Intercontinental Bugging Out
I had a pleasant but all to brief chat with a young Danish lady who lives full time on a sailing yacht, she normally migrates around the UK / Eire / Parts of Scandinavia and the Baltic (She’s got more courage than I have) I discussed with her similar items as I did with the owner of a Cessna Grand Caravan light aircraft last year.
EG is it feasible or practical to use a small sailing vessel (light aircraft last year) to bug out in intercontinentally. The theoretical boat (aircraft) would need to be able to carry 4 people and 4 sets of BO gear.
YES is the answer that surprised me (I know sod all about boats or planes)
But with the YES came plenty of caveats such as size of boat type of boat skill and experience of the crew, and the time of year.
In THEORY a family of preppers could sail to the US to Europe or vice versa by one of two routes (1) South via the Azores over to the West Indies, or (2) North via Shetlands, Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland. The northern route being almost the same one used by fliers to island hop across the Atlantic.
I appreciate that many sportsmen and adventurers have crossed the pond by air and boat over the years but they tend to be well trained, well-funded with emergency back up available. I’m thinking about the average family group with LIMITED sailing or flying skills making the crossing unsupported and after TSHTF.
I feel though the threats are many and varied it is possible but the risks are high, there has been some precedents but on a lesser scale. An example such as a couple from northern England who have used low powered micro-lights to cross the English Channel and also flown from Denmark to Sweden across the Baltic. Also a family of four again from England with only a few months training successfully sailed from southern England all the way to Polynesia.
A few years ago a gentleman successfully piloted his single engine light aircraft from the US to the UK via Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Shetlands to Scotland, I believe he did have extended range fuel tanks fitted and much better navigational equipment than normal, whether the plane could have made it with 4 people plus luggage is another question entirely.
Bugging out from the UK to Europe is infinitely more practical because in places the hop is only 22 miles over water, so cross Channel flights are quite easy as is sailing from the UK to much of Western Europe. And of course there is both the financial costs involved plus if TS HAS HTF staying under the official radar (literally).
Perhaps some of us could make practical and affordable contingency plans, some years ago I knew a survivalist family in Norfolk who had a relative had a small fishing boat that could handle much of the weather the North Sea could create. They had an agreement with him that started with him taking them to Jersey on holiday as the cost of running his boat to ad from Jersey was still much cheaper than a family of five flying there. From this happy cooperation it dawn on the mum (she was the main prepper) that the boat could carry them, the kids and their BOBS to the continent if things got totally out of control in the UK. Sadly for me they decided to move entirely to northern France where they remain to this day. Food for thought.
MAPPING & ROUTE PLANNING
When preparing to move to a RETREAT or even on EXPEDITION TRAINING you must make careful notes of certain important factors in planning your journey, Also when in location at your base or retreat you need to record for future use some vital information.
Listed below are some of the most important items that should be included on your maps.
1 Primary access route to and from your home or retreat.
2 Secondary route’s to your destination.
3 Escape paths and alternate routes along your route to avoid hazards/ambushes/checkpoints/bad weather etc. etc.
4 Water and possible food supplies /and pre-arranged caches along your routes.
5 Water supplies around your retreat are they likely to remain that way are they pure? (potable).
6 Escape routes from the retreat in case of extreme weather or overwhelming opposition.
7 Natural hazards, bogs, rivers, marshland, large forests, old mine workings, rock faces etc.
8 Manmade hazards, bomb sites, fallout zones, mine fields, militarised zones, refugee camps, check points, known patrol routes, telecoms sites, (TELECOMS SITES =communication sites EG radio masts, communications/radio / microwave relay towers and broadcasting masts, telecommunications facilities, military network communications masts, broadcasting stations both civil/military and commercial etc. etc.)
Towns with populations exceeding available resources for self-reliance, etc.
9 Strategic targets, Bridges, factories, refineries, garrisons, police stations, airports, chemical and steel plants, reservoirs, road and rail junctions, marshalling yards, power stations, etc.
