Usually the phrase "Bug out Location" conjures up images of a hill top fortress or secluded cabin in the middle of a vast wilderness.
I'd like to present a slightly different take on the entire concept. I am not saying this is the "correct view" or the "only viewpoint" of a BOL but rather it is what works for us. Your situation may be so totally different that none of this applies. We have a large extended family in the area which IMO is what makes this work.
We work from the premiss that being prepared means being prepared for all types of traumatic events, not just a narrowly defined Max-Max total catastrophic breakdown. So this means being ready to deal with wide-spread societal collapse and lesser (and far more likely) events like hurricanes, earth quakes, chemical spills, riots, pandemics, wild fires, mud slides, blizzards, etc etc.
The typical model of a "BOL" is having a secluded location preplanned to which you can ride out a SHTF event away from the general population. Often this is a large plot of land, a cabin, or just a top secret location in the middle of nowhere. The idea is when needed you can load up the family, head out of dodge and then minimize your exposure to other folks and the issues they bring.
When we lived in suburban SW Ohio we toyed with the idea of purchasing land out the middle of nowhere SE Ohio for just such a purpose. But there are drawbacks to this sort of plan. One is cost. You not only need to purchase the land but also pay taxes, travel time and cost to get to it for routine visits, put in utilities (if you want to go that developed) or at least spend some sort of time developing it for habitation. The other is that it is static. It will not move. What if a wild fire sweeps through the area? Now your BOL is SOL. Lastly is that you are not present to guard your land. No matter how remote or desolate there's a pretty good chance that somebody knows of the "Old Johnson Farm" being bought and will come explore your "top secret" hideaway.
Another model is to live at your BOL. This has many advantages but still has problems. Being remote may make it difficult on employment and giving your family any chance to socialize with someone besides the bears. There are others, but you get the idea.
Plenty of people make the first to concepts work, and work well. There are several members of the colony who are in the process (or already have) of developing these sorts of locations.
But this didn't work for the Stigs. So here's what we came up with....
What if we think about a "bug out location" as something more than just one singular piece of land or property? What if we thought about it as a general area that would allow us to maximize the advantages and minimize the shortcomings? What if we combined an area that was rural enough to keep us some distance away from the hordes of ghetto rats that infest most cities, but not so far out that you can't get a phone signal or have to drive for a month to go to the store?
So we moved to a rural county across the country, in a rural state, with a whopping population of 17,000 people. Our little unincorporated area is about 2000 people spread over a wide area. That Mrs Stigs large extended family is spread across the county is a bonus.
Here are the benefits:
* We are away from urbanized areas on the coast
* Local area has enough families to provide for socialization during normal times and mutual aid during bad times (yet we can identify the bad apples ahead of time)
* Local area has enough services to allow for daily living during normal times, and some aid during smaller/localized events.
* We don't have to maintain two pieces of property, one of which can't be monitored/secured
* Area is small enough that outsiders coming in to cause trouble will be easily identifiable
* Should we face a localized event, there are some medium sized cities within a few hours and major metropolis within a days drive if we have to leave for medical treatments, lodging, etc.
* Large extended family in area provides for mutual defense and aid during catastrophic events. We can easily relocate if Casa Del Stig is damaged or becomes too unsafe
* Large family in area allows us to chose from a number of homes should we have a very localized event (forest fire or chemical spill)
* Local network will allow for information gathering and comms in smaller scale events.
* Costs not incurred buying/maintaining a secondary BOL can be rolled into preps.
I guess what I'm saying is that our rural county is a good mix of "normal living" and "can work in an emergency". Anything baring a total catastrophic societal breakdown can be handled in our area and the nearby town. If there is a total reversion to the stone-age world-wide, we are close enough to true remote areas and family owned land in the middle of nowhere, that we could go the more traditional "BOL" route.
In short, what I am saying is that we consider moving to the rural south as "moving to our bug out location" although it doesn't fit the classic mold. It allows us to work and live during normal times, keeps our budget in line and provides for a flexible response to smaller events and mutual aid for medium to larger events. I'm not saying this concept is perfect or not without it's own set of concerns, however, for the Stig family it provides the right response for this stage of our lives.
Thoughts?
Different BOL concepts?
Bookmarks