Simulated bugout?

Let's simulate a bug-out!

You know where you want to go, and maybe you've planned how to get there.  Your route avoids the highways, sticks to the secondaries and includes stops to pick up your buried supply caches.  Or maybe it doesn't include any of those details.

I see preppers on YouTube all the time who put on their Bug-Out Bag and hike to their bug-out location.  They highlight their skills, talk about things to be on the lookout for, and offer a view of what it might be like to do this thing. 

What if you plan to drive.  It's not beyond the realm of possibility.  You might have a place to go, or at least an idea of the area you want to go toward.  So how might you simulate a trek from your home to this other spot. 

In a world where things operate normally it might be hard to get an idea of what a trip like this would be like.  But you can pretend. 

In the current world where everything works the way it should you have access to all of the things you need to execute a road trip.  Gas stations, restaurants, hotels.  Practicing your scavenging skills in this environment is a little frowned upon, since breaking into a house to look for canned goods could land you in jail.  Just like siphoning gas from cars in a parking lot.

To simulate a world where these things are flipped over, you need to establish some rules to play by.  And stick to them as much as you can.  Obviously there will need to be concessions made for practicality, but you might even be able to get around some of those.

Travel

You will probably drive.  If not, and you plan to walk, then most of these guidelines won't apply to you. 

Drive the route marked on your map.  You will obviously stick to secondary and back roads since the mains are likely to be clogged in a real SHTF situation.  If you have a plan to carry extra fuel, do so as you normally would.

Getting more fuel

Obviously in a bad situation there will not be open gas stations.  So we will simulate the task of getting fuel, probably through siphoning, by burning time.  Determine how long you think it will take you to siphon a gallon of gas from a car.  Depending on the equipment you have this might be a short time, or a long time.  Come up with a set amount of time as your average time to siphon a gallon of gas. After you fill up at the pump, keep track of how many gallons you got.  Then find a parking space and start walking around.  You want to use up the time it would have taken you to siphon that gas.  This could simulate stopping at every car you find on the side of the road, or pulling into a parking lot and siphoning there.  It's an average time, so it will be loose.  Once you've spent the required time, hit the road again.

Potty breaks

This isn't something you need to be elaborate about.  You can stop for toilet breaks anywhere that is convenient on the trip.  In a SHTF situation there will be no shortage of places to go potty in the great big world.  Just remember that you'd need to have your own toilet paper and hygiene items for that evolution.  And there wouldn't probably be running water to wash up with. 

Food

This is where the game rules can be a little tricky.  If you are bringing your own food stuffs then this might not be an issue.  Make a meal, enjoy.  If you think you might only be making this trip after you've consumed your supplies, then you will need to do a little pretend scavenging.

Decide on a cash budget.  We will use cash for this because it's easier to divide up.  This figure should be very modest, since it's to help simulate the scarcity of items.  Divide the cash into random amounts and place that amount in envelopes.  One envelope per day.  Mix up your envelopes, then number them for each day of the trip.

It's random to give things a little variety.  Then numbered because you can only use funds from a particular day on that day.  If you have some left over from Day # 1 you can't use it on Day # 2.

Stop to scavenge along the route.  You will probably use a grocery store, but you might use a gas station convenience store, or even the Dollar Store.  When you shop stick to canned goods or dry goods.  Skip fresh fruits and veggies, meat (that isn't in a can) anything that would stay edible for a long time.  This will represent items you could scavenge from houses, stores, abandoned cars, etc. 

If you are part of a team, and by team I mean any combination of people, try to get everyone involved based on their ability to participate.  Kids, bug-out buddies, spouses, roommates, everyone gets some of the cash and are sent off to shop.  This can help break up the items you get so you aren't getting everything knowing what goes together to make your mother's goulash.  Try to make your loot as random as you can.

Sleeping

Camping

In a real SHTF situation you will sleep where you can based on a lot of factors.  For this simulation, I recommend making reservation at campgrounds for a tent site.  This will give you a chance to practice your fire making skills to cook outdoors, or use your gas stove.  Pitch your tent, or set the car up as your shelter.  Whatever you think you might do, try to do.  We are at a campground, but avoid using the facilities (except the toilets) since this is to simulate you being on a bug-out so you might be camping just off the side of the road, or behind a Wal-Mart, or under an overpass.  But actually camping in those places in the normal world makes people grumpy.  If you want that deep immersive experience, by all means do what you are comfortable with and what you feel you can do safely.

