We’d all like to think that staying in our homes during any kind of crisis is the best option, but sometimes a SHTF situation will force our hand and we just have to pack up the car and leave to a safer location, also known as bugging out. 

This could be to another location or property that you have, to a safe destination in a local forest, or even crossing the border and heading to one of the other countries in the UK in order to bug out.

Whilst a home stay may be ideal, if a natural disaster such as widespread flooding occurs that may not be an option. Or what about hungry neighbours who have run out of supplies yet you still have many month’s worth of food left that is ripe for the taking? What if you fall foul of tyrannical government laws and you could face arrest and imprisonment if you stay where you are? In those kinds of situations you may have no other choice than to bug out.

There is certainly a lot to consider when bugging out, such as where you will even go, how much can you carry with you and how long you plan to be there. Due to this it is imperative that every prepper has a solid bug out plan, even if bugging in is their top choice, as we simply do not know what the future holds for us.

Bugging out alone is a daunting task, but it can be made even trickier if you’re trying to bug out with your family who have different abilities and skills, and even fitness levels. This is why it would be wise for the prepper to consider the different scenarios in advance, and even make dry runs of bugging out so that if you ever need to do it you are already ahead of the game.

In this section we’ll be looking at the various aspects of bugging out, such as what kind of items you will need to create shelter and purify water, which locations in the UK are best for bugging out to, and the different gear you should bring with you to survive.