Where are you going to go?

Most of the posts I've seen so far dealing with BOB & survival kits seem to be geared toward a scenario that involves retreating to some remote stretch of wilderness. This seems to be the plan many have.

Back when I was young, there was nothing I liked better than grabbing my backpack, rifle and disappearing into the woods for a week at a time. I loved the idea of being self sufficient and off the grid. Things were simpler then, I had only myself to worry about.

Things have changed over the years though. I now have a large family and the thought of bugging out with enough gear and food to sustain them all in a wilderness setting for any length of time is not practical.

I'm sure there are many in my situation who need to make alternate plans. Do not overlook the option of making use of an extended network of friends and family for support, comfort and aid in the event of an emergency. If your extended family is like mine, you will have relatives & close friends all over the US and perhaps in neighboring countries.

Make a list of their names, numbers addresses. Keep in mind that showing up expectantly at your cousin Cletus' door with your whole family in tow, is not going to be looked at favorably by him if he hasn't heard from you for the last 20 years. So keep in touch with your friends and family, attend family reunions so that you will be in loop.

It is my strong belief that if an when the SHTF we are going to need to rely heavily on friends & family for support, and be ready to assist them.

I don't think it's going to be an "every man for himself" situation for most people. Now is the time to work on strengthening family bonds before it is too late.











[edit on 27-2-2009 by Sparky63]

I agree in principle if the said family member / friend lives in a small town or village / farm.

But if it's a city, forget it!
You'd be jumping from the skillet and into the fire!

reply to post by Sparky63


You seem to be suggesting more of a bug in idea than a bug out. Pros and cons are abundant in this forum.

Only you take it to a slightly different realm, depending on your cousin Cletus. All well and good, but how many people have an extended family that believes and plans for when TSHTF? To keep in communication is great, we need stronger families world wide for a multitude of reasons. However, to call Aunt Selma and say, "hey, if the world falls apart my kids and I are coming to see you" probably isnt going to go over well.

Stock your home, your land and let it known to your family and friends that you trust that you are working to take care of your own, when the time comes, they will remember.

To rely on others when the chips are down is a huge folly and you will find yourself and family either being a burden to others, or simply having no where to go.

I will be heading to the SW of England or Wales. Awesome places, great resources, no people.

Best place to run to without a doubt.

Honestly...

Like you OP, I have a family and, barring absolute necessity, I'll be,for many reasons, making my stand right where I'm at. That being said, I have a pretty good situation here, but that was by design and required a massive change of lifestyle...and yes, community cooperation is a large part it..

Of course, there may be many reasons for "buggin out"....but I can envision "the wilderness" as being just as dangerous as cities, for obvious reasons...

I am in a situation now, where everybody comes to see me. Sometimes my house seems more like a hotel.

Someday - and that day may never come - I'll call upon them to do a service for me.... It will be time to call in old favors. I have relatives in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas that live out in the boonies.
I also have close friends in Canada & Mexico that could be called on if it ever became necessary to jump the border.

I am however inclined like the previous poster to hunker down and do my best to deal with whatever comes. It is a lot easier to protect & provide for your family when you are on your home turf.



[edit on 27-2-2009 by Sparky63]

I'm looking at a secluded site in North Carolina to build a cabin on. It's several wooded acres with it's own water supply. Not too far from our home on the East Coast of Florida.

It depends on where I am at. If I am in Lexington I can get out pretty quickly and once I get past the farms and hills then I can get deep into the mountains. In Kentucky there are always towns and cities mixed with a few isolated areas but for the most part there is a lot of wilderness left. Jacksonville would be different but again all of its settlements are spread apart and has a lot of marshes, woods and swamps in between that I have navigated before. I would make my way up north and try to evade as much as possible. Sicily though would be difficult. Tunisia and Malta aren't that enticing so I have no idea. Maybe just try and make it up north and get in the alps.

Me? I'll be heading to the thick pine woods along the North West of Englands coastline. I can use the beach to travel up and down the coast and if anyone approaches I'l be able to quickly disappear in to the woods.
Not a perfect plan I grant you but's the best I can come up living so close to the big city.

reply to post by nastalgik


I have two uncles that live in Lexington. Beautiful part of the country.
I haven't been there since I was a kid though.

It looks like if a catastrophe hits, a lot of people are going to be on the move. Each one heading for what they perceive to be the safest place.

The common flaw in these plans will be closed roads and massive traffic congestion. When one of the hurricanes (Cat 4) was headed for Daytona Beach a few years back, me and my family chose to "hunker down" and stay put. Some friends of ours waited until the last minute and decided to head North. When they got to the interstate they were stuck in a massive traffic jamb. It took them 6 hours to go about 15 miles. In frustration they turned around and went back home. Fortunately for us and for them, the damage was minimal and we only had to deal with the inconvenience of being without power for a couple of weeks.

Actually getting to where you want to go is going to be another obstacle to overcome.

Well, I live in Oklahoma, where there's plenty of rural areas to split to. The problem is, almost all of that land belongs to somebody, and folks here aren't, let's say, terribly prone to suffer tresspassers or squatters. Now, there are unpopulated areas like the Ouachitah National Forest, and I could probably make it over into the Ozarks in Arkansas, or down to Texas (the area known as The Big Thicket is one of the places where it wouldn't be too hard to disappear) but in the event of situation X and mass exodus from the cities, I'm pretty sure the woods and parks would be filled with refugees. So, I'm not terriby sure how much good splitting for the hillls would do, but it's still my plan, because it's better than staying put.

I'm going to stay where I am (Jersey shore).

Be it dangerous or not, I won't run from death.

I'm going to stand my ground!

My home is my home!

Bring it on!

(and if you are all wondering, yes I'm a tad psycho...or maybe I'm not, whose to say?)

You guys are going to get Lyme disease from being out in the woods for so long.
If you're hunting deer, no doubt you're going to eat at least ONE that has mad deer prion disease.. as deers have it now from invading cattle feed troughs (which contains feed from ground up cow corpses)

and if the cities are war-strewn.. no doubt people are going to eventually trickle out to the countryside before long.

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