Bug Out: What to Do When It's Time to Get Out of Dodge

by M. T. Anderson

© 2012, Michael Anderson. All rights reserved.

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this book is for general information purposes only. This book is sold with the understanding the author and/or publisher is not giving medical advice, nor should this book replace medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness or other medical condition.

While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the book or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained book for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any liability, loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of the material or the interpretation of the material contained in this book.

Dedication:

This book is dedicated to my dad, who instilled in me the belief one should always be prepared. I love you dad and miss you every day of my life.

Contents

Prologue              7

Operational Risk Management: What It Is and How It Applies To You              10

OPSEC: Why Operational Security Is Of Extreme Importance              15

Situational Awareness              20

The One Item You Absolutely Have To Have              26

What Should Be Included?              27

How Many Bags Should I Pack?              31

Where Should They Be Kept?              32

Don't Set-and-Forget Your Supplies              33

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Time You Check Your Gear              36

Pet Bug Out Bags              38

Everyday Carry (EDC) Tools              39

The First Step: Getting Out Of Your House              42

What Your Plan Should Include              44

Practice Makes Perfect              46

House Fire Preparedness              48

Getting Out Of Town              50

Where Should You Go: The Perfect Bug Out Location              52

Do You Want an Under- or Above-Ground Shelter?              55

What to Do When There Is No Shelter              56

Need Water? Tips to Help You Find Water When You're Bugging Out              59

Build a Solar Still              62

Conserve Water: Make the Water You Have Last As Long As Possible              63

Winter Water Warning              64

How to Turn Salt Water into Fresh Water              64

Bugging In? How to Get 50 to 70 Gallons of Water in an Instant              66

What to Do If You Find Yourself in a Combat Situation              67

First Aid in the Field              71

Bleeding              72

Breathing Issues              73

Burns              74

Broken Bones and Dislocations              74

Dehydration              75

Shock              77

Snakebite              77

How to Avoid Starvation: Finding Food In the Wilderness              79

Fire: Your Key to Survival              84

Flint and Steel              87

Battery and Steel Wool              88

Magnification              88

Chocolate and a Soda Can              89

Friction Fire              90

Are You Prepared For a Nuclear Attack?              92

Keep This Inexpensive Item On Hand to Up Your Odds of Survival              95

Prologue

The world is in a constant state of change and the current trends don't look good. The economy isn't getting any better, people are getting agitated and it seems like the entire world is on pins and needles.

I've been preparing myself for years to be completely ready in case I needed to bug out. I was going through my gear the other day when it hit me. I'm more prepared than any other person I know. I've got a plan and I've got the supplies I need to get out and stay out for as long as necessary.

Most people don't have even the most rudimentary of bug out plans. They've done zero research into the best escape routes and the places they can go to hide out either permanently or temporarily.

I decided to write this book (and maybe create a webpage to accompany it) to help out those who want to prepare for anything that comes their way, but aren't sure how. I'm going to give you the information you need to give you and anyone you decide to bring with you the best chance of survival.

Things aren't looking good here in the United States. Our rights are being taken away at an unprecedented pace. We're sitting around passively letting the government dictate each and every aspect of our lives.

The question I constantly ask myself is will it stay that way?

All it's going to take for the proverbial crap to hit the fan is one catalyst that causes the people to rise up. If this happens, things are going to get bad fast. You're going to need a place to go to either wait things out or to hunker down and protect you and your family.

In addition to a place to go, you're going to need supplies and the ability to protect yourself from those who didn't prepare for the situation at hand.

Now, I won't argue the fact that the type of situation I'm preparing for may never happen. The problem with thinking like that is it might—and it's beginning to look like it will. I'm not quite ready to say the writing's on the wall, but we're teetering dangerously over the precipice.

I have faith in the American people. We will one way or another overcome what's thrown in our path. What I don't have faith in is the powers that be. I'm worried, and you should be too.

Just how prepared you want to be is entirely up to you. It's a personal choice you're going to have to make. At the very least, I recommend a bug out bag and a weapon or two to defend yourself.

That said, let's get started.

Remember this bit of wisdom. The more prepared you are, the better your chances of survival. It doesn't get any clearer than that.

Operational Risk Management: What It Is and How It Applies To You

Operational risk management (ORM) is a military term used to describe the thought process one would use when making decisions in the field. It requires a conscious decision be made regarding all actions before they're taken, in an effort to determine the best course of action for any given situation.

Any time you're presented with a decision, you need to ask yourself whether the benefits of said action are outweighed by the risks. If the risks are greater than the benefits, you should not take action.

An example of this would be coming across a raging river you failed to identify when scouting out the path to your bug-out location. You have multiple options. You could choose to try to ford the river. This may be the best choice if there are people on your tail and you need to get to your location as expediently as possible. If you have small children with you, this isn't a good option because the risk of losing a child in the fast current is too high. You could choose to head up or down the river to look for a better place to cross. This will take more time, but may be the best choice if you don't think your party can make it across the river intact. Another option would be to strike off in a different direction and head for a new bug out location. If you've identified multiple places you can bug out to, you may decide crossing the river isn't the best choice since you know of a different spot on this side of the river.

The list of decisions you could make goes on and on. ORM requires that you quickly assess your choices and make an informed decision when presented with a scenario in which there are multiple paths you can take, all with their own sets of rewards and consequences.

The first and foremost ORM decision you're going to have to make is whether or not it's time to bug out. Things may not be as bad as they first appear. Are there other options? Ask yourself whether you'd be better off staying in place and waiting for help to come or if it's time to grab your bags and head out on your own.

This decision depends on the situation at hand. If you've just seen a news clip stating there's a nuclear missile headed toward your town and it's set to hit in an hour, the choice is pretty clear-cut. It's time to GTFO (get the F out). On the other hand, if you're in a flood zone and waters are beginning to rise a bit, you've got an altogether different situation on your hands. Now, you've got to ask yourself whether you'd be better off heading to a shelter or striking off into the woods. The shelter is probably the better option in this scenario.

If your home is on high ground, you may be better off staying put. On the other hand, if you live in a tract home in a low-lying area, you're probably better off heading for higher ground.

A big part of ORM is creating a plan that attempts to think through all possible situations that may occur.

Here's a thought process that uses ORM to create a solid plan on where you can bug out to in the event of an emergency:

Where am I going to go in the event of an emergency?

What am I going to do if I get there and someone is already there?

What if they won't leave or share the location?

Where else can I go?

What happens if I get to the second location and it's taken?

What if the people there won't leave or share the location?

Where else can I go?

You can take this plan as many levels deep as you feel comfortable with. The more levels down you go, the better prepared you'll be for any situation. You need to assess where you're going to go and how you're going to react to various situations. The way you'd react to a terrorist attack is going to be completely different from the way you'd react to a wildfire burning out of control miles away from your home.

Planning ahead makes ORM easier when it comes time to make a decision. You're not going to be thinking rationally when you feel threatened and may make a rash decision that could end up costing you dearly. If you've thought things through beforehand, you're more likely to make a good decision based on your thought process when you were able to think clearly.

Another item you need to plan ahead for is how you're going to manage your bug out bag and supplies. Ask yourself the following questions:

Where am I going to store my supplies and bug out bags?

What am I going to do if I can't get to them in the event of an emergency? Should I store back-up bags at an alternate location?

What if I can't get to my backup bags? Should I have another location where supplies are stored?

If all of my back-up locations are compromised, where will I go for supplies?

Again, it's up to you how deep you want to take it. The deeper you go with your thought process and planning, the more prepared you'll be.

Apply ORM thinking to all aspects of your bug out plan to make sure you have alternate plans in place. You can thank me later when you're headed to your back-up cache of supplies stored at your alternate location because you know the first location isn't accessible.

One more tip. Your back-up cache of supplies should be close enough to where you can get to it, but far enough away so it isn't affected by the same emergency situation. If you keep your back-up cache at a friend's house down the street from you and you're barricaded from entering the city in which you live, you're not going to be able to get to either of them without putting yourself at risk.

OPSEC: Why Operational Security Is Of Extreme Importance

There I was. Standing next to an acquaintance at a party, listening to him brag about his cache of supplies to a group of people he hardly knew.

"I've got enough supplies in my shelter to last me a couple months when the shit hits the fan," he boasted. "Nobody is more prepared than me."

"Where's your shelter at?" an owlish man in his mid-forties asked.

"No one will ever find it," my acquaintance answered. "The only door to it is under the rug in the tool shed out back behind my house."

I couldn't help myself at this point.

"What happens if this location is compromised and you can't use it?" I asked.

"I'm prepared for that situation. I've got a fully-stocked cabin a stone's throw away."

An elderly gentleman piped in, "You mean the one out past Baker Road where your father and I used to hunt?"

"That's the one."

I don't know how well the people in the group knew the gentleman doing all the talking, but one thing's for sure. If there's ever an emergency situation that requires hunkering down, he's going to have a lot of people knocking at the door of his little shelter and at least one person headed for the cabin.

This is a situation where a little Operations Security (OPSEC) would have gone a long way.

OPSEC is an important part of any bug out plan. In terms of bugging out, it refers to examining your plan to identify potential weaknesses. It seeks to take preemptive action against any identified weaknesses to ensure your hard work can't be exploited or used against you.

There's a 5-step process to implementing Operational Security:

Identify Critical Information. Critical information is information you don't want others to have. This should include who you're taking with you, where you're going, what supplies you have and where the supplies are kept.

Analysis of Threats. Look for potential adversaries. This should include neighbors and people who may stumble across your cache or destination and seek to claim it as their own. The biggest threat is someone finding out where you are and what you have and deciding they want to attempt to take it from you.

Analysis of Vulnerabilities. Is there anyone who you're taking with you who knows enough to compromise your entire operation? Could you be seen moving supplies to your safe spot? What are the chances of someone stumbling across it?

Assessment of Risk. Identify the risks and plan countermeasures. Choose the best countermeasure for each situation you've identified.

