Which survivalist are you?

[GunRunner]

Which survivalist type best suits you? The "Hold down the fort" type? The "Leave the fort and run like hell" type? Bugging in leaves you somewhat vulnerable to the localized dilemma, however gives you the benefit of knowing your surrounding area and being in your "comfort" zone. Bugging out gets you out of the immediate situation, with the downside being limited provisions, uncertainty of where you will go, ect.

[The Stig]

Not to be difficult but I'd prefer a more flexible approach of "it depends". It really will come down to the type of event unfolding to make a decision on whether to stay or go.

A chemical spill down the street from my house? I'm gone.

Rioting in the big city 30 miles away? I'm staying.

Hurricane Katrina 2.0? Undecided (likely staying)

Wild fires (a new threat)? I'm gone depending how close they are.

So it's hard to make an iron-clad statement of staying versus going. My gut is to stay more often than go as leaving entails all sorts of risks and limits your supplies at the exact time you need more. But in the right circumstances heading out of town and setting up camp in a hotel/"other" accommodations isn't going to be a problem.

[Kodiak]

I agree it all depends on what factors are occuring around me. For the next 3-6 months i'll still be living in a mid-sized town, so im not real keen on staying here if something pops off. Once i move out of town ill likely ride out whatever happens on the "homestead" for as long as i can.

[RedJohn]

This is why we plan for a HOME and a BOL. The decision can only be made when the SHTF cause is known. I pretty much agree with The Stig on this subject.

[beginner]

Not to be difficult but I'd prefer a more flexible approach of "it depends". It really will come down to the type of event unfolding to make a decision on whether to stay or go.

A chemical spill down the street from my house? I'm gone.

Rioting in the big city 30 miles away? I'm staying.

Hurricane Katrina 2.0? Undecided (likely staying)

Wild fires (a new threat)? I'm gone depending how close they are.

So it's hard to make an iron-clad statement of staying versus going. My gut is to stay more often than go as leaving entails all sorts of risks and limits your supplies at the exact time you need more. But in the right circumstances heading out of town and setting up camp in a hotel/"other" accommodations isn't going to be a problem.

Bingo! Depends on the type of event. For the the most part I'm planning on staying. I've got my modest preps set up here and I'd stay put because I think it would be the easier solution. I can't see too many scenarios that would force me to have to leave. Not to many floods, earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes in the middle of the Canadian Prairies. Maybe the odd tornado. However I do take steps to be ready to load out too. But, that is a last ditch effort.....like my house is on fire or something....

[TEOTWAWKI13]

Bugging in if at all possible. We have dogs and bugging out with them would be a bitch. But if all heck broke loose, then we'd bug out.

[bacpacker]

Stig is dead on. It depends on what has happened. I plan to stay here, espsically till I get a decent BOL to go to. But cetain things, fire, chem spill, etc would get me moving at least for a while. I'm a lot closer in than I want to be,but current job status kinda forces my hand.

[GunRunner]

Localized rioting/looting/mayhem


The poll had the situation somewhat described :p

[RedJohn]

In that particular case, it is a definitive stay in. However, a situation like this one does not spawn like that. It is the result of another situation which may change the end result of this decision.

[mitunnelrat]

With the circumstances above I'd likely leave. I have insurance to cover my home and possessions, and don't think the young'n needs to see the ugly side of life yet. Especially since it strikes me much of that would likely be short term

[gunbuilder69]

Logistically,it would be easier and better for me to stay and play host to mine and my extended family. After all it's only Localized rioting/looting/mayhem right? I could'nt risk the chance of bugging out with my immediate family and being caught flatfooted on the way to a secondary locale.More still,who's to say the sitrep is any better where I head too? No, I will stay and make sure I can do what I do best to effect a better circumstance for all involved. I have the means,support and experience to effect a better outcome in my AO,rather than take the added risk(my perception) involved in moving to contact.

[The Stig]

Apologies to the OP. I misread the question. Thought it was asking in general and missed the specific scenario.
Having reread the OP, its a very good question.

My gut instinct is to hunker down and shoot anybody who gets uppity with me in the face. I can somewhat secure the fam in the house so it depends on how local localized is.

I'd be afraid of getting caught out in the open, in the car, with my 2.5 year old. Now I'm trying to drive, keep them safe, possibly defend ourselves, etc. One good ballbat to the windshield and our world goes to shit.

So I guess unless the local riot is centered on my front porch I'd tend towards staying.

Again...sorry about muffing your question OP.

[mitunnelrat]

LOL... I suppose as the only contrary vote this indicates how much I despise my current circumstances... I'd rater leave it to burn than try to protect it! I will admit though, my tune will change once I'm settled in a more permanent position.

[alaska]

i voted to stay. GB brings up a good point. If your BOL is unoccupied then you have no idea what the sitrep is to it and in its AO.

[LUNCHBOX]

I voted to stay and that would be my primary decision. Although, I (and I believe you would too) would move before putting un-needed risk to the family.

[chicom]

The situation offered would not happen here, not enough people. So I guess I would stay.

[Jerry D Young]

As several of the others have stated, it depends.

In this specific case, I'd bug out. If it is local, chances are it would involve my apartment building. Better to get out with my gear early, than stay and risk death and/or the loss of my gear.

[Fatty]

I would stay as long as I could with my wife, then move out late night/early morning if it got that bad. If we had kids, I'd be on the move for sure asap.

[ehughes1488]

Also depends on the situation for me, and other factors depending on how many people I had to move. Planning on staying in a location though as a first choice, the area I'm from is a good area to stay put at.

