Bug-out or Bunker Down. What’s the mindset difference?
Jim Rutske
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Movement
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June 4, 2022
The term was coined by Walter Cannon in 1915 but the decision has been made by humans since the beginning, and the question is still relevant today. What does it really mean to bug out, or bunker down, great question and glad you asked.
Bug-out is a military term meaning to leave or abandon in hurry, like right now soldier move move! In the frame of preparedness, it means to leave your home or area with little to no notice. A bug-out is a quick reaction to a rapidly increasing and overwhelming bad situation. The core concept is this, you are leaving your home and everything you have in a moment of survival. It may be in a vehicle, ATV, boat, or on foot.
Evacuation or bugout? I want to take a moment and define the word evacuation or evac as it pertains to a preparedness mindset. The words bugout and evac are often used interchangeably and it can be confusing. The actions you take are similar, but in the preparedness mindset the difference is the environment you are going into. When we discuss “Bugging Out” we are moving from our homes or secure places to a non-permissive or hostile environment, think war with approaching troops. In contrast, an evacuation is in a permissive or friendly environment, think neighborhood fire. In both cases you decide to leave but what you are stepping into are worlds apart. Building an Evac Bag is just as important as a Bugout Bag and many situations you are grabbing both.
Bunker-Down! Staying put in your home or secure setting is a decision to not make lightly. You may to race out and get your spouse at work, or you kid at school. For the sake of this article lets assume everyone is home. Your home has your stuff and we Americans certainly love our stuff. You know where every defensive tool is located, and every calorie, and bottle of water are stashed. Nobody can survive in your home better than you. That’s why we have such a hard time abandoning our castle and leaving. There are countless cases of families bunkering down in the face of oncoming natural disasters and obviously with mixed results.
I have learned one of the main deciding factors of why people bunker down over evacuation in a natural disaster is their level of preparedness. If you are well prepared with evac bags, bugout gear, food, and water ready to go in totes and an evacuation plan you have practiced. The decision to leave makes sense, nothing to fear. However, if nothing you own is ready to go and all your stuff is stashed around your home, leaving is hard because you realize you are leaving with next to nothing and everything may be lost, and you recognize you are not going to be landing on your feet. Being thoroughly prepared is the key to making the best decision for your family.
Scenario 1: Your doorbell rings and you find your local sheriff on your porch with a fire truck in the background. “A construction crew cut through a gas line a couple houses down to the North, you need to evacuate immediately out the South road. Do you need any assistance, let’s go?” Just like that your world is upside down and you have seconds to leave everything behind. What do you grab? Is your evac bag ready? My personal move would be to grab my evac bag, family, and dogs and leave without hesitation. I’m going out into a friendly environment and this will likely be over within a few hours.
Scenario 2: The economy has been collapsed for months and crime in your city is uncontrollable and turning organized as it is across the nation. News is reporting martial law will be enacted soon. It is no longer safe to leave your home at night and barely so during the day. Your family member who lives just 8 hours away on rural homestead has invited you to stay with them until this is all over. Should you stay and defend your home or take the risk and leave at first light? If you decide to go how quickly are you prepared to go? My personal move would be to leave. I am prepared to bugout with my family, and we have the skillsets to make the trip with confidence.
Scenario 3: This morning a nationwide cyber-attack has knocked out 75% of the power grid. Cell towers and internet are unusable. Homes and businesses are running on generators for those who have them. The local radio is reporting people are already lining up at the gas stations that have power and emptying the grocery stores. Government has declared a national emergency and everyone is being advised to stay home. You live in a rural town and have neighbors you know just a few hundred feet away. You own a small off grid vacation cabin on 20 wooded acres about 90 minutes away, the cabin is solar powered, wood stove heated, and prepared with supplies for 30 days. Your home is also prepared, and you also have 30 days of supplies, but only about a weeks’ worth of gas for your generator. Do you bunker down or go to the cabin? Your window to leave with low risk is shrinking. In just a couple days, traveling will be a high-risk scenario if things keep degrading. The big question is how long will it take for the power grid to get repaired? Is this just a computer virus fix or did the cyber attack result in physical damage that could take days, weeks, or longer to repair. This is a harder decision for me but I would lean towards leaving for the cabin before it gets dark. In either way you decide, monitoring the situation on the radio is a priority. So many factors to weigh in this decision.
Can you see the common denominator that presents good alternatives? It is being prepared. Without being properly prepared you may have no options to even choose from. Fight or Flight? I pray you never have to make that decision but if you do, you will be ready. Stay safe and research for the reset.
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