Some Myths About Bugging Out on Foot

In every forum and thread about bugging out on foot, one tends to see selected pieces of advice. Some gear related, some how-to’s and others just general observations. But several times, we see so called “myths” about bugging out on foot and the problems that can come from that. I’ve taken the liberty of looking at several items I consider to be “myths” about bugging out and attempted to problem solve through each of them. I ask questions in each that we all should be asking before making a plan to bug out.

Myth #1: “I only have XX miles from my work to my home, I can do that easy.”
With this myth prepper X knows a distance between their home and work which is a good thing. However, more often than not they hadn’t actually walked that specific distance. They are not typically taking into account the terrain, weather, seasonal factors and possibly hostile activity. How many have actually lugged a full BOB the distance between their work and home before? Not just the distance itself, but actually walked with their bug out gear from work to home? And lived out of their BOB along the way? Sure it is possible to go a straight line distance between point A and B. But more often than not, straight lines work great on a map. Plus the problems behind using roads. Sometimes roads cannot or should not be used. So for whatever distance you happen to be traveling, plan on double that amount.

So if one is to say that to make it stick, one must actually get out and walk that distance with their BOB. Get dropped off at your place of work, sling up the BOB and walk the distance over your primary planned route and in the time and supplies allotted. And for ever one track you might have planned, plan on two alternates as well as creeks and streams can be flooded, roads impassable, and other factors out of your control. Walk the alternate and secondary routes as well, making notes on what hazards can come up and plan on the best route which might suit the time you really need it.

Some things to look for. Are there spots to overnight along the way? What natural barriers are in my way? Do I have the tools and knowledge to overcome those obstacles? Are my maps current and taking into account things that might have changed since they were printed? Do I have enough supplies for an extended stay because weather or terrain slowed me down? Do I have the means to navigate without maps by using terrain association and/or compass headings? What areas do I want to avoid? What areas are safe?

Myth #2: “Don’t wear military style packs/gear/clothing! It makes you a target!”

A target for who specifically? Military gear is often cheaper, especially surplus and lot of folks use it whether they are civilian or former military or current military. An ALICE pack doesn’t make you any more of a target than say a red commercial Kelty pack. If you are in a situation where you will become a target from roving gangs or the like, it doesn’t matter if you have on an ALICE pack or the Kelty. A roving gang will only see “backpack” and wonder what you have inside. It might be valuable to them, might not. But the point is you might have more than they do and it makes you a target whether it’s a military pack or not.

Now on the flip side, if you start to look like you are about to invade Fallujah, you might be a little wrong. Some have a way of overdoing things and wearing a full Multicam combat ensemble with a full combat pack and a long gun will probably get you noticed by not only gangs who could want your weapons and stash, but also by law enforcement who could consider you a threat. Achieve a careful balance between practicality and functionality. Cargo type pants, whether they are surplus BDU or commercial khakis are generally not looked at any more than blue jeans. The same goes for packs. When bugging out on foot (think NOLA) it doesn’t matter if it’s a military pack or a civilian pack. More often than not, one would look and think “person with a pack” rather than “person with a pack…bet they are military and have all sorts of goodies because it happens to be a military style pack.”

So to overcome this myth, one had to ask what purpose you have for bugging out. Does your pack have the cargo space needed for your trip? Does it stand out? Do I have a long gun strapped to the outside that will draw more attention? Is the clothing I have going to provide me concealment along with being functional? Will khaki cargo pants and an earth tone shirt work or do I need the concealment of actual camouflage?

Myth #3: The availability of water.
More often than not, our BOBs have a way of gathering water and filtering/purifying it. And we have a way of carrying said water. And more often than not, we plan on having sufficient water supplies on our route of travel. But do we take into account the seasonal differences when we plan to bug out? Streams can dry up during drought conditions as well as freeze over during the winter. Do you have a way of melting snow and filtering it into potable water? Do you have enough capacity to carry extended water supplies in case the distance between known sources is greater than planned? Sure some folks tend to think they can use the black trash bag method to generate water from dew to survive, but is it enough when you are carrying a pack as well as moving?