10 Climatic hazards depending on time of year.
11 Opposition, police, military both foreign and domestic, paramilitaries, refugees, renegades, looters.
12 Allies, Red Cross, civil defence groups, other survival groups that are friendly.
Resources, Food stores, supermarkets, fuel dumps, grain stores, petrol stations and POL dumps, (Pol dumps = Petrol Oil and Lubricating dumps = fuel storage and distribution facilities, civil and military, petrol stations, oil storage facilities, refineries and crackers, wagon depots, rail refuelling depots, gas storage and distribution facilities, methane generator facilities (pig farms and ground fill sites), camping gas suppliers,butane / propane/map gas (Calor, Gaz, Coleman,Taymar etc)
Water supplies, tool stores, gun and sports shops, armouries, builders merchants, isolated shelters, farms, caves, tunnels, underpasses, fish farms, rivers and streams, colonies of cattle / small and large game etc.
A warning about Supplies.
Do ensure that when you approach sources of supplies that they are not already under someone else’s control, do not take unnecessary risks if necessary go elsewhere or try again another day.
Avoid confrontation and unnecessary contact until things get as normal as possible, be prepared to barter for supplies.
RECORDING USEFUL RESOURCES
Identify and keep records of any useful resources that may be useful to your group or family after the disaster.
Some materials like coal or building materials can frequently be left in place and they are unlikely to come to any harm, unless of course such materials are going to be in short supply.
Identify the following in your area
Recoverable sources of Firewood, Coal & Coke, Peat, Heating and fuel oil, Bottled Gas (butane and propane). Check coal yards, railway sidings, gas bottled refilling centers etc.
Petroleum Products, Petrol, Diesel, Avgas, Paraffin (Kerosene), Hypoid, Lubricants.
(Most petroleum products will need treating with preservatives) Petrol stations, refineries, transport depots.
Building materials, lumber, bricks, cement, and aggregates etc. Builder’s yards, DIY centers, quarries, building sites etc
Water Supplies, Tanks, ponds, reservoirs, streams, wells (including capped ones) artesian and aquifer supplies,
Water filtration and purification equipment and stockists.
Identify locations of fast flowing or fast falling water that could be used to turn generators, mills, etc.
Food stores, supermarkets, distribution centers, regional warehouses, grain stores, etc
Free range herds of cattle, sheep, chickens, deer etc
Rabbit farms, Rabbit warrens, Fish farms, angling clubs.
Tool stores, engineering suppliers, plant hire agencies, camping, caravanning and outdoor stores, sports shops, gun shops, gun smiths, boat yards, marinas, ships chandlers preserved railways etc
Remote housing that is conducive to self-reliance, IE has things like functioning large chimneys and fire places, ultra insulated, double/ triple glazed, multi-fuel heating and cooking facilities, has a well or other clean water supply, solar panels, wind turbines, methane digesters, local supplies of fuel, defendable etc other facilities like outdoor residential centers, outward bound centers, alternative technology centers, camping hostels, retreats etc are worth considering.
Check out footpaths, bridle ways, navigable water ways, rail lines, broadcasting masts, radio masts, wind farms, etc.
Please remember that in survival INFORMATION is not only power, but a lifesaver as well.
(PERSONAL SURVIVAL KIT)
WHAT IS A BUG OUT BAG?
Basically a Bug Out Bag (BOB) is a pre-packed rucksack or piece of travel luggage containing all the basic essential items you may need to help you survive the immediate aftermath of a crisis or disaster and help sustain you on your journey to your chosen place of safety. They can also be called Get Home Bags (GHB) Get Out Of Dodge bags (GOOD) and other interesting acronyms, but they all serve one single purpose to provide you with useful tools and materials to help you survive.
These pre-packed bags are normally kept close to the front door or main exit of your residence allowing you to simply grab them if you have to abandon (Bug Out) your home or place of work.
(Do you remember the terrible sight of tens of thousands of business suited New Yorkers trying to flee Manhattan with only their business suits to sustain them?, Many people forced to walk dozens of miles in high heels or dress shoes, no top coats, nothing to wash the all engulfing debris from their faces and mouths)
It is normal for each member of the household to have their own BOBs providing they are physically capable of carrying them.
Secondly some people also keep BOBs in the vehicles supplemental to their vehicle based emergency kits, and many commuters also keep BOBs at the office or factory.
Some city workers who normally use public rapid transit systems now even keep folding bicycles with their BOBs at the office.
So what goes into a BOB?
BOBs are tailored to suit your own individual needs, local laws and local geography but a typical BOB would contain something like the following.
