General prepper lore suggests a bugout location around
200 miles from a major city.
If you vehicle is operational:
Do you have enough fuel stored and ready to be safely
transported to make the trip even if you must make a
significant detour?
For those items you would intend to take with you, are
they already in prioritized containers and do you know
how to efficiently load them in your vehicle? These
should be limited to items either critical to be kept at
home, yet also critical for the long term at a bugout
location, or critical to travel to the retreat. A key aspect
of a known retreat location is pre-staging essentials
there, for the potential that you might arrive on foot
with only the clothes on your back.
During normal times visits to the retreat, vary your
routes, and evaluate them for resources and potential
threats, both from a vehicle travel and walking
viewpoint. The route which is appropriate for high
speed vehicle travel is not necessarily the best route
when on foot.
Whether or not you start your bugout that way, there is
a good chance you will end it walking. Great walking
shoes that are already broken in would be a huge
advantage, perhaps sturdy boots such as are the choice
of much of the military.
There are multiple events which could preclude the use
of most cars or trucks. The decision whether to bugout
on foot is significantly different than when using a
vehicle.
STAY OR GO:
Weigh the risks & challenges of remaining at home, vs
setting out on foot. In a car, changing your mind,
backtracking or shifting routes is much less of a burden
then when on foot. Have maps & be sure of your turns.
Know your potential routes, and what to expect to
encounter on the journey in the way of resources and
threats, which can be expected to vary over time.
On route there may be prepper groups, or militia.
Businesses closed, or looted. Communities may decide
to block entry. Individuals or gangs may become
highwaymen robbers, or worse. An individual or single
family may be "easy pickings".
Either way, insufficient planning & material preparation
may lead to disaster. Your “gut-feeling”, or the fight /
flight response may cloud your rational evaluation.
William Wilson Naismith, a 19th century Scottish
mountaineer came up with time/distance rules useful to
decide whether it is quicker to go around high ground
or over it, assuming you’re reasonably fit and not facing
extreme weather, terrain or obstacles.
Every three miles of horizontal distance you cover will
take you one hour.
Every 2,000 feet you ascend will take you one hour.
These are cumulative times, so if you cover six miles
horizontally and go over two 1,000-foot hills on the
way, it will take you three hours.
Wind and rain will slow you, and of course walking on
loose rock or sand is a lot slower and more dangerous
than crossing firm ground. Don’t think you can walk
sunrise to sunset. There are rest breaks, meals, set
up/take down campsite.
Plan now for the gear you believe you will need, and
that you can carry.
How will you get necessary water & food?
If you are limited to walking, much more cargo can be
loaded onto a bicycle that a person could carry,
especially if the bicycle is just being walked. A game
cart with waist strap would probably be easier to
maneuver, and carry more yet.
A firearm might aid in security, for as long as the
ammunition (which is heavy) lasts. It's a balance, if
traveling alone or just with your family, you don't want
to look too helpless, nor do you want to appear to be a
"juicy target". If you do not have an actual firearm,
there are certainly toy / airsoft "weapons" that appear
quite real but weigh little.
Currency may be worthless or critical on a bugout
route, the same with (heavy) barter items or precious
metals.
Even if hauling the bulk of your items on a game cart
(or a lawn mower as an improvised cart) keep key items
in a modest backpack that you wear constantly, you
may need to abandon your cart..
Water is critical yet heavy. Spend a day walking and
performing physical labor, and keep track of your water
consumption. Even with a game cart, you're not going
to carry a 20 day supply. Water may be the greatest
challenge in a bugout trip. If you know your bugout
route, predetermine water resupply locations which are
NOT dependent on grid operation, and are no more than
a days walk from each other
A compact, lightweight, high calorie food source, which
is certified to not increase thirst, would be "lifeboat"
rations.