Application of Measures. Apply the countermeasures. If the risk hasn't yet been realized or is minimal, place the countermeasure in your future plans.

There it is in a nutshell—OPSEC. Applying OPSEC allows you to identify potential risks and take action before the risk is realized. This is one of the key components of a successful bug out plan.

Let's look at an example of OPSEC in use.

You've identified the threat that someone may want to break into your home and take your supplies in the event of an emergency.

You identify the following vulnerabilities:

         Neighbors who have taken note of all the supplies you're bringing into your home.

         Friends and family who know what you've got stockpiled.

         Workers who may inadvertently stumble upon your cache while doing work in and around your house.

You determine all three of these vulnerabilities could seriously compromise your ability to survive in an emergency because people could come calling, some of whom may be unfriendly.

You decide to implement the following OPSEC measures:

         Gradually move items into your stockpile. Don't get any big deliveries that will get your neighbor's attention.

         Secure your stockpile in an area of your house where there's no outside access. This will allow you to guard your stockpile.

         Protect your stockpile from prying eyes. Blackout any windows in the room where your stockpile is stored to prevent it from accidentally being seen.

         Never speak of your stockpile to anyone, even those you might want to bring along. If you've got kids, they have to be taught from a young age not to talk about your cache.

         Keep weapons on hand, along with ample ammunition so you can protect your stockpile if the need arises.

         Set up a back-up stockpile at an alternate location in case your current location and stockpile become inaccessible.

If you've implemented good OPSEC, you'll never need to use the weapons you've included in your stockpile. Nobody will know what you have on hand, so they won't come calling to get their piece of the pie.

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness means being aware of your surroundings and knowing what's going on around you at all times. It's the reason why some people are prepared to survive in an emergency and some aren't. People who turn a blind eye to the dangers of the world aren't situationally aware and will be the first to expire in the event of an actual emergency.

Picture the following scenario.

You see fighter jets with strange markings on them flying overhead toward the nearest big city. A few moments later you hear thunderous explosions off in the distance.

What do you do?

Do you rush into the house and turn the TV on to see what's going on? Do you stand there and stare off into the distance waiting for more planes to fly by? Do you call the police? Or do you assume it was a training exercise and go about your daily business?

Situational awareness (and a little common sense) would tell you there's just been a hostile attack on a nearby city. You don't know where the attack came from or what's being done to prevent the next attack. For all you know, the next bombing run could be in your neighborhood. It's time to gather up your bug out bags and get out of dodge. You can listen to the radio on the way to your bug out location of choice to determine whether it's safe to go back home or not.

By acting on the situation instead of waiting for instruction on what to do, you've done a couple things. You've placed yourself ahead of the rest of the pack of people who may try to get away if there are further attacks. You've also placed yourself out of harm's way in the event there actually are further attacks.

Situational awareness doesn't just apply in extreme situations. You can use it in everyday life as well.

Say you're walking down the street one evening and you notice a man a few blocks ahead who looks like he may be a shady character. He turns and sees you approaching and slides out of sight into a dark alley.

Having seen him, you turn around and head in the opposite direction or cross the street and pass the alley on the other side. This will give you time to react if he crosses the street to come after you. Sure, he may not have intended to do you harm, but the world is a dangerous place. There's no good reason to place yourself in a situation where you could be harmed.

Situational awareness means being aware of what's going on around you, so you can take action to prevent dangerous situations before they become overtly dangerous.

There are two key things you need to pay attention to in order to practice situational awareness:

1.        What's going on around you.

2.       Who is with you.

Your reaction to certain situations is going to be different if you have your wife and kids with you than it would be if you were alone or were travelling with a group of friends. You need to consider your response to potential situations in light of who is present when those situations present themselves.

Your actions are determined by how fast the people with you can move, their ability to defend themselves and how likely a dangerous situation is to occur.

People tend to tune out warning signs when they're in familiar places.

Just ask Chris, who was sitting at an intersection he'd sat at thousands of times waiting for a stop light he'd waited for thousands of times on his way to work. He was listening to music and thinking about the long day he had ahead of him when he got to work. He was completely unaware of the situation playing itself out behind him.

A man ran up to the car behind him and yelled for the woman driving the car to get out. He tried to pull open her door, but it was locked and she pulled around Chris and sped off down the street. That's when the man turned his attention to Chris' vehicle. He walked up to the car, opened the driver's side door and proceeded to punch Chris in the face until he lost consciousness. He then threw Chris' limp body out into the street, hopped in the driver's seat and took off in his new vehicle.

All of this could have been prevented through situational awareness. Had Chris of been paying attention and watching his rearview and side view mirrors, he would have seen the man approach the woman's car and try to get it. If he missed that, he would have probably seen the man walking up to his car and been able to react appropriately. At the very least, he would have had his door locked so it would give him time to react if someone made a move on him.

Instead, Chris was completely unaware of his surroundings. This state of complete unawareness is the worst state to be in.

You need to be in a constant state of relaxed awareness. You don't need to be a bundle of raw nerves all the time; just be aware the world is a dangerous place and keep an eye out for signs of danger. Keep it casual, but keep an eye on everything going on around you.

When you notice something out of place or that doesn't quite make sense, move your awareness up to the next level. You need to be cautiously aware now. Sometimes something as simple as a sense that the situation isn't quite right can be enough to get you out of trouble. React according to the situation at hand. Start planning an appropriate response if something does go down. Look for potential exit routes and ways out of the situation. Also plan what you're going to do if things reach a crisis point.

As the situation nears a head, you need to make a decision. You might decide to get yourself and your family away from the situation. This is a good idea when it looks like trouble is brewing between other people. If you see a group of people arguing and it looks like it's about to turn ugly, you can simply remove yourself from the situation to avoid danger.

Sometime the danger may be directed toward you or a loved one.

If you're at a party and you notice a group of people acting aggressively toward a friend or family member, you need to decide how you're going to react if the situation goes bad. There still may be time to defuse the situation or leave. If not, more aggressive action will have to be taken. It's up to you to figure out the best course of action to take. Once you take action, be assertive and show no fear.

You need to practice situational awareness all day, every day. It's especially important to practice it in crisis situations like those requiring you to bug out, but if you haven't been working at it in your day-to-day life, it's going to be tough to turn it on at a moment's notice.

Situational awareness is often the difference between survival and living to tell the tale. People who don't practice it don't survive deadly situations unless they get lucky. I can't be any blunter than that.

The One Item You Absolutely Have To Have

There is one item you absolutely have to have when it comes time to bug out. Can you guess what this item is?

Take a second and think about it.

I'll give you a clue. It's something most people don't have. It's something most people don't even realize they need—and many of them aren't going to realize it until it's too late.

If you've done any research into bugging out or know a bit about survival, you've probably already guessed the item I'm talking about is a bug out bag.

A bug out bag is a survival kit that'll drastically up your chances of survival. It should be kept in an easy to access location in your home, preferably with the rest of the supplies you'd like to take with you if you have the time.

Bug out bags are known by a number of names, the most popular of which are:

         The BOB (Bug Out Bag).

         Grab bag.

         Grab-and-go back.

         72-hour kit.

         GOOD (Get Out Of Dodge) bag.

         PERK (Personal Emergency Relocation Kit).

         Go bag.

         Short-term survival kit.

The idea behind a BOB is to have a kit packed that contains all the items you need to survive for 72 hours. This kit focuses on getting you out of the area you're in and to a safer location.

What Should Be Included?

The short answer is anything and everything you can think of that you're going to need.

While the items you need are going to differ from the items I need because a bug out bag is a highly personal item, here's a list of what I keep in my bag:

         2 gallons of water. Yes, this is heavy. No, I don't want to get caught without water. In the event I have to strike out on foot and can't handle carrying this much water, I can ditch it at that point of time. I also keep a couple more gallon jugs of water next to my bug out bag that I'll throw in the truck if I'm able to take a vehicle.

         A butane torch lighter.

         A compass.

         A copy of your bug out plan.

         A couple candles.

         A handgun.

         A needle and thread.

         A rifle (figure out a way to attach it to the outside of the pack).

         A slingshot. This should be packed regardless of whether you pack a real gun in your kit. The slingshot can be used time and time again to kill small game and there's an almost endless supply of ammo everywhere you go. It's also quiet. You may not want to advertise where you at with the sound of a gunshot.

         Ammo for both guns and a handful of shot for the slingshot.

         As large of a supply as you can pack of any prescription medicine you'll need.

         Burn gel.

         Camping cookware.

         Can opener.

         Cash (spread out amongst bills, loose change and a handful or two of gold coins or diamonds).

         Back-up cell phone.

         Duct tape.

         Emergency blanket (reflective).

         Enough rations to last 3 days. Not enough to keep me full, but enough to get by until I can find another food source.

         Extra outfit of clothing.

         Extra pair of glasses and sunglasses.

         Fishing line and hooks.

         First aid manual.

         First-aid kit.

         Fixed-blade knife.

         Flares.

         Flashlight and a couple glow sticks. Buy sticks that last as long as possible.

         Flint and steel.

         Gauze.

         Geiger counter.

         Gloves.

         Identification (driver's license and Social Security card).

         Insect repellent.

         Leatherman-type knife.

         Maps of the area you plan on traveling to with alternate routes marked off.

         Medical records.

         Painkillers.

         Batteries.

         Passport.

         Radio.

         Raingear.

         Razor.

         Rope.

         Signal mirror.

         Sleeping bag.

         Small axe.

         Snake bite kit.

         Soap.

         Sun block.

         Sunglasses.

         Surgical kit.

         Survival book.

         Toothbrush and toothpaste.

         Water purification in the form of a Polar Pure Water Disinfectant Kit. I'm not affiliated with them in any way. The kit they sell uses iodine crystals to purify water poured through the bottle. It's good for up to 2,000 quarts of water. It's recently been called to my attention that this product is no longer on the market. You may still be able to find one for sale online, but you better move quickly. If you aren't able to get one, pack some water purification tablets. The only problem with these is they're good for one use only.