And in conjunction with Myth #1, have you walked the distance between point A and B and figured out what water supplies are on hand? Are the streams sufficiently clean enough to filter water and away from known pollution sources (such as factories, animal grazing areas, dumps, etc) which could contaminate even clear water and slow your bug out by getting you sick? Will the streams be frozen during winter and force you to spend additional time thawing out ice to make water? Do you have enough storage in your BOB to make it between water sources without having to go without? Is a 100 ounce water bladder good enough or should you think about adding another liter bottle as a backup?

Myth #4: Slaying the zombie hordes.
Let’s face it, what good is a bug out bag unless we have enough ammo to fight off the raging zombie hordes coming to eat our brain? Or the fact many of us carry enough ammo to fight our way into trouble, but rarely enough to fight our way out? Far too often, BOBs are filled with more than sufficient ammunition. But when bugging out on foot, we need to think strategically and tactically at the same time. Bugging out typically means you are heading for a prepared retreat or a place of safety where you can be resupplied at will and the thousands of rounds you have stored will come into good use. That’s strategic thinking. Get from point A to point B.

But the problem is we plan on fighting the last battle of good versus evil during our bug out. When is enough ammo too much ammo? I.E. ten loaded magazines with another hundred loose rounds for reloads.

To think of bugging out on foot, especially solo, one has to think of being tactically minded. Concealment and running away from problems are sometimes the best ideas you can have. Hide from danger, but if you are confronted, plan on using every single round to the best potential and not wasting any. Think sniper when firing rounds at a potential enemy. You don’t have to put them down for good, but a wounding shot will stop or slow them down just as effectively as a kill shot. Military scouts don’t get into firefights because they typically don’t want to attract the attention. But they will fight if they have to and bloody the nose of the enemy enough to slow them down. And afterwards, slink away and hide before moving to safety. This is tactical thinking and we should be emulating it.

One should look at the amount of ammo and decide whether or not it is enough or too much. I can’t make that determination for you and each person had to decide what’s best for them. But the biggest thing I have seen is the fact some like to overindulge on the ammo stores and let other areas slip past them. Have enough ammo to get yourself out of trouble if a fight is picked with you. Don’t go around picking fights you don’t need to be involved in.

Some questions that have to be asked. Do you have enough ammo to be able to break contact and get away if attacked? What kind of enemies will you be facing? What are the odds of you breaking contact without firing a shot? Can you conceal yourself enough to get away (Myth #2) if you are being pursued? Am I carrying too much ammo and not enough food/water/shelter/clothing? Am I carrying enough of the aforementioned food/water/clothing/shelter and still too much ammo? How far will I need to travel and are my ammo stores enough to get me by? Do I fire well enough with my weapons system to be able to break contact without wasting ammo? Should I get into a prolonged firefight with a group or attempt to evade as best as possible? Are there areas of natural cover and concealment along my chosen route of travel (Myth #1) that I can hide or defend from? Should I make a stand or keep running?

Plan for action, but also plan for inaction. Bugging out solo can present many tactical problems, but most of them can be overcome by proper planning and preset evasion drills. But also, preset battle drills to make an attacker (or attackers) back off and rethink the idea of attacking you.

Myth #5: The minimalist BOB.
Another myth is the minimalist BOB we see from time to time. “I can shove everything into a Camelbak MULE and be just fine!” Okay, for experienced preppers and those that can get by with just a Swiss Army Knife, duct tape and a toothbrush, that’s wonderful. But more often than not, with minimalist kit things are missing. Essential things? Absolutely. Think cold weather gear for starters. Sure not all of us are in climates that require cold weather gear, but enough of us are in places where we would need such things during different seasons. Or redundant items that are critical to the success of bugging out on foot. Water purification for example. If the awesome Katadyn mini filter suddenly becomes contaminated, what are our options for back up?

We can (and often do in the beginning stages of preparedness) tend to go overboard on our kit, but some items are required to be redundant. And do we have enough space to cram in additional water purification tabs? Or a stove to boil water? Or a container to boil water in if our filter cannot be used? Or in the case of tabs, a container to let them purify before adding it into the hydration bladder?

