Over the next couple of weeks Lisa and I are going to dig deep into bugging out and everything that it involves. Having a good bug out plan is more complicated than you might think, and requires more than just having a full tank of gas and space in your trunk to put your bug out bag.

We already went through why you would want to bug out in the first place in this article, and the reason is pretty simple, because you might not have a choice. For most of us this is a worst case scenario because nobody wants to leave everything they have and basically become a refugee.

In that article I also added a video that is included in the bug out course at the Survivalist Prepper Academy that goes through what needs to be considered when you are doing your bug out planning such as…

* Getting Family Together

* Timing

* Route Planning

* Getting Separated

* Avoiding Refugee Routes

* Outside Communication

* The Mob Mentality

* Expect the Unexpected

* And Be the Gray Man

Also included in the video is the process I use to plan my bug out route and some of the differences to think about if you live in an urban or suburban area vs a rural area.

SPP129 Why Bugging Out is More Complicated Than You Think

Before You go Anywhere

You might hear all the time about why bugging out just makes you a refugee and leaving everything you own is just insane. The reality is that like it or not you might not have a choice.

By definition it would make you a refugee, but with proper planning it wouldn’t be the vision we have in our heads of hundreds of people lined up to cross a border or enter a FEMA camp. The reason a good bug out plan is necessary is to avoid these situations at all costs.

Let’s take a look at some of the areas that need to be considered when formulating a good bug out plan.

The Realities of Bugging Out: We are going to face a lot more problems than we expect when we bug out, and depending on your situation you will have your own challenges. Our age, our health, our family makeup, our family’s health and finances will all play a role.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that this will be just like an extended camping trip. In reality it will be more like living like the homeless than camping.

No one really knows what this situation will look like because there are so many variables, from the degree of the disaster scenario, to your physical abilities and family makeup.

Timing: In the video I mentioned above I talked about how timing is critical. This is even more important in an urban area because your window of opportunity will be very small. Having as much information about how a situation is developing (or could develop) could give you valuable minutes to keep you one step ahead of the masses.

Planning and practice also decrease the time it would take to bug out because if you know what the process is, and you know where everything is, you won’t be running around like a chicken with your head cut off.

How Will Family Members React? We will talk about this a little more below but some preppers are the lone prepper of the household. If someone has plugged their ears anytime you mention prepping, the odds are they are going to freak out a little bit…or a lot.

Some people handle stress better than others, so as the lone prepper it’s up to you to figure out who is going to need more attention or help. The best case scenario would be that even though t...