         Waterproof matches.

         Weapon(s) and ammo. You're going to want a way to defend yourself. A trusty handgun could mean the difference between life and death in a crisis situation.

         Whistle.

         Wire.

In addition to the items you have in the bag, there are a number of items you should keep near the bag, in case you have enough advance warning to where you're able to get in a vehicle and go.

Here's the rest of the stuff you should have on hand:

         A lantern with extra mantles.

         Extra ammo.

         Extra food.

         Food and water for pets.

         Machete.

         Mess kit.

         Propane canisters.

         Respirator masks.

         Rifle and ammo.

         Shells.

         Shotgun.

         Small stove.

         Small toys for the kids.

         Toilet paper.

How Many Bags Should I Pack?

How many able-bodied individuals do you have living in your home?

Pack a bag containing the necessities for each of the people in your home who can carry one. Then take the supplies needed by each person who can't carry one and spread them out amongst the bags.

Each member in your family should have the supplies they need in their own bag. That way, in the event someone gets separated from the group, they'll have their own set of survival items.

You may not need to double up on all of the items. When you have extra room, add additional supplies as you see fit.

Where Should They Be Kept?

Keep the bags as close to the main exit from your home as possible and keep them together.

Picture this scenario.

Terrorists have managed to blow up a dam in the foothills near your home. Your neighborhood is right in the path of the rushing water and is being evacuated.

You've been storing the bags in each of the people's rooms who will be carrying one. As you go from room-to-room making sure each of your family members has their bags, you get to your teenage son's room and find his bag spread out across the floor of his closet. He's frantically trying to repack the bag that took you hours to pack the first time around.

He needed batteries the other day and tore apart his bag to get them, then in typical teenage fashion never got around to putting the stuff he pulled out away.

You run to the front room and glance out the window to see water already starting to make its way down your street. It's just a trickle, but you know a wall of water isn't too far off.

You have to make a decision—and quick. You opt to leave the bag and all of its contents on the floor of your son's room.

Had you of kept the bags in a central location and instituted a strict hands-off policy, this wouldn't have happened.

I have a closet right next to my front door that's strictly dedicated to survival items. I keep all 4 of my family member's bags in the closet, along with a number of other items I'd like to take with me given the chance.

The closet is left unlocked, but my kids know I'd better not catch them in there. When it comes to the survival of my family, I don't play around.

Keep all the bags together and keep them close to an exit. If you don't have a closet right by the door, what about an extra room? If there's no extra room, is there a closet in the closest room you can keep them in?

When it comes to bugging out, time is of essence. Anything you can do to speed up the time it takes you to get out of the house may pay dividends when the time to get out of dodge presents itself.

Don't Set-and-Forget Your Supplies

We've all heard the saying "Out of sight, out of mind."

This is a very dangerous mind-set when it comes to your bug out bag(s).

It's important to make sure you check your kits on a regular basis to make sure your supplies are still usable. Here are some of the items you need to check on:

         Check all food items to make sure they aren't past their expiration dates or starting to go bad.

         Batteries should be replaced periodically, even if they haven't been used. When I buy new batteries for the house, I put the new batteries in the bags and take the old batteries out and use them. This ensures I always have fresh batteries in the bags. Never store batteries in the devices you plan on using them in.

         Glow sticks need to be replaced periodically.

         Baby wipes will dry out, even if you haven't opened the package.

         First aid supplies should be checked to make sure they're OK.

         Prescription medicine should be cycled into and out of your bag so it doesn't get outdated.

         Check the bags themselves for signs of wear and tear.

         Hand and foot warmers can also expire and lose effectiveness.

         Crank radios have internal batteries that can die. A radio with a dead internal battery will work while it's being cranked, but will die shortly after you stop cranking it.

You should seek to review the contents of your bags every six months at a bare minimum. Any less than this is taking a big risk.

I personally check the contents of my bags every three months. It only takes a couple hours and gives me peace of mind knowing things are in working order and ready to go.

I can't stress this one enough. Do not forget to check your bags. It's easy to build or buy a bag and put it away, then forget about it for years on end. This can actually be more dangerous than not having a bag at all.

Here's a scenario that explains why.

You grab your bag and assume you have everything you need to survive for at least 72 hours in the bag. You set off into the wilderness to head to your safe location. This is a trek you've made before and know it'll take about two and a half days.

You hike at a brisk pace for 10 hours before you decide to set up camp. You grab one of your rations and open it only to find it's covered in mold. You frantically check the rest of your rations to find they're also in various states of decomposition.

Now you've got two options. Attempt to hunt your food down or go back and try to track down the supplies you need to make it through to your destination. Depending on the area you're traversing, there may not be any wild game available. If you've got family members with you, it's going to be even more difficult.

You've placed yourself in the middle of nowhere with your family with no food.

If you didn't have bags packed, you would have had to take the time to gather supplies, but at least you would have set off into the wilderness knowing the supplies you took with you were good.

A BOB that's been packed and left unchecked for years is more dangerous than not having one at all. You're playing Russian roulette with your well-being if you're not checking your gear at least once every six months.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Time You Check Your Gear

Asking yourself these 5 questions each and every time you check your gear will ensure you're adequately prepared for an emergency situation:

1.        Are my bags located somewhere I can easily access them and get out of the house in the event of an emergency? Review the location where your kits are stored and do a mental double-check to make sure you've got them in a good spot. Keeping the bags in a corner of your attic will cost you valuable time when it's time to get them and go. They need to be stored near an exit from your home, preferably the exit you'll be most likely to use in the event of an emergency.

2.       Do I have everything each member of my family needs to survive for 72 hours in the bags ready to go? Run down the list of items you need in your bag. Then go through the list of items each of your family member's needs. It's best to review this list with the family member. Make sure everything's in the bags and accounted for.

3.       Do I have a means of protecting myself and my family in the event of an emergency where there is no law? Your bags aren't going to do you much good if someone who didn't plan ahead is able to take them from you. You need to be armed with a weapon or two (or three) to protect yourself and your family or your bug out bags won't be anything more than an advertisement that you're ripe for the picking. If you have women that'll be traveling with you, that's all the more reason to have protection. If there's no law, there will be predators trying to round up groups of women. If you're not protected, you may end up dead and your wives and children may end up in the hands of people who wish to do them harm. Plan ahead and protect yourself.

4.      Is anything in the bags expired or on the verge of expiring? Give everything in the bag a physical once-over and look for signs of expiration. Look for holes in packaging that may cause an item to go bad before its expiration date. Items which are close to expiring should be replaced, as you don't want to have to worry about whether they're going to be good or not.

5.       What's changed since the last time I checked the bags? Evaluate any changes to your family and its structure. Are younger children old enough to carry a bag of their own? Are older family members getting too old and feeble to carry the bags you have packed for them? Reevaluate medication needs for all members of your family. Look at the extra clothes you've packed and make sure they'll still fit the person they were packed for. Kids grow up fast and you don't want to get on the road and find out the change of clothes you've packed no longer fits.

Asking yourself these questions will help you ensure you have everything you need.

I have a printed out copy of these questions sitting on top of one of the bags. When I do my bag check, I review the questions for each bag in the closet. I know them by heart, but don't want to take the chance of forgetting something.

Pet Bug Out Bags

If you're the type of person who'd rather die than leave a pet behind, you're going to need to include supplies for your animal(s) in your bug out kit.

Keep the supplies in your pet's carrier or in a bag near the carrier.

Here's what you're going to need, at minimum for your pet:

         A brush.

         As much medication as you can get for your pet. Pet medication may be hard to get where you're going and you don't want to watch your pet suffer because you didn't bring along enough medication.

         Blanket.

         Carrier.

         Collar.

         Flea control.

         Food and water bowls.

         Food.

         Jacket.

         Leash.

         Medical records.

         Muzzle.

         Pet first aid kit.

         Sedatives.

         Treats.

         Water. Make sure you bring an appropriate amount for the breed and size of your pet.

If you have a larger-sized dog, bags are available that can be carried by your pet. These bags are worth the investment because they prevent you from being weighed down by your dog's gear in addition to your own.

Everyday Carry (EDC) Tools

You can't carry your entire supply cache with you everywhere you go. Even if you could fit it all in your vehicle or on your back, you couldn't legally carry the firearms around town and you wouldn't want to leave a bag containing hundreds if not thousands of dollars' worth of supplies where it could be stolen.

The reality is we spend almost as much time away from home than we do in our homes. This means there's almost an equal chance of us getting caught away from our supply cache when things go bad as there is us being at home.

If you're lucky, you'll have time to return home and load up your supplies before bugging out. If not, you're going to be stuck with just the stuff you have on you when you head out to your bug out spot.

You can hedge your bets against this happening in a couple of ways. Multiple caches hidden on the way to your bug out location will allow you more than one opportunity to get your goods on the way out. You should also have supplies at your bug out location.

But what happens if you're forced in a direction opposite of the one you expected to go? You could potentially find yourself headed into the wild with nothing but the items you have in your vehicle and on your person.

While you can't keep all of your supplies in your car, you can set up a small cache of inexpensive everyday carry tools that you keep on you and in your vehicle.

Some of the items you carry are going to be based on your personal needs, but here's a list of tools everyone should have with them every day:

         Keys.

         Phone.

         Knife.

         Leatherman or some other multi-tool.

         A small toolkit that includes the basic tools plus a small fire ax.

         Mag light or other bright flashlight.

         First aid kit.

         Flint and steel.

         Zippo lighter.

         Whistle.

         Small shovel.

         The most potent form of personal protection you can legally carry. If you have a concealed carry permit, carry your gun. If not, carry pepper spray or a Taser or whatever it is that's legal in your jurisdiction. Some form of protection is better than no protection at all.

The First Step: Getting Out Of Your House

Quiz time:

An explosion rocks your neighborhood, raining fire and brimstone down upon your home. You wake up to the acrid smell of smoke. Your room isn't on fire, but you can see black smoke creeping in under the door that leads to the rest of the house.