Squatting

In a real SHTF situation you might decide to shelter in abandoned buildings/houses or the like on your bug-out.  This can be simulated in a number of ways.  Airbnb, couch surfing, staying in a hotel.  The key is to keep in mind the things you'd lack and try to make due.  It will never be an ideal simulation, but keep in mind what would be different.  Couch surfing or Airbnb might be like squatting in an abandoned house.  It's probably an unfamiliar environment, so you might not get the best night's rest.

If you have to stay in hotels because there are no campgrounds or other options along the way, try to keep the simulation working by not taking the elevators (ask for a room as close to the ground as you can) , skipping the ice machine and the mini-bar.  Don't use the room AC or heat.  As I've said, it will never be an ideal simulation, but while you're doing it keep thinking about the conditions as they might be and how you would deal with them.

Conclusion

This was a flight of fancy.  If you decide to do some bug-out simulations, make notes of what you did to simulate the potential crisis conditions.  Practice and refine your craft.  Like any skill, practice is how you improve. 

Tent or poncho shelter?

Shelter thinking.
Your environment will largely dictate the sort of shelter you need.  If you live in the tropics you might be able to get away with a rain fly or a tarp as a shelter year round.  If you live in the arctic circle.....move.

Seriously though, what you will need for shelter in conjunction with your Jump Bag will depend heavily on your environment but there will be other factors at play as well.

Solo or Family.
If it's just you and the weather is favorable you can probably do fine under a poncho with a light blanket or sleeping bag.  Something to keep the rain off and stay warm and you should be fine.  You might even have a tent if you want to carry one. 

If you're part of a larger family unit that is executing a bug out, this might not work.  Small children may not fare well in the open or with limited protection from the elements.  You need to think about this when you develop your shelter plan for your Jump Bag

Some of the things I've read suggest that a bug out from an urban setting requires less consideration for shelter since the environment already has plenty of places to shelter.  And I suppose this will be true to some extent.  Abandoned buildings, underpasses, parks, all of these locations might provide you shelter from the elements, but shelter is more than that.

Shelter is both protection from the elements and also protection from detection in a bug out situation.  As I've mentioned before a disaster tends to bring out the two basic kinds of people.  The best, and the worst.  You might feel safe in your tent in the city park, but if someone with less than noble intent decides that you might have something they want, your tent will not provide any real protection.

Consider camouflage when thinking about shelter.  It doesn't matter if you're using a poncho as a hasty shelter, or a tent, give some thought to cover and concealment.  This obviously doesn't apply to a situation where you might be looking for rescue.  Then you want to be seen, by rescuers at least.

Options.
There are all manner of ways to shelter yourself from the elements.  Assuming you've given thought to camouflage then let's focus on the actual shelter stuff.

I intend to use a hammock if possible with a rain fly.  If this isn't practical I can always find a bush, burrow into it's branches and wrap up in my poncho liner and rain fly. This should give me cover and concealment as well as some shelter from wind and rain.  When I was in the Army I slept in worse conditions, and in case of emergency I would like to think I can do so again if the need arises.

I have a tent in my truck.  My Jump Bag is in my truck most of the time, and lately I've put the two man tent in there with it.  I can decide when the situation warrants if I want to carry the tent or not.  If I'm with the truck, and I need to camp, and the situation seems safe enough, I can put the tent up. 

If you don't have a hammock, or a tent, then you need to think about something.  You can get a tarp, one of those blue tarps you see everywhere.  That shouldn't set you back too much.  There are a number of YouTube videos that can show you how to create a lean to or rain fly using these tarps.  As for something to sleep in, a blanket is better than nothing.  A wool blanket, maybe one from the surplus store, is a good inexpensive solution.  Wool if a great fabric for use in the out of doors. 

Shelter is one of the big three.  Food, water, shelter.  The thing is that most people don't think it's as important as the other two.  Depending on your environment it might be the most important.  You can survive days without water and perhaps weeks without food.  In adverse climate, you can be dead in minutes.

What's your shelter plan for your Jump Bag?  Let me know in the comments.  I'd love to know what you're going to do and why you've decided to do that.

Diarrhea: Firend or Foe?

An important note
I have recently seen some articles and videos about a lack of digestive care items in Jump Bags (Bug Out Bags) and I just wanted to start by saying in this regard I am behind the idea that you need to make sure you pack items for digestive health.