Multi Tool and Lock Knife
LED Flashlight with spare batteries and Chemical Light stick’s
Wind up/ battery powered combo AM/FM radio
Optional Watch/ Cell phone (prepaid and fully charged plus solar charger)
Compass / Local Map OS Land-ranger
Bus &Train time tables (City workers)
Cycle / Footpath route maps
Notebook & Pencil (with notes of location of hospitals, stations etc)
Para-cord / Duct Tape / Cable Ties
Mini Pry bar / spring loaded glass breaker
Packet of disposable Dust Masks
First Aid Kit / Spare Script medicines and spare Eye Glasses
Bottle of water (normally 2x 1 litre reusable bottles)
A portable water filter
Food / Cereal Bars plus other preferred easy to eat foods (up to 72 hours’ worth)
Cooking kit, Matches, lighter, spare fuel
Cook pot, mess tins, KFS or Spork
Change of socks/ underwear
Small hygiene kit (bar soap/ toothbrush/ roll on etc)
Fleece / waterproof (depending on season and climate)
Gloves / Hat
Flat broken in walking shoes (if you’re an office worker)
A Folding shovel, pry-bar and machete
Length of climbing rope
These are the basics and you can add / subtract items to suit your own specific needs, BUT your chances or survival are much better if you have a comprehensive BOB.
MY Bug out Bag
45 litre Rucksack
Large folding Lock Knife
Fixed blade camp knife
4 X magnification mini field glasses
Multi Tool with plier head
Multi Tool with pruning head
Flashlight a Fenix L2D and CR123 batteries
Flashlights x2 plus spare batteries
Cellphone
Assorted Chemical light sticks
Water Purification Tablets
Rations (boil in bag and freeze dried)
Titanium Spork
Condiments and drinks sachets
Windproof butane lighters x 2
Hexamine cooker
Knife sharpener
Maps and notes (OS Land-rangers 1:50,000)
Silva Type 4/54 compass in mils and degrees (6400 & 360)
Survival instructions
Survival book (Mini SAS Survival Manual)
Notebook and Pen (Sharpy)
Waterproofed matches in film canister.
Magnesium block and striker
35 mm film canister filled with Vaseline soaked cotton wool balls
Medical kit (expedition size)
Spare prescription specs plus prescription shades
Para-cord 50 meters
Large folding wood saw
Zip-lock bags
Small tin with button compass, signal mirror, spare batteries
Telescopic baton
Shemagh / Bandana
Wind up / Battery powered radio / spare batteries
Tactical gloves
Personal Hygiene Kit (soap, razor, toothbrush and paste, deodorant)
Pack of Baby Wipes (better than toilet paper)
Spare underwear, vest & socks
Plastic trowel
Minus 18 Four Season Sleeping bag
I have a second bag that attaches to this one containing more clothes.
Every Day Carry are basic tools or items of survival related kit you wear on your person every day.
MY EDC (Every Day Carry Kit)
Many discussion forums such as EDC forum,(
http://www.edcforums.com) and
http://preppersuk.freeforums.org have cooperated in the new (ish) concept of discussing and evaluating personal EDC equipment, Below are the items I tend to keep with me at all times. Different people in vocations frequently select EDC items to suit their own individual needs, I strongly encourage people to create their own EDC kit and to visit forums like EDC forum to find out what suits them best.
My Own EDC
1 Lock knife Cold Steel Voyager / Blade Tech Hunter lite
2 Multi tool Gerber Multi Plier
3 Compass Suunto Wrist Compass
4 Watch Citizen Solar powered Chronograph
5 Wallet Ballistic nylon with BCB & Swiss-logic credit card tools
6 Cell phone Binatone GSM
7 Flashlight Fenix L2D Q5 plus spare AA batteries
8 Lighter Blue propane torch
9 Para-cord Five metres multi core
10 First Aid kit Pocket size
11 Notebook and pen
12 Cash
13 Specs and polarised sun shades
14 Tactical gloves
15 Bandana
16 Blade-Tech knife sharpener
17/18 LED button light and small knife on my key chain
19 Gerber Artifact mini-tool
Keeping your Bug out Bag Fresh
Bug out bags are one of the keys to our survival in any given crisis or disaster, it is vitally important that our BOB’s are up to the job we require them to do. That means keeping it ready and effective.
We can and do leave our BOB’s untouched for months and some of the items within the BOB’s can be left for years. That in itself could be a problem if we do actually have to bug out in a hurry.
Basically there’s not much point in having a BOB if its contents don’t work when we need them to, so we must keep the contents checked so that we are not left with a bag of junk instead of an effective survival system.
