Safe & Legal Mock Urban Bugout?

[Vodage]

Rain gear - Agreed. Poncho is definitely worth its weight and size.

Food - I'll have to check out those Mainstay rations. So far I've tried Mayday which I understand are very similar.

Water - The 5 Liter canteen sounds good. About seeking dependable sources - how do I know what's dependable and what isn't? The main disaster risk in my area is earthquake, which I know can do some serious damage to gas and water pipes.
Without knowing anything about urban water systems(I've played SimCity, that's about it), what signs of dependability do I look for?
I know you need more pressure to send water to higher altitude, so do I just go towards sea level?
Is the most likely working water source going to be those little showers at the beach the surfers use to wash the sand off their legs?

[KnightoftheRoc]

I see you are listed as being in San Francisco, which is pretty hilly, and slopes to the Pacific Ocean. I'm in the Hudson River Valley of NY State, so the terrain is similar enough for this topic. Mine has the Catskill Mountains and their foothills, and the land slopes to the Hudson River.

When I say "reliable water source", I'm thinking along the lines of it being there next time I go to it. The quality of ANY water that is exposed to the air is ALWAYS going to be suspect. TSH-ing TF does not need to have happened in order for an airborne contaminant to screw it up on you. So, "reliable", in this case, means you can find water there today, and again tomorrow, just like yesterday. Assume as a given that the water will need to be treated- filtered, purified, distilled- whatever system you feel is needed (though a portable distillery seems a bit much, to me)

In the foothills of the Catskills, pretty much just outside my door, we have natural springs all over the place, as well as ponds, lakes, streams, creeks, and a few rivers. Water here is never farther than a walk downhill, it's only a matter of distance and effort. If you die of thirst around here, you're just not trying. That, of course, is outside the city- inside the city limits, you need to look for other signs. Walking downhill still works, as gravity remains a constant. I'm sure that you have some little streams running through town yet- they can't have built over ALL of them. Out in the woods, gravity pushes the weight of the earth itself against groundwater- this can force it to places you wouldn't expect, even way up into the hills, and is how springs come into being. The city plumbing is another story.

What sits in the pipes, even after the pumps stop, remains under the influence of gravity. Set up at a low point in the overall system, and you can draw water from the system for quite a while. Gravity will deliver it to your faucet for you. If there's an opening somewhere in the system, above the water level, air can enter, allowing a better flow, but it's not required. Where I live, the water comes from mountain reservoirs, yet down near the river, houses have to have a pressure regulator installed, or the combination of city pressure (48psi average) and the static head pressure, pushes the pressure to twice that! For comparison, a regular off-the-shelf sink faucet is only rated to 50-60psi, and will leak if subjected to more. When you pay for the water, a leak like that can get expensive fast.

When water sits, static, in a piping system for a long time, it can start to erode the piping itself- this creates some really nasty tasting water. Water is constantly doing this anyway, but usually spends so little time in the system, the effects are not noticeable. how the city treats the water factors in, too- mine is slightly acidic, so it actually eats the copper pipes over time- kept me in business as a plumber quite a bit.

So, in town, seek a low point in the city for a longer term water supply. Think of it along the same terms as drawing water from your water heater tank, at the drain- you're just using the entire city system as a great big heater tank. Someone, somewhere, in an apartment well above street level, is bound to open a faucet, get no water, and leave it open- this will let air into the system, so you can expect a decent flow rate. Just keep in mind that this source is finite, and you won't be the only one drawing from it. Use it for what it's worth, but use the time it buys you to secure other sources as well.

And purify EVERYTHING.

[oifjunkie]

im an american soldier. im from america i live in australia. recntly was in new zealand. there were a few things about my staysin nz that went awry. well i went nasty and lived in the land. i didnt have to stay or live in the bush or the street but im very frugal and thought why not. i love the bush and i dig saving money. so i went homeless. it aint hard to do a mock bug out. i had a pack loaded with basic kit. very basic. i was planning to have all the gear i neaded. so i had clothes computer and the very very minimal basics. i had the land at my fingers and resources avilable. fresh water sources and bush tucker. when i ''bugged out'' i had a few cans of tuna some noodles and a couple litres of water. i need to mention this was a place ive never been before. so i had a ''map'' a bus route i got from a bus depot loacl trans hub.

