Planning For Bugging In
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What is bugging in, anyway? The vast majority of situations that occur in our daily lives are handled without us even knowing it. When you hear sirens, the emergency services are handling all of the emergencies. However, what happens when you hear commotion and disorder, but no sirens? Of course, the first thing you do is ring them. Now, what happens when they have no resources left to handle what is going on? Large scale disarray, for whatever reason, will require you to look after yourself.
First of all, depending on the situation, you will be faced with the question; do you bug in (stay in your home) or bug out (leave the house and go somewhere else). Bugging in is always going to be the preferred method unless the situation disallows it. The majority of the times that you are going to be asking yourself this question is going to be because you have a lack of basic requirements and services that you relied on in your daily lives. Therefore, the comfort of your own home is going to be a huge benefit.
In this article, we are only going to be looking at the things that you need to think about when you are considering bugging in. However, ensure that you plan for this possibility well in advance, as an impromptu decision for bugging in could leave you no better off than bugging out.
As I have just said, preparation and planning for bugging in is by far the most crucial step in the whole process. If you plan wrongly or not enough, you WILL be left wanting for something. Firstly, take a look through the list of things you need to take into consideration, and then we will go through each of them individually and in more detail:
Before we go into these points in detail, we will go through some of the reasons why you should be bugging in instead of bugging out. Bugging out may seem like the more romantic and exciting option of survival when you are in a situation that requires it. However, you should only use it in a case that requires it. You already have many of the basics that you need for bugging in, and the preparation for bugging out is much more difficult.
Therefore, take a look through the reasons for bugging in, before we take a look through what preparations you need.
If you think about it, except for the times that you leave your home for work, school, going to the shops, etc. you are already ready for bugging in. You could last in your home for anywhere between a few days and a month without leaving it and without any preparation, providing that you have the amenities that you need. Those things are:
So, let’s have a look through the reasons in a little more detail.
Of course, shelter is one of the most crucial components for survival in general. However, it is not just a shelter that you are gaining by staying bugging in. Your home offers various other advantages too:
You likely know, or at least have some day to day contact with the people who live by you. Therefore, in the event of bugging in, you will know who is a stranger and who is a local. Some of the advantages of staying in your community are listed below:
Of course, if you were to bug out, then it is likely that you will be going somewhere that is more unfamiliar to you than your home area or town. You have probably spent a few years at least in the local area, and this gives you an advantage.
I have already mentioned some things about supplies when bugging in. Such as the availability of them, the knowledge of where they are, etc. However, there are still advantages that relate to supplies when bugging in:
It may seem super obvious, but as you are in your own house, you have an address that is known to you, your family, your friends, and the emergency services. Having that address is something that you do not have if you are out on your own in a tent. And unless you have a GPS with you, you may not have any way of telling anyone else where you are. If you are in your house, and you can manage to get some help, then it will be much quicker to arrive.
Now that I have told you about the reasons for bugging in, we will go through the plans that you should be considering. Whether or not you take all of these points on board is entirely up to you. However, we think that most, if not all of them, would be very advantageous. I have already given you a list of points that we are going to discuss here so I will get straight into it:
Your absolute priority should be to decide who you are planning to bug in. If you are bugging in on your own, then you are going to have an easier time planning. However, if you have a family, children, or older relatives that you are going to be helping, then it will be more challenging. You will also have to plan for the extended family that may not be preppers themselves. Do not forget about your pets or any of your families pets, as I imagine they won’t want to leave them behind.
After you have worked out how many people there are going to be, and who they are, it is a good idea to work out what their abilities are. What may be a good idea is to make a list of people who you are going to be having with you at a time of need. Then you will be able to use that list to write down their strengths and weaknesses. It is not only physical ability that you are looking for here, though, but you may also find it helps to know their mental capacity too. For example; you may have someone in your family that is extremely good at problem-solving but not very good with manual labor.