One must be careful to carry enough items along with the alternate items just in case. But one has to also be careful in carrying too much. More often than not, minimalist BOBs are seen with those that don’t have a great distance to travel from point A to B. But are they taking into account the journey (Myth #1) between A and B? What items are missing and what would be necessary on an unplanned extended trip?

As was noted by a response in another forum, the “minimal BOB” wasn’t entirely agreed on. So I’ve expanded this section with the following comments…

True enough on those points and this was more or less the point I was trying to make. Too often you see BOBs packed away with 7 magazines, tacticool M4 with bling hanging on the rails and high dollar Tactical Tailor MAV setup to carry same, Glock with light mount and five spare magazines, combat IFAK with Izzy bandage, Quikclot, tourniquet but no boo-boo kit. No spare socks, no cold/foul weather gear, no sleeping bag save an emergency space blanket, but does have a disposable poncho, fire starter, hydration bladder, large tactical Jim Bowie Tanto Point Khukuri sheath knife along with pocket folder, multitool and keychain multitool but little else. Three Mountain House meals or MREs and they call it their "minimalist kit." This is the minimalist kit I'm referring to and the one that typically leaves important things behind. You can look at a person's kit and decide for yourself what they are missing and I can almost guarantee you you've probably faced palmed over so called "minimal kits" before.

Sure some have experience and know what works and what you have to have and what you can leave behind. But that's experience talking. More often than not, a beginner prepper might not know this is experience talking and attempt to emulate. And this is where they fail. And in failure is discouragement and in discouragement means they potentially stop being prepared all together. Or don't practice as often (as the response pointed out we need to do) and hard earned lessons are soon forgotten. I'm sure through trial and error some have learned what was absolutely necessary and what wasn't, but they still had that trial and error period when they figured out what was best and what could be left behind.

The "myth" is about those who critique a person's load and say "you don't need this, that and you can drop those, but you should replace it with doodad X instead and lighten your weight. You only need one way of starting a fire that Bic will be fine (as if a lighter never gets wet) but heaven forbid you drop a magazine because you NEED that ammo!" So on and so forth. These are the ones that only plan on going XX number of miles because "I can do that no sweat" and leave important things behind because they feel they won't be needed. But as pointed out accidents happen and things take a turn for the worse when they don't make a timeline or are diverted off a path they intended.

And therein lies the myth. The myth that one only needs a minimal kit because they only have to go so far or believe they won't need certain items because the distance is not going to be great enough. A BOB should probably packed the same way whether you are going five or fifty miles. Why? Because you don't drop items because you have found their value and know you "might" need them if it comes down to it. Okay, call it a minimalist kit if you want, but I'm sure most have the basics covered. Maybe you don't carry many redundant items, but I'm sure you carry at least one or two spares of something "just in case." Socks or a little more 550 cord than you need or a spare toothbrush or whatever. The point is, some have lightened your load and are comfortable with the minimal gear necessary for THEM to survive. But probably through trial and error more than just saying "I only need this to survive because I'm only going X miles to my home or bug out location."

Myth #6: The vacuum packed BOB.
“My BOB has vacuum packed clothing and other odds and ends.” Okay, great for packing, but also horrible for packing as two things happen. First, some of those items are hard to get to in a hurry if you really need them. Second, once the vacuum sealing is destroyed, try cramming everything back into your pack (assuming it’s packed tight to being with) and heading along. While it can and does have its place, be careful not to overindulge in the vacuum sealing of things like clothing. Sure enough it works like a charm when packing, but when unpacked? A whole different story. Your BOB should contain enough room to pack in unsealed items as well as sealed items. Pack it both ways and if there is extra space, there is extra space and who cares?
Vacuum sealing is a double edged sword and one that any prepper should think through smartly before employment. Once the sealing is destroyed, are the contents now at risk of being damaged by rain and snow? Do you have a backup plan for resealing the contents like Zip-Lock bags? Do I have enough room to pack away items without having to seal them? Is my pack big enough to account for bulky clothing items that are unsealed? Should I just use a regular Zip-Lock bag and forgo the vacuum sealing?

