Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The bugging in versus bugging out debate is probably one of the biggest in the survival community, most likely because it’s impossible to predict the future. Everyone’s got an opinion. You have your extremists (who see themselves doing either one or the other) and then you have those who prep for both.
Instead of siding with either of the two, let’s try to find good reasons for doing either so we can at least figure out which one is more important for our unique situation.
Want to save this post for later? Click here to Pin It On Pinterest!
Five Reasons to Bug In
1. If you live in a rural area or if you’re a suburban and your house is fully stocked and defended, it’s best to bug in.
Obviously, most of the people bugging out of the cities will leave en masse, but as long as the head count in your town is small and you have your home defenses in place, there’s no reason to leave. Of course, bugging out should always be an option.
2. If you have means to live self-sufficiently, you should bug in.
If you’re unable to replenish food, water, and energy, you can only bug in for so long. Sure, having a solid stockpile is fantastic but it will probably won’t last as long as you think. On the other hand, having a few chickens, a garden, and a rainwater harvesting system means you could stay at your primary location indefinitely.
Want to prep but not sure where to begin?
Click Here to Get Your FREE One Year Urban Survival Plan!
3. If you have small children or if you’re pregnant, you should bug in.
The reasons are obvious. Small or unborn children and bugging out don’t mix–you’d just be putting their lives at risk. If you watched the news when Syrian refugees crossed the Mediterranean Sea to get to Greece, you probably saw how a lot of their children didn’t make it.
4. If you don’t have anywhere else to go, you should probably bug in.
Well, land is not cheap and neither is building a second home. Still, you should have a bug out bag and be ready just in case. If you absolutely have to bug out and you have nowhere to go, there are a few options.
5. If you don’t have good wilderness skills, it’s best to bug in.
Finding water, building a shelter, and hunting are going to be impossible if you’re never done any of them before. Theory is one thing but practice is what matters. Plus, consider the fact that you may have “competition”, hundreds or even thousands of people all bugging out at the same time, trying to find food just like you.
Five Reasons to Bug Out
1. If you have a bug-out retreat that’s less than 100 miles away, it’s best to bug out.
I’m assuming your current location is inside a city–maybe the suburbs–and that you have a job keeping you in it. Otherwise, there shouldn’t be any reason to still live there and not move to your other location. As long as you have a bug out location, detailed maps of the area, several ways of getting there, and a fully-packed bug out bag, you should definitely bug out (unless the situation dictates that it’s better to bug in, of course).
2. If you don’t have a choice, you have to bug out.
Bugging out is seen as a last resort, and in some cases it may be foolish to venture outside when you can bug in and see what happens. But if your town or city is bombarded, for instance, the last thing you want to do is bug in. Many Syrians died over the past few years because they thought things would go back to normal and didn’t.
3. If you have a solid, well equipped bug out vehicle, you should bug out.
If you’re a car enthusiast and you’ve got yourself a nice vehicle that’s fully stocked, a secondary bug out vehicle inside (a foldable bike, an inflatable boat etc.), if you’re an excellent driver and you can maintain and fix your vehicle by yourself, then bugging out may be for you.
4. If the disaster affects the transportation system, you have to bug out.
Store shelves will be empty in a matter of days. Hundreds of thousands will be left without food and water, and if you think you can just forage for edibles in your city’s parks and use your LifeStraw to drink water from a pond or a fountain nearby, think again. While you may last a few days or even a couple of weeks inside a city, at some point you’re gonna have to move to a permanent shelter where there’s water, food and security.
5. If you hear news that things will go downhill before anyone else, you should bug out.
This assumes you have plenty of time to move all your stuff to your other location without putting yourself in danger, maybe even taking several trips. Of course, if you have a job this could be problematic, maybe you can take a vacation?
If nothing happens or if it’s a false alarm, you have nothing to lose, though it wouldn’t hurt to investigate and be really sure the rumors are true. The thing about bugging out is that, if you’re going to do it, you have to do it as quickly as possible.
Final Word
Which one is right for you? I say prepare for both, give yourself multiple options and pick the right one when the time comes. You never know what might hit you, situations change by the minute and it’s just wiser to be prepared for as many scenarios as possible.
Living in a highly populated area I could give many reasons for staying put unless the home is totally destroyed. Resources that are stored in a home are much more plentiful than what any could carry. When on the road one must watch in a 360 degree arc but in a home it can be reduced greatly to give you the advantage. a defense from cover is always best and a familiar home and the possibility to set parameter defense only adds to security. If on the move perimeter defense is much harder. These are but some of the more important points of staying in. My prejudiced of dealing with so many people in normal situation can be a frantic experience when people have only a small problem. just a normal traffic jam from an accident sends peoples tempers flaring and all have the attitude that I should go first and if others don’t give way then I will push them away. I have seen it and is no different between men and women. Now put these same people in a situation where we have a real crisis. the one fact I do know is that I do not want to be among them. What I see is the masses who have little or no direction or ability other than opening a box or can for dinner and when hungry enough will try to take what they need to live. They will swarm out of the cities with no direction to settle upon any field like the locus and destroy any possibility of food production from that spot for many years. They will die by the thousands polluting further the land not with their bodies for that would at least be reduced to fertilizer. The equipment and clothing and all the things grabbed in the panic to exit. In reality we have much open land in a city to grow food. to keep warm is another chore to the unskilled. To think further ahead would be to ask how would we begin to rebuild a functional society? One thing at a time!
Grampa