guide to bugging out

THE STREET SMART GUIDE TO

QALIVE

&STAYINGBUGGING OUT

Copyright © 2003-2011 Delta Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction without permission prohibited.

All ‘Random Thoughts’ and ‘Case Studies’ written by Delta Media.

All end-of-chapter summaries are complied by Delta Media by

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Table of Contents

ix

Introductionby John Higgs

Chapter 1: Why Bug Out?When do We Bug OutHow do We Bug OutWhere do We Go?

Chapter 2: The Importance of Planning

Chapter 3: What do We Take With Us?A Small Bug Out BagA Medium Size Bug Out BagA Large Bug Out BagMoney Belts to Protect CashCaching a Bug Out Bag OffsiteWhat Items do You Take With You?What to Wear?Medical Considerations

Chapter 4: Securing Your Home Before You Bug OutHow to Hide the Valuables You Cannot Take With You

Chapter 5: Do You Really Want to do This?Survival FoodTesting Your Bug Out Bag Once it is Packed

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THE STREET SMART GUIDE TOBUGGING OUT AND STAYING ALIVE

Table of Contents (con’t)

Chapter 6: FirearmsHandgunsRifles and CarbinesShotgunsAmmunition

Conclusion

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13

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INTRODUCTIONJohn Higgs

The Street Smart Guide to Bugging Out and Staying Alive

Copyright © 2003-201114

Introduction

www.DeltaMediaLLC.com 15

As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

A ctually, “the tough” are really people who recognize

when a situation is life threatening, or when a position

is untenable, and they leave, escape, or simply bug out.

Making the decision to leave a place—perhaps never to return—

can be easy or incredibly difficult. Running from a burning hotel,

even if it means leaving most of your luggage behind, should not

be a decision that anyone would take more than a moment to

make. But leaving the house that’s been in the family for three

generations, before the tsunami hits, well that decision is likely

to be a far tougher, more emotional one. And hesitation may get

you killed. On the other hand, in any disaster, we must be careful

not to bug out into a worse situation than we are already in. Our

home, hotel room, vehicle, or whatever shelter we are already in

may offer better protection than whatever we encounter after

we leave it.

How would you feel if you were living in a nice, quiet, safe place

and fifty miles away, some disaster occurred that forced thousands

of people to leave their homes and head toward your town? Would

Introduction


you welcome them? Would you consider them a threat—people

who might steal your stuff to survive, commit crimes to survive,

take your home away from you or steal your car? Now imagine if

you are one of thousands of people bugging out. You arrive in a

nice quiet town along with all your friends and neighbors. Would

you expect the people of that town to welcome you with open

arms, or treat you with suspicion and caution?

Bugging out may fix one problem and cause many more.

Consider also that when we bug out, we will travel to, or through,

other communities


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Figure 1Should you stay or should you go?

19

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CHAPTER 1

Why Bug Out?


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Chapter 1: Why Bug Out?


W hy do we bug out? What causes us to leave our homes,

neighborhoods, towns or cities? Broadly speaking,

it’s either a natural or man-made disaster of some

kind; the size and extent of the disaster influences how far we bug

out, and to what location. A house fire may cause us to bug out

only as far as our neighbor’s house or the local Red Cross shelter.

A chemical spill caused by a train derailment or a tanker truck

accident may force us to a motel on the other side of town for a

night or two. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina decimated large areas of

the Gulf Coast of the United States and forced most of the residents

of New Orleans to move out of the city—many to other states for

months and months. In 1992, the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles

forced some people to flee the city, while others hunkered down

to defend their property from looters and vandals. In many, but

not all cases, bugging out is the only prudent choice we have if we

want to survive forest fires, floods, or mob violence.

As The Clash once sang, “Should I stay or should I go?”



When do we Bug Out?

The decision to bug out, how to bug out, and where to bug

out to, is determined by a wide range of factors: Time, distance,

opportunity and transportation, liability, and planning.

How much time do we have to get ready to leave? A police

officer may knock on our door and inform us that there is a

standoff with an armed criminal in the house across the street, and

that we have two minutes to get out. This is not something we’ve

planned for, so the most we can probably do is grab wallet or purse

and remember to lock up the house as we head out the door. On

the other hand, people who live in the path of an approaching

hurricane typically have enough time to board up the windows of

their homes and businesses and then choose to either ride out the

storm or pack a suitcase and leave.

How much distance must we put between ourselves and

the threat? In 2004, when a facility in southern Ontario, Canada,

caught fire exploding propane tanks forced hundreds of people

to evacuate their homes. Certainly those people had to evacuate

a couple of miles or more to avoid the immediate threat, but how

much further did many of them have to go to find a vacant hotel

room? Once we leave home, even if we have a good plan, we may

have to adapt to changing circumstances.

What opportunity is there for us to evacuate, and what mode of

transportation is available? Did the last ferry to the mainland leave

without us? Are the roads already under water? Is the last plane

full? Can we expect to walk out wearing only a pair of flip-flops?


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Figure 2Floods can keep you from bugging out if you wait too long.

IF YOU STICK AROUND TOO LONG, YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BUG OUT.


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When it comes to bugging out, an athlete staying in a hotel

has far fewer liabilities than either the caregiver who looks after

a wheelchair-bound senior citizen, or the single parent with three

young children, two cats, a dog and a hamster. And while we are

talking about animals, how do we deal with a bugout emergency

involving family pets, or the herd of cows or the stable of million-

dollar race horses that is our livelihood?

How do we Bug Out?

Where we live may also determine our mode of transportation

and how we evacuate the area. During Hurricane Katrina, many

people in New Orleans who did not own cars had to bug out by

walking or waiting for a bus. In Montana it’s unlikely you could

jump on a train, but a horse or four-wheel drive would be a more

likely mode of transportation.

Our method of transportation determines how much

stuff we can take with us. A motorcycle or a horse might allow

us to carry more than if we are walking. A car can carry more

than a motorcycle.

So before we can even begin to pick and choose what to take

with us, we must first determine where we are, what the threat is

likely to be, the weather, how far we must go and how we are going

to get there. And who exactly is bugging out with us? Do we have

elderly relatives or young children to take with us? How much can

they carry? Can we all hike to safety? Will everyone fit in the car?

And if we can all fit, is there any room left for our bugout bags?

What about pets? Can we take them with us? Do we have plans

to carry pet food and additional water? Will a cat carrier fit in the

car? Wherever our destination is, will they accept the pet python

or the rottweiler? And if we cannot take pets with us, what do we

do with them? What do we do to help them survive until we can

return? It would be irresponsible to abandon them without food,

water, and shelter. For many people, leaving a family pet behind is

not an option. It means that their decision point for bugging out is

that if the pet doesn’t go with them, then they don’t bug out.

Who is on medication? Don’t forget pet meds. Does anyone

have a medical condition (Diabetes, for example) that requires

special food?

Are you likely to need weapons for self-defense, and if so, can

you carry them? During Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, law

enforcement officers confiscated guns owned by law-abiding

citizens. In a similar situation, you may find yourself trying to

decide where the greatest risk lies: Losing your firearm to a police

officer, or losing your life to a rioting criminal. Perhaps your

bugout bag should be big enough to conceal a weapon and spare

ammunition, and also give you quick access to it when it’s needed.

We will discuss firearms in greater detail later.

How much money will you need? Do you have it stashed

away at home in case the banks are closed when you have to bug

out? Do you carry ID such as driver’s license, concealed weapons

permit, passport? In our Hurricane Katrina example, being able

to show a police officer identification might save you from being

treated as a looter.



Where do we go?