Knowing these strengths and weaknesses will give you a significant advantage as soon as it is needed. For another example, I am quite good with my hands, I can make things, I can improvise, but I am not very good at planning large scale food supplies, but my wife is. Therefore, when the time comes, it is her job to organize the food and water, and it is my job to make and repair things that are needed.
Food may be second only to the knowing who you are planning for in a situation like this. It is going to keep you alive for the time that you need it to, but only if you plan it right. Not only will it be required to keep you alive, but it will also be what will keep you healthy. You probably wouldn’t eat only frozen fries every day of the week for every meal in a normal situation as it would not give you the nutrients that you need. Therefore, it is a lot more imperative not to eat that way when it is your survival on the line.
You will have some of your regular food left. However, throw all of your eating habits out of the window after that has gone. Unless, of course, you usually eat the food that I am about to talk about here. Secondly, you need to know what your body needs to survive. There are five nutrient groups that you need to survive and be healthy, and let’s face it, when catastrophe strikes, the last thing you want to be is unhealthy.
So, as I have just said, there are five nutrient groups that you need to stay as healthy as possible. Before we go into the actual foods that you could use, I will go through the groups in a little detail. They are:
The body typically needs 2000-2500 calories of a mixture of the above nutrients. I will exclude water and vitamins, as they have no real caloric value. However, there is no “exact requirement” for the ratio of those nutrients, but it is a good starting point to aim for about 50/40/10 carbs, protein, fat percentages. Please bear in mind that this is not a bodybuilding website. It is for survival. And, if you disagree with my thoughts, that is fine. I am just trying to give you some benchmarks.
If you base that ratio on a 2500 calorie a day diet, it means you will need about the following each day:
A battery kitchen scale can help you make sure that you do not use more food than is needed. Cooking combined meals will be easier than individual meals. However, weigh out food per person, before and after cooking. It will not take long for you to get to grips with how much food you need to prepare.
Water is the single most needed thing on this whole article. The body can survive in a lot of situations, and a lot of deprivation. However, if you have no water, you will not live for long. When your home water supplies run out, then you need a backup. Some of the ways that you can collect water are:
One thing that you will need to think about though is to have the ability to clean at least the maximum amount of water that you can store. So, if you can save 100 gallons, then ensure that you can purify at least that much water, and preferably more. The reason that you want to be able to clean more is that you will not stop collecting the rainwater once you start to need it.
Brown rice is the obvious choice for storing your carbohydrates. You can save it for up to five years in its original, air-tight packaging, it packs quite tight, and it is very filling. However, there are some other long-life carbohydrates that you can utilize:
The majority of these, if store-bought, will have a pretty long shelf life, and small packaging. Both of those lend themselves beautifully to storing in case of an emergency.
When you are planning your protein stores for bugging in, it may seem a little daunting. Fresh meat is the best option that you have, but for that, you need to have chickens or other farm animals that you can eat. Chickens are great because they lay eggs, and you can cook them if you get desperate. However, bear in mind that if you have animals, you need to feed them too. So, chickens would be the first to be used for eating. Some other animals that you can keep for such a time are:
They will both eat the grass that you have in the yard. Therefore, you will not need to feed them food that you could otherwise use for you and your bug in group. However, do not hesitate to use them as food when it is necessary.
There are various other things that you can acquire to provide you with protein, but remember that you need to have long term storage plans for them. Frozen meat will be no good when the power goes out. That said, here are some other things that you can use:
All of the things above are great for protein storage. One thing that you will need to take into consideration, though is that the powders will require water mixed with it before use. Therefore, you must ensure that you have a sufficient enough water stock to accommodate the use of them.
Fat is another thing that you may think that it will be difficult to store for bugging in. However, there are still some great things that you can use to keep in your storage:
The other great thing about fats, except for their long shelf life, is that you only really need ten percent of your caloric stock to be made up of them. That ten percent of calories will also take up less space than the same percentage of any of the other foods because it has a higher calorie count per gram.