I keep a check card on top of my BOB that lists expiry / use by and best by dates for the time sensitive items in the kit. When they get close to their best by / use by / eat by dates I change them for fresh supplies.
EG
Batteries (radios, flashlights, electronic sights, GPS devices)
Medical dressings (lose sterility after certain time frame)
Medical lotions (lose effectiveness after time)
Eye Glasses and Contact Lenses (your eyes age making the kit lenses useless)
Water Purification tablets (lose effectiveness
Food Stuffs (dry out, lose nutritional value, spoil etc)
Water filter Elements
Hygiene kit (toothpaste / deodorant etc)
Clothing (have you grown out of it?)
Wet wipes (they do dry out)
Vitamin supplements (lose strength)
In some cases during long term storage items such as switches on radios and flashlights can stick, radio receivers can simply refuse to work, magazine springs fail, medicinal potions can settle out etc
It’s always worth checking on how mechanical and electrical as well as medical items function when you check your kit over.
Remember to keep your batteries separate from the devices they are meant to power, there is a Sods Law that demands the more expensive your kit is the more likely the batteries in it will leak catastrophically.
Make sure when you do bug out the kit is going to do what you want it to do, first time and reliably.
Clothing Considerations after TSHTF
When we talk about Prepping Supplies the normal focus in on stockpiling food, fuel and medicines, plus ammo if you live in the US of A, But nearly as important in our plans we need to think about what we will WEAR or USE in the period between a collapse and normal commerce starting up again. That interim period could be many years long and we must plan for that as well if we can.
Let us think about this issue whilst many items of clothing are still very affordable thanks to imports from Asia and China, If you feel the threat to your own situation could involve a long term disruption to your life what sort of things could you buy now and set aside for times of shortage. Not only could you ensure you have some of the clothing essentials you need but you may end up with a valuable commodity for bartering.
We will focus primarily on personal clothing but will briefly look at other items you may wish to obtain.
The sort of items you may consider worthy of bulk buying could be many and varied but try and think about think you may need that will no longer be easily available.
T Shirts / Undershirts *
Polo shirts*
Vests / Bras *
Underwear briefs / Panties*
Socks*
Cargo pants or work jeans
Micro fleece Shirts
Cargo vests
Fleece sweaters
Woollen sweaters if they are what you like
Fleece jackets
Cotton canvas Work Jackets (Fatigues)
Water proof outdoor jackets
Winter parka
Work gloves
Leather belts
Head Scarfs / Bandanas / Baseball caps etc
Work / Hiking / Walking shoes boots and spare insoles.
Sandals / Clogs / Flip flops
*= Multi Packs
I tend to buy “Value†packs from Tesco, Matalan, Makro etc then try them out to se if they are durable, comfortable, and good value for money. You need to check because at times stores will try and sell off some real junk as bargains.
For Example I once bought two packs of Polo Shirts from a well-known store, and even when washed on a low temperature and room dried instead of tumble dried they still shrunk so much they would have fitted my youngest son instead of me.
On a similar point I bought some budget range of walking / approach shoes (UK made as well) from a national retail outlet, they wore out in weeks and had such little internal foot bed support they rapidly become useless.
Kids
Let us not forget the children and their expensive but necessary habit of growing.
Hand me downs may become the norm like fleeces etc but some items such as underwear and footwear really need to be obtained in multiple sizes to allow for growth as will maintaining some level of personal dignity for the children.
When the kids grow out of items post collapse do not discard clothing as once washed and cleaned these clothes probably will have much barter value for families with kids who did not prepare as well.
Which leads us on neatly to other items you may wish to stockpile for your own use or bartering after a disaster or collapse.
Dish Cloths
Floor Cloths
Scourers
Tea Towels
Bath Towels
Boot Polish / Dubbin / Spare Laces / Boot Brushes
Sanitary towels etc
Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
Cotton sewing thread and assorted needles / Assorted Buttons /Velcro / Zips
Hair clips, grips and ties
Nylon cord
Cleaning and personal hygiene materials are covered in the stockpiling and caching lists. The list of items above is not absolute everyone will have their own list of requirements but can use this list to work from.
FIT, FEEL AND FAMILIARITY
(Getting to know your kit)
OK, so you have done the research, bought the kit, developed your plans and stockpiled everything including the assault systems kitchen sink. Now what are you going to do? Wait for Armageddon?
