Neglecting To Do This In An Emergency Could Put Your Life In Jeopardy
Survivalists have to deal with an array of challenges at all times.
This is particularly true while away from the comforts of home.
And neglecting to do one thing in an emergency could put your life in jeopardy.
Most survivalists consider the decision of whether or not to hunker down or bug out.
It’s one of the most critical decisions you could make.
Staying or going at the wrong time could put your life at risk.
However, when opting to bug out, one thing that often gets neglected is distance, rate, and the time it takes to effectively bug out.
When planning on getting to your bug-out location, it’s essential to know the distance, rate, and time at which you can travel.
For example, you might know the mileage to your bug-out location, but you also need to know how long it actually takes from different routes.
If you’re traveling by foot, particularly in the wilderness where the terrain might be rough, you need to know how many miles you can travel in an allotted time while carrying a full bug-out bag.
It’s easy to pack as much gear as possible when preparing, but it’s another to actually carry it.
And if you’re in adverse conditions such as inclement weather, it’s going to take even longer.
Depending on how much you can handle, it might be a good idea to lean-out your bug-out bag so you can travel quickly and freely.
You’ll want to have the essentials, but perhaps some of the niche items can be stored at your bug-out location.
A proper bug-out bag isn’t going to be breezy like a backpack—you should be prepared to camp out with your gear—but you shouldn’t be dragging several bags as if you were traveling by mule.
People who walk, run, or even hike a lot may overestimate their ability to bug out on foot.
They might assume that their morning run is analogous to bugging out, but that doesn’t take into account carrying a bug-out bag, traversing difficult terrain, and needing to conserve energy.
A 19th-century mountaineer named William Wilson Naismith came up with a handy rule of thumb for traveling distances with gear.
Assuming a person is reasonably fit, three miles of horizontal distance will take one hour, and every 2,000 feet you ascend will also take one hour.
The best way to calculate how long it would take to bug out is to practice.
Do a test run to see how you would make it to a potential bug out location by using your survival skills.
You’ll likely encounter pitfalls that you perhaps didn’t imagine in the planning stage, such as how altitude might affect your stamina, or how the seasons might affect the difficulty of your journey.
A practice run with your bug-out bag will give you plenty of confidence if the real thing happens.
Don’t make the mistake of having gear and then not knowing how to properly transport it.