Just a few things to think of when getting out the food preserver and packing away kit that could be essential and/or too bulky to repack.

These are just some of the things that I’ve seen over the years when discussing bugging out on foot. And more to the point, these are personal observations of mine that your individual mileage might vary on. Some will agree and others disagree, but when bugging out on foot, several factors have to be taken into account on. Where you are headed, how long it will take, what weather/seasonal changes you might encounter and personal preference on gear to be taken.

by @Grand58742

 

You make too much sense.... you'll be ignored by the huddled masses in their never ending quest for "stuff".

 

Good points. if your going to be on foot, also make sure you have comfortable hiking boots, too. Powerbars, and cliff bars are light, and give you energy to scramble.
I've also seen BOBs with no extra clothing. I carry a pair of green insulated long johns, I can put on under my clothes, and a light windbreaker. I have a Buck Mark micro and 200 rounds of ammo in my get home pack, which should be different than your BOB. Both my bags are Marpat digital, which I'm going to try to turn into a A-TACS pattern soon.

 

Good post.
Something alot of people don't think about when planning to Bug-Out when time comes.
My BOB weighs 65Lbs and has what I need when SHTF to get me to my BOL

 

I resemble that remark lol I'm a self identified gear hound. I tried therapy, but when I found it was sponsored by Tactical Tailor, Maxpedition, Kifaru, TAG, Eagle and Paraclete, I got a little suspicious.

 

We all resemble that remark to one degree or another it just depends what "stuff" we're into. My husband is into car parts.... I have a re-chromed bumper on my dining room table right now that I'd like to throw out the window... I lost track of how long it's been there and I keep hinting to him to do something with the darn thing because WSHTF.... we can't exactly supplement our diets with car parts. Me... I'm into dehydrating produce so the kitchen counters are loaded with "stuff". If it makes you feel any better.... we've got the start of BOBs.... two of them are "stuff" tossed into old pillow cases. I'm not kidding.... the BOB bags for me and my MIL are pillow cases. Something is better than nothing though and I can't be going in a gazillion different directions at once otherwise no preparations will be made.

 

A few years back I tried ( just for the fun of it) to hike into an area with a bug out bag, and spend the night...
It did NOT go well! With "help" I managed to get back out and when I got to where I worked everyone was interested as to how well my trip went...
Well first of all I was horribly bruised, despite the fact that I drove 40+miles to get to the place, and only hiked in about 5 miles, in the early morning. The return trip was a diferent story. Going down hill was a snap ( gravity assist), coming out was not as easy. We weighed the bag ( backpack) I had carried minus the 2.5 gallons of water ( which I ditched on the way out) and the foods I'd consumed, and discovered that I was still carrying 80 lbs. It took me a few days to fully recover from that experience!
Now, years later, and not any younger and disabled, I reallize the fool hardy idea of "bugging out" on foot. Will I bug out? Yes, BUT only IF I am forced to do so. Or, I will bug out sooner by vehicle to my prepositioned and preprepped bug in site!

 

My bag is more to get me home to supplies i have there and i keep a oversized waistbag with a few items inside it for travel to the house if i have to walk it and it a 4.mile trip by walking to the apt i have there ..so most of the items are design for a long walk home..

the bag holds
-x-power bars-x-6-
-x-bottles of power gel-x-4.oz sized bottle to mix into the water
-x-32.oz sized plastic water bottle to be filled with the water stored at the work
-x-small mrs water puf system with all access items in own carrying case design to fit ontop of the water bottle
-x-socks and foot care items-x-1-
-x-ammo for pistol
-x-surefire spare blub and batties carrier-x-2-
-x-headlamp with carrying case-x-1-
-x-headlamp batties-x-8-pack for use as need
-x=the routes i need to take on a 3-x-5-sized card printed on and street map of the area i'm going to travel
-x-small travel package of babywipes
-x-small first aid kit with items need in own carrying case
-x-gunshot trauma blow out kit with items in own carrying case
on the wasit belt is the following items
-x-small fixed blade knife and sheath
-x-gerber multi tool with belt sheath
-x-surefire m2-combat flashlight with belt sheath

plus at work i have a small bag filled with cloths and shoes and winter coat to wear for the trip home if i have to walk along with a pistol and accessories items inside the bag for use as it need on the trip home..Also i have my ipad with it preloaded maps for just incase i can drive out of the area and not have to walk and i pull them up from the file and leave the area as it need ..