You feel the door and it's burning hot to the touch. You know the fire must be licking at the door if it's that hot. Your kids are asleep in their rooms on the other side of the house. What do you?

a) Open the door and try to run through the house to rescue your children.

b) Exit through one of your windows, hoping the rest of the people in the house made it out safely.

c) Sit tight and wait for the fire department to arrive.

d) Enact your emergency evacuation plan, knowing the rest of the people in the house will have done the same.

Sadly, for most Americans, the answer is either a, b or c. We are woefully unprepared for an emergency situation. When a situation like the one above presents itself, we don't know what to do.

A good emergency escape plan gives each and every member of your family a way out of the home when something goes bad. They should have at least two routes (three if you live in a large house) they can take to get out of the house in case there's something impeding their progress on the route they've chosen.

Depending on your location, you may need to plan for the following emergency situations:

         Natural disasters.

         Hurricanes.

         Earthquakes.

         Tornados.

         Tsunamis.

         Floods.

         Fires.

         Volcanoes.

         Other natural disasters.

         Man-made Emergency Situations.

         Home invasions.

         Set fires.

         Emergency evacuations.

         Terrorist attacks.

         Bombings.

         Raids.

         Other man-made situations.

The most important plan of all is the one for the emergency most likely to occur in your area. If you live in a flood zone, your family should know the flood plan inside and out. If you're in an area where earthquakes are common, you're going to need a plan to get out of the house when the Big One hits.

A well-designed evacuation plan might just save the lives of you and your loved ones. Don't assume it can never happen to you. Prepare like it's going to happen to you and you'll be ready when it does. Could you live with yourself if someone you cared for died in an emergency because you didn't prepare them to handle that emergency properly?

I know I couldn't—especially when it doesn't take long to create a plan and teach it to everyone in the house.

What Your Plan Should Include

The following items are essential to your evacuation plan:

         A map of the escape routes for each room in your home. Give each person the map and make sure they've memorized it. Review it every couple months to keep it fresh in their head. Diagram every room in the house and map at least two ways out of the house from each location. Windows count as escape routes as long as they can be opened or broken in the event of an emergency. Make sure to clear or cover the bottom edge of a window you have to break to avoid getting cut on the broken glass.

         For homes with more than one story, you're going to need fire escape ladders in each of the bedrooms. Don't end up like the guy who kept a ladder in just his room and told the kids to rendezvous there. The fire was so intense the kids couldn't make it to his room and ended up burning to death. I know I've just painted a gruesome picture, but I want you to know what the result of not having a ladder in each room can be.

         The escape plan should lay out when and when not to grab the 72-hour bags. If there's a raging fire or a rumbling earthquake, every second counts. You need to get out of the house first, then worry about what supplies you're going to need. You don't want someone opening a door to go after the supply kits only to find there's an inferno on the other side of the door.

         Designate an outside meeting place where you'll rendezvous once you've made it out of the house. All family members should meet there once they've made their escape.

Here's a tip I haven't seen anywhere else. Get loud air horns (the canned air horns work great for this) and keep them at the bedside of each member of the house. That way, at the first sign of trouble, the person who notices it can blow their air horn, alerting everyone in the house that there's a problem.

If you want to get fancy, set up a code system using the air horns so the person who notices the problem can alert everyone as to what the issue is. A continuous blast can mean there's a fire; a series of short blasts can mean there's a flood and so on.

I've got younger children in my home, so I've kept my system simple. If the kids wake up and hear a continuous blast, it means they need to exit the house through their windows, which they've all been trained to do. If they hear a series of short blasts, it means they need to exit through their assigned door and meet at the rendezvous point.

They've been taught to lay on the horn when there's an issue until I wake up. Imagine my surprise when my daughter's horn went off in the middle of the night and I grabbed my gun and rushed to her room—only to find she'd heard something under her bed. Something I had to search for at 2 AM and never found. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

You may need to adjust your plan to accommodate the people living in your house. The best plan is the one that works for you.

Practice Makes Perfect

Sitting everyone down and telling them the plan is good. Putting the plan into action and practicing it is even better.

I'm not suggesting you randomly start blowing your air horn in the middle of the night to make sure everyone exits the way they're supposed to. Here's why.

Once you've run through the drill a couple times, the people in your house are going to be accustomed to being woke up by false alarm air horn drills. They're going to be slower to react because they'll make the assumption it's just another drill. The more they hear it blown, the more accustomed to it they'll become.

Dad's testing us again, they'll think, as they drift off back into the deep slumber they were awakened from.

In a time-critical situation, this can be the difference between life and death.

There's one way around this and that's to plan drills in advance. Let everyone know before they go to bed that there's going to be a drill that night. This will eliminate the element of surprise, but will still result in a pretty good run through of the mechanics of getting out of the house. Instead of using the air horns, go door to door and knock on the door until the person in the room wakes up and enacts the plan.

Make sure everyone knows there will be no unplanned drills, so if they wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of an air horn, it's because there's an emergency situation.

When you practice, you need to work on the following types of drills:

         Drills where you grab the bug out bags and go.

         Drills where the bags have to be left behind.

         Drills where you have to use alternate exits.

         Second-story exit drills.

         Window exit drills.

House Fire Preparedness

Every single family in every single house in the world should have a house fire escape plan. There are somewhere in the range of 400,000 house fires a year in the United States alone. 3,500 people are killed and another 18,000 are injured as a result of these fires.

In the event of a major emergency, the likelihood of your home catching on fire and burning down are even more likely than they are now.

If you're one of the unlucky victims, will you be prepared?

House fires are more common than you might think and there are special considerations one must make when planning for a fire:

         There should be smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every room in the house.

         You should have a plan with alternate escape routes in place.

         If you live in an apartment building, never take the elevator. Always take the stairs when fleeing from a fire.

         If you're trapped, place a wet towel at the bottom of the door. If you don't have access to water, place a towel or an article of clothing at the bottom of the door.

         If you're trapped in an upper story, open a window and attach a white sheet or towel to the outside of the window. This will notify firemen you're trapped in the apartment.

         If you're in a situation where you're in danger of being overwhelmed by smoke, wet a towel or cloth and place it over your face. Stay as close to the ground as possible because smoke rises and the area closest to the floor will have the cleanest air.

         Before opening any doors, look for smoke coming in from around the door. Feel the door to see how hot it is. A door that's hot to the touch may have fire touching it from the other side. Opening a burning hot door may allow fire into the room you're in.

Getting Out Of Town

Chaos has broken out across the city you live in and it's no longer safe to stay put. It's time to get out of town. You check the routes in your Get Out of Town (GOT) plan and pick the third route because you know it's the safest one to use to sneak out undetected.

The above scenario is only possible if you've planned ahead and create a GOT plan. If not, you're either going to have to guess and hope you're right or waste valuable time getting the maps out and planning your escape.

In a time critical situation, a GOT plan could be the difference between getting out safe and getting caught in a hell-storm.

Get a topographical map of the city and plan out the following escape routes ahead of time:

         The fastest way out of the city. This route gets you on the nearest highway and gets you the heck out of town.

         The fastest way out without using the freeway. This route avoids freeways and highways that'll be congested if everyone else is trying to escape too. Highways may be shut down depending on the situation.

         A route that gets you out of the city without using surface streets or highways. There may come a time when you can't travel via normal roads and highways. Having an off-road route planned will help you escape if this predicament presents itself.

         A path you can take if you're forced to leave on foot. Seek out a trail or route you can take if you're forced to strike out sans vehicle.

         As many alternate routes out as you can find. When presented with a situation where you can't take one route, you should be able to consult your plan and find an alternate route.

You may find you leave in your truck and are planning on hitting the highway, only to get there and find it's already a parking lot. If you've planned ahead, you can consult your plan for the next best route. If that doesn't work out, you can look to your off-road route.

The more contingency routes you have in place, the better your chances of a successful escape become.

Where Should You Go: The Perfect Bug Out Location

The best bug out location depends largely on the situation at hand.

You may be able to get by with heading to a distant friend or family member's house for a while if the situation is limited to the general area in which you live. This sort of location is ideal for natural disaster-type situations like floods or wild fires. All you have to do is grab your bags and head on over to the person's house you've chosen.

The key here is to pick someone you trust and know will let you stay with them for a while. Make sure you check with them in advance and make sure they'll be receptive to you moving in for a while. It helps if you offer to reciprocate. Tell them you'd be willing to do the same if they find themselves in an emergency situation.

It helps to have a few places lined up where you can go. If you get to Uncle John's house and find out his new wife is threatening to leave if he lets you stay, you can save his relationship by heading to an alternate location you've got set up.

For some, this is the only plan they have in place.

This is an inadequate plan that fails to take a lot of factors into consideration.

For one, what are you going to do if the emergency is a nationwide emergency? What if your friends and family are in every bit as much trouble as you are? Where are you going to go then?

The next consideration you have to make is what happens if traveling long distances isn't an option. You may not be able to get past roadblocks and/or checkpoints to get to your destination. An EMP bomb may have been set off, rendering all but the oldest of vehicles inoperative.

You're going to need a location close enough to home to where it's a short ride or a long hike away. The first criteria should be that's it's away from populated areas. You don't want a second home in a small town in the foothills. Ideally, your bug out location will be remote enough that it's off the beaten path. A cabin in the woods that's not accessible by any paved road would be a good choice.

When looking for your bug out location, you need to take into consideration how accessible it will be year-round. A cabin near a small stream in the woods may be easy to get to in the summer, but come winter it's going to be socked in with snow. That little 5-mile dirt road is completely blocked and you now have to traverse 5 miles of snow in the freezing cold to get to your destination.

Dirt roads can quickly become death traps with a small amount of rain, especially when the dirt roads run along a steep drop off. Water quickly freezes into ice when night comes around and you're now in danger of sliding off the road.