If the kids are at home and mom and dad are at work, is there

a plan to meet in a prearranged place? How do you communicate?

After the terrorist attacks on September 11TH 2001, the cell

phone system was overloaded. In the middle of your disaster, if

communication is impossible, do you have a prearranged safe

place to meet up with family members? If you don’t, try to find a

place that is easy for all members of the family to get to. It should

be somewhere that everyone is familiar with. It should be a place

that is not likely to be affected by the disaster, so don’t plan on

meeting at the wooden shack in the woods if you’re escaping a

forest fire. If a family member is unable to travel to the rendezvous

place, for example if grandma cannot walk very far, then you may

need to designate grandma’s house as the rendezvous point.

So far we have only considered a disaster that occurs in the

vicinity of our home. But what if we are away from home on business

or vacation, for example, when a disaster strikes? What if we are in a

foreign country? Before we can bug out, we must know where we

are going to go. We must be able to communicate that information

to people such as friends and relatives who will be looking for us,

and without a destination, we don’t have a complete plan. Our

destination may be a friend’s house, a government shelter, under a

bridge, the airport, a train or bus station, a tent in the wilderness,

or simply living out of our car in an alley. Wherever it is it must be

as safe as is realistically possible, and people must be able to find


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Figure 3The people you take with you may require special considerations.

WHO EXACTLY IS BUGGING OUT WITH US? DO WE HAVE ELDERLY RELATIVES OR YOUNG CHILDREN TO TAKE WITH US? WHAT ABOUT PETS?


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us when we want them to. If you are in a foreign country when

you experience a disaster, your passport will prove to be invaluable

in getting you home. So will money, in case you have to pay one of

the locals to take you to the airport or the border.

These are the kind of issues that we must take into account

when we are planning our escape. We have to plan ahead and not

wait until the molten lava is six feet from the front door before we

make some tough decisions.

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CHAPTER 2

The Importanceof Planning


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F or any situation that requires us to leave promptly, we must

have a plan or possibly more than one plan, depending on

the likelihood of various situations.

There are two important things to remember about making

a bug out plan. First, the most important thing is to have one.

It may not be perfect, but it at least has to be thought through

carefully before we need to initiate it. Second, don’t skip planning

the details. You cannot assume that when the time comes to bug

out that the details will just fall into place. Any plan that includes

the phrase, “Well, I’ll just…” is likely doomed to failure because

the important details have not been carefully thought out ahead

of time. Let’s think about that for a moment: “Well I’ll just hitch a

ride on the expressway.” Or “Well I’ll just wear shorts and a tee

shirt and hope it doesn’t snow.”

Here in the United States, emergency services at the local,

state, and federal level generally advise that we should plan to

survive for 72 hours until help arrives. Regardless of whether it is

appropriate for us to bug out or just stay where we are and wait

for help, we should plan on looking after ourselves for at least 72

hours—when did you ever know the government to be on time?



Before any kind of disaster hits us, we need to have spent

a little time planning how we would cope. Having a plan does

three things:

First, it means that we don’t have to rush to make decisions on

the spur of the moment and risk making the wrong decision. For

example, it’s better to say, “when my feet get wet, it’s time to leave,”

rather than wait until the water is knee high and say, “I wish I’d left

two hours ago, now I might not make it.”

Second, having a plan gives us confidence and reduces the

possibility that we will panic.

Third, planning forces us to consider things ahead of time, and

allows us the opportunity to research things that we need to know

in order to plan effectively. Planning gives us the opportunity to

create what I call decision points.

For example, I have two friends who live in the foothills of

the Rocky Mountains. The big danger for them is forest and grass

fires. They already know that when a grass fire crests the ridge a

quarter of a mile from their home, the sheriff’s deputies will order

them to leave. So for my two friends, one of the decision points is

that when the fire reaches the ridge, they know they have to leave.

They have already made the decision a long time before the fire

ever starts.

We all need to have a plan. Wherever we live, we need to take

a look at our surroundings and determine what the threats are

that we may have to deal with. Homes built in a flood plain are at

risk of being flooded. Homes built on a fault line are at risk from


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Figure 4People in one part of the country may have to contend with wildfires, while others in a different part of the country have to deal with other natural disasters.

WHEREVER WE LIVE, WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR SURROUNDINGS AND DETERMINE WHAT THE THREATS ARE THAT WE MAY HAVE TO DEAL WITH.


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bag for different circumstances, and it’s quite likely that equipment

such as clothing will have to be appropriate for the weather and

the season of the year.

As we examine different options for bugout bags and the items

that we should carry in them, let’s remember that every item we

own meets one of the following criteria:

Need to have•

Nice to have•

Don’t need•

The most basic bugout bag is your wallet or purse. Do you

always carry “emergency money”, identification, car keys, a cell

phone? On September 11TH 2001, the day the World Trade Center

was bombed, I wonder how many of the people who escaped

from the Twin Towers brought their wallet or purse with them?

Did they have the means to get home, contact relatives, establish

their identity, and take their prescription medication? I work in

an office. There is nothing in my office or on my desk that would

make me pause for one second if I had to get out of the building.

The important things are in my pockets. The less important things

are in a small briefcase next to my desk. If I have time to grab that

briefcase on my way out, that’s good, but not essential.

In 1912, when the passenger ship Titanic struck an iceberg,

many people on board ignored the incident. It had been widely

publicized that the ship was unsinkable. Perhaps they were waiting

earthquakes. These factors are fairly obvious, but it’s amazing how

many people choose to ignore them. Once we’ve identified likely

threats, we need to come up with a plan to evacuate to a safe area

at short notice. A plan should be written down. This forces us to

think through the details. It means that everybody in the home

will understand how they fit into the plan and they will know

what their personal responsibilities are. The plan should include

these components:

Define Decision Points. When certain specific events occur, 1.

this is a signal to get out.

Know where you are going and make sure that all family 2.

members know the plan.

Know what items you will take with you and what you 3.

will leave behind.

A bug out plan must take into account our geographical

location. For example, if we live along the Gulf Coast of the USA,

we can expect hurricanes and flooding. In California, we have

earthquakes, forest fires, and mud slides to contend with. Anywhere

close to a railroad or an expressway, we might expect a chemical

spill from a tanker. Some of these disasters are seasonal. Forest fires

are more likely in summer, flooding may occur in the spring when

snow melts, or during a rainy season.

The details of the plan will determine the size, design, and

number of bugout bags that we need. We may need more than one



for instructions from the ship’s captain. Maybe many of them were

in denial that something bad had happened. Who knows? What we

do know is that some of the lifeboats were partially empty when

they were launched, and that two hours and forty minutes later,

the ship sank and 1500 people died.

The golden rule here is that when you have to leave, LEAVE

NOW! Do not wait for other people to tell you when to leave. If

your gut tells you it’s time to go, then GO! Don’t dawdle. Don’t

waste time collecting unimportant things—GET OUT!


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Figure 5

Never forget.

DO NOT WAIT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO TELL YOU WHEN TO LEAVE. IF YOUR GUT TELLS YOU IT’S TIME TO GO, THEN GO!

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CHAPTER 3

What do WeTake With Us?


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Chapter 3: What do We Take With Us?


S o far we’ve touched on Why, When, How, and Where we

should bug out. Now let’s look at what we should bug out

with. Given the criteria above, we must now make a list

of the items we will take with us. Then we will assemble all those

items on our living room floor or some other flat, empty space and

decide how we are going to pack those items into a bag.

