So You Have to Bugout, How Do you Load Out?

May 16, 2016

We have all seen the recent fire in Canada and other situations in which people have had to bug out suddenly.  Now in the recent wildfires in Canada people had little notice and were often short of fuel.  As a result, many of them had to abandon cars that were loaded with their personal effects.  In addition many of them had no idea which of their belongs they needed to take when and no time to decide.  So how do you avoid this problem plan your load out ahead of time

First get in the habit of keeping the fuel tank of your vehicles at least ½ full.  In addition, have enough fuel stored to at least fill the fuel tanks on the vehicles you intent to use during a bug out.  I recommend good five gallons cans, there are light enough for most people to carry and fill their vehicle with.  Second, if you have extra you can take them with you.

The other big problem that seems to occur is a failure to load out their vehicle correctly.  A friend of mine a few years ago lost his house to a small wildfire.  He only had to evacuate a short distance and had extra time he failed to take advantage of.  He ended up sitting a ½-mile or so from his home watching it burn without saving any of his belongings.

load out

So if you have to bug out how do you avoid the problems of panic and confusion caused by stress and lack of time.  It all comes down to pre planning.  You need to decide today what you will carry with you in a bug out.  Think in terms of modules.  Module 1 would be your bug out bag.  Now decide what you will load out next, this will become module 2 and so on.  Your most important items go into module 1, and then prioritize the rest of the load accordingly.  Make a written plan that includes any options you have depending on what vehicles you have available.

So in an actual bug out you load your bug out bag first and then depending on time and space availability you would load out the remaining modules in order of importance.  Using this type of system allows you to decide what your priorities are, while you have time to think about it. Now you get your gear together and load it into the appropriate containers.  Sit it where it is readily accessible. Now in a real bug out you just have to follow your written load out plan for the available vehicles and you won’t waste any time.  You will be able to pack and move the most gear in the short possible time.

Don’t forget to make the modules light enough for the smallest or weakest person to move.  You will need to have several test runs to make sure the modules fit correctly into your vehicle.  Make sure that every member of your family is familiar with your load out plan and practices it.

Here are a few prior posts that will help you plan a bug out

Howard

Reply

or to participate.