Make sure you identify all ways into and out of your property. If you're looking at property where the only access is over a rickety bridge across a babbling brook, keep in mind that brook could become a raging river come winter. If the water gets high enough to knock the bridge out, you won't be able to get to your bug out spot.

The spot you choose should be accessible from a couple directions, with one of those directions not requiring traversing a bridge. Get a map and identify any old logging roads or trails you could potentially use to get to your location, and then explore them to make sure they still exist and can be used.

Make sure you have access to food and water. Keep in mind that game is going to be hard to find in the winter and there may be weeks on end where the weather won't allow you to hunt. Keep at least 4 months' supply of food on hand if you plan on bugging out to a remote cabin in the wilderness.

Keep OPSEC in mind when picking your location. In the event you need to protect your location, the more ways in there are, the harder it'll be to protect yourself from all angles. You've got to balance your desire to be able to protect yourself against accessibility.

A canyon with steep walls where there's only one way in and out provides you with a single place you have to guard, but what happens if there's a rockslide that blocks the path? You could be prevented from getting into or, even worse, out of the canyon.

Do You Want an Under- or Above-Ground Shelter?

To me, this one's a no-brainer. You want your bug out shelter to be underground for the following reasons:

         Security. Planes flying over and people walking through the woods will be able to spot a normal home or shelter. If they see smoke coming from the chimney, they'll know it's inhabited. This could invite unwelcome attention. An underground shelter is largely protected from those who may try to smoke you out of a normal structure by lighting it on fire.

         Protection from the weather. An underground shelter is protected from all sorts of inclement weather. The only kind of weather it isn't ideal for is heavy snow, because you may end up having to dig yourself out of ten to twenty feet of snow if you need to leave.

         Warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Underground bunkers aren't impervious to hot or cold days, but they're a lot easier to cool off or heat up.

         You can hide for a long time. Going underground protects you from the bad stuff going on up on the surface. Just make sure you have a source of filtered air or you run the risk of letting poisoned or radiated air into your bunker.

You can get as elaborate as you want to with your underground bunker. I've seen high-tech bunkers capable of filtering out poisonous air. I've also seen what amounts to a couple of reinforced shipping containers buried underground with PVC pipes extending to the surface for air.

No matter what you decide on, you're going to want to give yourself an alternate escape route. If you're found out and there are intruders beating down your front door, an alternate escape route will allow you to get the drop on the people trying to get in—or it'll allow you time to slink off into the woods, your choice.

What to Do When There Is No Shelter

You were forced to flee into an unfamiliar area and are now caught between a rock and a hard place. Evening time is near and it's getting cold. You know you won't survive the evening without some sort of shelter. What do you do?

The first thing you should do is look for places provided by nature that provide shelter. You should look for these features:

         Caves.

         Large rocks leaning against one another with enough room for you to build a shelter.

         Higher ground (low areas tend to collect cold air).

         Large trees with dense branches.

         Large trees with a lot of big branches in which you could build a bed that would keep you off the ground.

         Dense brush.

If you can't find suitable shelter, you're going to have to build it. Prolonged exposure to the elements can lead to fatigue and eventually death.

You're going to need to pick a good site—and fast. Look for a location that has the materials you need to build the shelter close by and make sure you're protected from as many angles as possible. You're going to want at least one escape route you can use in case you're discovered.

If you simply need a shelter that'll get you out of the sun or protect you from sun, wind or light rain, you can use a rope and a tarp strung between two trees. Weight the bottom of the tarp with rocks and angle it so you're protected from the elements. Alternatively, you can anchor it to the ground using tent stakes.

If you're in a wooded area, you can build a lean-to by cutting down branches and building a lattice with them. Tie the cross-members to the supports with string or rope. Now cover the lattice framework with brush and branches. Lean the latticework against a couple trees for support.

No matter what sort of shelter you build, you're going to want to cover the ground so you don't lose precious body heat. Pine needles and leaves make a good ground cover and will help you stay warmer.

If you're in a sandy area, dig a long trench into the sand. Lay a tarp across the trench and use rocks (if you can find them) to anchor the tarp down. Don't worry if you can't find any rocks. You can pile sand on the edges of the tarp to hold it in place. Just be aware the tarp may be more susceptible to blowing away if it gets windy.

Those caught in the snow should avoid blindly running around in a snowstorm. Find a tree and dig down to the dirt next to the tree. Lay down leaves, grass or pine needles, so you're not sitting on exposed ground. Lay branches over the top of the hole you've dug. If you have other people with you, huddle together to stay warmer.

Keep your eyes peeled for abandoned structures and buildings. An old service shed in the middle of nowhere may be the difference between death from exposure and making it through the night.

Need Water? Tips to Help You Find Water When You're Bugging Out

I think we all understand the importance of having enough water with us when we head to our bug out location. That said, the situation may arise where you find yourself in need of water.

Someone could spill their water or thieves may sneak in under the cover of darkness and steal your water. You may be forced to head out into the wilderness without gear. Or maybe you've just had to stay gone for longer than you expected.

Regardless of the reason, you need water and you need it now.

The following tips can help you find water when you need it most:

         Plan ahead. Start looking for water before you run out, not after. This will give you extra time to locate it and will make you less likely to make rash decisions.

         Look around you. Areas with dense green foliage or with a lot of trees may be areas where water is present.

         Listen for the sound of running water. If moving water is close-by, you'll be able to hear it. Stop every 5 minutes or so and just listen. You might hear something you wouldn't have heard while walking.

         Watch the wildlife in the area. Most animals need a source of water. Look for animals and birds and follow them to water. If you begin to notice a large number of animal tracks all headed in the same direction, these animal are probably headed to a watering hole. You may be able to get food and water at a community watering hole.

         If you notice an increase in the number of mosquitoes, you may be near water. Insects like mosquitoes lay their eggs in water and usually don't stray too far from where they hatched. A single mosquito or two probably don't mean much. An infestation probably means you're close to water. The problem with this kind of water is it's usually standing water and not very sanitary. Disinfect before drinking or you run the risk of getting sick.

         Muddy soil or sand indicates water beneath the soil. Dig a hole where it's damp and it'll probably slowly but surely fill up with water.

         If you're on higher ground, head to lower ground. Water drains to the lowest point in a given area. Work your way down to lower elevation areas to up your chances of finding water.

         Morning dew can be a vital source of water. Use a cloth to wipe the dew off of the plants it collects on, and then squeeze the cloth out into a container. You may be able to gather enough water to last you the rest of the day if you move quickly. To speed up the process, you can place a tarp under a small tree or bush with a lot of dew, and then vigorously shake the tree or bush. The dew will fall on the tarp, where it can more easily be collected.

         In the desert, try cutting the top off of a cactus and squeezing the water from the pulp. Don't eat the pulp itself; just squeeze the water out of it.

Here's another thing to remember. Trails typically lead to water. Well-worn paths are paths traveled by animals to get to water holes. Watch for converging paths and follow them in the direction in which they converge. This indicates different types of animals all heading in the same direction—toward water.

Birds head toward water in the early morning or late evening. Watch for birds circling overhead during the day. They may be circling over water. The exception to this rule is vultures circling over you. They're hoping you don't find water. Pigeons, ducks and grain eating birds need more water than meat-eating birds like hawks and crows.

Ants and bees both need water to survive. If you see bees in the area you're trekking through, there's probably a source of fresh water within a couple miles of the area. Ant trails can be followed to lead you to water too. If ants are crawling into a hole in a tree, try jamming a stick as far as you can into the hole. When you pull it out, check to see if it's wet. Water in a tree can be removed by siphoning it out or by pushing a rag into the hole so it can soak up the water.

Build a Solar Still

If you come across a dry riverbed or are in mountainous terrain and can get to the Southern base of a mountain, you can build a solar still to gather at least a little water.

Find a spot that's damp in the morning and is going to get direct sunlight later on in the day. Dig a hole that's 4 feet wide and a few feet deep. Lay your tarp across the hole and place rocks or sand on the edge of the tarp to hold it in place. Place a single rock or a couple handfuls of sand in the middle of the tarp so the middle is the lowest hanging point over the hole.

Put a cup directly under the lowest part of the tarp. Now comes the hard part. You have to sit around and wait for the sun to do its job. It will evaporate the water in the soil, causing it to rise up into the tarp. As the water hits the tarp it will pool up and run down the tarp to the lowest point, which is where you've placed the cup.

This is a very slow process, but may be your only way to get water in an arid environment.

Conserve Water: Make the Water You Have Last As Long As Possible

The time to start conserving water is before you begin to get low. If you even suspect you're going to run low on water, it's time to take action. The water you save today may be the water that saves you tomorrow.

When water is low, try to avoid unnecessary actions or movements, especially in the heat of the day. The more you move and exert yourself, the more water you're going to lose via sweat. Add in a little heat and you're going to start losing water at a pace you can't sustain without a readily available water supply.

One mistake people tend to make is to rest during the morning, afternoon and evening and to do most of their traveling during the heat of the day. It's best to do your traveling when it's cool out and to find shade and stay in it when the weather begins to heat up.

Get any work you need to do done early in the morning or in the late afternoon and relax while the sun is at its highest point. Whenever possible try to rest on or near grasses, trees with low-hanging branches and bushes. You'll stay cooler because plants release water vapor throughout the day.

Winter Water Warning

When it's hot outside, your mouth dries out and you know when it's time to drink some water. This isn't always the case in the winter.

Make sure you drink plenty of water in the winter, even if you don't feel thirsty.

One good thing about winter in a lot of bug out locations is there's plenty of water around. This water is lying on the ground in the form of snow. Do not simply pick snow up and eat it when you need water. The same thing goes for ice and water you're drawing from a cold mountain stream. You need to warm it up a bit before consuming it.

Failure to warm the water you're drinking can lower your body's temperature to dangerous levels. Ideally, you're going to want to boil it before drinking it. Snow and ice can be full of harmful bacteria that can make you sick if you don't bring it to a boil first.