so with not knowing the area and not wanting to bunk in a backpackers i stayed in the scrub. i had a place i was staying then bugged out. i had a great distance to travel. there were multiple route option available i took the way of least obstruction cause i was not under any stress or risk of comprimise. when i arrived in wellington(where my flight was leaving) so i go and i found a place. couple places. when i first arrived i had to wait for a bus. was an 8 hour wait. so i found a place to sleep rather than pay 180 dollars for a room. it was bushes in a law firms parking lot. kind of bad cause there were signs that someone had lived there before. but i found a place for two nights. then moved on to greener pastures. i found a base on a street somewhat elevated. i witnessed a car crash daily comings and goins.

where to get water where to find a feed. its too easy. if you got the time if you can bare leaving your comfort zone for a secong then ''bug out'' i washed in a natural water source and drank from form the same. food....well bush tucker folks. its really easy. take it from a yank doing it in damn nz. well it was too easy. but like i said this was not under duress no one was trying to kill me folks were not kiling for food and water. it was day come and day go. but it was easy. it was find a hide, i made a shelter lived observed and went on. too easy.

oh and to mention nz is not like the u s. there is not a one stop shop on every corner and city to city suburb to suburd is somewhat stretched.

so my kit was

3 days of chow(didnt use but two)
5 days change of clothes(way more than i needed)
netbook
2 pairs of boots
1 pair runners
bible
notebook
knife
ifak
hygine
spec ops t.h.e. pack


just bug.
other non essential didnt need gear. i planned for a trip and worked with the land.

[roOism]

Thanks for the post and welcome to ZS oifjunkie! Feel free to stop by the introduction section and give a formal hello!

[urban-survivalist]

Been away for a few weeks, but glad to see the updates. I'm trying to get some ideas together for my next go at it. Murphys? Only night time travel? Get dropped in a new city? Have a couple friends each take one thing out of my BOB before I walk out the door? Destination oriented? Some kind of combo? Really like the BOL goal. I actually moved from San Diego to UT recently too, so I need to find somewhere up here...

Suggestions?

Not sure, but it's been a few months and I'm getting restless.

@Vodage-Looking forward to hearing about your MBO and aha moments. FYI, I was just toying around with the distilling thing. Found a pretty cool way to distil water using only a coke bottle and some plastic tubing (if interested, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrHiY0KvoLg). Like Knight said, a full on distillery is way too much for a BOB...
@Knight-Cool simulation. Glad the knee wasn't seriously jacked. Any thoughts on doing another one?

[KnightoftheRoc]

I'd like to, I just haven't figured out a time frame- I work nights, including the weekends, so it's tough to just go do anything. I've been doing small day, 1/2 day hikes around the area. Found myself new sources for water at the house, if needed, within carry distance. Relatively clean, so filtration and boiling should handle it. I still have the goals of gathering and treating water, and a night outdoors with the new bag contents to do, so maybe I'll go easy on the knee, and do it close to home. If I do, I'll post it up here.

[Korlon Brood]

Ive read this entire thread and I have to say. This has inspired me to do an Urban bug out. I've started looking around my town and planning an Urban bug out situation. Maybe have someone drop me off a few towns over and try to make it back to the coast where I live. is there any certain mile length that I should go to?

[urban-survivalist]

Nice. I'm excited to see what you come up with.

I think a big part of the fun is coming up with the plan on your own (as well as things you are purposely not going to plan ahead, or leave to chance).

Having said that though, my advice would be to consider what is real to your situation. Do you currently have a BOL outside of town that you and your loved ones will head to? If so, how far is that? How many days of urban/surburban travel would it take to get there? Will you have to cross fields? water (like Knight did)? avoid certain spots?

If you don't, is there a particular direction is the best to head towards or away from? (In san diego,we get fires almost every fall that burn west ward from the hills in the east, etc). Push yourself to do some uncomfortable stuff-good for the soul, and makes the best stories.

Cheers.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Ive read this entire thread and I have to say. This has inspired me to do an Urban bug out. I've started looking around my town and planning an Urban bug out situation. Maybe have someone drop me off a few towns over and try to make it back to the coast where I live. is there any certain mile length that I should go to?

