave as soon as you can.  I think within 48-72 hours is acceptable.


2. GET SOMETHING FOR EASE OF TRANSPORTATION

If you're on foot, you won't want to carry everything on your back.  That is tremendously exhausting and it is wasting unnecessary calories.  Consider getting horses and a wagon, bicycles and trailers, garden carts, pull carts, dollies, wheelbarrows, trash cans with wheels, or even shopping carts or two bicycles bound together.  I would suggest looking at pictures or videos of refugees from years past as they flee wars.  They have all their stuff loaded up on carts or donkeys.  That is what it is going to be like.  They made the most out of what they had, and what they had was usually carts or donkeys.  Today, we have better technology and smoother rolling carts and wagons.  A simple garden cart costs about $100 and will allow you to move 350 lbs effortlessly.  I recommend getting some of these now or making them a priority item to get when everyone starts rushing the stores.  Now, eventually, once you get near your bug out location, you might have to go off road, which I recommend for a bug out location, in which case, you'll be carrying your supplies in a backpack, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use transportation devices to get there.  You can just ditch them once you get to the point where you need to exit the road and haul them to your bug out location later when they are empty.


3. TRAVEL AT NIGHT, IF THERE IS DANGER

It might sound counter-intuitive, because right now, nights are more dangerous, but when the SHTF, being visible with goods is the most dangerous.  If you travel at night, you have a better chance of not being spotted by thieves.  Coupling this method with traveling along the most rural roads possible is a winning combination for remaining unseen.  This should allow you to make it to your bug out location unseen.  Remember, if the event is an EMP, there may be millions of people stranded out on the roads when their cars stop working.


4. AVOID TRAPS

Once the collapse is a week old or more, you need to be on the lookout for traps.  Crime will only become more and more organized as the collapse grows older.  At some point, gangs and thieves will begin to establish road block traps.  These could look like the damsel in distress situation or a physical trap once you get onto a certain part of the road.  If the US collapses, thousands upon thousands of refugees fleeing the city will be robbed and some killed in these kinds of traps.


5. HIDDEN CACHES EN ROUTE

If you should run into trouble and have your stuff stolen, it will be very helpful to get some basics back in your hands quickly.  For this, I would recommend burying hidden caches along your bug out route that have food, water, and supplies.

6. HAVE GOOD SHOES

If you're going to be walking long distances, which you probably will, it makes sense to get good shoes AND get multiple pairs of those shoes--even enough to last for the rest of your life.


7. BLISTER AND RASH PROTECTION

Similar to the #6 tip, you will want to do everything possible to avoid blisters and rashes.  If you have to walk multiple miles a day, these things WILL be an issue.  Your best plan of action will be a combination of good clothes/shoes, avoidance of moisture buildup, and protection like moleskin and Body Glide.


8. TAKE IT EASY

Once, you've made it to rural areas, you can relax a little.  Chances are that if you will run into trouble in a collapse, it will happen near populated areas.  I would still take less travelled roads and travel at night if you think there is a possibility of trouble, but you no longer have to march like an army at war.  As long as you have enough food stored up, you can just do something like 6 miles a day or whatever is comfortable for people.  Society has collapsed, so guess what, you have nothing but time.  There is always the possibility of a bad encounter happening, so you shouldn't slack off either, but it won't need to be a grueling day every day.  However, if you haven't stored up enough food or it is summer time, you will still need to hurry in order to search for food or get that first crop planted.

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