 

He does make valid points for those of us who live in a metropolitan area. Can you walk with a version of your bob back home to get out of harms way. most everybody in a metropolitan area carries a backpack, College students, high school students, Computer geeks, it is a very common form of carrying your stuff. A military pack might be a dead giveaway of what your carrying, then again it may not. I believe it is all in the way you carry yourself, if you walk like you know you have got this stuff in will make you act cocky. the key is to stay incognito. You have to look like everybody else, hey you could have glock 27 with 15 round mags hidden maybe even a couple 31 rd mags as backup, just dont act like you got it. act non-chelant but keep wary be at the ready at the drop of a hat as there may be a gang. get ready to drop down an alley and duck in behind a garbage bin to conceal your position, but be at the ready with your handgun yeah they will be looking for you, keep yourself small as possible. and then be ready to fire. Then get the heck out of there, cause there maybe more coming. Get to a place of safety. Then when you can get the heck out of dodge, if you can put yourself in a position that you look like everybody else and can get out of dodge, so be it. Just get home.

For those of us who are country bumkins and work in a city, that is a little more a problem, say you are 45 miles from home and you get caught in the above situation, there is an excellant chance you will not get home in one night. Are you prepared for that? Have you got enough food? Have you got a sleeping bag? Have you got a bivy to ptorect yourself from the Elements. If the shtf sit happens Mickey-D's most likely will be closed and the choke and crokes are going to be closed or closing. You have to be prepared for all eventualities. Whats your route to get home? can you get there without your car? Is there a river you might have to cross? What have you done to take care of that sit? do you have a small boat you can Row across with?

As I said You have to be preparred for all situations? There are eventualities we need to be preparred for.

 

My get home bag is basically a black color and it design to be carried around the waist like normal..I move my bag to the left side of the body to be carried leaveing my right side free up to carry the pistol in the holster ..

my plan is to drive out if i can but if iam forced to walk home then it a pre-planned route that takes me off the major streets through a series of back streets to the house in regular areas no streets where there is a chance to cross paths with problem childern who might be out ..

The longest route is about 7 miles of walking and that the route that was planned out if all other routes are can not be used at the time.

 

Articulate Commentary

Given your excellent recounting of your experience, I'm completely on board with being ready to Bug Out (with prepped BOB's) but that would be the absolutely LAST option that I would choose.

 

My bob is in my car and another one in my truck. They will carry 2 adults for 2-3 days. No guns or ammo in either one. I would never be more then 26 miles from home, and from long backpacking experience , know that never carry anything you don't need. Cheap and light tube tents, water, folding stove and fuel tabs, instant soup, coffee and a couple of cgfb. Couple of survival sleeping bags and the likes. Oh, must never forget a couple of small rolls of tp. Getting home is not going to be fun, but a lot easier with minimal gear to lug around. The real trick to me was to not be seen in the first place. Once home then the comforts can take over.

 

IT IS A BALANCE

of 'need' and weight. I have several BOBs, one is just a a small fanny pack with minimalist gear, he goes everywhere with me. Then there is baby bob, a medium sized 'day' pack. He has more overnight type gear and clothes, food and h2o filter, extra socks (take care of your feet and they will take care of you!)
Then there is BOB, I am good for about 3-4 days easy, can be streached to 6 or so. Sleeping bag, shelter, filter, meds, 1st aid kit stove ect... Just a tad too heavy, around 45lbs. I do change what is in there according to seasons, in winter BOB gets up to 65lbs or more. Yes I have walked distances with him, oh man talk about a grunt!
I am way over what is recomended for my size,140lbs in shape. I decided on smaller lighter bobs due to mobility and speed.
Very personal thing a 'BOB' is. I can get by with less than alot of people due to my skills and practice {not a brag, just fact}
Try your 'stuff' out before you need it, in the back yard, perhaps THIS weekend. Walk around for a few hours, or more, then set up in the yard and stay out all night. Are you comfie or suffering? If you don't rest well,eat well you don't stay well.
Hmm guess I aughta put my money where my mouth is..........