Since most of us have to fit these sorts of things into a work schedule, or at least a weekend, try to factor your time as well as distance. Being able to walk 10 miles a day through the trails and brush is pushing rather hard for most people, but doing the same 10 miles on paved roads is much, much easier. Still, 10 miles is 10 miles, and even on my MUBO, I injured a knee on paved roads. So- have a backup or extraction plan in place. Consider how far you CAN get in a day, realistically- this means actually do-able in the real world, even if it's beyond your comfort range. If you can comfortably handle 8 miles, try to do 9 or 10- you don't have to push for a heart attack, but your limits will only expand at the rate you push them- zero effort in, zero benefits out.
As to locations; again, be realistic. As urban-survivalist pointed out, do you have a BOL in mind, and already prepped? Mine was an "Escape from NY" type of exercise as much as anything else, and involved a decent amount of sidewalk travel. Cutting cross country when and where I did, and how I did, was in response to spur of the moment changes in my environment- and was why I had a few alternate routes in mind before making the trip- I wound up using quite a few of them.
If you only have a weekend to try this (and I suggest starting out with something short and quick), try to stay within 10 miles, even if it's all city sidewalks. That sort of distance can eat up a good sized portion of your day, and you'll need to save some daylight to make your camp by, set up a perimeter, gather supplies, etc.
There's no minimum requirement to this, either, so don't get roped into thinking that 10 miles is some magical number. That just happens to be an average distance compiled by someone (who may have never left an office for all I know) reflecting hikers' progress- and again, this would be a bunch of different ability levels, gear selections, and terrain obstacles (not to mention weather), so I'm sure individual results varied wildly from person to person.

[Danger]

Some good stuff here but what strikes me is the lack of a destination. There are only 2 reasons to ever ever ever bug out:
1. You have a better place to go, it is already stocked and you own it or they are expecting you
or
2. Your current location is completely uninhabitable (example: radiation, fire)

So The first thing you might want to ask yourself before doing a mock bugout is where are you going? It sounds like a lot of folks just want to go practice wandering around the city and trying to survive/not get noticed.

I have the phone numbers already programmed into my phone for several hotels at varying distances between me and my dad's house which is my ultimate location if I absolutely have to bug out. In 99% of the disaster scenarios my money will still be good and I should be able to drive, if I can't drive I'll walk or ride a bike and my money will still be good so I can stay in hotels along the 300 mile trek. I have several friends that live about 20 miles west of me so depending on the size of the disaster I could always just bug out there to get away from a localized event.

Definitely a good idea to have some paper maps with at least 3 routes in each of the cardinal directions to get away from where you are and desinations in each direction, you could practice getting to those.

As some have said in the real deal you would probably want to travel at night and sleep by day if things are really bad.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Some good stuff here but what strikes me is the lack of a destination. There are only 2 reasons to ever ever ever bug out:
1. You have a better place to go, it is already stocked and you own it or they are expecting you
or
2. Your current location is completely uninhabitable (example: radiation, fire)

So The first thing you might want to ask yourself before doing a mock bugout is where are you going? It sounds like a lot of folks just want to go practice wandering around the city and trying to survive/not get noticed.

I have the phone numbers already programmed into my phone for several hotels at varying distances between me and my dad's house which is my ultimate location if I absolutely have to bug out. In 99% of the disaster scenarios my money will still be good and I should be able to drive, if I can't drive I'll walk or ride a bike and my money will still be good so I can stay in hotels along the 300 mile trek. I have several friends that live about 20 miles west of me so depending on the size of the disaster I could always just bug out there to get away from a localized event.

Definitely a good idea to have some paper maps with at least 3 routes in each of the cardinal directions to get away from where you are and desinations in each direction, you could practice getting to those.

As some have said in the real deal you would probably want to travel at night and sleep by day if things are really bad.

It may seem that way, but much of the reason for that, and I'm basing this on MY take of what I've been reading on this forum, is real-life scheduling issues, or other factors that negate an ability to truly emulate a real SHTF scenario. My own MBO over the summer involved a scenario made up for me by a friend, who randomly started my bug-out with a phone call. I had the entire week for vacation, but no idea when he would start this. Or what the basis of the scenario would turn out to be. This seemed to me to be a fun way of keeping it realistic (by creating a challenge and a goal) instead of him calling up and saying "Hey, hike out to my place!".

Some of us are still working on establishing a BOL, and until we have one, it makes it tough to say "go here" when you don't have a "here" yet. In the meantime, we make do with what we got- and getting out there and just hiking in circles is still better than sitting home and doing nothing. Even 'wandering the city, hoping to not be noticed' is practice in skills that could come in handy later on, and is still good exercise, if nothing else. Again, it beats sitting home doing nothing.

So, my opinion is, if your entire training for a bug out consists of following the motto of "When in danger, when in doubt- run in circles, scream, and shout." , then you can at least get some exercise, if nothing else productive out of it. Obviously, a plan that's somewhat better than that motto would be desirable, but we all gotta start somewhere- just don't make it Walmart!