Here's a tip to help you stay warm in the winter. Boil your water, and then put it in a container you can keep close to your body. The warm water will help keep you warm until the water cools off. Once it cools off, your body heat will keep the water warm enough to drink without having to worry about hypothermia.

How to Turn Salt Water into Fresh Water

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.

This is the dilemma facing those who run out of water while close to a saltwater ocean, sea or bay.

Never, and I mean never, drink saltwater to quench your thirst. Drinking saltwater will dehydrate you more as your body attempts to process the salt.

So what can you do?

There is a way to remove the salt from the water, but it's going to take some work.

Gather salt water into a container and build a fire. Place the container of water over the fire and bring it to a boil. Hold a cloth (a t-shirt will work in a pinch) over the container. As the water begins to evaporate in the form of steam, the cloth will soak the steam up. The cloth will be full of fresh water. Squeeze it out into another container.

The water obtained using this method will be fresh and safe to drink. If you have firewood and a readily available source of salt water, you can get as much water as you need using this method.

If for some reason you can't build a fire, you can do the same thing using the heat of the sun and evaporation.

Dig a small hole and place a tarp or sheet of plastic in the hole. Put a container full of salt water in hole on top of the tarp. Place another sheet of plastic over the hole so that it's raised in the center and any condensation that occurs will run down the sheet of plastic and get trapped in the hole. It shouldn't run down the plastic and drip back into the original container.

As the water evaporates, it will condense on the top sheet of plastic and get trapped in the tarp in the hole. Collect the water a few times a day and add more water to the container.

The bigger the container, the better. More surface area exposed to the air equates to more water evaporating.

Bugging In? How to Get 50 to 70 Gallons of Water in an Instant

This one will only work if you're planning on bugging in.

If you're planning on trying to ride things out in your own home and suspect you may end up short of water, fill up your bathtubs with clean water before your water gets shut off.

This will give you up to 70 gallons of fresh, clean water per tub that you will be able to use in the event your water supply runs out.

If the water is cut off, you won't be taking showers or baths anyway and this extra water will come in handy later on down the road.

What to Do If You Find Yourself in a Combat Situation

You've been found out. Your enemies have followed you back to your hide out and one of them took a pot shot at you from a hundred yards up the road. Luckily for you, the shooter wasn't as good of a shot as he thought he was and only grazed your calf.

What should you do?

Unless you've had military training or play war games on the weekend, this is probably a completely new situation to you. Most people have no clue how to behave in a combat situation.

The information you're about to learn is critical information that might save your life sometime down the road. I suggest reading, then rereading this chapter, then reviewing it a couple times a year. Becoming well-versed in combat survival tactics will vastly improve your chance of survival, especially if you're up against a group who doesn't have the same training.

The first thing you need to do is take cover. Getting out of sight takes priority. Put something between you and your adversary—preferably something bulletproof.

Take a deep breath and calm yourself enough to assess the situation. Panic and fear are a sure way to end up dead. Consider the following items:

         How many people did I see?

         Is it possible there were others?

         What were they doing here?

         What do they want?

         If I hide will they leave?

         Is my family in immediate danger?

         Are they headed my way or waiting for me to make a move?

         Did they look like trained soldiers or common criminals?

         What do I have with me that I can use to defend myself?

         Am I better armed than they are?

         Can I do something to give me the upper hand?

         How badly am I hurt?

Unless your adversary is bearing down on you, there's no reason to make a hasty decision. You don't want to languish in one spot for too long, but you also don't want to make a mad dash across an open clearing where you can easily be picked off.

Look at the lay of the land. If there's a way to move to a different location without being seen, take the opportunity to do so and get away from where your enemy expects you to be. This will give you the element of surprise—or it will allow you to put some distance between you and your attackers.

Take a moment to assess the shape you're in. If you're hurt, how badly wounded are you? Are you in danger of bleeding out or is it a flesh wound?

The answers to these questions should guide you down the path to your next move. If you're badly wounded, you need to put a little distance between you and your attackers, then stop and apply first aid. Your top priority should be to stop the bleeding. If you don't get the bleeding stopped, you're not going to make it too far.

Don't make unnecessary moves and once you make a decision, don't second-guess yourself. Every move from here on out should be a calculated move, either designed to confuse your enemy and put more distance between you and them or to allow you to ambush them.

If you're in an area you know well, use it to your advantage. Knowledge of the layout of the land gives you a huge advantage. It will allow you to determine the route your adversary is most likely to take (the path of least resistance), along with the path you can take where they're least likely to look for you.

You should never be caught outside of your bug out location without a weapon. You never know when you might need a gun and it's better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it.

Getting caught without a weapon is going to require some craftiness on your part. There are items you can use as weapons all around you. You just have to see them as such. That large stick would make a great club. Heavy rocks can be thrown or dropped on your enemy from above. Even if all you have is pebbles, you can fill the bottom of a sock up with them and use it as a bludgeon.

There's one big problem when you don't have a weapon. That's the ability of your pursuers to attack you from a distance.

Adversaries with guns will have a definite advantage if they come across you while you're unarmed. Your best bet is to try to get back to where your weapons are to try to even the odds. Actually, your best bet is to never get caught unarmed, but it could happen.

First Aid in the Field

The number one item that can compromise your ability to bug out and stay out of sight is the lack of rudimentary first aid knowledge. Being able to treat yourself and those with you will up your chances of a successful excursion.

All it takes is one person in the group who knows medicine. I recommend reaching out to a doctor or physician you trust and letting them know you're willing to let them stay with you and use your supplies in the event of an emergency. This will give you a trained medical professional in your group should you need to leave for any extended period of time.

In the absence of a trained medical professional, you can learn how to apply survival medicine to up your chances of making it out alive.

The following sections outline some of the more common problems you may come across in a survival situation. I'm only giving you a sampling of what you may come across. It's best to carry a first aid guide with you that'll walk you through the steps needed to apply care.

The items laid out in this book should only be applied in the absence of adequate medical care. Seek the help of a medical professional whenever possible. I am not a doctor, nor am I qualified to give medical advice.

Use these tips and techniques at your own risk!!!

I recommend you purchase and keep in your bug out bag a copy of the Department of Defense book titled "Emergency War Surgery." You can find it on Amazon.com for around 12 bucks. Give it a once over and familiarize yourself with book.

It might just save your life.

Bleeding

Minor bleeding can be stopped by applying pressure to the wounded area. Apply pressure until bleeding stops, and then dress the wound.

Arterial wounds require additional effort to stop the bleeding. If blood is gushing out of a wound, it's going to take more than a little pressure to stop the bleeding. Try applying direct pressure to the bleeding end of the damaged vein or artery.

If the wound is to an arm or leg, a tourniquet can be applied to the injured limb. It needs to be placed on the limb between the wound and the victim's heart. Never apply a tourniquet to someone's neck.

My personal preference is a Combat Application Tourniquet, which is a specialized device I keep in my bag. It's not too expensive and is easy to use. With a bit of practice, you can learn to apply one to yourself in less than a minute and to someone else in 30 seconds or less.

In a pinch, a torn-up shirt or a length of string or rope will work almost as well. Tie the cloth around the limb above the wound and use a stick to twist it tight enough to stop the flow of blood. Good luck applying this type of tourniquet to yourself.

This is where having a doctor on hand can really help. Arterial cuts don't normally heal on their own and require special care. Leaving a tourniquet on for an extended period of time can lead to permanent damage to or loss of the affected limb. In order to avoid damage, release pressure once every 15 minutes for a couple minutes so blood will continue to flow to the rest of the limb.

Don't continue to do this if the wound starts gushing blood as soon as you release the tourniquet.

Always clean and disinfect the wound and the area around the wound to prevent infection.

Breathing Issues

The number one cause of breathing problems is an asthma attack or allergic reaction. If you have someone with you who's prone to asthma attacks, you'd better be sure to pack an inhaler or two with you.

The first thing to check when someone can't breathe is for obstructions to their throats. Hook a finger into their mouth and see if you can feel an obstruction. Attempt the Heimlich maneuver to see if you can dislodge whatever it is they're choking on.

Injuries or sharp blows to the neck can obstruct breathing. An emergency tracheotomy can be performed, but that's above and beyond the scope of this book. I'm not even going to attempt to tell you how to perform one.  

Burns

This should go without saying, but your first action should be to put out the fire. Stop, drop and roll if you need to.

Soak gauze in an antiseptic solution for a few minutes before applying it to the burns. Burns should be treated the same way you treat open wounds. Keep them clean and covered and watch for signs of infection.

Broken Bones and Dislocations

Fractures are breaks in the bone that don't break the skin. Compound fractures occur when the broken bone pushes its way through the skin. Setting and splinting broken bones are beyond the scope of this book. Refer to a first aid field manual for help in this area.

Dislocations occur when joints get misaligned. To treat a dislocation, you have to manually realign the joint. This is usually accompanied by sharp pain as you realign the joints, then less pain once you've got things back in place.

Splint the injured area for up to two weeks, then gradually return to using it. It's going to be stiff at first and will require rehabilitation.

Dehydration

You lose water throughout the day. Peeing, sweating and vomiting all cause water to be removed from your system. The average person loses a couple liters of water a day.

Failing to replace the water you're losing will eventually lead to dehydration.

It only takes a day or two for the effects of dehydration to be felt. Losing just 5 percent of the water in the body leads to weakness and fatigue. Any greater than 5 percent and you're risking doing permanent damage as your cells begin to dry out.

If you wait until you're thirsty to drink, you're already well on your way to being dehydrated. Drink small amounts of water at a time throughout the day to stay hydrated. If you're low on food, drinking more water can help stave off the effects of starvation.

Intense heat or stress will dramatically up the amount of water you lose—and subsequently have to replace. You may need up to 25 liters of water per day just to survive in an arid climate.

Always drink when you're eating. You need water to digest your food.

If you have limited water and no way to get more in the near future, you're going to have to ration your water. Try to predict how long the water you have needs to last and determine how much water you can drink per day. Spread the ration out throughout the day. Don't give in to temptation to down the whole container at once. You'll be sorry once it's gone and it isn't going to make you feel any better.

