Tactical walking tips for bugging in or out

Tactical walking tips for bugging in or out

BEFORE SETTING OFF

Try on your Rucksack and Jacket, Jump up and down on the spot, if your kit rattles or

bangs re-pack rucksack until its silent.

Ensure shiny items like watches, ear rings, earphones, belt buckles are covered up or

taped over.

Make sure your specs and shades are the dull, matt coloured frames, not the shiny

ones.

Do NOT take hand luggage, you must keep both hands free for climbing, roping,

using tools etc

Keep your EDC essentials on your person not in your rucksack (Knife, Compass,

Lighter, Flashlight, Multi Tool, Bandana, Hats, Gloves, Watch, Shades etc) should

you have to abandon your rucksack.

Daytime departure, take a look out the windows from well within the room moving to

the right of the room to look left down the street, and vice versa. Do not stand in the

window and silhouette yourself. Ensure as best possible departure will go unnoticed.

Nightime departure, extinguish all lights and fires before looking out of the windows,

move slowly at night as human eyes detect movement more than detail in the dark.

Ensure as best possible departure will go unnoticed.

Turn off cell phones, pagers etc before leaving.

Use simple hand signals to relay information to other family members, raised arm

means stop, raised arm and a crouching stance means stop and take cover, arm

extended to left means move towards the left, arm extended to right means move to

right. Keep the signals few in number and very simple.

READY TO GO

Turn out lights if it is dark, open door or window PARTIALLY and LISTEN for

threats.

Send out one person to scan the immediate area for concealed threats.

If area good to go rest of group to follow, silently and at least 3 to 4 ft apart (6 to 8

feet if tactical situation demands more defensive stance).

WALKING

Walk where possible in the shadows, look up for hazards in surrounding buildings,

Look down to avoid items that may make noise like twigs, gravel or broken glass.

Pause frequently to listen, you generally will identify more threats by sound than

vision, breaking glass, raised voices, gun shots, vehicle engines, running feet, barking

dogs etc

Watch what nature does, if you see a flock of birds, or a rabbit, or deer for example

suddenly take flight that tells you something has frightened it, and it may NOT have

been your party.

Look left and right SLOWLY in a steady scanning motion, Human eyes detect motion

more than shapes when its dark and you have more detector rods and cones in the

sides of your eyes than you do at the back. Scanning side to side as you walk you will

detect MOVEMENT before shape.

The last man in the group needs to keep stopping and quietly observing the rear to see

if you are being followed.

Avoid using flashlights to navigate with, rely on your own night visions, Human eyes

take 35 minutes to adapt to the dark but only seconds to lose night vision if a fool

turns on a flashlight. Not to mention the risk of advertising your position to the whole

area if you do use a flashlight.

Where possible avoid public places and spaces where cops, troops or thugs may

gather, try and stay in the shadows.

Avoid districts where scavengers may good looking for food, loot etc

When passing through hilly neighbourhoods never walk along hilltops or ridgelines,

stay under the ridgeline and don’t silhouette your self.

If faced with an obstacle such as a hedgerow or wall try always to go round or under

it, not over the top or through a gate because again you are just exposing your

position.

In the short term most highway and rail bridges are really places to avoid, both

official check points and predators WILL target them. Look for alternatives.

RESTING & EATING

No cooking fires during the day unless you can guarantee you wont create any smoke.

When cooking at night site the cooker in a hollow or hole so it does not give off light

giving away your position, Beware of the odour of cooking food also giving away

your position.

If in a group ONE PERSON COOKS, the others spread out and keep watch for

approaching scavengers, Silence is golden as you will hear them approaching long

before you see them.

You need to remember the cook will probably lose his night vision so if you have to

bug out someone will need to help him until his eyes adjust.

Ideally eat in shifts, half eating half keeping watch, pack away camp cooker etc

BEFORE eating incase you have to bug out in a hurry.

Take every scrap of rubbish with you or bury it, fill in your cooking hole / fire pit,

leave no clue to your passing through.

SLEEPING

We all need rest and the young and elderly need more rest than healthy adults, you all

must sleep when possible. Human biorhythms run in two hour cycles, so to get the

full benefit of sleep people need to be fully asleep in two hour sections. This really

means in a stressed situation after a days bugging out each member will need three

hours in his sleeping bag, and hour to wind down / distress and two hours sleep. So

whilst at least one person stands watch, the others should rest in three hour sections.

All gear must remain packed in rucksacks and boots etc kept close to hand in case you

have to make a swift and stealthy exit from your campsite.

Lots of good points there.but i didn't notice anything about not leaving footprints.when ever possible. On account 1 footprint not only shows/tells someone else that you were there.but which direction your going as well.but you must leave any amount of footprints.then try going a wrong direction,for a distance.or untill your no longer any footprint. Then and only then.return to the correct direction.

I'll add folks getting home to your bugging in & bugging out. I keep a get home bag in my truck in case I have to walk home to the farmstead. My suggestion for anyone on the go is to get going quick... before the reality sets in to the general population. I figure in most if not all cases, folks prepared that quickly grasp the nature of the crisis, will have a few days before one has to travel as suggested by the OP. IMO, if you are traveling where you are in such extreme danger of being detected, you waited too long.

IMO, one of the big advantages preppers have over the others in society is that we expect something bad to happen. We know what to look for and understand what society will become once fear & reality sets in. We understand not to expect our government to save the day. We must use that advantage. That means staying away from stores and gas stations. That means getting going immediately. The sheeple will expect food and utilities to be around for weeks or restored soon by big brother. Only when they realize they are on their own & soon to starve, will it get ugly & dangerous to move. By that time, I'll be on my farm.

Another item to add is a I.R. / Night Vision device (monocular, scope, etc.). Traveling at night provides the opportunity to stay concealed but also provides the bad guys the same opportunity. Being able to scout out the area ahead, adds just one more plus on your side. You don't need a $5,000 dollar device, a few hundred will get you a device capable of scouting a few hundred yards ahead. Always nice to see them BEFORE they see you. This will allow you to try and avoid confrontations vs. a shoot out. If you plan to BUG IN, then it will also allow you to gain the advantage of time for your response. The OP provided many great points of info and we should understand and follow these ideas. The more you know and the better you will be prepared. JM2C

leave the dog at home,unless it is trained not to bark,otherwise it will give you away in the first 20 minutes

I prefer to travel either around dawn or around dusk, less people about then. early mornings have always been my preference when travelling out of my general area.