Bug Out Training

[xjosh40x]

This weekend I was practicing one of my bug out strategies. I work in a bigger city but live 30 miles away. I have several bug out routes to avoid traffic if a situation occurs. But recently been focused on what if my vehicle is disabled or stolen. For two months I've buried small supply caches along the railroad tracks that run from the city to the small town where I live. This weekend I wanted to test my theory that if I was forced to leave my work mid day knowing I wouldn't make it home before dark would my plan work. I have a cache at the halfway point that is nearby a small unknown creek. My cache contains water, small amount of food, small med kit, fishing kit, firestarter, extra 20 count box of ammo, and fresh underwear and socks. I left my vehicle at the parking lot of work. Strapped on my BOB and made to the location in 15 min under my mark. I dug my cache up and made camp on the creek away from viewing eyes that could be on the tracks. I build a quickly lean to shelter and some quick defensive positions. I used my fishing kit to catch a couple small bream. And I stayed at my site till dusk. Anyone have Bug Out route and locations they would like to share some knowledge or info to help me become better as I'm new at having halfway points in my Bug Out plans. Pictures are coming soon as soon as they download

[MrFixIt]

That sounds like a great idea (your whole post).
I DO NOT have a BOP from my work, so maybe I should get on that...

[hunter63]

Did a couple from home to BOL, two years in a row....went OK...needed some adjustments....and the realization that most things will not go as planned.

Good practice and thanks for posting.......

[kyratshooter]

Yep, there are always two other people that have a say in any survival scenario, Murphy and von Moltke.

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, at the worst possible moment.

and

No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

But even a day in a ditch on the side of the railroad tracks is better than a day at work!

Makes me glad I'm retired. Disaster in town means I put a fresh pot of coffee on and see which channel has the best coverage.

That's a plan even von Moltke would appreciate.

[Rick]

I'm with Kyrat. I think if someone wanted to take us over they would take out cellular at 4:50 p.m. Everyone would be so busy trying figure out why they have no bars, include LEO, the roads would be littered with wrecks. The entire transportation grid would be locked up for weeks. Then, when we run out of toilet paper everyone would just surrender.

I don't do that. I don't have a need. However, it's good to see you are practicing your plan.

[xjosh40x]

I saw lots of flaws in my tactics. A railroad track can be a death funnel. Not much cover. But still better than crowded streets. I have a 4x4 truck so if I still have my truck I'll take to the ditch and wave at the pile up. But this is a worst case scenario I've been preparing for. I'm also considering some other routes. But the tracks are the easiest, no navigation needed and I don't have to worry about crossing someone's property who are just as protective about their families lives as I am mine. My wife thinks I'm a little over board with some of this but she is thankful I care about her and our son to prepare. I don't want to be in a disaster, I've survived two wars already and don wan to fight another one. Especially in my own backyard.

[xjosh40x]

10268 one picture of my site I choose, but if the waters are high of coarse I'll be on higher ground

[hayshaker]

skip all the caches get you a mountain bike no heavy treads either it,ll just slow you down a stripped
down recon ruck and water 30,miles take the tracks you,ll be home in about 2hrs or so.just saying.

[hunter63]

In our area railroad track are all marked "No trespassing"....and they do patrol the tracks.
One set of tracks has trains loaded with coal everyday for the power plants....so are watched pretty close.

Only reason I mentioned this is that the tracks used to be the major rabbit hunting location, as well as asparagus picking spot......no more.

[Tokwan]

This is what I would do..identify two or three Bug Out Locations and remember them well. Make sure your family knows these locations and name these locations. In an emergency, tell them in case you get separated, to be at certain location at a certain date and time or else you will looking for them at these identified locations.

Be familiar with these locations.

Practice also on impromptu bug out locations.

Its fun, but give you the skills and also the confidence.

[xjosh40x]

I have considered a bike. But I don't want to depend on anything mechanical. With my other routes I have a mountain bike that will be great but around here the tracks don't offer the good ground to operate a bike properly. And I'm in top physical shape. I know I can hike the 19 mile shortcut of the tracks in about 10 hours and less if I'm in an air assault shuffle. I planned the half way point cause what if I'm forced to leave late in the day. I don't want to move during the night unless nessassry. I've been tough situation in the dark and even with NVGs it's not something I'd want to take on alone. Getting to my family is my main focus, not tryin to be Rambo. My wife knows my location and my plans. She knows that our home is our main place to wait out and emergency as I'm living on a hill with one way in and out and have a small armory and all the supplies needed to wait another Katrina or anything.