Good thread!

Back in the BSA days used a vacume to Suck the air out of my sleeping bag on a 4 day backpack trip, sure am glad I had a compressor bag. One guy did it to all his gear and proceded to put more and more into it. Had stuff hanging all over his pack was funny as all get out.

 

Multi-BOB's

Having multiple BOB's is a good idea. Do you have an unchangeable "core" that is always in each BOB, or does that change, too?

 

I guess the core would be fire, shelter (55gal contractor trash bag) space blanket, 1st aid, water. Each bob is stand alone, not dependent on the other. I also have a couple of small 'neckless' bob things. I could do OK on just my fishing vest for a couple of days if need be. I guess I could do a photo thing on them, if I can figgure out how. Distance to travel, weather and mobility are factored in on each, I like building bobs, kinda a hobby for me I reccon. I am in luck that I can test stuff out in my back yard, this week end I will be 'playing' survivor/bobster just for the fun of it. Nice warm 25 deg. right now. Snow possiable for the Week end.

"pray not that your flight is in winter" One of those Bible quotes

 

I fall more towards the camel back mule format...with extra/more rugged foot ware to change into... I'm normally 20 miles or so from work to home... no fire arms/ammo (i work on a campus) .. total weight less than 20 lbs...5 of those are water... hey i'm old and not in the best shape... but i have preplanned... i know what compass heading to take from different route locations to cut down the distance.... i know what obstacles i will have to overcome... (rivers, swamp, questionable habitats...) I do have a cheat tho... a Citizens tokyo folding bike i bought for around $150 bucks...weighs around 30 lbs folds small in the back of my car... if TSHIF i don't expect instant anarchy i think i'll have maybe 2 days max of calm before the storm to allow be to get back to my BOL... New job is even closer 15miles... just more swamp and 2 choke points (bridges) to get past...

 

Grand, makes some good points but also some contradictory points. Like your are carrying too much, and them you are carrying too little.

I believe it was snowbyrd that said it's about balance. That is a fairly accurate statement. But what is left out is WHAT ARE WE PREPARING FOR. WHAT IS TSHTF OR TEOTWAWKI.

Personally (not to knock those who do) I don't believe in a "Postman" type scenario. The #1 is for natural infrastructure disruptions. The reason I do this is because, simply put, that is what happens the most. This is usually a relative short term, 3 days to 3 weeks, episode. Then there are the major long term possibilities, such as a EMP/solar flair, Full blown economic depression, then total civil unrest. I'm sure there are other things that can happen, but this is how I look at it. Heck, just read the Bible for a list of other things.

So the question would be WHY can't you drive home or to your BOL?????

I also had laughed at the people that thought they could carry 2 long arms, 1 sidearm, close to 2000 rounds of assorted ammo and mags, all their gear, water and food, and walk of to the "mountains" and survive. Yea right!!

The stuff in my truck is designed to help during a possible snowed in or break down type situation. But basic survival is survival, no matter what the cause.

After the natural events, the full economic depression, either followed by or preceded by civil unrest is the most likely, IMO. How bad this will be depends on how those people in DC handle it. I like the odds on the power ball better. We keep technology, if you can afford it. Still we are talking about going back to the 1930's depression days. That presents a hold different set of problems.

IMO an EMP/solar flair would be the most devastating. But again we would go back to the 30's but no or little technology.

For better or worst that is how I look at it.

 

Building BOB's As Hobby?: Cool!

Snowbyrd, I salute your BOB building hobby. I do wish that you would favor us with a batch of photos for each of the BOB's that you create. You would probably add value for a lot of us. I always appreciate a creative perspective.

 

This weekend, IF I survive the night, LOL.
The wife is leaving for a week so I can do what ever I want. ha ha