The chances are that we will have assembled more items than

we can reasonably carry. Remember: Need to have, Nice to have,

Don’t need. So you need to go back over your list and throw out

all the “Don’t Needs.” Still too much gear? Try to justify taking the

“Nice to Have” stuff and throw out those items that you cannot

justify logically in a survival setting. You should be left with only

the items that you truly need to survive. Now that you know what

you will take, you can choose the correct size and type of bugout

bag (or bags) to carry those items. They are described below in

Small, Medium, and Large sizes.

A Small Bug Out Bag

One step up from our purse or wallet is a small and simple

bugout bag, such as a fanny pack, a small backpack, or a zippered



bag. This is something that we should always keep next to the bed

when we go to sleep. Of course, this can be done at home, but it

should especially be used when staying away from home, such as

in a hotel. In case you have to bug out of your hotel room in the

middle of the night because of a fire, terrorist bombing, tsunami,

or whatever, be sure to keep your wallet, car keys, essential

medication, passport, airplane ticket, cell phone, maps of the area,

flashlight, and eyeglasses, in a small pouch on the nightstand. It

may be the only thing you have time to grab on your way out the

door. Personally, I use a soft nylon case designed to hold a pair of

softball shoes. It has a zipper and a soft nylon handle at one end.

It holds everything that I would need in an emergency with room

left over for things that I might pick up later such as bottled water

or a sandwich from the Red Cross—who knows?

You’ll notice that I did not say to keep all those important

items in your suitcase. You may not have time to drag a heavy,

bulky bag down ten flights of smoke-filled stairs and out of the

hotel. You cannot expect the elevators to be working, and even if

they are, they will no doubt be filled to capacity by people who

ignored the directions to not use the elevators in an emergency!

In addition to your small bugout bag, don’t forget to keep a

pair of sensible shoes and a simple change of clothes like jeans

and a sweater by the bed. Sensible shoes are of the type that you

can actually walk and run in, and that will protect your feet from

broken glass and other debris. During Hurricane Katrina the streets

flooded, the sewers overflowed, dead bodies, broken glass and


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Figure 6


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A backpack is pretty good. They come in three basic sizes:

a school or book bag, (which I classify as a small bugout bag) a

three-day pack, and a full-size pack like mountain climbers carry.

Let’s designate the three-day pack as a good medium size bugout

bag. It’s designed to be carried long distances, and many packs

have exterior pockets that allow you to access frequently used

items easily. A backpack also keeps your hands free for other things:

holding onto your dog’s leash or your five-year old daughter’s hand,

or carrying your rifle. One slightly negative point about hiking-

style backpacks is that many of them open at the top. This means

that it isn’t easy to access items at the bottom of the bag without

emptying out all the contents. It’s worth shopping around to find

a bag that unzips down the sides so that you can lay it flat and

access the interior in the same way that you would access a duffel

bag with a zipper that runs along the top.

There are some important things to consider when you select

a bugout bag:

Get one that is comfortable for you to carry. If it’s a •

backpack, be sure that the straps don’t chafe and that they

spread the load evenly.

If you look inside a good quality backpack you will probably •

see that the inside has a waterproof, rubberized coating. I

think this is an important requirement for any pack or bag.

You need to keep your gear dry.

Check the weight of the bag when it’s empty. A really stout, •

heavy duty bag is great, but you’d be surprised how much

other debris from damaged buildings clogged the streets. Do you

know how many people tried to walk out of that mess wearing

only flip-flops on their feet? A lot. This is why I suggest keeping a

pair of “sensible” shoes handy.

A Medium Size Bug Out Bag

The next step up is a medium size personal bugout bag. This

is probably what everybody envisions when we talk about the

classic bugout bag. In my opinion, hard sided cases don’t make

good bugout bags. They don’t “give” when you try to cram gear

into them, and they cannot be jammed into a tight space in a

vehicle. They may offer better protection for fragile items than a

soft bag, but realistically, what fragile item falls into our need-to-

have category? Maybe a cell phone or a Global Positioning System

(GPS), probably a pair of reading glasses; In that case, wrap them

up in a sweatshirt and stow it in the middle of your soft bag. But

that antique vase or the nineteenth century bone china tea set

should probably be stored in a safe and secure location where you

can retrieve them after the emergency is over.

So, we’ve decided on a soft bag. There are two basic designs:

a bag with handles and a shoulder strap, a long zipper along the

top side, and perhaps a couple of outer pockets; or a hiking-

style backpack.

The bag with handles provides quite a lot of space and easy

accessibility to items. I recommend a carry strap so that you can

keep your hands free.



it can weigh before you even put anything into it. And you

may have to carry it long distances.

Get a lightweight, but strong bag. Double or triple stitching •

is good, especially on the load bearing areas like the straps

or handles. The zippers need to be durable and of good

quality. Many of the better quality bags seem to have YKK

brand zippers.

Now that we have our medium size bag, we must decide

what needs to go into it. Going back to our criteria, this is the

must-have gear. Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances,

in my humble opinion, you will need the following: Your wallet,

purse, or the small bug out bag we discussed earlier, with cash

(including small bills and credit cards.) In addition, prescription

medication, a small first aid kit, heavy duty sun screen lotion,

sunglasses (for sun, snow, water, or flying debris) flashlight, toilet

paper and hand sanitizer, personal wash kit (antibacterial soap,

toothpaste and toothbrush, razor) and towel (if you’ve read The

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you know how useful a towel

is!) one change of underwear and socks, energy bars, electrolyte

powder, candy and gum, cell phone and charger, folding pocket

knife or a Leatherman-type multi-tool, gloves, map, compass/GPS,

drinking water. In addition, a large piece of plastic sheet can prove

to be invaluable as a makeshift shelter (don’t forget several yards

of strong twine—550 parachute cord is ideal, and a roll of duct

tape is helpful too) and at the very least, it can be laid out on wet

ground to give you a dry place to rest.


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Figure 7

BACKPACKS KEEP YOUR HANDS FREE FOR OTHER THINGS; HOLDING ONTO YOUR DOG’S LEASH OR YOUR FIVE-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER’S HAND, OR CARRYING YOUR RIFLE.


Copyright © 2003-201150



four or five feet in length, with wraparound handles and a zipper

that runs the full length of the bag. This design not only allows easy

access to individual items without having to pull out everything

else, it also allows discreet carry of rifles and shotguns.

Money Belts to Protect Cash

One other point to consider is that once we have bugged

out, we may have to stop and rest in some pretty strange places,

possibly with other travelers and complete strangers. Wherever

we sleep, we may not have total security over our small, medium,

or large bugout bags. We must find a way to keep our emergency

money with us at all times. About the best we can do is probably

to use a money belt. This small belt is worn by travelers around

the waist under clothing to keep money secure from pickpockets.

If a thief steals your bag while you’re asleep or otherwise

distracted, at least you stand a chance of keeping your money and

identification papers.

Caching a Bug Out Bag Offsite

It may seem illogical to store a bugout bag away from home,

but storing emergency supplies outside the home might be a good

idea for some people. For example, someone who lives in a house

in a forest may come home to find that a forest fire has destroyed

their home, or that local authorities have closed the roads, and

access to the house is denied. First, during fire season, it would

be prudent for homeowners to carry a small or medium bugout

bag in their vehicle. Second, a large bugout bag might be stored

Yes, it’s not a big deal to survive for three days or more in the

same underwear and without washing. But remember Hurricane

Katrina where some people had to wade through filthy water to

get to safety. In those conditions, a wash and a change of clothes

isn’t just a good sanitary measure, it’s also a huge morale booster.

