bugging out on foot in winter

**hayshaker** · 11-03-2014, 08:14 AM

I konw many of the young and energetic yet naieve survivalist dream of bugging out.
i,ll go to the hills and live off the land is the thing we allways hear. heck i even said
those very words 20 sumtin yrs, ago.i was involved in a vehicle rollover jan 5th of this year.
the tempeture was -50 belowzero at night in the country.when the car stopped rolling it was upside
down and the roof cavedin a foot which made the chevy aveo4dr even smaller.if i were say 6ft tall
oh say 200lbs i would have never made it out to go find help. my wife and i would both have died.
all the gear in the car was tossed around like in a clothes dryer, couldt find my gloves flaslight nothing.

i found a sm fire extingusher i carry and broke out the rear window crawled out my wife was hanging upsidedown in her safty belt i was not wearing one and it turned out to be a good thing too.

got out the back window and opend her door both driver side doors were buired in the snow bank.
i undid her safty belt and helped turn her over on the cars cieling and coverd her with the furs i carry in winter a pony blanket,lg,deer hide and coyote fur and a wool blanket.i then went for help i jogged across
the field to the farmhouse about a 1/4mile away no one home so i came back to the car checked on my wife
and then went back out down the mile to the corner in that amount of time i got 2nd degree frostbite.

lost fuction for the most part of my hands. finally was able to flag down a vehicle to call 911
and get an abulance and help.what if the vehicle broke down on you in these conditions? and you were buggig out.in a shtf senario with no 911 or someone to help youd die plain and simple my guess.

funny thing this all happend on our way home just two mile from the house.

**natertot** · 11-03-2014, 08:26 AM

It all depends on exactly what happens. On my home at 8am, someone will drive by within ten minutes. At night, as long as thirty minutes. I always dress for the weather, and houses are always within 1 mile. I think I'll manage.

**Rick** · 11-03-2014, 08:39 AM

Having items unsecured in your vehicle is a recipe for disaster as you described. Those items can become missiles in a rollover. You were very fortunate. Lucky you weren't thrown out of the vehicle.

**hayshaker** · 11-03-2014, 08:48 AM

funny thing the farm house i ran to to get asistance the reason the guy was,nt home was he i found out later from my
bil was playing cards at the bar he is also on the volinter fire dept to get a call to go by your own farm place.

**hunter63** · 11-03-2014, 02:09 PM

Sounds like you lucked out.....and can relate on the stuff flying around inside the truck.
Glad it worked out for you.
What do you do different now as a result of that experience?

**1stimestar** · 11-03-2014, 11:55 PM

I often consider this scenario. I keep my head lamp around my head rest pointing towards the back seat so I always know where it is. But with it getting as cold as it does here, yes, often -50, I don't leave it out there most of the time because the batteries would be zapped. But when I am going anywhere out of town other then home, I keep my cell phone in my pocket and dress for the weather.

**rebel** · 11-06-2014, 08:48 PM

I use a duffle bag for cold weather gear in each vehicle. It keeps things in one place and can be used as a pack.

**Duece** · 11-24-2014, 10:40 AM

When i was in my teens i lived in saskatoon and was visiting relatives in regina,that winter was bad,really cold storms constantly,finally got a break in weather so i hit the road,a little over halfway to saskatoon there is a lake beside the highway with a pumping station a couple of miles from the road,coming down the hill the timing belt on my little 4 cyl mustang broke and i was stranded,weather turned ugly and cold again,i learnt a lot that day about what you should and shouldnt do lol,first i tried flagging down help...........not one person stopped!!!the. I walked to pumping station but was locked tight so i walked back to car,put on every article of clothing in my bag,thankfully even back then i carried a few things with me so managed to generate some heat with a candle and a metal cigarette case,finally i was so cold i stood in the middle of the road in front of a car.when he stopped and drove me into town i was never so happy in my life.I was on that highway for just over 5 hrs in -40C weather and i was dangerously close to falling asleep couldnt keep my eyes open.that was the last road trip i ever took without emergency supplies with me.i have two different packs one for when im in the city one for hiking etc,plus a BOB in my closet.i carry tools and supplies in my vehicle in a plastic milk crate and a duffle bag.i actually give roadside assistance kits as christmas presents.i am buying a jeep cherokee from a friend of mine this week and am already planning how to stock it up for the coming season with everything i want in it without taking up all. The cargo space lol