Here's a tip you probably aren't going to like, but may save your life in a pinch. Save your pee if you suspect you may find yourself without water. You can buy yourself an extra day by drinking your urine.

The problem with drinking urine is it puts the same toxins your body is trying to get rid of right back into your system. Within a day or so, your kidneys won't be able to handle the concentration of the toxins and will give out. This should only be used as a last-ditch effort to stay alive.

A victim who is showing signs of going into shock or is delirious may be suffering heatstroke. This occurs when the body is no longer able to regulate its internal temperatures because it's been allowed to overheat for too long.

Your first and foremost goal when treating heatstroke is to cool the victim down. Douse them with water. If no water is available, use urine. Make the victim drink a lot of water. If vomiting occurs, make them drink more to replace the lost water.

Shock

Shock is almost as deadly to injured people as the injuries themselves. It's best to treat all victims the same, regardless of whether they're showing signs of shock.

Lay victims down on a flat surface and make sure they're warm. Remove any wet gear that could prevent them from warming up. Make sure unconscious victims are laying in a position where they won't choke if they vomit.

Keep a conscious victim's head lower than their feet and have them rest for at least a full day. Feed them warm foods and sugar water to keep them comfortable.

Snakebite

There's a common misconception that getting bit by a venomous snake is almost certainly a death sentence. Only a quarter of snakebite victims are injected with enough venom to cause serious issues.

Here's what you need to do to treat a venomous snake bite:

Clean the area of the bite.

Have the victim lie down and stay immobile.

Apply a tourniquet between the bite and the heart.

Use a razor and open up the fang marks to about 6 mm wide by 2 mm deep.

Use a suction device to suck out the venom. In the absence of a suction device, you can use your mouth. Don't do this if you have open cuts in your mouth or on your lips or you run the risk of poisoning yourself.

Keep the wound covered and begin applying heat after 24 hours.

Make sure the victim drinks a lot of water while trying to fight off any infection caused by the venom.

How to Avoid Starvation: Finding Food In the Wilderness

While you can only last a matter of days without water, you can last weeks without food. Survival without food after a couple days becomes a miserable existence. You won't be able to think of anything other than the gnawing hunger pangs wrenching through your gut.

At some point, you're going to have to start looking for food. You won't be able to function at a high level without it and functioning at a high level is a must when you're trying to survive. If you're starving, you're going to be exhausted and will be more prone to making mistakes.

There are two types of food the human body needs for sustenance:

         Plant matter.

         Animal matter.

The good news is, you can survive on either one or the other for quite some time. If you're in an area rich in plant life, you can live off plants. If you're in an area with abundant wildlife, you can live off of them. Ideally, you'll have both.

A field guide that shows you what edible plants look like can really come in handy, as there are a number of plants you don't want to consume. This is especially true when it comes to mushrooms, as ingesting certain types of mushroom can have deadly consequences.

Pretty much any animal you can catch and kill can be consumed. Beware of brightly colored bugs, frogs and spiders, as they may be poisonous. When eating any animal or insect, cook it well and consume a small portion first. Wait at least 8 hours to make sure you don't get sick before consuming the rest of the animal.

Be careful when consuming venomous snakes, as you don't want to ingest any venom.

Sure, your digestive system should theoretically be able to break down the venom before it harms you, but do you really want to take that chance? What if you have a bleeding ulcer and the venom is able to enter your bloodstream through it? I wouldn’t want to take that chance, especially while in a situation where professional medical attention isn't an option.

When it comes to eating plants, you're going to want to be very careful. First off, anything containing sap or white berries is off-limits. You also want to avoid anything that smells like peach or almond because it could contain cyanide. Steer clear of mushrooms, molds and fungi, too. Holly berries are bright red berries that look like they might be edible—they aren't, and can make you very sick.

If you find yourself in a situation in which you're going to starve to death if you don't start eating some of the plants around you, you're going to need to do a wilderness survival edibility test on anything you plan on eating before you eat it.

I have to warn you. There are plants that can make you very sick or even kill you even if you follow the instructions of this test explicitly. It's designed to up your chances of survival, but it isn't a guarantee. The only time you should use this test is in the event of an absolute emergency.

This test is time consuming. Don't wait until you're knocking on death's door to start testing plants. You also want to avoid testing plants that aren't in abundance. It isn't going to do you any good to test a plant that's only growing in a small area and will be gone in a matter of days.

Here's what you need to do to test a plant before you eat it:

Pick a single type of plant to test. Avoid eating anything else during the test. This should be easy since you probably wouldn't be running the test if you had other stuff to eat that you knew was edible.

Now separate the plant into three parts. You want to test the root, leaves and the stem of the plant separately.

Crush the part of the plant you plan on testing between your fingers and rub it on the skin of your wrist. Set the plant down and wait an hour. Watch for signs of distress like dizziness, rough breathing or any other changes in your condition that weren't there before you rubbed the plant on your skin. If you experience problems when you rub the plant on your skin, you don't want to eat it. It would probably kill you.

The next step is to cook a small portion of your food. If you have the ability to cook the plant you're testing, make sure you cook it. Some plants are poisonous when raw, but are OK to eat once they've been cooked. You up your chance of survival when you cook your food.

Rub the food on the inside of your lips and wait for 15 minutes to see if there's a reaction.

Next, touch the food with your tongue and wait 15 minutes to see if there's a reaction.

If you're still not feeling any ill effects, hold the food in your mouth for 15 minutes, then take it out and wait 15 minutes to see if there's a reaction.

Now try chewing the food. Chew it up for 15 minutes without swallowing anything. Wait another 15 minutes to see if there's a reaction.

Time to try swallowing the food. Swallow a small portion at first and wait 10 hours to see if there's a reaction. If you start to feel sick or start to experience negative effects, drink a lot of water and induce vomiting.

If you're still good to go after 10 hours, try eating a larger portion. This time eat a handful of it.

Wait another 10 hours and if you're still not sick, the plant is probably OK to eat.

Again, I have to warn you that this is a dangerous test to undertake and it should only be done if you find yourself in a situation where you either eat local foliage or die.

This test is time-consuming and takes almost a full day just to test one part of one plant. You can survive weeks without food, but if one of the plants you're testing makes you sick, you're not going to last weeks without sustenance.

Now that I've told you how to run the test, I'm going to tell you that you should never have to use the test if you're properly prepared to bug out. You should research the area you're planning on bugging out to well in advance of actually having to try to survive there. Part of your research should be identifying flora and fauna that's edible and abundant. If you plan ahead, you'll be ready. If not, you might find yourself stranded in the wilderness sick from testing a plant that you never should have had to test in the first place.

Fire: Your Key to Survival

I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Next to water and maybe food, fire is the key to your long-term survival. If you're caught out in the woods with no cover and no supplies, you'd better be able to get a fire going.

Fire allows you to sterilize water, cook food and to stay warm. You can use it to signal for help if you're stranded and it will keep you from succumbing to the elements when temperature begin to drop. It can also be used to ward off hungry predators looking to turn you into a quick snack.

Building a fire can be difficult when you have the right equipment. With the wind whipping and rain pouring, most people would struggle to get a fire started with matches or a light, let alone without one. The time to learn to build a fire in inclement weather is now. Don't wait until your survival depends on it.

The first thing you're going to need is tinder, which is some sort of highly flammable material you can get started burning that will light up quickly.

There are a couple items you can keep in your bug out bag that will make starting a fire much easier. You can collect dryer lint from your lint trap and keep a bit of it. It's light and airy and will easily light up when you put a spark to it. Another option is to coat cotton balls in Vaseline and keep then in an airtight container like a film canister. They will light and burn long enough for you to start a fire. In a pinch, steel wool will light up as well.

Yet another option for tender is sawdust and paraffin wax. Mix sawdust and melted paraffin wax together and let it cool. Cut it into 2-inch squares and put some in your bug out bag.

Here's one that'll probably bring a smile to your face: tampons. That's right; you can pull little pieces from a tampon and use it to build a fire. It's a good item to have in your bug out bag because they are compact and light.

That's all fine and dandy if you have your bug-out bag with you, but what can you do if you don't have it?

You still have a few options when it comes to tinder. Your first option is to check your pockets for lint. Pocket lint lights up every bit as readily as dryer lint.

Tree bark shavings make decent tender, especially if you can find a cedar or birch tree to collect bark from. Look for trees with bark that's dry and peeling from the tree and you've got good tinder. When it comes to cedar, you can cut small shavings off of the bark and roll it in your hand to fluff it up a bit.

Pine pitch and pine shavings are also flammable.

Cattails also work as tinder. If you're in an area with water, walk the shores and look for cattails. Rub the end of the cattail between your hands and you'll get a light, fluffy material that lights up quickly.

In a pinch, start checking the trees for bird nests. If you can find a nest, the bird will have collected all the dry material you need to get a fire started. The best part is nests are usually in protected areas, so the material you get from the nest will probably be dry.

Once you've gathered tender, you need to gather up as much kindling as possible. Kindling is the material you're going to use to keep your fire burning once you've got the kindling started. You need as much dry wood as possible. Wood, bark, logs. It'll all burn once you get the fire started.

When you're starting the fire, you want dry tender and small pieces of kindling because they'll be easier to get lit. Once they light up, you can start adding bigger pieces of wood to the fire. Collect as much wood as you can before you start your fire. You don't want to light it, then end up running around like a madman frantically searching for firewood while your little flame slowly but surely burns out.

Now that's you've got everything gathered, it's time to get the fire started. Clear out a burn area where you're going to light the fire. Gather up enough rocks to surround your burn area and create a fire ring. If you can't find rocks, try digging a small pit in the soil.

The fire ring will help you start your fire if there's a breeze blowing and it will prevent a breeze from gusting up and putting your fire out. It'll also make it easier for you to start your fire, as you won't have to fight the wind as much.