Here’s another important piece of equipment for almost any

size bugout bag. Place the change of clothes and underwear in

one of those plastic, vacuum seal storage bags that are advertised

on TV. Squeeze all the air out of it before you seal it, and then put

it in your bugout bag. Not only will this keep your spare clothes

dry, it will also take up less space than just packing clothes loose

in your bag.

You can also use sealable “Ziploc” bags to protect items like

cash, papers, and medications from dirt and moisture.

A Large Bug Out Bag

A large bugout bag, such as some of the big camping duffel

bags, is very useful if you don’t have to carry it very far by hand. But

for people who have the option to bug out by car, or even by boat

or small aircraft, a large bag can be packed days or even months

in advance with a lot of useful equipment and supplies that might

not fit into the medium or small bags. Keep this packed all the time

with general purpose items: food, survival tools, clothing etc. Bags

like this must be maintained regularly. Throw out old food and

replace water. Depending on the season, (winter, summer, etc.)

change clothing. Some of these camping duffel bags are huge—



at a friend’s home, at work, or anywhere else that is not likely to

be affected by the same disaster at the same time as their primary

residence. Offsite storage can be a reciprocal agreement with a

friend or neighbor. You store their bugout bag in your house, and

they store your bag in theirs. This way, unless a disaster destroys

both houses at the same time, you’re both covered. You may even

both agree that your houses will be the bug out destination for the

other person.

What Items do You Take with You?

What should you put in your bug out bag? We’ve already looked

at some of the things that anyone, in any geographical location

should have, but here is where we are going to get more specific.

Water is vital for survival. Dehydration is the result of the

body losing more water than it takes in. Dehydration makes even

the simplest of tasks more difficult, and makes a person more

susceptible to shock if they are injured. At 68 degrees Fahrenheit,

the average adult loses 2-3 quarts/liters per day just by urinating,

sweating, and defecating. Hot or cold temperatures, illness or

burns, intense activity (like bugging out on foot or carrying a

heavy bugout bag) may cause even greater loss of fluids. A person

surviving at average altitude and temperatures needs to drink

about a half gallon of water each day. This is a rough guideline.

There are many factors such as weather, or an individual’s overall

state of health. Sick people, nursing mothers, and children need

more water. Water is heavy and bulky to transport, but it is an


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Figure 8


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absolute necessity. Some people opt for flavored energy drinks to

carry with them, but plain drinking water can always be mixed

with a powdered electrolyte, (which will also replace salt that the

body needs to function) and plain water, unlike energy drinks, can

be used for washing or cooking.

Let me stress the importance of staying hydrated: Every person,

regardless of where they are, what the climate is, or what they

are doing, needs to be well-hydrated in order to be healthy and

to survive. By the time a person feels thirsty, they are already on

their way to being dehydrated, and dehydration prevents the body

from working efficiently. This can be a big problem for someone

who is already stressed from the physical and mental exertions

of traveling while carrying a heavy pack. It is better to sip water

frequently throughout the day rather than gulp down a large

amount once or twice. If your urine is clear, you are well hydrated.

If it is dark yellow, you need to be drinking water immediately!

Any shade of yellow in between indicates that you are heading

towards being dehydrated.

Drinking liquids such as tea and coffee that contain caffeine

is generally regarded as being a bad idea because caffeine causes

the body to urinate more. However, if you’re bugging out in cold

weather or if you’re like me and your body craves caffeine every

morning just to get moving, I would suggest including some tea or

coffee in your bugout bag. You will have to include equipment to

boil water, but you won’t need all the trappings associated with

brewing coffee of tea at home. You just need a steel cup, water, and

a fire. Both tea and coffee are available in single serving bags you

just dunk in hot water! Ah, the joy of civilized living!

Also, there is a wide array of commercial water filters now

available. One of these filters can adequately supplement an

emergency drinking water supply. A water reservoir with a

drinking tube attached (such as those made by Camelbak and

Blackhawk) can be inserted into a backpack, allowing the wearer

to take a drink without having to remove their backpack each time.

Like other manufacturers, both companies manufacture complete

systems—backpack, reservoir, and drinking tube.

It’s important to be able to make a fire and illumination. We need

to be able to stay warm, cook food and boil water, wash, dry our

clothes and other equipment, and even signal for help. We should

include in our equipment a fire starter kit, matches or cigarette

lighter, and a couple of chemlites or snap-lights (the plastic tubes

filled with two chemicals which, when mixed together, give off a

bright glow for several hours.)

What to Wear?

Choosing appropriate clothes often depends on the weather,

but a jacket should be a rainproof shell that is both warm and

lightweight. Dress in layers for additional warmth. A hat should be

waterproof and able to provide protection from the sun. Gloves

should provide warmth and afford protection to the hands. We

may have to move debris, construct a shelter, or climb obstacles. A

pair of jeans, not a skirt or dress, is surprisingly practical in most



environments and blends in with the local population in many

parts of the world. A belt with a pouch for the small survival kit

(wallet, pocket knife, flashlight, cell phone) plus a water bottle

pouch is a good addition to jeans. Wool is warm even when wet,

although it can get heavy. Shoes or boots should be comfortable

and durable because even though we may not have planned it, we

may need to walk long distances over rough terrain and debris. The

soles should be heavy enough to withstand sharp objects like nails.

Don’t forget sunglasses. They are especially important to protect

the eyes in bright sunshine or snow, and also from flying debris.

Medical Considerations

A First Aid kit is a valuable item. Even if you don’t have much

room, consider packing a very basic kit that will at least provide

relief for headaches, nausea, diarrhea, cuts, bruises, splinters,

and blisters.

Many people have to take prescription medication. It’s

important to have a few days supply of all prescriptions in a bugout

bag. And this may be one of those items that a person may have to

remember to drop in their bag before they leave their home. This

is fine for tablets or capsules, but let’s look at more serious long

term medical conditions.

Since medical conditions vary considerably from one person

to another, and medications vary from one manufacturer to the

next, the following is a hypothetical example, and is not meant to be

taken as medical advice.


Copyright © 2003-201156

Figure 9Consider the medical needs of everyone in your bug out party (even your pets).


Copyright © 2003-201158



such as when administering epinephrine for an allergic reaction, a

smaller diabetic syringe will come in handy.

This is just a general example, so it’s very important

that you consult a medical expert for advice on your specific

medica situation.

Before any disaster occurs, it is important to have a plan to deal

with medical requirements such as these. Consult with doctors and

drug manufacturers, identify the patient’s requirements and then

plan how to fill those requirements under bad conditions. What if

it’s time to bug out and the weather is very cold or very hot? What

if you have to walk a long way or though difficult terrain? What are

the medical risks involved and how do you plan to deal with them.

Always have a detailed, well researched plan.

A diabetic takes daily injections of insulin. His doctor prescribes

a thirty day supply, and gives him a second thirty day supply as

a backup. His insulin medication can only last for thirty days at

room temperature.

But in this example, the weather is hot and sunny. The daily

temperature is in the 80s. The backup thirty day supply must be

kept refrigerated until it is needed. How does this person bug out

with enough insulin to last at least 72 hours and keep his insulin

cool enough for it to be effective?

An Emergency Medical Technician advised that the first step is

to contact the manufacturer of the medication and explain your

concerns and ask for guidance in how to maintain the effectiveness

of that specific medication. Ask how extreme heat and cold affects

the medication. A doctor may not know exactly how a specific

medication responds over time to extreme conditions, so it’s

advisable to talk to the manufacturer. Next, our EMT friend offers

this useful tip: A simple way to keep medication cool is to use a

small insulated picnic cooler, like the ones some people use to

take their lunch to work; add a packet of frozen peas with the

medication. Yes, frozen peas. They stay frozen for quite a long time

and they have the added advantage of being useful to apply as an

ice pack for injuries. Our EMT uses them all the time.