Although there are many vitamins in all of the food that I have mentioned so far, it is still a good idea to keep a stock of high-quality vitamin supplements. As I said earlier, remember to invest in some high-quality ones, as the cheaper products are usually synthetic productions of them. They are just not going to be as good as the good ones.
Not only should you be thinking of vitamins, but you also need minerals. Again, a good quality electrolyte powder would be a great addition to the stock cupboard. They will help alleviate cramps, and also replenish salts, etc. should any of you fall poorly.
Although I have now listed all of the things that may be necessary, there are still some other items of food that you may find that you need. Depending on who you have with you, and what you require, the following may be advantageous to store too. They all have long shelf lives, and are quite calorie-dense:
Remember to try and get some food that people like. Tinned fruit, custard, or puddings may not have a significant impact on health or survival, but they will undoubtedly help with morale when you have all been eating the same food for weeks.
Other food items that would help if you have the ability is to grow your vegetables. Not only will they give you extra vitamins, minerals, and nutrition, but it will be a very nice feeling to eat fresh food when you have only eaten pre-packed food for any length of time.
As with the livestock, however, you will need to water the crops. That means that you need to weigh up your options; do you have enough water to last and water the plants, or will you run out of drinking water before you can eat them?
One last note is that you can buy MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). Although, I would leave these until the last resort as they take up such a small amount of room. They will be useful to take with you if you ever need to bug out.
First aid is a skill that you should learn no matter if you are planning on bugging in or not. Having a family first aid kit in your home should be a necessity no matter what situations you think you may face. However, if you need to bug in, then I would highly suggest that you have a more comprehensive, separate kit that you keep with your other stocks.
There are a couple of considerations that you must think about while considering your first aid options for bugging in.
One other thing that you may want to consider is having any existing conditions written down on the same sheet that I was talking about earlier on in the article; Who You Are Planning For. If you want to see how to make a first aid kit, read this article.
In a normal situation, you can get rid of your waste by putting it in the bin and putting it out for collection. However, when you are in a position that requires bugging in, then you are highly unlikely to have waste disposal companies coming to do collections. Therefore, you will need to have plans for the waste that you are going to produce.
Remember to keep your living area as clean as possible. In a time of bugging in, you are much more prone to disease, and there will be little or no help.
For toilets when you are bugging in, you do have a few options. However, you will need to consider that you will not have running water.
To wrap it up, if you are taking bugging in seriously, then a portable commode would be the best option. Just remember to have a good supply of the bags.
Sanitation is not just about the toilet, though. You will need to think about washing yourself too. Here is a list of some personal cleaning supplies that you may want to think of:
Keeping clean is still a must. The great thing about using solar showers and soap is that if you ever need to bug out, you can take them with you.
Honestly, there are not a lot of options for electricity in situations that you are bugging in. If you have a generator, then you can use that, but I would use it sparingly and in cases that you could not go without it. For example, life-threatening situations where you may need extra light or to quickly charge a defibrillator. Generators will attract attention that you may not want. When people know you have them, they will want to use them too, and they use a lot of fuel.
You can buy small inverters that provide mains power outlets from vehicle batteries. They can even double up as a battery charger too. That means that you can charge the battery bank when you can do so, and use the inverter to provide power when you can not run the generator.
Solar panels are your other option. They come in various sizes and power outputs. Therefore, you can buy what you can, and use them to charge the battery bank or provide your house with some power. But as I have said, you need to be careful about what you use and when. Having your living room lights on in the middle of the night when no one else does, will raise suspicions and questions that you may not want.
I think that having solar panels to charge a bank of car batteries connected to an inverter will provide you with an indispensable way of charging other batteries for phones and lights, etc.
Heat is another necessity for survival. There are a few ways in which you can produce heat:
Remember to have your spaces well ventilated to avoid a carbon monoxide build-up. It may be wise to have a battery-operated detector in the room that you have the fire so that you can be sure the levels are not getting too high.
