When Should You Bug Out?

For most people, the answer to when you should bug out is simple: Never.

But you’re probably not an ordinary person.

Unless you have seriously planned your bug out and have a secure location to go to, then you should stay in your home and plan to protect your family there.

That may sound strange to many as you have seen me push everyone to have a bug-out bag ready at all times in your home and vehicles for every member of your family. I will continue to push for that because options are what keep people alive — if you know which option to choose and when.

Are you even prepared to bug out?

Probably not. Again, with the negativity you say.

Sure, you planned and have supplies at home, you have food and water for six months at home, you have weapons ready to go along with enough ammo keep you going for a year or two. You built up these supplies and you have bags ready to head to the mountains, desert or woods in a moment’s notice.

My question would be, “If you have all that in a place you know, why would you leave all that?” You see, most people only prepare to survive with food, water, supplies, and firearms. Most people do not actually have survival skills or are in good enough physical shape to deal with being in the wilderness for more than a few weeks. The environment must be a factor in deciding if you will defend in place or bug out.

Even if you lose services, you are still in good shape at home, a generator will give you power, you know the general area, so you know where to get water. You know the people around you, so you know who is a threat and from what direction they will come. You know your immediate surroundings (your home), so you have that advantage over anyone trying to enter it.

At home, you have tools; you have the drill press you used to build your .308 rifle from the 80% lower receiver and jig you got from Genesis CNC, you have the ability to make more if you purchased additional 80 percent lowers or fix other things that you could not do in the wild. You have resources at home that you would not have in the wild.

Weakest link

Someone in every group is your weakest link. Who would it be in your group? You may be surprised who it is — it could be you, and it could be your spouse or your kids, maybe a friend or relative that you planned with to head to the hills. It could be more than one person.

If every member of your team has not planned and practiced with you, maybe they would not do well out in the wilderness. If your spouse’s idea of roughing it is staying in a three-star hotel that does not have room service, how long will they last with zero conveniences? This is another reason why getting the entire family into prepping together.

Too many people watched “Red Dawn” (the original, not that terrible remake) and think that if a bunch of kids could survive like that, then so could their family. But we are not talking about a movie, we are discussing a major event that would change life as we know it and when someone is actually trying to kill you, no director is there to yell cut and send in the stuntman.

What if firearm confiscation preceded the event?

When you think about something like the government confiscating guns in the U.S., it simply sounds like something that could never really happen, and if it did, it would be the “event” as Americans would rise up and fight for their freedom.

Nevertheless, taking firearms from citizens has been on the wish list of many in power for years and they have managed to make strides in some states by reducing the numbers or types of firearms available to citizens. In some cases, firearms that were previously legal have been demonized, made illegal and then confiscated by our own state governments.

The Armalite AR-10™, LR308™ or other AR-style .308 rifles are excellent for the bug-out bag or for defending the home should that be your plan. Any registered firearm would be on that confiscation list in this type of scenario. You can have that firepower and stay off the confiscation list at the same time.

Perfectly legal

An 80% .308 lower receiver and jig can be shipped directly to your home – no gun stores, no paperwork. The reason paperwork is not required is because it is not considered a firearm by the ATF until that final 20% of machining is complete. So no black market, no breaking the law.

Building your own firearms for personal use is still one of the freedoms we have in this country; do not forget to exercise it. As long as you can legally own a .308 rifle in your state then you are allowed to build it as long as you do the work yourself.

Proper bug-out planning

If because of your location and the type of event, bugging out is your only real option, you should have planned the entire process including multiple routes to your location and have that location fully stocked with everything you will need aside from what is in your bug-out bags.

This is not something that can wait until the SHTF, it must be done well in advance of the event, and many say that if it is not already done, it may be too late. But really, time and money are two of the main obstacles that prepper deal with daily so do not let someone else’s dire prediction stop you from getting your family ready. “There is always enough time, till there isn’t” is a phrase I grew up with and always something I take to heart — never give up until you are beaten.

Plan now, because heading out without a specific location and supplies setup is not a wise move even if you do have some survival skills, and if you do not it could be deadly. For most bugging out should be the last option, for others, it may be an absolute necessity, if you start planning now, you will know which is the right choice for you.