Next, if medication must be administered by injection, our

EMT recommends that a 5 ml syringe with a 22 gauge needle will

suffice in most emergencies. For a more precise measurement,

61

Q


CHAPTER 4

SecuringYour Home Before

You Bug Out


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Chapter 4: Securing Your Home Before You Bug Out


I f you have some prior warning that you’re going to have to

bug out, there may be time to secure your home before you

leave. This would include the obvious things like locking all

doors and windows, but homeowners may also be instructed by

the utility company to turn off utilities. This is because events like

earthquakes and aftershocks, flooding, and tornados can rupture

gas and waterlines.

Natural gas leaks can cause a buildup of gas that leads to an

explosion and a fire. If you smell gas, or hear a hissing sound, get

everybody out of the house. BUG OUT NOW! Everyone in the

home needs to know how to shut off the gas supply at the main

outside valve. Procedures vary, so it’s a good idea to contact the

utility company for instructions. Be aware, that while it may

be OK to turn the gas off, it should only ever be turned

on by a technician from the gas company.

Sparks from electrical appliances can ignite gas leaks in the

home. It’s a good idea to turn off the electricity (especially if

the home is soaked from flooding.) Once the electricity circuit

box is located, all electrical circuits should be shut off first,

before shutting off the main circuit breaker. Keep in mind also


Copyright © 2003-201164



that turning off electricity is going to affect the food in the

refrigerator and freezer, so this is a decision that must be left to

the individual homeowner.

Water is a precious commodity in a disaster. Even during

Hurricane Katrina, there were incidents where buildings that

were actually under three feet of water were left to burn because

there was no water available for fire hoses. In the event of an

earthquake, water mains may be cracked or ruptured. This can

lead to contamination of the water in the pipes. It’s a good idea to

shut off the water until local authorities announce that it is safe to

turn it back on. The water should be turned off at the main valve

inside the house, not at the outside valve buried near the street.

How to Hide the Valuables You Cannot Take With You

Most people own a lot of things that they could not possibly

take with them on foot, or even in a large vehicle. There simply isn’t

time or space to carry everything; and for anybody bugging out on

foot, the items they would be able to carry are severely limited.

Of course, one’s home should be made as secure as possible

before leaving, but suppose that just isn’t adequate enough to keep

the coin collection, the jewelry, or even all the important papers

(birth certificate, diplomas, stocks and bonds, property title) safe?

While we are away a lot of things might happen to our residence:

fire, flood, earthquake, not to mention looters.

There are two options, both of which require some preparation

before any disaster strikes. The first option is to store these

important items in a secure location away from home. This could

be at a friend or relative’s house, or it could be in a safe deposit

box in a bank vault.

Keep in mind that if you store your valuables at someone’s

house, you haven’t made them any more secure than if you were

to keep them at home. All you’ve done is to bet your valuables that

disaster will strike your house and not your friend’s. Of course, if

your friend lives in a concrete bunker a thousand feet above the

nearest flood plane, and he is a true and trustworthy friend, then

maybe your possessions will be OK. But this may not be an option.

We have to find a way to secure those things that we cannot take

with us.

For around a couple of hundred dollars a year (depending on

the bank and the size of the safe deposit box) valuables can be

locked up in a vault constructed of steel and concrete. Although this

seems like a perfect solution, you should check to see if the bank

is situated in an area that is prone to flooding or earthquakes. Just

to be on the safe side, whenever I store items in a safe deposit box

I always double-bag them in “Ziploc” bags for added protection.

The other option might be to cache your valuables underground

or even under water in a cache tube. The best way to do this is to

use standard white PVC plumbing pipe, which is easily available

from hardware stores in 4-, 6-, or 8-inch diameter sizes. Cut to the

desired length, glue a PVC end cap at one end and an inspection

cap (which can be repeatedly opened and closed) at the other, and

you’ve got an extremely durable, watertight container. For a tube



that will not be opened and closed very often, instead of using an

inspection cap, you can use end caps at both ends, glue one end in

place permanently, and at the other end just apply a thin layer of

heavy grease between the inside of the end cap and the outside of

the tube before slipping the end cap on.

Again, our old standby, the plastic “Ziploc” bag can be used to

further protect papers, jewelry, and other items that must be kept

dry before they are placed in the tube. This doesn’t have to be a

huge tube. Let’s say you’re going to bury a couple of certificates,

a couple of pieces of jewelry and maybe some banknotes or a

gold coin or two. I’d guess that an 18 inch by four inch diameter

tube would be sufficient. If you’re planning on hiding your 12

gauge riot shotgun, I’d guess that a 48 inch by eight-inch diameter

tube would be better; I’d also ask why you’re burying a gun in the

ground at a time when your personal security situation has taken

a turn for the worse.

The next task is to decide where the tube will be buried. Let’s

assume that you have a small backyard, or some other area of private

ground that is off-limits to the general population. A hole needs

to be dug at least twelve inches deeper than the overall length

of the PVC tube, which will be stored vertically in the ground.

Digging a shallow ditch and storing a tube horizontally is not the

best idea because it makes it easier for the contents to register on

a metal detector. The simplest way to dig a deep, narrow hole is

to rent a post-hole digger called a soil auger. Make sure that the


Copyright © 2003-201166

Figure 10

IF YOU’RE GOING TO HIDE VALUABLES, REMEMBER WHERE YOU HIDE THEM.

An option might be to cache your valuables underground or even under water in a cache tube.



tool is capable of drilling down deep enough to accommodate the

overall length of the cache tube plus at least twelve inches.

So far, we have identified a quiet location where a tube can

be secreted, the dimensions of the tube, and what will be hidden

inside it. Now comes the hard part. There is no point in hiding

something if other people know where you’ve hidden it because

either you told them, or they saw you put it there! They may dig

it up as soon as you aren’t around. So, you have to find a way

to dig the hole and place the tube in it without anybody putting

two and two together. One thought would be to select a location

where nobody can see what you are doing; in the middle of a

dense cluster of trees or bushes perhaps. If you can hide in or

behind something while you dig so much the better. On the other

hand, if you have a good reason for digging, putting in a series of

fence posts, for example, it is a simple matter to add one extra hole

and then come back at night when the neighbors are asleep, and

plant the cache tube.

Here’s one very important thing to remember when it comes

to burying or hiding anything. You must be able to find it again

when you want to retrieve your valuables! People don’t search

for buried pirate treasure because the pirates deliberately left it

where it could be found by someone else. If there is such a thing

as buried pirate treasure still to be found it’s because the pirates

either died, or THEY COULDN’T FIND WHERE THEY BURIED IT.

Today, a Global Positioning System is invaluable in identifying

exactly where you are to within a few feet. But once you get to the


Copyright © 2003-201168

Figure 11

IF YOU’RE GOING TO BURY IT, BE ABLE TO LOCATE IT!

A GPS can be invaluable in finding your hidden valuables.


Copyright © 2003-201170



area where you buried something, you will need to pinpoint the

location to within a few inches, otherwise you will waste a lot of

time, and possibly draw a lot of unwelcome attention, digging hole

after hole. Photograph the immediate area from different angles.

Make detailed notes of how many fence posts your cache is from

the road. Consider what landmarks may change or disappear and

note it accordingly when you dig the hole.

Another alternative for caching small quantities of valuables

is to use the existing infrastructure of your house. A tool shed, for

example, may be a good place to hide a container under the floor.

Cut an opening in the wooden floor, dig a hole for the container,

and then replace the floor and throw a grimy old rug over it.