Place the tinder in the center of the ring and add a bunch of small sticks and light kindling on top of and around the tinder. Don't completely cover it because the tinder needs oxygen to really get going.

If you have matches or a lighter on hand, the fire should be fairly easy to start. Simply light the tinder on fire, stoke it by gently blowing on it and use the burning tinder to light the kindling on fire.

If you don't have a lighter or matches on hand, all is not lost. It's going to take more work, but you can still get a good fire going. The following methods can all be used to get your fire going in the wilderness.

Practice makes perfect, so practice using all of these methods at least once a year, so you know how to do them and they stay fresh in your mind.

Flint and Steel

You need to have a flint and steel in your bug out bag. Your lighter will eventually run out of fluid and your matches can blow out or get wet and stop working. When this happens, a flint and steel becomes a crucial tool for creating fire.

Flint is a hard, durable rock that sparks when hit with a piece of steel. You hold your tinder in your hand along with the piece of flint and then hit the flint with the steel. It might take dozens of strikes to catch, but eventually one of the sparks will light up the tender.

Char cloth works great as tinder with a flint and steel and is another necessity in a bug out bag. If you don't have char cloth, look for moss, dry fungus or dry, flaky bark

In a pinch, you can hunt down a quartzite rock and hit it with the back of your pocket knife to create a spark.

Once you've got embers going in your tender, set it down while gently blowing on it to get it to light up. Place it in the tinder nest you created in the middle of your fire pit and keep gently blowing until it lights up. 

Battery and Steel Wool

Not much to say here. Hold one end of the steel wool against the negative terminal of your battery. Touch the other end against the positive stud and it will start glowing orange and eventually light up. A piece of steel wool won't burn for long, so it needs to be dropped into your tender bed as soon as it lights up.

Magnification

You can use the lens from a magnifying glass or binoculars to start a fire. While you're unlikely to have a magnifying glass on hand in the wilderness, any concave piece of glass will do. If you wear glasses, you can even use them as long as the lenses are clear glass.

This method only works when the sun is shining. You have to use the lens to focus sunlight on your tender until it heats up and starts to burn.

Here's one that's a little tough to believe, but actually does work. You can form a lens out of a chunk of clear ice. Cut an area out into the shape of a lens and polish it smooth by rubbing it between your hands. Use it in the same manner you would a glass lens.

You can fill a condom with water and use it if you have one handy. Fill it, tie it off and squeeze it in various areas until you get a good focal point of light. You're going to have to hold it a couple inches from your tinder to get it to light up.

Chocolate and a Soda Can

Yes, seriously. You can start a fire using a soda can and a chocolate bar. I can't take credit for this one. I saw it on an episode of Mythbusters.

Use the chocolate bar to polish the bottom of the soda can. Rub the chocolate on the bottom of the can and use a piece of cloth to rub it again the surface until it's polished. The surface will be shiny and reflective once it's been properly polished. You want it to have a mirror surface. Don't give up too soon. It can take as long as 45 minutes to get your can polished to a mirror surface.

If you have steel wool, you can speed up the process and use it instead of chocolate.

Once it's polished, pick up a piece of tinder. Hold the can sideways in your hand and tilt it back and forth until you get a good focal point on the tinder. The focal point will be between 1 and 1 ½ inches away from the bottom of the can.

The tinder should light up in no time at all in bright sunlight. Transfer the smaller piece of tinder into your tinder bed and use it to stoke your fire.

Friction Fire

This is the most difficult way to create fire. You need wood, tinder and willpower to use this method. It takes a lot of friction to heat wood up to its ignition point. If you learn to start a fire using this method, you're one of the select few with the grit and gusto to see it through.

Pick out a piece of wood to use as your fire board and cut a v-shaped notch in the side. Carve out a small divot in the wood next to the notch. Set a piece of tinder under the notch.

Find or cut a 2-foot long branch or stick and carve the end to a dull point. You want the branch to be as straight as possible. Place the point in the divot and start spinning the stick back and forth between your palms while applying downward pressure. Keep it up until an ember forms in the divot, then tap the board so the ember falls onto your tinder.

If you have string or twine, you can make a fancier version of this called the bow drill. Tie the string to a curved stick so it looks like a bow. Wrap the string around your stick. Place the stick in the divot in your fire board and hold the stick in place with a piece of wood or a rock with a divot in it. Use the bow to spin the stick in place while applying downward pressure with your holder. This method will create an ember faster than just using your hands because you aren't going to rub your hands raw with the stick.

Are You Prepared For a Nuclear Attack?

Would it surprise you to find out we as a nation are less prepared now for nuclear war than we were 30 years ago?

During the Cold War, the danger of a nuclear attack was front and center in everyone's mind. We were well-versed as a nation as to how we were supposed to react in the event of an attack.

The reality is we're in every bit as much danger now as we were then.

Maybe more so.

Nations known to harbor hostilities toward the Western world are constantly striving to develop nuclear weapons capable of mass destruction. Even more concerning is the capability of terrorists to get their hands on the materials needed to create "dirty bombs" that could contaminate our water supply or render large sections of the cities we live in uninhabitable.

The first item you should take into consideration is how close you live to a target terrorists may view as desirable. If you live in Washington DC, you're going to need to prepare differently than if you live in Smalltown, USA.

High priority targets are those most likely to be attacked by terrorists looking to wreak maximum havoc. These areas include population centers, places where government is prevalent and food and water supplies.

The best advice I can give you is to get out of the big city.

Moving to a smaller town in the suburbs will give you the best chance of surviving the initial attack. If you're at the point of impact, your chances of survival are slim to none. Everyone in the general area will either be killed immediately or be irradiated to the point where they'll either die within days of the attack.

Your average run of the mill nuclear warhead will completely destroy everything within a mile of where it hits. There will be moderate to severe damage to buildings up to 4 miles from the point of impact. Buildings (and people) within 10 to 15 miles of the point of impact will sustain damage from falling debris.

The moral of the story? Try to live—and work—at least 20 miles away from any big city. You don't know where the point of impact will be, so try to stay 20 miles out from the edges of city limits.

I'm fully aware this isn't always possible. You can do the following things to up your odds of survival if caught in a big city during a nuclear attack:

         Be prepared to bug out quickly. Being able to grab your bug out bags and go will let you get the jump on those who have to gather supplies before leaving. Traffic is going to get bad fast, so the quicker you're able to get out, the better.

         Have motorcycles, dirt bikes or quads for each member of your family. When a nuke is on its way, all bets are off. Use them to get out of town when traffic is at a standstill. You'll be able to get around high traffic areas and many types of roadblock. In a dire situation, you can even drive this sort of vehicle on the sidewalk or on the shoulder.

         Keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear another city has been attacked, you may want to leave the city you're in for a while. Chances are if one city is attacked, it won't be the only one. Get out of the city to give yourself the best chance of survival.

         Keep bug out supplies in your vehicle. If you're caught at work, you can get away without having to go home first. Your family can gather their bags and meet you at a predetermined spot—preferably one far out of town.

         Arm yourself. Be ready to defend yourself. People who see you driving a dirt bike or quad down the shoulder may decide they want your vehicle. Be ready and able to defend yourself if you have to.

Surviving the blast itself is only half the battle.

Once you make it past the initial blast, you need to avoid the radiation fallout until it's dissipated enough to safely venture out. You're going to need to stay in a radiation-safe shelter and avoid venturing out for at least a month. You do have a fallout shelter stocked with a month's worth of supplies, don't you?

Keep This Inexpensive Item On Hand to Up Your Odds of Survival

There's an inexpensive item you should have in your bug out bag that'll drastically up your odds of survival in the event of a nuclear attack.

This item won't protect you from the blast, but it'll help ward off the effects of radiation.

That item is Potassium Iodide. You can get enough to treat one person for 10 days for less than a dollar a day.

After a nuclear attack, radiation is the preeminent danger.

Radioactive iodine will build up in the thyroid gland, where it can cause all sort of problems—issues that might not show up until years later. Taking Potassium Iodide prevents radioactive iodine from building up.

Potassium Iodide has to be taken prior to being irradiated. It fills your thyroids with potassium iodide and leaves little room for radioactive iodine. All it takes is a single dose a day. Taking more has negligible effects and ups the chances you'll experience harmful side effects from the potassium iodide.

Don't take it for more than 10 days in a row. This should give you plenty of time to bug out to a location free of radiation.

Buy it now because it'll be tough to find after an attack. Keep it on hand and you'll be more prepared than most people.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Operational Risk Management: What It Is and How It Applies To You

OPSEC: Why Operational Security Is Of Extreme Importance

Situational Awareness

The One Item You Absolutely Have To Have

What Should Be Included?

How Many Bags Should I Pack?

Where Should They Be Kept?

Don't Set-and-Forget Your Supplies

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Time You Check Your Gear

Pet Bug Out Bags

Everyday Carry (EDC) Tools

The First Step: Getting Out Of Your House

What Your Plan Should Include

Practice Makes Perfect

House Fire Preparedness

Getting Out Of Town

Where Should You Go: The Perfect Bug Out Location

Do You Want an Under- or Above-Ground Shelter?

What to Do When There Is No Shelter

Need Water? Tips to Help You Find Water When You're Bugging Out

Build a Solar Still

Conserve Water: Make the Water You Have Last As Long As Possible

Winter Water Warning

How to Turn Salt Water into Fresh Water

Bugging In? How to Get 50 to 70 Gallons of Water in an Instant

What to Do If You Find Yourself in a Combat Situation

First Aid in the Field

Bleeding

Breathing Issues

Burns

Broken Bones and Dislocations

Dehydration

Shock

Snakebite

How to Avoid Starvation: Finding Food In the Wilderness

Fire: Your Key to Survival

Flint and Steel

Battery and Steel Wool

Magnification

Chocolate and a Soda Can

Friction Fire

Are You Prepared For a Nuclear Attack?

Keep This Inexpensive Item On Hand to Up Your Odds of Survival