[hayshaker]

goog morning josh, even what if you took the tar road or gravel, i dont know the topo of your AO,
as long as its a sound bike you should be fine, are coyotes active in your area they are he 2,lg.packs of them
my whole place is fenced , you can hear them every night drives the dog crazy she howls back at them. no kiddind.
the wild animal thing is also something to concider if moving at night thru rural areas serious i would,nt travel
these roads out here at night theres too damm many cyotes no kidding oh and now we have feral dogs as well.
thier worse imo cause thier not afraid of you.

[Rick]

The down side of a bike is if you suffer any injury in the "whatever" then you are still afoot if you are mobile. Besides, I can remember riding ties as a kid. Now days, I'd leave a trail of parts behind from the shaking. A hearing aid here, glasses there...wouldn't be much left of me when I got where I was going.

It does not matter what we prep for, our end goal is for it to be a waste of our time and resources. Just like home and auto insurance. If you've wasted your money on them that means you didn't have to rely on them. That's a good thing.

[xjosh40x]

Coyotes are very abundant in the area but are more afraid of humans than we are of them and rarely get further than ear shot. Besides I have a carry permit which I always have my weapon plus my AR15
I keep in my truck that would go with me. If I couldn't take the road in my vehicle which shortest route by highway is 30 miles the railroad is only 19 plus 3 to my home. If the tracks were somehow not available I could take my bike down the back country roads which are anywhere from 35 to 50 miles depending on which road I'll take. And on this route I do have two caches hidden. A long way on bike and being on the road makes me easy to spot. Engaging in a firefight alone is the last thing I'll want to do.

[kyratshooter]

Lets see now, are you arming for the coyotes or for the groups of armed insurgents that will spontaneously appear to roam the roads and railroad tracks?

What incident do you foresee transitioning the state of Mississippi instantly into a rioting, brigand filled wasteland where cars do not move and there is no rule of law?

Last time I remember the folk from Mississippi needing to "bug out" was due to a hurricane and there was a week long warning leading up to that incident.

Your most likely BO scenario should involve prepping with a paid up credit card and a motel room outside of Memphis.

[xjosh40x]

Hurricanes are the primary reason to prepare for a disaster. And true there are long periods of time of warning and impact. But I'm also preparing for EMPs even if unlike and there is a major fault line along the MS River. But with the world the way it is, with the tensions between the US and other counties not to forget terrorist groups I do fear an attack or anything that could throw the nation into panic. Less than 200 miles from me is a Nuclear Power Plant and Ingels Shio Yard which builds and operates on a large number of the US Naval ships. The city I work in is home to Southern Miss University. A farly nice size city but does have a lot of violence. And even during a Katrina the highways were backed up for 7 days. People were knocking on doors to seek shelter from the hot sun and to keep from sleeping in there cars and there was a lot of mugging in the backed up traffic and even reports of rappings.

As for the coyotes, not worried about them. The attacks reported here are next to none. Wild hog and alligator are different but I'm still not too worried as alligators aren't prominent in my area of Bugging Out. No swamps or major rivers. And wild hogs aren't either. But a Glock 45 and an AR15 are enough to take this problem away. My main reason for the firearms is for protection. Former Army with combat deployments I can quickly engage a combant while seeking cover. Most of the civil unrest will be from gangs and thugs that the moment they are faced with opponent skilled in combat will most liking scatter.

[xjosh40x]

And I do have a plan for hurricanes. I am a member of a larger deer camp in the north Mississippi Delta. We have huntin cabins with a well and power with backup generators. If a hurricane was to be threatening to us we would take the drive and stay at the hunting camp and probably enjoy some steaks and fishing

[BENESSE]

Part of the announcement: (this, with a group of 30-40 people with organizers being quite on the ball with impressive backgrounds. Should be interesting)


RAIN or SHINE....

We are conducting a practice walk from 125th Street to George Washington Bridge (GWB), then across the bridge & back to the original starting point.
Scenarios: We will have various scenarios throughout the walk. There might be a riot, roadblocks, a potential trap, bad guys on the road or many other potential issues.
Detours: We will be running into a few "detours". The detours will be a lesson in how to change your escape plan in a moments notice.
This is the most overlooked skill for city Preppers. Though most people want to know how to bug out. You have to actually practice the walk. What works for you & what doesn't.
Everyone must have a pack with a minimum of 20-30 lbs. Make sure to bring water & something to snack on. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes & footwear. We will have discussions through out the walk. We will discuss the following:
What route to take?
When to leave?
When to stay?
How to move through the streets in the day & at night?

[crashdive123]

Sounds like a worthwhile exercise.

[Rick]

That's sound great. The detours should be interesting especially if you have a designated ending point. A compass might help you keep your bearing for that. Sounds like fun.