If you decide to build a brick barbeque in the back yard,

design it so that a brick can be removed to provide access to a

space inside the structure where valuables can be stored. Just be

sure that when the barbeque is burning, the heat won’t damage

the valuables.

These are just a few basic ideas. Use your imagination to come

up with a solution that fits your needs that you can build yourself.

If you need to get someone else to build your little hidey-hole for

you, then you’ve defeated the object of making something that is

secure because only you know about it.

Yes, it all sounds very clandestine and like something from the

plot of a Pink Panther movie, but the fact remains that when you

mix bad times with valuables, you have to find some way to keep

them secure until you can retrieve them at a later date.

73

Q


CHAPTER 5

Do You ReallyWant to do This?


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Chapter 5: Do You Really Want to do This?


B ut clearly, if we envision getting ourselves into so much

trouble that we have to carry a large supply of ammunition

with us, we may want to rethink our bug out plan.

Case History Number One:

In 1879, one hundred and thirty nine British soldiers were

stationed at Rorke’s Drift, a tiny mission in Natal, South Africa. They

received word that a large force of Zulu warriors had decimated

a large British force six miles away, and was heading for the tiny

mission at Rorke’s Drift. The three junior officers in charge of the

mission, Chard, Bromhead, and Dalton decided that if they were

to evacuate the mission (which included wounded soldiers) they

would be cut to pieces by the much faster force of four to five

thousand Zulus. Instead, they decided to stay because they had a

better chance of defending the mission than they would if they

were caught in the open by a much, much larger opposing force.

The fighting was fierce. It lasted into the following day. Finally,

the Zulus gave up and left. Most of the British defenders survived.

Of the original supply of 20,000 rounds of ammunition, they had

900 rounds left.



What can we learn from this?

Sometimes the best place to be is right where you •

already are

The correct mindset is critical to surviving a bad situation•

Be prepared and have a plan•

Case History Number Two:

This isn’t strictly an example of bugging out, but it does

illustrate the dangers of being caught in the open by an enemy

with greater firepower and numerical superiority.

In 1876, the Seventh Cavalry of the United States Army, under

General George Armstrong Custer fought Lakota and Northern

Cheyenne Indians led by Sitting Bull at the infamous Battle of the

Little Big Horn. Custer declined the offer of two units of Gatling

guns (that would have significantly increased the firepower at

his disposal) because he didn’t want his arrival at the site of the

battle to be delayed. He also declined the addition of two more

companies of cavalry troops because he thought the Seventh

Cavalry could handle any enemy. Custer encountered many more

Indians than he had estimated. He and his force were cut to pieces.

The lessons to be learned here are obvious:

Don’t refuse help that is actually useful•

Don’t assume you are the biggest, baddest kid on the block. •

Somebody else probably is. And even if they aren’t, they

might just be luckier than you


Copyright © 2003-201176

Figure 12

Be prepared!

WHEN WE FAIL TO PLAN, WE PLAN TO FAIL.


Copyright © 2003-201178



are available to civilians. They come in various configurations and

provide a complete meal in one package.

Testing your bug out bag once it is packed

Determine how much time you need to bug out (say, 10

minutes.) Test it. See how long it takes from getting out of bed to

grabbing your gear and locking the front door behind you.

Repeat the test but go away for 24 hours. If this works, go away

for 72 hours with only what is in your bag.

SURVIVAL FOOD

In general, bugout food should comprise of items that

minimize weight and bulk, do not deteriorate rapidly, and require

little or no preparation. Examples of this would be such items as

granola or energy bars, and powdered items that just require (hot)

water: soup, energy drinks, oatmeal, tea, coffee. I’ve also found that

condiments such as salt, sugar, pepper, Tabasco-style hot sauce and

curry powder liven up otherwise bland food. If you are feeling

cold and wet, a drop of Tabasco or a pinch of curry powder on

the tongue will give you a warm glow! I also like bagels because

they provide energy and are quite filling. I’ve tested them in the

field, and if they are wrapped, they do keep fresh for a week or

more. Here’s another obvious use for the plastic “Ziploc” bags

mentioned earlier. They are invaluable for storing all kinds of items

and protecting them from moisture, dust and insects. Certainly,

food can be stored this way, but equipment can be organized by

bags too.

Let’s not forget that we will need to be able to make a fire.

Another useful addition to our food supply is a water filter. A good

one will provide us with the means to obtain potable water along

the way, without having to carry a lot of bulky, heavy water with

us. Add a stainless steel mug and a knife, fork, and spoon, and we

have the means to cook a meal and eat it, all in the cup!

From World War II to Vietnam U.S. troops used to carry food in

cans known as C-rations. Modern day soldiers now carry a lighter,

more efficient meal called an MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) these MREs

81

Q


CHAPTER 6

Firearms


Copyright © 2003-201182

Chapter 6: Firearms


F irearms are not for everyone. However, I believe that law-

abiding, responsible people have a right to keep and bear

arms, or more simply, own and carry guns, especially for

defense of self, family, and country. At the time of this writing, 48

of the 50 states allow some form of open carry or concealed carry

of a handgun.

If you decide that you want to have a gun, then I recommend

two things:

First, research the laws at the local, state and federal level to

determine what firearms are legal for you to own and use.

Second, seek out professional training in the safe use of

firearms. The National Rifle Association conducts basic classes in

Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, and personal protection both in the home

and outside the home. Contact the NRA for a listing of instructors

in your area.

If you have learned everything you know about guns from

watching movies and television, you are in no condition to handle

a firearm safely, let alone use one in self defense. TV and movies

are designed for entertainment, not education. When I teach basic

firearms classes, I always get questions from students about “why

Chapter 6: Firearms


can’t we just shoot like the cops do in the movies?” My answer is

that logically, legally, practically, mechanically, and owing to the

natural laws of physics and the physical limitations of the human

body, it simply won’t work, and it will get you killed or thrown in

prison. Do yourself a huge favor and take at least one class from a

certified, professional instructor before you buy a gun.

Should guns be included in a bugout kit? That depends on a lot

of things. Personally, I believe that as long as criminals have cars,

there is nowhere that is safe, and so I act accordingly. But here are

the things everyone should consider:

What is the perceived threat that we wish to defend against? •

This will determine what kinds of weapons we carry.

How much can we carry?•

Will we pass through areas where we may not be allowed •

to carry weapons? These may include airports, security

checkpoints, or government facilities.

Is it legal? This may seem to be irrelevant if law and order •

has broken down, but at some point it will be restored,

and the police will be looking for those people who broke

the law.

Have I trained and practiced the art of self-defense •

with a firearm?

And finally, the single most important thing to consider: •

Can I use a lethal weapon to defend myself if I have to?

Can I take another person’s life in order to save my own?


Copyright © 2003-201184

Figure 13If you’re carrying weapons, keep in mind where you’ll be traveling and who you’ll be encountering.

WILL WE PASS THROUGH AREAS WHERE WE MAY NOT BE ALLOWED TO CARRY WEAPONS?


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Chapter 6: Firearms


Handguns

When we discussed actual bugout bags we started small and

worked up to large. We will start here with small guns—handguns,

often called pistols. These are the most easily carried and concealed.

From a ballistics standpoint, compared to rifles and shotguns they

are also the least effective in terms of stopping an attacker. But

because handguns are easy to carry and conceal, they are the

most likely type of gun to be available almost instantly in a violent,

unexpected confrontation. In other words, handguns are quick

to get into action, or they should be, if a person has the correct

mindset and is trained to use them safely and efficiently.