In any situation where you need to use your Jump Bag you are going to be under stress, and probably eating food outside your normal diet.  You will be drinking a lot of water (we hope) and some of that water might not be the best quality.  Make sure your medical kit is supplemented with items to help take care of your stomach and digestive tract.

What should I have.
As someone who has lived with stomach issues most of my life I can tell you that when your insides are out of whack, you hate life.

First off, make sure you have some Pepto Bismol tablets.  They carry better than the liquid, and are just so much more convenient.  It can be the generic brand, just so long as you have something with the active ingredient Bismuth subsalicylate.


My second item would be activated charcoal capsules.  Warning, they will make your feces black, but they have made my life much better on many occasions.  It can help with gas, some poisoning (do your research) and helping to get rid of toxins you've ingested.

These two items will help with minor stomach upset and gas, and the charcoal can help you rid your body of toxins you've ingested as they bind to the charcoal.

Third on this list would be some sort of antidiarrhoeal medicine.  There are a bunch on the market so find a brand and price you're happy with.  This is apparently something a lot of people forget to pack in a Jump Bag first aid kit.


Stopping the flow!
A lot of posts and videos say that if you have diarrhea in an emergency situation you need to prevent it.  Diarrhea is unpleasant under the best of circumstances.  If you suffer from it during an emergency situation it's only made worse by the risk that you might have limited water supplies to counter the dehydrating effects and an ability to handle the sanitation problems.  But, there is a catch.

Be careful with the blanket advice of taking medicine to stop diarrhea.  Diarrhea is caused by a viral infection in your gut.  It has a laundry list of causes, and although normally isn't serious we're talking about it in the context of a serious event, so some additional considerations are needed.

If you have the water available, and don't have any serious symptoms (blood in your stool, serious cramps, inability to keep fluids down) it might be best to ride it out if you can.  Take your Pepto as directed and then use something to help with the secondary effects (the burning, oh the burning) like a cleansing wipe.  If the condition lasts more than a couple of days you may have something more serious going on.  Depending on your situation at this point you might not have too many options.  Your antidiarrhoeal medication and activated charcoal might be able to help get you through it.

Keep in mind that water consumption will be important.  Make sure to consume water over the course of the day and not just at meal time.  Hydration is important.  Diarrhea is your body trying to get rid of something toxic.  So stopping that without consideration might lead to other issues.

In an emergency situation you should probably expect some of these intestinal discomforts.  So try and be prepared for them and mindful of what they mean.

Do you have any home remedies for stomach and intestinal discomfort?  Share with us in the comments your thoughts or ideas. 

What's for dinner, and how are we cooking it?

Meal prep and fine dining at the end of the world.

Our lives, for the most part, are filled with many modern conveniences that make cooking simple and easy.  Pop something in to the microwave to heat it up.  Four burner stove, two ovens, you've got that holiday feast covered.  But what happens if all that stops working?

Food.

Food is one of the Big Three.  Shelter, Water, Food.  You can go days without eating, and maybe some of us could stand to shed a few pounds.  But in adverse conditions you don't want to not eat.  You will be burning calories just from stress, so you're going to want to eat.  Eating makes you feel better.

Many in the prepper community will tell you about the assorted emergency food stuffs that you should have on hand.  There are a lot of options, some of which I will touch on here.  I want to focus on cooking though.

A hot meal will boost morale, make you feel better both physically and mentally, and keep you from starving to death.  But what sorts of things do you need to make a hot meal?

Many of the survival type of food items can be eaten cold.  Making them hot does not improve their nutritional value.  Some items, such as Cliff Bars and ration bars, really don't qualify as a hot meal item but some of them such as the MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) and other military style food items can be improved by making them hot.

Beans and Rice.

More people in the world live on beans and rice than you might think.  It's a good, filling, meal and it can keep you going.  They are dry and require water, heat, and time to make into a meal.  On the plus side they are fairly inexpensive and last a long time.

Freeze Dried Meals.

These foil packet meals require hot water and a few minutes to steep to become food.  They are light and surprisingly good (I'm not a food critic) but they are also on the expensive side.  they have a very respectable shelf life.

MRE.

Meals Ready to Eat are a staple in the diet of soldiers.  They are healthy foods that are easy to carry, can be eaten hot or cold, and if you do it right you can eat it right out of the pouch.  They last a long time, are easy to use, but a bit on the expensive side.

Canned Foods.

Most canned foods can be eaten cold or hot.  They are heavy, but durable.  Shelf life is decent, but you will need either a can opener or some ingenuity to get them open.

