Hello everyone! I was talking to a friend of mine this morning and the subject moved to bug out locations and what you should look for in a good one and what is critical to survival in one. It was a great conversation and I think we both learned a little which is what you always hope for. I was thinking that I would pass on to you some of the things we discussed in this morning’s post. So, grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.
OK, just to make sure were all on the same page, let me define what I think constitutes a bug out location for you. A Bug Out Location (BOL) is the place where you intend to go when everything goes to crap. It is where you hope to remain in relative safety, until the crisis is over. It is essentially your safe haven and you are pinning all of your hopes on being able to survive there. With that said, we need to talk about some of the things that you should consider when selecting a BOL for you and your group.
Let me say this right off of the bat, DO NOT try to survive on your own, because your chances of doing so are somewhere between slim to none! Find a group of people now and join them for when the time comes later on down the road. You cannot stay awake 24 hours a day 7 days a week and hope to survive. It just is not going to happen.
Once you are part of a group, look for a location that has these essential attributes:
- Water, you need a constant source of drinking water or water that can be made drinkable. Without it you will die in 3 day after you run out of what you have stored. It is easily the single most important item that you simply must have to survive in any location.
- Food, you will need to have land to plant a garden on and forest close by where you can hopefully hunt wild game for meat. You will need a lot of protein and calories in your diet when you are trying to survive. Those days of sittting in front of a TV or computer all day will be gone and replaced by days of chopping wood, hunting, and working in a garden to grow your own food, just to name a few. You will need a lot more calories than you do now for sure. Fruit trees that provide vitamin “C” will also be essential because without enough of it in your diet, you will get scurvy and possibly die. You will have to eat right if you are going to survive for a long period of time. This will be very difficult in a post SHTF world unless you have properly prepared.
- Secluded, you will need a place that is secluded and not along the main path of those leaving the cities looking for food and water. This should be a no brainer, because the last thing you want is for hundreds of people to show up at your door demanding food that you can’t give them. Out of sight, out of mind is the best approach for preventing this. Never underestimate the resourcefulness of hungry and desperate people. The smell of smoke will attract them like flies and you have to be ready for them no matter how secluded your sight is.
- Defendable, you BOL has to be defendable from anyone that might want to attack you and take what you have. You need to look at the location with a tactical eye and see where the weak points are and what you could do to correct them. Things like is it on a hill or in a valley? Is there cover close by that enemy could use to hide in when attacking you? Is there a lake or river behind your location that could pose a challenge to your defenses? While water is critical, a large body of it in close proximity to you could pose serious challenges to you when trying to defend yourself from attackers. Are there places in buildings or natural barriers that you could use to shoot from in the event of an attack? All of these are very important questions and should be seriously considered when selecting a BOL for when the time comes.
These are just a few things you need to consider when selecting a BOL and while there are many others; these are the most critical in my opinion. If your BOL lacks any of these 4 items, then it is useless for long-term survival. Other things that are important are things like the quality of the soil for growing food, and the types and quantity of the trees in close proximity to your buildings. Will you have to remove trees to plant a garden? Is there sufficient firewood in the area, etc.? All of these things are important when it comes to survival at your BOL. Think and plan ahead and you will do just fine. Listen to input from other members of your group so that everyone has a say and you will be off to a good start. Well I guess that is it for today and I hope you have maybe picked up a few good tips. Until next time, Stay safe, stay strong and keep on prepping!
-The Sargent-