The first rule of gunfighting is have a gun. A pistol carried in a

holster satisfies this rule.

Let’s begin with carrying a gun for survival. If we plan to

travel through wilderness areas and avoid towns, then perhaps we

can use a handgun to shoot small to medium size game for food.

Hunting (assuming that we are successful) means that perhaps we

can carry less food with us. (Let’s not forget that some fishing line

and hooks, even a short, takedown fishing pole, might also offer

the chance of some fresh food.)

Either a revolver or a semi-auto pistol chambered in the

popular .22 Long Rifle cartridge, with a barrel length of around 4-6

inches, is a fine choice for rabbits and squirrels. The ammunition

is cheap compared to larger calibers, and it’s easy to carry a brick

of 500 rounds. People have certainly shot larger animals with a

This is not a decision that can be left until the time comes.

It must be a decision that is made in a calm environment.

Take some time, at least thirty minutes (or as much time as

it takes) to sit down by yourself, with no interruptions or

distractions, and ask yourself if you can shoot somebody in

self defense. Ask yourself if you are prepared to be arrested

afterwards. Ask yourself if you are prepared to go through

a trial that will be expensive and emotionally devastating

even if you are found not guilty. Not everybody can commit

to that, but on the other hand, being murdered, raped, or

otherwise scarred for life isn’t a good proposition either. If

you must use a gun for self defense, do it to save your life

or that of a loved one. Don’t do it to protect your stuff—

your valuables. You can always get more stuff. Be honest

with yourself. It’s one of the most important decisions you

might ever make.

For bugout purposes, firearms fall into two categories: guns for

self defense and guns for survival as in hunting for food.

Before we decide what guns to include in our bugout kit, we

must know how we intend to bug out, where we intend to go,

the distance we must travel, the time we expect to be traveling

before we reach a safe destination, our mode of transportation, the

liabilities involved, (such as contact with dangerous bad guys or

traveling through areas where firearms are prohibited and will be

confiscated) and how firearms fit in with our plans for how much

we can carry.

Chapter 6: Firearms


.22, but let’s not try to make this little round do more than we can

reasonably expect of it.

At the other end of the power spectrum, a large revolver,

chambered for .41 or .44 Magnum, .454 Casull or similar large

cartridges is capable of taking down deer, antelope, sheep, cows

and even elk at short distances. For most people, I’d say that 25 –

35 yards or less is a practical shooting range, but be advised that

these revolvers all have some heavy recoil and require some regular

practice before being used to shoot live animals. If we choose to

hunt animals, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to only

shoot an animal when we can make it a quick, clean, humane kill.

Handguns for self defense generally fall into two categories,

semi-auto pistols and double action revolvers. Unlike hunting

pistols, which are either very light or very heavy loads, the most

popular calibers for self-defense pistols are a good compromise

between power and controllability. Forget Clint Eastwood’s Dirty

Harry character with his .44 Magnum revolver and slow, deliberate

shots. Gunfights in the real world are generally won with pistols

that produce medium recoil that allows for accurate, first-shot hits

and fast follow-up shots.

The generally accepted, most common calibers for self defense

in revolvers are .38 Special and .357 Magnum. In semi-auto pistols

the most common self-defense cartridges are 9mm, .40S&W,

and .45ACP.

For every pistol that we carry, we should have a holster that is

specifically designed for that model of pistol. The bargain-basement


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Figure 14Many handguns are built for personal protection and are not ideal for hunting game for survival.


Copyright © 2003-201190

Chapter 6: Firearms


five dollar one-size-fits-all holsters are flimsy, poorly designed and

dangerous! If the holster is too loose, the pistol will fall out as

soon as you try to run, bend over, or make any overt movements.

If the fit is too tight, it can cause the finger to slip onto the trigger

prematurely and fire the weapon before it has been fully drawn

from the holster and aimed at the intended target. Pistols that are

carried in a bugout bag should be secured in a holster or gun case

for safety, and left unloaded until required.

Rifles and Carbines

Generally speaking, a carbine is a shorter, lighter version of a

full size rifle. It may also be chambered for a mid-range cartridge.

For example, the M1 Garand rifle, the M14 or Springfield Armory

M1A rifle, and the Ruger Mini-14 are all similar in design. However,

while the Garand and the M14/M1A are all full size battle rifles

firing either the 30-06 or 7.62NATO cartridge, the Mini-14 is a

considerably shorter, lighter, scaled down design that fires the

lighter .223 Remington cartridge. Other semi-auto carbines

are chambered for pistol cartridges such as the 9mm, .40S&W,

.45ACP, while lever action “cowboy guns” are chambered for .357

Magnum and .44 Magnum. Now that we’ve put this nomenclature

in perspective, let’s just say that for our bugout survival and self-

defense purposes, we are going to concentrate more on the lighter,

shorter “carbines.”

A rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle is an ideal small game

gun. A bolt action rifle chambered in .22 Magnum offers a little

more power for shots at longer ranges, and the ammunition is still

fairly cheap if you shop around, although not all retailers carry

.22 Magnum.

The lever action carbines chambered for .357 Magnum and

.44 Magnum offer quite a bit more power at short ranges for

carefully placed heart or head shots on medium-size animals, and

as protection against feral dogs, but neither one would be my first

choice for a defensive carbine because they are slower to reload

than a semi-auto with a detachable magazine. Like the pistol,

carbines for self-defense must be capable of hitting hard with

low recoil so that fast follow-up shots are possible. The generally

accepted design incorporates shorter barrels (a 16-inch barrel

is the shortest length allowed by law without a special permit)

in a semi-auto design with a detachable high capacity magazine.

Iron sights are fine for most work, although many people opt for

more sophisticated electronic “red dot” sighting systems or low

magnification optical scopes. For semi-auto carbines chambered in

pistol calibers, the 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP are the most popular.

The advantage to choosing one of these calibers is that you can

carry both a pistol and carbine that use the same ammunition.

The most popular carbines are those semi-auto versions of

military rifles that retain the original military cartridge: The U.S. AR-

15, (5.56 NATO or .223 Remington) The Belgian FAL, (7.62 NATO

or .308 Winchester) and the Soviet AKM (formerly the AK-47)

chambered in 7.62 x 39. These carbines in addition to the Ruger

Mini-14 are all popular choices. It’s a good idea to add several

Chapter 6: Firearms


high capacity magazines too. Also, any longarm—rifle, carbine, or

shotgun—that is used for either survival hunting, or self-defense

must be equipped with an efficient sling in order to leave the

hands free when carrying the weapon.

Shotguns

Shotguns are excellent hunting weapons and can be devastating

self-defense weapons. While shotguns are available as single-shot

and double barrel firearms, we will concentrate on the two most

efficient designs, the semi-auto and the pump-action. Semi-auto

works the same way that semi-auto pistols, rifles and carbines

do, while a pump action rifle has to be cycled manually before

each shot. Both styles are used by hunters to shoot every kind of

game from ducks and geese to rabbits and deer. The same designs

of shotgun (with a few minor modifications to sights, slings, and

magazine capacity) are used by law enforcement and military

units, and by civilians for home defense.

The shotgun fires a wide array of different types of (shotgun)

ammunition, making it one of the most versatile weapons ever.

Caliber is measured not by internal diameter of the barrel as with

rifles and pistols, but by gauge. For example, if a single round lead

ball fits snugly inside the barrel, and twenty lead balls of that size

add up to one pound, then the barrel is a twenty gauge barrel. If a

barrel requires a larger lead ball to fit snugly inside it, and twelve

balls of that size equal one pound, then the barrel is a twelve gauge.