[EODguy]

Kinght:

Good words and food for thought! I guess getting folks to start thinking about bugging out and the where, what, how is a start. I hope more like minded folks start thinking, making plans and preparing will increase the likelihood for better chlorine in the gene pool should SHTF! Urbanites will be the most and quickest effected group. Nine meals from anarchy, no resupply, increase hostilities from locals, and dynamic changes in interpersonal relations will equate to chaos if the system goes down or a pandemic incident occurs.

As a professional trigger puller I ask my self one thing: If I knew today that I would be fighting for my life tomorrow, would it change the way I train today? Same thing applies for personal safety, security, food storage, BOB's, BOL's, etc. Have a plan and evaluate and adjust as needed.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Just a reminder, in case anyone's missed it- we have an AUTUMN MBO contest going, where the focus is on bushcraft, and taking 10 items to do it with. Entry thread with the rules is here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=84228

I'm using this contest as my shot at redemption for the aborted Summer MBO exercise I had. Sticking close to home, I can avoid, hopefully, the knee having problems, and still accomplish the remaining goals I set for the SMBO.

[urban-survivalist]

Good reminder Knight.

I should get off my butt and do another one. I went out last week with a buddy up in the mountains of Idaho, but it really ended up being nothing more than glorified camping. Too many supplies, too much food, and too much driving.

A good MBO is a little uncomfortable, but good for the soul.

[EODguy]

I’m planning a three-day, two-night urban bug for Atlanta the weekend of December 2 - 4. Should be fun. My focus will be to test some new BOB gear, make several HAM contacts each night QRP with an 817, and find three secure and accessible secure hide locations. I have one picked out now (A telephone service room exterior on an abounded building) The other two I will have to find on my own. I also plan to dumpster dive for one day. I will take my three day rations, but looking for more food choices. Temp’s are running 60+ during the day and low 30’s at night. No sleeping bag, a gortex cover and a poncho liner. Will see how that works.

I have to keep moving, 10 miles per day minimum. I will start at the airport, ride the subway to 5 Points, and then I’m on foot. Sunday I need to be near Buford Highway at 285 for pre-arranged pick up.

Pluses: I know the area, I have contingencies, I control the BUG. No stress, not a E&E exercise, no one will be looking for me. No language issues or cultural issues to contend with.
Minuses: Temp’s, foraging on the move, unable to “work” or “Farm” an area to develop or exploit resources or develop a sense of “pace” for the areas traveled through.

I have some new modified remote driveway sensors to test for security in my hides; I hate when people walk up or “stumble” in to your bevy. I’m not a writer but I will share my lessons learned.

[urban-survivalist]

This sounds great. I look forward to the write up. Style points for the no sleeping bag. Interested to hear how your improv "security system" works. Any photos or video chronicling on this one? Always cool to see the journey...

[woodwose]

The Thumbs Up series is a pretty good video tutorial on Urban bugout, no-money travel, and general dose-of-reality. Viewer discretion advised as they say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqhLVUnCKOY

Also on netflix.

'wose

[bumblingbear]

I too am inspired to do an urban bug out after reading this thread.

That said, it confuses me why so many people who are in an urban area and are planning to do an urban bug out aren't doing so on a bike.

10 miles on foot is a LOT different than 10 miles on a bike.

[rsnurkle]

I too am inspired to do an urban bug out after reading this thread.

That said, it confuses me why so many people who are in an urban area and are planning to do an urban bug out aren't doing so on a bike.

10 miles on foot is a LOT different than 10 miles on a bike.

Probably because walking is the most basic form of travel when everything else isn't working quite right. For me, thinking up a mock bug out, walking is very easy to practice, healthy for me to work on, and also a targeted preparation in the sense that I'm guaranteed to do some of it if something ever does go wrong. That said, I'd love to add bike mobility to my plans, but for an urban bugout via wheels, I need to learn urban biking/road traffic skills, which I currently do not have, as well as tailor my gear so it will play nice for biking.

So, you're right, more people should look into bicycles for their actual plans--but it definitely requires some thinking ahead and skillset acquisition that people may not yet have, and that's probably why you see on-foot plans being discussed most commonly.

[bumblingbear]

I too am inspired to do an urban bug out after reading this thread.

That said, it confuses me why so many people who are in an urban area and are planning to do an urban bug out aren't doing so on a bike.

10 miles on foot is a LOT different than 10 miles on a bike.

