Where's everyone bugging out to?

[Scythe13]

This is a pretty personal question, but curiosity will always be answered (sometime the answer is no....in my experience haha).

I believe that when a situation is bad enough in my area, to make people leave, everyone will be using the roads, so I'm not looking at that route. A motorbike is something I'm considering, but will take much more investigation...and funding haha.

As for where I'm going......well, as WnC says, people think moving to the woods and having a BOB will keep them alive. That's not true....at all!!! I've modified the contents of my BOB to make it adaptable into a 'KBSHS' kit (knowledge based second home system). What I mean by this is that my bag provides enough knowledge to survive in the woods, but also to start construction on a second home/house/shelter. The bulk of my system is personal experience....which is something I'm working on daily.

There is a guy called Tom Brown who is an absolute legend in the survival/wilderness world. He doesn't recommend taking loads of tools and all that. He says "Grab your knife and go on a walk in the woods....for a year." Obviously I'm nowhere near his level. I'm not even at the level most the Scouts that I work with are at haha. But my system is to allow me the capabilities to build a second home if need be. I say this because I am so uncertain of the area I live in, but also because I don't know what the circumstances that force me out of my home would be. If it's just a fire in the house, then my kit will keep me a few days until I get somewhere else sorted.

But...I'm heading into the woods as WnC says. The only difference with many preppers and me (and TL now) is that we're learning to make the idea of surviving in the woods a skills and experience based reality.

[Prep Girl]

I think part of the bug out plan should be knowing exactly what would force you to leave home and at what point you would decide to leave, it should be preplanned, more so if there are kids involved, being able to make clear rational decisions in a panic situation is unlikely.

[Scythe13]

I really agree with PG. Because I'm free, single, and have no family responsibilities, I have a much greater 'freedom of self' which is where what I say goes, because there is only I, as of current. When I was with my last girlfriend (AlyBear), I was planning everything that would allow her to remain safe, and things like that. I told her what to do if something happened. I made sure she had her knife with her. Hell, I even bought her the knife haha. But now that I'm single, the options are numberous!

If you have kids, I'd recommend having 1 set defined plan, and about 10 contingencies as well.

[Tonka]

(21 April 2012, 23:35)Scythe13 Wrote: I really agree with PG. Because I'm free, single, and have no family responsibilities, I have a much greater 'freedom of self' which is where what I say goes, because there is only I, as of current. When I was with my last girlfriend (AlyBear), I was planning everything that would allow her to remain safe, and things like that. I told her what to do if something happened. I made sure she had her knife with her. Hell, I even bought her the knife haha. But now that I'm single, the options are numberous!

If you have kids, I'd recommend having 1 set defined plan, and about 10 contingencies as well.

I find with kids, just going on a quiet weekend break requires 1 set defined plan, and about 10 contingencies

[Nemesis]

(22 April 2012, 00:00)Tonka Wrote: I find with kids, just going on a quiet weekend break requires 1 set defined plan, and about 10 contingencies

Quite true.

Scythe this KBSHS is something you’re going to build up over years of trial and error?

[Scythe13]

(22 April 2012, 00:07)WetandCold Wrote: Scythe this KBSHS is something you’re going to build up over years of trial and error?

Just recieved a drunk call, so I'm awake at 3am.

The KBSHS is something I'm slowly building up.

The shelter issue is minimal, considering the rule of 3. I have enough capabilities to build a pretty reasonable shelter from my BOB, which should last long enough until I have at least a roof, if not much more build in a permenant basis. I've had 5 weeks where I've built my own home using just a machette, and that proved really effective in tropical storm level of rain, in the Cook Islands. So I'm pretty happy about that.

Fire is a pretty easy one, but I'm practicing that nearly daily. Next up I'm going to be trying a fire in the woods on a damp day. That'll be an interesting one.

The water thing is not an issue, as I have already built systems, and practiced them, in place for that (fire starting, condensation/steam collection, hot rock in a pot to heat the water and remove bacteria, and things like that)

Food in the main issue, however the next Bristol Meet will be a help towards that. Also, befriending the local butcher and having him teach me to skin a rabbit (which he has already agreed to do) will be a huge help. I'm going to learn about skinning other animals (birds, fish, etc) and also learn about snares and other such things over the next few months.

