There has been a lot of discussion on this topic in a number of threads. If someone else doesn't give you a link to the topics I will a later. Part of the decision has to be made considering the cause of the event that you are facing. If it is a flood or a wildfire then just about anywhere not too much distance away from your location would be a better place to be. You might consider friends, family, an evacuation centre or even a hotel. Now if it was a significant SHTF situation other places may be as bad or worse than your locale. In that case I would definitely bug in. Much better off to be in surroundings that you know and feel comfortable in. If I lived downtown in a major metropolis however I would bug out.

The main thing is that you have a plan. The plan yours that you develop over time. The last thing that you want to be doing is trying to figure out what to do if the SHTF. You will be too busy doing everything else. So somewhere in your plan you have to decide what would be the best location to bug out to if you absolutely had to. I am sure that 18 months ago the people in Fukushima never imagined that they would have to suddenly move from their homes never to return.

Regular Guy,

No one on here argues about bugging-in. Most prefer that option. As you have noted most have their preps stockpiled in their residence or nearby. The big discussions have been how to effectively bugout and not leave all your preps behind. Thus the talk about a bugout community on other threads.

Are there advantages to staying put, yes. Are there risks, depends where you live. The only reason to bugout is because it is preceived to be the safest choice for the survival of the prepper and their family. Bugging out is not to be taken lightly, it will not be easy nor will it be safe. It is the biggest gamble of your life and the lives of your family.

But just because it is risky, does not however, excempt you from planning to bugout. The one thing that is riskier than using your bugout plan is to bugout without a plan. Make the plan, practice the plan, revise the plan and pray to God you never have to use the plan.

Just my 2 cents,

Mountainman.

I have worrked hard at bugging in but equally at being ready to bugging out. The ability to move my stock to a new location is important. Not knowing what shtf will be makes a new location difficult. Bugging in made the most sence..for now.

yes having a bug out plan is great to have. It is better to be prepared and not have to use it and not be prepared and need it. The other thing about bugging out that bothers me is that what if questions.. if a solar flare or something with an emp effect hits the area, you are going to have to stay put or backpack what you can on and go on foot because your vehicle is of no use.
I thought I had a good plan but then watching and reading alot on the topic I feel that being minimalistic when it comes to bugging out is best with only your essentials and not pack a whole bunch of comfort items. I have trekked with a rucksack about 70lbs with pioneer tools and a 20lbs smallpack attached and with tactical vest and rifle. That is pretty heavy and I only did that because it was part of my training which I don't want to do again. Realistically I'll do 30-60lbs max for a bugout setup where I have to be on foot.

My bug in plans are alright, I might want to stock some nails and boards incase I need to board em up but my woman hates me hoarding garbage. I also have plans of doing ammo cache but would work best if there was a BOL to put it at. The main thing I really need to do for a Bug out plan is pretty much get a reliable vehicle truck with camper or suv both in v6 if possible. And then prep items inside and out of it for off-road and tactical driving conditions. I am good with map and compass navigation. So bugging out I have somewhat of an idea of a route to go since I looked at google map of my area. lots of bush and trails and stream I need to pass through if I want to avoid road blocks and traffic.

But still the main thing is I will bug in. Who knows I might find someone unfortunate who has an suv already bugged out and borrow that when it comes to it.

Thanks for your guys input.

I had always planned on bugging in but I may get over run with people coming to our place so I might bug out after all just avoid them 😉

I don't live in an area prone to natural disasters, which I know doesn't mean that something can't happen in the future, but really I have NO plans of bugging out, the only thing that would alter that plan is an invasion by another nation in a war situation and they would have to be getting pretty close for me to budge from my secure little property!

I think bugging in for the first while if you are in a city is a great idea. I don't think i would want to go out and scavenge, the other scavengers will be more desperate if they didn't have any supplies and you don't want to leave your place unprotected. If it is a small shtf and the government can get it's act together at least your house might be intact because you were there. If it is a long term on-going situation where we have to supply our own food that might get harder in the city, but I'm not looking forward to all the people who are going to bug out into the country or worse yet up to the mountains who can barely make a fire. Hopefully I am off the main roads far enough that they won't bother us.

Good points Joy29not. I believe that the vast majority who bug out to the "mountains" or to the "country" who do not have a well developed and seasoned plan, a specific and safe location to go to and have not meticulously practiced their plan will FAIL. I would hazard a guess that outside our military and ex military members few on this site have actually spent any extended time living in the bush or similar conditions. I am not saying that it cannot be done, it can but it takes preparation, mindset an practice.