Probably because walking is the most basic form of travel when everything else isn't working quite right. For me, thinking up a mock bug out, walking is very easy to practice, healthy for me to work on, and also a targeted preparation in the sense that I'm guaranteed to do some of it if something ever does go wrong. That said, I'd love to add bike mobility to my plans, but for an urban bugout via wheels, I need to learn urban biking/road traffic skills, which I currently do not have, as well as tailor my gear so it will play nice for biking.

So, you're right, more people should look into bicycles for their actual plans--but it definitely requires some thinking ahead and skillset acquisition that people may not yet have, and that's probably why you see on-foot plans being discussed most commonly.

Good answer.

[KnightoftheRoc]

I too am inspired to do an urban bug out after reading this thread.

That said, it confuses me why so many people who are in an urban area and are planning to do an urban bug out aren't doing so on a bike.

10 miles on foot is a LOT different than 10 miles on a bike.

Probably because walking is the most basic form of travel when everything else isn't working quite right. For me, thinking up a mock bug out, walking is very easy to practice, healthy for me to work on, and also a targeted preparation in the sense that I'm guaranteed to do some of it if something ever does go wrong. That said, I'd love to add bike mobility to my plans, but for an urban bugout via wheels, I need to learn urban biking/road traffic skills, which I currently do not have, as well as tailor my gear so it will play nice for biking.

So, you're right, more people should look into bicycles for their actual plans--but it definitely requires some thinking ahead and skillset acquisition that people may not yet have, and that's probably why you see on-foot plans being discussed most commonly.

Well, all that, AND, my bike sucks. Plus, if you took a peek at my own MBO thread, you can see the exercise wasn't exactly unneeded.

[bumblingbear]

I too am inspired to do an urban bug out after reading this thread.

That said, it confuses me why so many people who are in an urban area and are planning to do an urban bug out aren't doing so on a bike.

10 miles on foot is a LOT different than 10 miles on a bike.

Probably because walking is the most basic form of travel when everything else isn't working quite right. For me, thinking up a mock bug out, walking is very easy to practice, healthy for me to work on, and also a targeted preparation in the sense that I'm guaranteed to do some of it if something ever does go wrong. That said, I'd love to add bike mobility to my plans, but for an urban bugout via wheels, I need to learn urban biking/road traffic skills, which I currently do not have, as well as tailor my gear so it will play nice for biking.

So, you're right, more people should look into bicycles for their actual plans--but it definitely requires some thinking ahead and skillset acquisition that people may not yet have, and that's probably why you see on-foot plans being discussed most commonly.

Well, all that, AND, my bike sucks. Plus, if you took a peek at my own MBO thread, you can see the exercise wasn't exactly unneeded.

::Grins::

That's what an electric bike is for, my friend.

You may have to ditch it once the charge runs out, but you can get at least 25 miles the fuck out of dodge in a hurry.

[Three]

To add to the sleeping in walmart part of this thread, I would recomend covering your windows as another member stated. If you don't, you're not goin to get in trouble, but you will get bothered. I've seen and know people you have had LEO drop by for a visit to make sure it wasn't just somebody who OD'd in their car. Not a big deal if you're not doing anything wrong, but I'd rather avoid the inconveniance. Not to mention, it would probably be a good measure to get used to doing to keep yourself safe in a zombie world. The roaming dead won't see you that way, and a disgruntled survivor isn't going to get a clean pot shot on you while your catching your Z's. I'd rather a half second to react then no time at all, especially in a world of chaos. If someone gets you while your sleeping its over, but if someone just takes out a window to see whats inside, atleast you have a chance to try to react.

[LittleQuick]

In my senior year of high school I was actually homeless for a good couple of months.
Being in school, you can imagine how much excess gear I had.

What I had done was put all the gear in the center of a tarp and folded the tarp around the gear.

Made some straps out of rope, bungee, and tape.

Boom, made my own backpack out of my shelter.

The problem with this method is if you needed something quick, it's hard to pull it out of the tarp. You have to kind of rig it yourself to the pack. And if you don't know what you're doing it'll take forever to get the pack tight.

Kept my canteen clipped to the straps at all times, and kept a camel back bladder in the sack.

Breakfast and lunch I depended on school to eat. But dinner and weekends I have my set snares , and homemade fishing pole. Grilled it all at public parks, everything went fine.

You'd be surprised how many people feel the urge to go walking at night though! Had a lot of uncomfortable sightings of people peeing or making out in eye sight my camp.


I never had fires at night. Parks in MN close on sundown, and open at sunrise.

The method I used is okay, but if you're in a pinch or out of something you're kind of fucked in a real situation. Luckily I could just walk, over to a gas station if I was in need of lighters or something.