Therefore, twelve gauge can fire a larger load than twenty gauge.


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Figure 15

Shotguns are devastating self-defense weapons.

WITH MODIFIED SIGHTS, SLINGS AND MAG CAPACITY, THE SAME SHOTGUNS USED BY HUNTERS ARE USED FOR HOME DEFENSE.


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Chapter 6: Firearms


happens when various types of bullets and other projectiles

are shot into living tissue. The term that describes this is called

terminal ballistics.

When a bullet enters a warm body it encounters various

obstacles to its path: hide or skin, blood or other liquid, cartilage,

tissue, and bone. Some tissue is elastic and will stretch as the

shockwave created by the bullet hits it, but will return to its

original shape after the bullet has passed and the shockwave has

subsided. In this case, the hole created by the bullet is called a

temporary cavity. Other tissue will tear or fragment, and will not

return to its original shape after the bullet passed through it. The

hole left behind by the bullet is called a permanent cavity.

Grisly as it may sound, the whole point of shooting into a

warm, living body is to create a large hole that will destroy vital

organs such as the heart and lungs and drain blood quickly away

from the brain, thereby depriving it of oxygen. This is done by

creating a large permanent cavity.

For pistols and carbines there are three basic designs of bullet

that we should understand.

The first is a simple lead slug. It may have a rounded tip, a

flat tip, or a round or flat tip with a shallow hole in it called a

hollowpoint. These simple lead bullets work pretty well for small

game, and when fired into people they tend to deform, flatten out

a little bit, and cause some sort of a permanent cavity. Although it

is one of the oldest bullet designs, it should not be underestimated.

A lot of plainclothes detectives are very fond of their little five-

For our purposes, we will concentrate on the two most popular

gauges of shotgun: twelve and twenty. Ammunition is available for

both of these gauges that is suitable for hunting small game, large

game, and for self defense. Law enforcement and military also use

the twelve gauge to fire a wide array of specialized ammunition for

blowing the hinges off doors, (breaching rounds) delivering tear

gas, and penetrating thick armor, but that specialized ammunition is

beyond the scope of this book. This is a good time to point out that

this discussion of weapons is all about self-defense and hunting for

survival. We are not planning to invade a foreign country. Forget

what you’ve seen in the movies; Rambo is fiction.

We’ll discuss various types of pistol, rifle, and shotgun

ammunition in a moment, but for now, the three types of shotgun

ammunition in either twelve or twenty gauge that are most useful

to us for survival hunting or self defense are: birdshot, buckshot and

slugs. Birdshot is good for hunting small game; buckshot is good

for self defense at distances up to about twenty five yards. Slugs

turn the shotgun into a fairly accurate rifle out to 50-100 yards,

depending on how good the sights are. As with rifles and carbines,

a shotgun should be equipped with a good sling that allows the

wearer to keep both hands free while carrying the shotgun.

Ammunition

Throughout the section on firearms we have focused on two

types of shooting: hunting and self-defense. Before we discuss

different types of ammunition we need to understand what

Chapter 6: Firearms


round snubnose revolvers, firing a .38 Special lead hollowpoint

bullet. It has saved the lives of a lot of cops. But arguably, there are

more efficient types available.

Next comes the same lead slug with a thin copper jacket that

covers the entire bullet. This ammunition is used by the armies of

the world. It is designated Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) and is common

in semi-auto pistol calibers such as 9mm, .40S&W and 45ACP.

It is also used in military rifle ammunition such as 5.56NATO,

7.62NATO and 7.62 x 39. These bullets do not deform easily the

way that a soft lead bullet does inside a warm body. The FMJ bullet

penetrates much further, and for soldiers it works well because

they may shoot through solid objects such as wooden doors or

sheet metal in vehicles to reach enemy soldiers hiding there.

The third type of bullet is a combination of the first two; a

lead slug covered with a copper jacket with a hole in the nose.

Often, the copper jacket does not cover the entire tip of the

bullet, leaving some of the lead core exposed. This is called a semi-

jacketed hollowpoint. It is the generally accepted round for self

defense using a pistol.

For self defense using a rifle or carbine chambered in the calibers

listed above, the cartridge has enough power that even using

military FMJ ammunition, the terminal ballistics are devastating.

Shotgun ammunition is different. Birdshot are tiny lead pellets

that come in several different diameters. For simplicity, we’ll just

say that they are about the size of the letter “o” as shown here.

Hundreds of these bird shot are poured into a shotgun shell. When


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Figure 16There are many different kinds, and calibers, of ammunition.

THE WHOLE POINT OF SHOOTING INTO A WARM, LIVING BODY IS TO CREATE A LARGE HOLE.


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Chapter 6: Firearms


be overkill for a rabbit.) Or perhaps we can only carry a pistol for

self defense. How about a .22 pistol for hunting and a .45 caliber

pistol for self defense?

There is a saying that when we fail to plan, we plan to fail. For

example, when we bug out, we could plan to carry an ammunition

pouch on our belt that contains spare magazines for our firearm.

Next we’d carry a day pack or a medium size bugout bag that

would hold spare ammunition to recharge our magazines. Finally,

we’d keep a large bugout bag in the car that contains enough

ammunition to resupply our medium size bag.

The possibilities are endless. This is why we take the time

to plan, based on our expectations of the circumstances we will

encounter if we are forced to bug out.

the shotgun is fired, the birdshot spread out into an ever widening

pattern that makes it easier to hit a moving object like a bird in

flight. The same principle applies to buckshot, which is simply

a larger form of birdshot. A typical buckshot load uses pellets

that are .30 inch in diameter, loading nine pellets into a shotgun

shell. Again, when fired, this load spreads out once it leaves the

shotgun. At twenty five yards, the pattern might be approximately

12-24 inches in diameter. Nine .30 caliber shotgun pellets weigh

one ounce. That’s a pretty devastating load when it’s applied to

human targets.

The other shotgun load used for hunting large game and for

self defense is the slug. It is a single lead bullet that generally

weighs one ounce. A shotgun slug is effective out to more than

one hundred yards, although accuracy at that distance is nowhere

near as good as a typical rifle or carbine at the same distance.

If we decide the time has come to bug out, we must decide

first if it is appropriate to carry a firearm, then we must decide

what we can realistically expect to use the firearm for: survival

hunting, self defense, or both.

Can we carry a carbine, rifle or shotgun? Or are we limited to

something much smaller and lighter—a handgun?

How much ammunition can, and should we carry? Would the

ammunition be used primarily for survival hunting, self defense,

or do we need to do both? We could, for example carry a shotgun

with birdshot for hunting, and use buckshot and slugs for self

defense (the slugs could also be used to shoot a deer, but would

101

Q


CONCLUSION


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Conclusion


B ugging out is not the solution to every problem. There

are times when it’s safer and smarter to sit tight and try

to improve the situation or wait for help to arrive. The

important thing is to know when to stay and when to leave, and

to have a detailed plan, and the necessary equipment to survive.

Identify the people who you can truly rely upon in a disaster

and also those people who will not necessarily have your best

interests at heart.

When some disaster befalls us as individuals, members of a

community, or citizens of this nation, it is unlikely that we will

be the only ones affected. The way you conduct yourself during a

crisis says a lot about you as a person. If you take the time to release

your neighbor’s dog from his chain in the front yard before the

flood waters get deep, if you save a seat in your car for a neighbor,

if you’re a construction worker, police officer, firefighter, or EMT

who rushed towards Ground Zero on 9-11 to help others, then

you’re an asset to humanity. We determine what kind of people we

are not by what happens to us, but by how we behave when the

going gets tough.

guide to bugging out

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