[chicom]

If all the wildlife get's uppity, well, we have ways in dealing with that. It usually includes salt and pepper.

There are not enough people in my area to fulfill your scenario.

[Grumpy Old Man]

As I am in a fairly rural area of the Inland Empire of the PRK, I'd stay. Most likely we'd not have rioting except from hooligans leaving the coast and heading East. But if it began to get overwhelming, I'd load up the dogs and horses and head east across the river to stay with friends.

[alpmco]

I'm too old to bug out or go on the run. If I run I'll surely have an heart attack. So they can take it from my cold dead hands! :)

[Grimm]

Tough call- living where I do. I've ridden out storms and flooding,but if there is rioting here,it will end up being racial,no matter what starts it,sadly.In that case,bugging out early would be the best option.

[Stg1swret]

My location , along the I-95 corridore precludes bugging out unless I have plenty of warning.

[AlphaTea]

See my sig line

[AquaHull]

I'm too old to bug out or go on the run. If I run I'll surely have an heart attack. So they can take it from my cold dead hands! :)

That's my health and vote , plus the 1000 + acres of National Forest behind me helps with the decision

[The Stig]

That's my health and vote , plus the 1000 + acres of National Forest behind me helps with the decision

Aqua,

Every time I glance up at your user name I can't help but think of this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xY7Heaqg8

[Twitchy]

im getting outta here! I dont have much to defend, or worth dieing over... head to brothers to regroup and reorganize with a few other like minded people.

[Gunfixr]

It does depend, but for this I'd likely stay.
First, I'm in a pretty decent area, but there's not many ways out, and they all involve crossing through large sections of much less decent areas. I think we all know what that means.
Second, I don't have anywhere to go. I have a cache, but nowhere to take it to. Localized riots aren't a permanent enough situation to just run blind. I am backed up against an Air Force base, so that side is safe, as they'll just close up and hunker down.

[dragon5126]

Even with the conditions listed, for me this is an unanswerable question. It really does depend. I have too many options available to simply answer, with bols that vary from 20 miles to almost a thousand miles away, seriously. My main BOL is about 150miles away and a self sufficient family retreat facility complete with cattle, horses and full farm. But my mindset in "prepping" started as a youth, during the Milwaukee Race Riots during the 1960s. Watching the nightly news, seeing buildings that I had been in before, burning to the ground, as the fire hoses had to be used to push back the rioters who started the fires. It pushed my mindset to learn the "ways of the wilderness", but as I grew, I learned there was little difference between the urban jungle and the wild.
No, I'd have to personally assess the mayhem, and my escape routes before I could make the decision to dig in or bug out. No matter what my "boss" has to say... especially since he would probably be the cause of the situation to begin with.

[dragon5126]

It does depend, but for this I'd likely stay.
First, I'm in a pretty decent area, but there's not many ways out, and they all involve crossing through large sections of much less decent areas. I think we all know what that means.
Second, I don't have anywhere to go. I have a cache, but nowhere to take it to. Localized riots aren't a permanent enough situation to just run blind. I am backed up against an Air Force base, so that side is safe, as they'll just close up and hunker down.

Similar situation here, small suburban town, AFB to the west, less than a mile physical, on the border of the town, and less than 600 ft to the east the bluffs of a great lake... but I have places to go and the means to get there to the south is decent area to the north for quite a ways is decent. All reasons why this is the chosen area to live. Both the spouse and I grew up within 3 miles of here and can drive every street at speed in a blackout. The fact that we both know the area intimately, seeing both sides of the coin is why we are here and wont leave needlessly.

[rice paddy daddy]

We live on a dead end dirt road six miles outside a one stoplight town. We keep horses, chickens and dogs. Packing up and moving out quickly would be very difficult. We dreamed of this lifestyle for many years while living in the huge metro area my childhood home had turned in to. I am not going anywhere, this is as good a place to die as any, and better than most.
The only thing that would make me leave would be a major hurricane predicted to hit us directly. We have prepared for that - we have a large horse trailer w/living quarters and the wife's truck was bought big enough to handle the task. Doesn't everybody's wife drive a Silverado Crew Cab 4X4 2500 Heavy Duty diesel?:)
Actually, around here many women drive pick ups.:)

[bacpacker]

Good one RPD! Shit my wife couldn't see over the dash of the 2500 to see where she's going, 4'11". I guess I could get her a couple of phone books, but then she couldn't reach the pedal's.

[dragon5126]

couple chunks of 2x4 and some duct tape could fix that...

[Gunfixr]

Well, I'm not in a small suburban town, it's more like just outside of the downtown sprawl. Still major city.
I might not even notice a small riot, as I can hear shooting on a fairly regular basis.
The cops in my city, or the one butting up next to it shoot people on a regular basis, it doesn't even break big on the news.

[Meatman]

First let me say I am bug in, but even if I was a bug out it would not be for at least 5 days, I would hunker down for 5 days and let the idiots kill each other off.
Now that being said I have just a little under 5 acres and grow and raise 95% of my food so I will stay put.
Only problem I see since I am in central FL. is the million of south Florida moving north.
If i did bug out it would be to SD where the in laws have a 1000 acres and that is not going to happen trying to travel 1600 miles.

[ladyhk13]

couple chunks of 2x4 and some duct tape could fix that...

That's funny! That's exactly how my son rigged the pedal on the riding mower for me so I could do the lawn if I wanted to! bacpacker...phone books don't do any good when they jack ya up to see over the dash but then ya can't reach the pedals...I know!

[bacpacker]

Sounds like you have the same issues. On the plus side I bet you don't run your head into everything around like I do.