I don't think anyone (preppers) will actually drop everything and bug out if something disastrous happens in our world. I honestly believe most people will initially bug in, so we should be prepared to do that.
I also believe that during that bug in time frame smart and prepared people will re-organize themselves and get their final bug out gear ready and or load up. Then if rational decision is reached that it is time to bug out, prepared people will do this in a rather casual and organized manner, some to B.O.L's and some to planned retreats.
On the other hand I believe the less balanced, over the edge, under prepared will have already made the panic exodus, and will already be hiding underground or behind a tree. They say that most people are 9 meals away from starvation, well that is 3 days and by that time frame an organized prepper will be confident that they either made the right decision to bug in or it is time to bug out.
When you decide to bug out being organized and having a plan is what will keep you safe and give you a shot at surviving to have a future. Most people would not survive the first winter, in Alberta or most anywhere else in Canada. You may say oh yah I have enough food and ammo stored to survive for 25 years, saying you can live alone or in family groups in the wilderness, or underground is one thing actually doing it is another. We crave human contact, we are a social beast, even the most un social of us, at least watches the people around us. yes that is social reaction because you can't do it without people to observe. Many would be robbed, killed or enslaved before the end of a year, people always want to believe that our fellow man or neighbor is not dangerous, no matter how nutty the act. Because of that we expose ourselves to harm, in the need for human interaction. Take away all the things that are handed to them everyday, that we all take for granted and very soon the more animal instincts kick in and things that a normal sane person would not do today ceases to be a border they wouldn't cross tomorrow.
Please think about this bugging in concept clearly, must homes run on electricity if that fails most homes fail, what is your heat source if the power goes out, in a matter of hours your homes start to freeze, your water lines may burst, your toilets will freeze and crack as well as most other taps. if you have no way of heating your home you probably have no way of cooking your food either. You may not want to kill yourself and your family with the family BBQ roasting chicken in the living room, so saying I am bugging in also requires thinking and planning. If you do have your heat cooking controls in place, keep in mind that your toast warm residence is going to look very appealing to the neighbor who is hungry and their family is freezing to death, they might just decide they are moving in whether you like it or or not, are you prepared for that.
Make your plans for both bugging in and out, work together with people you form bonds of trust with before hand if you can or go it on your own if you feel best that way, but don't do yourself or your family the disservice of saying " don't worry we got it covered" ... plan for what you can and try to be ready for what ever else happens.

okay I am now getting off my soap box .. because I need to use it to store stuff in.

I agree with your points Albertaborn. I still firmly believe that most people including many preppers do not have an idea of how bad it could really get in a SHTF situation where there is life WROL. Plan, practice and get to know your neighbors.

I think the idea of "bugging out" and living in the woods has been romanticized in the prepper movement. When we get to the point where civil unrest forces us to bug out we will likely all be shot by the people already living out in the rural areas. Those who have an established BOL/community and maybe even living there full time will survive, or have a better chance of it... My bug in plan now incorporates several of my neighbors. It is the only option in a urban/suburban area. Strength in numbers right? I frequently take my family camping off grid and even with a renewable clean water supply and my fifth wheel trickle charging off a solar panel it can be a challenge - and these are just week long trips! What would happen when my food, propane and gasoline runs out? hunt, fish and build a fire? sounds too easy....
My ultimate bug out plan is a permanent relocation to the country and hopefully I'll do it long before the SHTF. For now my bug out will be to a friend or relative in a nearby community or province but this is only as a last resort. the key to any real bugout is a predetermined and safe BOL. I won't be one of the guys heading into the bush to play soldier.

I think that you have developed and excellent plan Glasshouse. For your current situation the neighbor arrangement would seem to be by far the most prudent. There is indeed strength in numbers. I loved your comment " I think the idea of "bugging out" and living in the woods has been romanticized in the prepper movement". I think that is so true. When many people first become exposed to prepping I think there is a natural tendency to feel that we can look after themselves with little preparation and there is always the feeling that it would be good to "get away" from people and society. However in reality it is a different story altogether.

Prepping requires time, patience and practice. There are outlays involved in prepping. Some of the more obvious are time, direct monetary costs, personal perception, various types of training and even life style decisions. You have a very pragmatic approach and I think you are making wise choices.

What would happen when my food, propane and gasoline runs out?

Aren't these going to run out in the city too? I mean that's the situation we are talking about. Not the 72 hrs emergency that the government is telling us to prepp for. I think everybody here is past that.
If social order, public services and food are gone in the city you would be in the same situation as those in the woods. Except worse. You will be with another million hungry , desperate people that will want to share your supplies. Well, not all at once and I'm exaggerating here but you know what I mean.

Even if you had a farm you're not in a far better position. When food runs out in the city people will go where they know food is. At that point I would like to be in a place 500kms from the bigger cities, not visible from a road and with no visible access to it.

We don't have any real life example of such big magnitude event to know what it would be like and let's hope we won't find out but we can extrapolate and imagine what it would be like.

Evenin' All,

I am toying with the idea of finding a location that is pretty much a ghost town and then have a community of like-minded folks move in and become a real community, based on independence and self-sustainment. In short, a prepper town.

The first town that comes to my mind is Uranium City, SK. Remote. Quiet. Peaceful. Only 89 current residents, town once held 5,000. See the thread Uranium City, SK under General Discussion on the Canadian Page.

Mountainman.

Thanks for the kind words ICRCC. I hope everyone here can agree that the support of like minded people is crucial to what we are all doing.
Prom, we certainly have a different plan but we also likely have different situations. I have a family with four kids under 8. I'm quite certain that heading for the hills will cause great harm to my family. At home we have our garden, a nearby water supply, a degree of energy independence, food storage, an ever improving defensive strategy and above all community. I think we would be an easier target on the open road than in our home. If things get as bad as we can imagine there will be many starving, desperate people everywhere. The OP alluded to only bugging out in a dire situation with imminent danger. I agree with his view on this but it may not work for all. I would love to add more but the S has really HTF in cochrane tonight as Shaw is down and I have to write on my iPhone using 3G! Noooooooooo! Might have to bug out and visit family with internet in calgary tonight. Lol!