Starting fires can be a challenge, so be sure to check out our fire piston article too.
Main house lights are difficult to run in power outages. If you have solar panels on your roof, you will still only have power in the day unless you have a way to store the electricity. However, as I said earlier, charging batteries can help in many ways:
Keeping communications with your party and the outside world is vital. Most people these days have cell phones, and if you have the inverters that we have been talking about, you will have the ability to charge it. You can also buy portable solar phone chargers that would help you quite a lot. You may not have any way of using the phone though if the reception has been knocked out. But you should keep an eye on it so that you know when it comes back on.
Other ways of communication are:
Security is a massively important factor that you need to consider when bugging in. If you are known to be a prepper, then you will be an immediate target when supplies of others run low. Your home is not a fortress, but it may need to be a lot nearer to being one should disaster go on for a long time. Here are some tips:
Some people have firearms licenses, and if you do, then ensure that you, and only you will be able to get to them if you need them.
Tools are certainly needed when you are bugging in. There are only a few that you may NEED, but the more tools that you have the better prepared you will be. Having a tool kit of the often-used household tools will give you the ability to make repairs should you need to.
Other tools that you will want are as follows:
As I have said, make sure that you have bugging in tools kept away from your usual tools. That makes it easier to find when the time arrives, and it also means that you will have a new one when it counts the most.
Comforts are not something that you would usually think about in these situations. But you need to consider that people will get bored and fed up very quickly. Chocolate, candy, cigarettes, etc. will give you some comfort in what is likely to be the worst time of your life. Fizzy, sugary soda will also make you feel better while giving you energy.
Comforts are very personal, and you should try to accommodate everyone who you are with at the time. Add this to the list of people and their attributes. Perhaps allow them to have one or two types of items that they like. Just be sure to get them to choose something that has a long shelf life.
There will be times when you realize that you do not have everything that you want or need. It is times like this that you may want to offer someone an exchange. Having a specific stockpile of things that are for exchange will give you an upper hand when it comes to it. Perhaps think about some things that you may not want that others will. Like cigarettes, alcohol, etc. Or have extras of your supplies like first aid kits.
One point to note, however, is that you will need to separate the two stocks, and not use the exchange stock unless you REALLY need to.
Entertainment is something that you do not think about either, but you really should. You will spend a lot of time in one room of your house, with nothing to do other than look out of your window. That can be very difficult, especially if you have children. Boardgames, playing cards, magazines, books, toys, etc. will all help the time go a little easier.
Reading material is in the entertainment section here; however, it is not just comics and storybooks that you need. Make sure that you have a sound library of prepper books and information on hand. Some book topics that you may want to think about are:
Do not forget that you are unlikely to have access to the internet. Therefore, this is one step that should not be missed out. Print anything that you find remotely useful, highlight it, mark it, and save it for future reference.
No one wants to have to start bugging in. It means that something has gone horribly wrong. However, the more prepared you are for this situation, the easier it will be.
There are many reasons that you may want to bug in, but to be honest, it is a little bit irrelevant as to the cause. The basic idea is to be able to live, self-sustained, in your home for extended periods, maybe up to months at a time. Keeping your stockpile stocked and inventoried will help you to avoid falling short at the time of yours and your family’s need.
All said and done; you may encounter a time where there is no possible way of bugging in. In that case, you will have to bug out. We will write an article about that soon, so keep an eye out on our homepage.
Have we forgotten anything? Let us know what you think in the comments.
You may also want to check these:
How I Got My Own Backyard Fortress For Under $400
Learn To Identify this Tree – All its parts are edible!
The Long-Lasting Food That Amish Pioneers Turned To In Dark Times
Learn how to Safeguard your Home against Looters
Thanks Bob,
Lots of work and time went into this and I do appreciate it very much. Hope this finds you and your family all doing well. Take care and watch your six.
Michael
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