The Bug Out: Lessons Learned

[Long_Hunter]

For those that have read "The Bug Out" in the off- topic forum, there are many lessons to be learned from this families tragic demise. There is a good chance that this story is represenative of a great many folks who peruse this site and others like it on a daily/weekly basis. Lets use this thread to discuss not just what they did wrong, but what they did right or attempted to do right.

Contingency planning can be exhaustive and you cannot plan for every contingency; the bottom line is to at least have a plan, resource the plan, and rehearse the plan.

It seems that this family had a plan, to head to the grandparents, but they never fully resourced and they never rehearsed.

Folks, please chime in and lets all learn a little something.

RLTW!
LH

[prkchp76]

number 1 know your route
number 2 if you use it replace it
number 3 have more sources of commuinication
number 4 a 4x4 truck is useless if there is not a competant driver
number 5 keep your tank half full at all times

[TacSKS]

1) Double check your gear at least twice a year for expired or seasonal items.
2) ideally both vehicles would have the same necessary items, but in duplicate so that if either vehicle went down you could continue with only the supplies in one and not waste time trying to find and transfer particular items back and forth.
3) draw your primary and several backup routes on the map with highlighter ahead of time

I'm gonna spend some time this holiday double checking my BOB

[slowz1k]

I think Joe had a pretty solid plan... Sometimes $h1t just happens and you have to deal with it the best you can. Joe adapted and moved on through many obstacles that were far beyond his control. Losing a vehicle could be a show stopper for most. The strongest thing Joe had going for him, in my opinion, was family unity concerning preparedness. The fact that they all had BOB's (even though they weren't loaded properly) was a huge advantage. Many preppers have family members that may not be onboard 100%. Trying to convince a spouse in denial that it's time to leave because someone said so on an internet forum, could eatup valuable time.

I think the family would have lived had they just pulled proper security at first contact with the "rescuers".

Mom, and kids should have covered the operation from cover/consealment on the far side of the stream. At the first sign of a weapon, they could have fed em the berries, giving Joe time to get to cover. Trust no one! Done properly they could have inherited the Jeep as well.
Prkchp mentioned a winch in the OP. Self recovery is important if you really think you may go off road. Even a small come-along with block and tackle may have helped here.

I read this a while back, and the biggest point that hit home for me was PT PT PT and more PT!
If Joe had been in better shape things may have gone better in the end.
I did a lot more hiking this past spring and summer, with my wife and daughter. This story was actually an inspiration for me to load the pack a little heavier, and go a little further. I'm not in "bad" shape, but my cardio can always use some work. It was almost creepy how many times this story actually came to mind while sweating it up Stone mtn, and Hanging Rock.

[brotherzoo]

Clear mistakes were made, but I think that was the point. Of course, going off road in the wet was a huge one, but that's wisdom learned hard from growing up in the wetlands. Great thought provoker to be sure.

[Oscar Wilde]

Linda bristled. “Look Joe, you’re being paranoid. CNN would know if something was going on and they would tell us about it. Your friend,” she paused as she folded her arms, “is wrong.”


First .... the family wasn't "on board". If this is the case for any here, some tough decisions are at hand.

Food, he thought as he opened the pantry. The shelves were almost bare.

“Linda,” he called, “is this all the food we have?”

Linda scurried into the kitchen looking flustered. “I was going to go to the store today,” she said quickly.

“Where is all the food we had put back for Y2K?”

“We ate most of it. Some of it got so old that I threw it out. But you have that freeze-dried camping food and those MER’s or whatever they’re called.”

“That’s not enough. I only have two cases of MRE’s. That’s just six meals apiece. There might be enough of the Mountain House food to last a week or so, but what if we need to help out your parents or your brother’s family? We had enough food put back to feed 10 people for three months and now we don’t have anything?”

“Well, after the millennium, you told me to use it up.”

“I told you to use it and replace it,” he said pleadingly. “That way the food would be fresh.”

“If that’s what you wanted done then you should have done it yourself. It was a pain in the ass to go through all those totes of food.”

Joe realized that the argument was just wasting time. It didn’t matter whose fault it was. They just had to fix it.


Second .... Don't argue, don't debate, don't place blame .... make sh!t happen!

While none of us know anything specific, we know for certain things are not as they should be and a "trigger" event will occur when the time is right .... there isn't any excuse for lacking sustenance. Like many, this family didn't take Y2K seriously and haven't been paying attention to developments of the past ten years. The number of best selling books and top box office movies that demonstrate the dark side of human nature are countless .... beware.