It's an ongoing thing, but I'd highly recommend things along the lines of knowing the skills!

Knowing you can get up and off into the woods, and not need anything but your knife, is a huge benefit in confidence and the alike. I'm not pretending I'm at that level yet. But with much practice, I'll be there. Having these skills means that I can occupy an abandoned home, I can start farming, I can dig up caches, and all these kinds of things. But also, I can vanish into the woods, then come out a couple of years later with a big smile on my face. I don't have to worry about my BOL being damaged, caches being compormised and things like that.

The skills are a kind of insurance that doesn't have a sell by date, can't be lost, can't rot or be damaged by the weather.

Knowledge when combined with much practice, leads to supreme confidence that you'll be okay. Supreme confidence without practice means you're going to die!!!

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I just reread that message, and you can tell I only started to wake up later in the post haha.

Anyway, what I meant to say was that even if I do go to a BOL and do things like that, the same as most other people plan, I can survive there and do perfectly well. The main difference is that the skill base, I'm working on, will also give me a greater level of condifence in my ability to survive, should a BOL not become an option.

My KBSHS allows me all the usual prepper things, but also something not many of us have considered. Actually genuinely going pioneer and living 100% off the land.

[bigpaul]

when considering a BOL forget about playing RAMBO in the woods, OK for the summer but you will not survive the first cold winter without access to somewhere with bricks/concrete and mortar. an old cottage, farmhouse, or a utility building, maybe an empty telephone exchange or a water board building, what about a reservoir or a quarry(thats a quarry with buildings in it) even an old barn is better than nothing. you need somewhere where you can get out of the wind & weather and light a fire and get warm and dry. that goes for even the mild south west but the further north you are the more important this becomes.

[Scythe13]

I agree with that BP. Which is why I'm learning to make somewhere better than those corrogated iron barns, and better than pretty much any shed.

I'm learning to build a Swedish style log cabin. If it works in Sweden, it'll work here. I'm pretty certain they're colder than we are.

But don't forget, I am learning loads of basic bushcraft skills, and am setting up my sleeping system to be good to around -10 degrees. I'm looking at another bag, maybe a bit heavier, but of similar space useage, but that will allow a greater level of comfort in the low temps.

[Skean Dhude]

Scythe,

A lot of the things you want to do are going to be difficult without additional manpower. You will also need significant resources and time. It is possible but no easy.

[Scythe13]

(22 April 2012, 11:54)Skean Dhude Wrote: Scythe,

A lot of the things you want to do are going to be difficult without additional manpower. You will also need significant resources and time. It is possible but no easy.

Agreed.

You know how I am. I learn the skills, then jump in and embarke on a massive learning curve. The manpower thing shouldn't be a huge issue, as initially I only need to build a small room. Daily gym sessions, as well as good nutrition and the alike, will provide the majority of the manpower I need, to build a single small room. First room will be a little larger than a typical prison cell in Alcatraz. Enough for 2 beds side by side, enough to stand up and have a small jump. About as long as a 1.5 beds. Granted it won't be the Ritz, but it doesn't have to be. All it has to be is enough to keep me alive. Then once that is built, I can take a bit more time and expand the project into something beautiful. The initial room will then recieve a porch, which will become another room. The other room will be up against the longest side of my 'cell' house. After that, I'll have the option to expand the building more. I even have the option to build a whole new home, once my 'cell' is finished. Then I could end up turning my cell into like a garden shed haha.

---

Resources will be simple enough. Find me a pine forest and I'll find you plenty of food and water.

Time....yeah, I figured this much at least. I'll start off by building a simple corner wall like structure, then I'll add a space blanket wrap around to that, which will become a lovely reflective warmer, which will make the heat from a small fire even better. Also, a poncho will provide a water proof roof. After that, it's a simple case of getting out and doing what needs to be done.

Within about 10 days I should have 3 walls done and about 8-10 traps laid. But that is based on opinion and calculation. I'll be getting out in the woods at some point and trying it out on a felled log/tree and see how easily I can manipulate it into how I want it to be. Then I'll have a much better idea of time for the project.