The idea is to have things in your bag.  It should be ready to jump.  Everything I mentioned here as far as food can be packed and ready to go.  Remember to check your food supplies, rotate and replace as needed.  It's that pesky check it twice a year sort of thing.  A Jump Bag is not a set it and forget it sort of tool.

Why make it hot?

Making hot water is a good thing to be able to do.  This requires a container and a heat source.  I have talked about camp cups and metal water bottles as ways to boil water.  But it might help to have a bit of a cook kit, something made for cooking.  Hot water can be used to warm the entree in an MRE (trust me, they're better hot) or those microwave bags of rice you might have in the pantry.

With a pot and a way to it hot you can heat up canned soups, make ramen noodles, mac & cheese, and a whole host of other things if you've got a little skill.  You can even make coffee and tea, and thus make yourself a hero to many.

Cook Kits.

This is one of those things where the rule "The more you know the less you need" can come into play.  If you're a rugged outdoorsman you can probably do a lot with a single pot, or billycan as they are often called.  If you're not as skilled you might want something that has a few more bits so you can do things you're more comfortable with.  A simple kit should handle most things.  A pot to boil water in and a skillet to fry in.  This can also double duty in that you might cook something in one pot and then split the meal into the two vessels for eating.  I went with the Emergency Zone Lightweight Anodized Aluminum Outdoor Mess Kit.  It was more than I needed so I pared it down to just the essentials.  I kept all the parts though, because if I decide to do a little tent or car camping it might be nice to have all the bits.

You are going to want to test your gear and see if it fits your needs.  Even if you don't plan to leave your home, you should have some portable gear you can put in your Jump Bag in the event you have to go.  Remember, a Jump Bag is there for unexpected situations.

Fire!

You will need a way to cook if you intend to.  You should have a way to boil water even if you plan to live off of granola bars and local greens.  Boiling water will require heat, and in situations like the ones we are envisioning that usually means fire.

You can find a lot of different camp stoves on the market.  Alcohol stoves, propane, white gas, esbit, the list is pretty long.  Again, this goes back to your level of skill, weight, and space.  The idea of the Jump Bag is a kit of supplies that can keep you going for three days.  Here we are again at the crossroads of "The more you know the less you need"  I carry a lot of fire starting tools, because my skills are bad.  My knowledge isn't, but my practical application is.

Open fires are certainly an option, but often not easy to pull off sometimes.  Finding all the components to make a fire can be a challenge in certain environmental situations, and those same sorts of conditions can make starting and maintaining a fire equally difficult.  Try and make sure you understand the fundamentals of fire building.  If you can, practice them in the backyard or at a campground.  It's a good skill to have, even if you don't plan to do your cooking over an open fire.

Stoves come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and prices.  Lightweight hiking options are a good choice.  Fairly simple to operate, efficient, and many are in a decent price range for those who need to prep on a budget.  The fuel they require is a finite resource in most cases, so that needs to be a consideration when deciding on what one to put in your Jump Bag.

Tiny alcohol stoves are popular.  They can be made out of a couple of small cans if you need to improvise and do a decent job of heating water. I have one for my office bag, which I will discuss in another post.

I went with something a bit heavier, but that could use wood as a fuel source and could be used to charge electronic devices such as mobile phones.  The Biolite Wood Burning Camp Stove.  I originally got involved in the Kickstarter campaign for this stove because I was excited about what they were trying to do for families in less developed parts of the world.


Once I got the stove and started to play around with it I realized that it would be a good device for my Jump Bag.  The stove is designed to burn wood super efficiently, and you can get it going fairly easily, which were both in line with my less than outdoorsman skill level at fire starting. The fact that once it's up to temp it's excess energy can be used to charge electronics was a nice side benefit.  Assuming the world isn't completely dark this option will allow you to keep a mobile phone alive so that you can keep track of family outside the effected zone and stay up to date (assuming the networks are still working).  This power can also be used to recharge portable battery packs or run small LED lights.  And a fire, even a tiny one in a metal can, can be a morale booster in a tough situation.

So I've covered a few things here, in my usual rambling sort of way, about food and cooking.  When presented with a wall of information, boil it down (no pun intended) to the most basic things.  I need food.  Is it food that needs to be heated.  Will I eat it?  That last one is the trick.  Think about it.  Try various arrangements and see what works for you.

Do you have a favorite stove or cooking kit you keep in your Jump Bag?  Share with us in the comments.  Knowledge is only good if it's shared.  Thanks for reading.