Most people think bugging out is going to be a romantic “jaunt” down the road with a backpack on.
They’ll travel and camp for three days, after which they’ll get where they’re going, and everything will be fine.
But the fact is that people constantly underestimate what is involved in bugging out.
Real bugging out is going to be a lot more like that book and movie, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
(If you haven’t read it or seen the movie, do so ASAP).
Most people, in fact, make four BIG mistakes that could get you killed in a real-life crisis.
I talked to survival expert Kevin Reeve, and here is a run-down of what he told me about those mistakes.
Are You Making These 4 Bug-out Mistakes?
Now, hopefully, you’ll be bugging out early, and things won’t be anywhere near that grim.
If they are (or are even close), here are the four biggest mistakes people make in their bug-out preparation…
Bug-out Mistake #1: Overestimating Your Physical Fitness
No two ways about it… you have to be physically fit to travel to a secondary safe zone.
The average person can travel about 15-25 miles per day carrying a 35-lb backpack or less – children much less than this in both distance and weight.
If you’re not fit for the “hike”, that distance is going to be even less than that… perhaps as little as 5-10 miles per day.
(That doesn’t get you very far over a 3-day period now, does it?)
Think twice about that second cheeseburger and consider putting that $2.47 toward a gym membership instead, eh?
Bug-out Mistake #2: Overestimating Your Skill Level
So you’ve watched Man Vs. Wild until your eyes bled and now you think you can build a fire with nothing more than a pine cone and a chocolate bar, huh?
Things always look easy on television… but can be much harder when you go to put the skills you’ve learned to the test in a remote environment.
The best way to test that knowledge is to… well… TEST that knowledge.
Choose one skill a week to put it to the test (more if you can handle it) and see how it really plays out without the instruction guide.
Bug-out Mistake #3: Overestimating What Your Equipment Can Do For You
Cheap gear will leave you stranded and cussing at the irony of how the item that was supposed to save your heiney in a disaster has now become a big paperweight.
Thing is, the only way you’ll ever find out is to put it to the test – yes, actually use it.
Take all of your gear out and see how it performs in a realistic scenario… and then even in unrealistic scenarios!
Do it right after buying it so you can send it back to China if it doesn’t pass muster.
Bug-out Mistake #4: Not Having A Destination Set
One of the most critical elements of a bug out plan is having a destination to go to, actually knowing where you’re trying to get.
(It’s not just wandering along like in a Dean Martin road movie.)
There’s no point in leaving home, where you have food and water and some level of security, unless you know you’re going somewhere better.
But there’s no point in leaving at all unless you have someplace defined!
There is no way, unless you have a specific plan about where you going and what you’ll expect to find when you get there, that you should ever leave home in the first place.