Oh .... for the "four wheel drive" owners out there .... unless you have installed "lockers" or limited slip differentials at both ends of your rig you don't have 4wd. Some manufacturers install limited slip diffs in some vehicles or offer as an option but that leaves you dragging a front wheel. Keep this in mind before taking your ride wadding.

Thanks for the read Long Hunter.

O.W.

[GoldenRamoth]

I really enjoyed this read and took many tips from it... on what NOT to do. Thanks for the wonderful story, Long Hunter.
O.W. How would I go about having my 4x4 installed with the "lockers"? Would I go to any mechanic and tell him what I want and be confident he know what I am talking about and how to do it correctly?

[Survivorman]

The mistakes they made weren't tactical errors. They showed a complete lack of common sense. You don't have to be experienced or prepared to avoid that kind of stuff. I saw the same thing in that History Channel show.

[mabear]

That trip to WalMart really cost them. Even if they hadn't been perfectly prepared (who is) but had been more prepared, or prepared enough, to feel okay about taking what they had and getting the hell out of there it would have been better. The amount of time the mom and son spent at the store could have shaved a good hour off of them getting out if they had been freed up to stay home and help pack/load. I also don't understand why if all the family and their supplies fit into one car they took two, especially considering the one needed gas.....and honestly, there were a couple of times I would have liked to slap the mom for being a ditz...lol....but, I guess that was the point:)

It was a good story, and had lots of reminders about all that we need to do and why.

[Oscar Wilde]

....O.W. How would I go about having my 4x4 installed with the "lockers"? Would I go to any mechanic and tell him what I want and be confident he know what I am talking about and how to do it correctly?

G R contact the service department of your vehicle dealer and ask them for specifics on your vehicle, the information will be noted in your vehicle's VIN, there is an off chance that your already sitting pretty if not look through the yellow pages for services specific to off road vehicles .... also check with 4x4 clubs in the area for reputable mechanics. You might wish to shop for the components yourself for price comparison, there are many suppliers out there .... some mechanics might want to supply the parts .... some have better deals .... some not. You'll want a limited slip in the front end as lockers cause undesirable handling characteristics .... have the front end done first .... pulling is more effective than pushing.

O.W.

[monet861]

I had seen and read this story about a year ago. The Walmart trip and 2 vehicles really made me a little stressed for them. If they had just left shortly after hearing the news, there would have been no traffic, no one at the gas station, and they could have just hit some Mom and Pop store along the way and cleared the shelves. Many things bothered me about the actions they were taling, but the wife not on board is pretty much my situation also. Anytime I bring home and emergency gear or food she starts going off on how nuts I am, maybe I just won't share with her. Just kidding, I figure anything that will help out my family needs to be taken care of.

[prkchp76]

golden rammoth where do you live in tennnessee there is place all along east tennessee down to the choo choo west tn or arkansas i dont know about what kinda vehicle are we talkin email me i'm pretty good in this area rock crawl bout twicw a month

[wparkinson]

I just read the story after reading the first post here. I was good... and lots of what not to do. I think I would have just gotten the hell outta dodge and worried about the other stuff later. I know the food thing is importat but safety is more important though. Ended up they didn't need it all.... because they all died... well.. with the exception of the girl but she probably wished she was.

Going off road should have been the last resort.... as long as the road was still open I would have taken my chances by going around or make sure you have good topo map of your state. The Delorme Gazzatier is a good plus haveing a good route laid out off the main roads is key.

Another thing that struck me funny was that the father tucked the pistol in his belt.... wtf? Get a good damn holster.

Weather or not the the family was on board you can always be ready.

WP

[kentuckyshiner85]

Ok I just read this story about two days ago. To tell the truth it scared the hell out of me. It made me realize just what could happen to me. As I was reading it I saw myself in joes shoes. I had my wife read it the next day we both lost sleep over it. We are getting everything ready and now plan to drill evercouple of months to keep things fresh. She thought I was nuts just like some of the other wives I hear of. Now she is completely on board with me.I hope this story effects others In a positive manner like it has me and mine.

[Skyowl's Wife]

Folks, I'd like to read this, too.

However... I don't know the exact title of the book, nor the author. Entering "The Bug Out" (from the thread title) in Amazon gives everything from Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It's Too Late by Scott B. Williams to Bugs Bunny stuff, to a pair of socks with bugs on them.

Since discussion would indicate a novel, the book Bug Out would not apply, since it's non-fiction.

Help a girl out, when talking about a book, can we please provide the exact title and the author, please?