It’s no good at all having a great piece of kit if you are not totally familiar with its feel and fit, and you need to be very comfortable about using it. Why buy an all singing all dancing tactical folding knife then put it away until it is needed? Does it open and close smoothly, can you cut a rope, fillet a rabbit, defend yourself with it, sharpen it or is it too big or to lightweight for the task?
Does it sit comfortably on your hip or in your pocket now? What about after 8 hours with your rucksack pressing it into your hip, can you unleash it, open it and use it with cold, wet, tired hands?
Your expensive flashlight with its lifetime warranty, can you strip and replace the self cleaning switch, Is it big enough powerful enough to do the job for a full evening in your blacked out camp site or retreat, or is it always getting in the way, pulling your belt down, and eating batteries faster than a kids toy?
Be honest, if you were stressed out, scared stupid and fleeing for your life along with your family, Could you put your hand straight to your compass, flashlight, map, knife or whatever in your bug out vest or bag without having to unpack or rummage about for it. What about the vest / bag itself Is the vest up to the job? Comfortable? not going to slide up or down, ride up into a knot or disintegrate at the first time its put to use.
Its the same with the BOV's super duper tyres you paid a premium rate for, and what about the PV unit or wind generator you have obtained, will the tyres give the traction you seek or are you going to end up with terminal wheel spin in the inevitable piece of swamp along the route to your destination. Or the PV and turbine working flat out simply don’t provide enough energy to stop your freezer from thawing out. What if for example the turbine produces so much noise it lets the residents of the next county home in on your secluded retreat?
You have the will, you have the need, and now you have the kit to enable you to survive, so get familiar with it use it, get comfortable with it, reassure yourself that it will be up to the task, Why not for example wear your vest for a few days at a time partially loaded, so you get used to it, let it find its shape, find out the best way to load it with your kit. You don't need to go into town looking like you are ready to start a war, but it will do you no harm at all to use your vest as a gillet carrying your knife, flashlight, compass, first aid kit, Para cord, wallet etc for a few days. Perhaps you could make it your car coat or your dog walking jacket. It’s the same care that is needed with the new boots you have recently invested in.
Now you have realised that bugging out in a vehicle is going to be almost impossible and have purchased those 200 dollar boots, are they up to the job? Too stiff? Poor fit? Not broken in? Not water resistant? Do they take forever to dry out etc? You need your bug out boots, clothes and kit to be snug, comfortable and familiar at hand, and up to the job.
I got myself what I thought would be an ideal garment to use as a bug out vest, I bought it, loaded it up, then put it away whilst I waited for Armageddon. Then one day I thought I would take the mutt for a good long hard walk and decided to try out the vest............................... It is now into its third set of alterations and modifications to make it more comfortable and better suited to the task I designed it for.
CACHING AND STOCKPILING ISSUES
STOCKPILING SUGGESTIONS
There are many lists available on the web and in books about what to stockpile or cache, this article is simply a guide of useful things to consider having around "just in case"
Some items you may wish to obtain can be useful on a day to day basis as well as being invaluable during a crisis for your own use or to barter with.
Tea / coffee / whiteners
Sugar / salt
Flour / grain / pasta
Soap / bleach / detergents
Tooth paste / deodorant
Zip lock bags / bin bags
Candles / paraffin
Coal /charcoal / wood
All of the above are everyday consumables that will quickly become in very short supply during a crisis and pound for pound the likes of salt, paraffin, coffee, and candles will become more valuable than gold.
Writers of survival planning often suggest that you should keep a supply of pure gold and silver coins for use as barter currency, perhaps they are correct but in my mind if you cannot eat it or burn it or preserve food with it I don't think it will be of much use to you. People will sell their souls for the supplies I have listed when they are in short supply and you cannot really have to much in store because its something that you use continuously in your everyday lives.
OTHER USEFUL ITEMS
Flashlights
Batteries
Nylon cord
Rope
Shovels
Picks
Pry bars
Hand operated tools
Paraffin and candle lanterns
Boots, insoles and spare laces
Ordnance Survey maps 1:50,000
Compasses
Ducting tape / insulating tape
Multi tools Gerber / Leatherman etc
Compact field glasses
Short wave radio or scanner
Shuttering / boarding up timber & nails/screws
Spare knives
Hiking clothing /Gore-Tex type
Rucksack
Medical kit
Weapons
Tents / bivouac bags
Blankets
Camp cooker / barbeque ( multi-fuel)
Water containers
Extra personal sanitation kit / spare prescription glasses
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