Accessibility
You can have the best Bug Out location in the world, but it is useless if you can’t access it in times of a disaster. A good common piece of advice is to choose a Bug Out location which is 1 tank of gas away from you. Other common advice is to make sure there are at least 3 different routes you can take to get to your chosen location.
Isolation
When SHTF (shit hits the fan), you aren’t going to be the only one fleeing! Even places which are normally very remote will likely be overrun by people seeking safety. So you’ve really got to search to find an isolate spot for your Bug Out location. Your main route can include major roadways, which you can use if you get out quickly enough and these are still accessible, but you also need to have backup routes that take you off the main roads. Main roads are often closed down in an emergency situation, or patrolled by law enforcement. You want to avoid anyone who might want to turn you back and any route that will get clogged.
Familiarity
I think it would be great to Bug Out in the Appalachians, which are apparently one of the top 5 Bug Out Locations in the USA. But I’ve never really hiked in the Appalachians. I don’t know the local flora and fauna. I don’t know what to expect of the weather conditions throughout the year. Familiarity is one of the biggest advantages you will have in a disaster. Get some map of the area your looking at. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it isn’t safe. Either pick a Bug Out location you are familiar with, or spend some time getting to know it!
Water
You can only go about 3 days without water before dying. Water is also essential for hygiene, cooking, gardening, and many other things which will take us from basic survival to homesteading. Have a viable source of water! Just remember that the larger the waterway, the more time it has had to pick up pollutants. So instead of taking water from a river, pond, or lake, find a smaller source that pours into it. All water gathered from the landscape should be purified; the only possible exception is water collected directly from the mouth of a spring that has not yet been exposed to the surface. In dryer and more rugged terrain, the job of finding water gets a lot harder. Check the base of cliffs or hills, where the groundwater table is being pulled upward. Look for gorges and ravines where rainfall can pool and evaporate at a slower pace than pools open to the air. Depending on the geology, you may even be forced to look around for water on high ground. This is just as important as the location
Shelter
A location in the wilderness, where you could go and Bug Out until the disaster dies down
A survival property is used for long-term disasters, whereas the wilderness location is meant for short-term disasters (hence why you need to have a 3-Day Survival Backpack). However, with the right outdoor survival skills, one could easily survive in the wilderness indefinitely. In this case, you could make your own survival shelter with a tarp or items like branches. Let’s be realistic here: not everyone is suited for wilderness survival. If you’ve got an infant, for example, you are going to want to have a better shelter than a bunch of branches overhead or a snow burrow. Your shelter doesn’t have to be luxury, but it should be able to provide you with protection from the elements and keep you warm.
Food/Self-Sustainability
The mountains make for a great Bug Out location because they offer isolation, but the land might not be very suitable for farming. You will have to learn to hunt game and wild edible plants. By contrast, an area in the plains would be more suitable for farming, but would be more accessible to invaders. You will have to balance out the availability of food and possibility of self-sustainability with all the other factors in choosing a Bug Out location. Some major self-sustainability factors include:
Sunlight for solar panels
Land for livestock
Soil arability
Wood for heating
Protection/Defense
Even if you choose a really isolated location for your Bug Out location, people are still going to come across it. Especially in a SHTF situation where many people are fleeing. This mostly applies to long-term BOLs, such as if you are buying a survival property. With a short-term BOL (the nomadic approach), you can just flee or hide if you encounter anyone. But, with survival properties, your location is going to be even more of a target because it will have resources like a garden and solar panels. When choosing your Bug Out location, consider how safe it will be and how you would be able to defend it. Some good points to look for are:
Located on top of a hill with a good vantage point
Is camouflaged
Has natural barriers, such as it is surrounded by a river or mountain cliff
Can you set up barb wire fences or defend the property yourself with ammunition?
Medical Care
Are you going to have the right supplies at your bug out location? While you might have enough food and water, what if you have a large cut and can’t heal yourself? You might consider a bug out location that is close enough to civilization that you can go to a hospital or find the right drugs that you need but is also far enough away that you can escape if you need to.
Related Article: Creating Your First Bug- Out- Bag
This will help you get a good start. There might be other things that you may need to do to finish you bug out location. This is just the basics. Everyone has different needs. You should do what's best for you. I hope this helps make thing a bit easy. The biggest thing is to remember preparing now, will save you live later!
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