“legal” immigration and most other factors that will make, post-col apse, California the zombie apocalypse capital of America. One contributor to SurvivalBlog.com’s discussion of retreat areas said that when tshtf in California “it will make Katrina’s aftermath look like a kindergarten dance.”468
465 See
http://www.joelskousen.com/Secure/reports.html.
466 James Wesley, Rawles, Rawles on Retreats and Relocation (Clearwater Press, 2007).
467 James Wesley, Rawles, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Col apse (Ulysses Press, Berkeley, 2009) (4th expanded edition, original y published in 1990).
468 See
http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html
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By way of summary: there is no easy answer to the question of where do you go, if anywhere, when tshtf. Beyond generalizations, such as leaving large population centres, each person will need to make informed decisions on the basis of their own personal circumstances and what resources are available. It therefore may not be possible to follow Tappan’s advice and move to an ideal location now. In Australia, there may be no ideal location at all; properties meeting the standard conditions of being an ideal survival retreat in the sense of having adequate water and good soils, could still be overrun in a type of “condition 4” doomsday zombie apocalypse (with either Hol ywood zombies or your unfriendly neighbourhood types).469 Bugging out, getting out of Dodge, always needs to be considered as a Plan B option.
A good place for beginning survivalists to start in exploring the theory and practice of bugging out is Scott B. Williams’ Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster before It’s Too Late (2010).470 Williams is not primarily concerned with the situation of the “lost hiker” (although the advice in his book would clearly help such a person), but rather with shit hitting the fan and teotwawki scenarios. Fixed position survivalism is not pursued, as most people lack the financial resources to invest in a retreat, he argues. But even so, for a col apse of civilization scenario, ultimately one will need to find such a retreat to grow food. Owning the land is now ideal, but not essential in my opinion, given coming high mortality rates.
One could attempt to bug out to that location post-apocalypse after the death of the masses. Williams is right in saying that there are dangers in putting all of one’s resources in one location because of the difficulty in hiding and defending stockpiles. Agreed: but there will be clear limits in stockpiling resources which will be bugged out as wel . What one needs, if at all possible, is a pluralistic response: a fixed, defendable position as Tappan advocated, plus resources cached securely, safely and sustainably underground, as well as 469 Max Brooks, The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead (Three Rivers Press, New York, 2003), pp. 154-181.
470 Scott B. Williams, Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster before It’s Too Late (Ulysses Press, Berkeley, 2010).
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putting into place a bug out procedure to deal with the worst case scenario: that is, fleeing your retreat post-col apse. Williams rightly notes that there is enough land in the US for survivalists to bug out and thrive, but not for the entire US population. But, most people are not survival-minded and will wait for Big Sister Government to save them. They will die and rot, producing epidemic disease in the cities.
Williams gives a comprehensive discussion of bug out locations right across our great and wonderful United States, and in my opinion the material is accurate. Certainly, any serious US survivalist should study this material and make up his/her own mind.471 Williams, for example, gives a very comprehensive outline of the bugout bag, which covers the major survival bases of clothing, shelter and fire, food and water, hunting and fishing, and tools. By way of summary, the bugout bag and clothing comprise: an internal frame backpack, fanny pack, lightweight mesh bag, leather and Gore-Tex waterproof hiking boots to wear, river shoes, moisture wicking socks and wool outer socks, wool cap, Tilley sun hat, three bandanas, pants, long underwear, Gore-Tex rain pants, heavy-duty belt, two T-shirts, long underwear shirt, polar fleece long sleeve, Gore-Tex parka, gloves and cammo poncho. For specific survival categories:
Shelter and Fire: camping hammock, paracord, synthetic sleeping bag, disposable butane lighters, Fire Steel Scout x2, fire sticks, cotton bal s soaked in Vaseline for tinder.
Food and Water: three-day supply of lifeboat rations or mres, trail mix, protein bars/power bars, beef jerky, bag of oatmeal, seasonings, water bottles, Polar Pure water disinfectant, filter straws.
Hunting and Fishing: takedown .22 rifle, 200 rounds .22 lr ammo,
.357 magnum revolver + holster + speed loaders + 100 rounds ammo, .357 lever action rifle, fishhooks and fishing line, spool of line for drop hooks, wire shares for small game.
471 As above pp. 101-269.
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Tools: machete with sheath, Bowie knife, multitool, small mill file, diamond sharpener, hand-bearing compass, gps, cooking pot, stainless-steel spoon, sewing needles [and thread].
Miscel aneous Items: include maps, insect repellent, 50+ sunblock, sunglasses and case, sailmaker’s thread and needles, first-aid supplies, extractor snakebite kit, cortisone cream, Benadryl, EpiPen, Imodium, ibuprofen, field guide to edible plants in region, passport/driver’s licence, cash, gold and silver coins, tooth care (tooth-brush, toothpaste/salt, dental floss), toilet paper, comb, led torch, duct tape, gun oil, gun-cleaning tool. William also lists a number of optional items (e.g. water purification filter and reverse-osmosis desalinator).
Along with Williams’ book, Fernando “Ferfal” Aguirre has produced another extremely good book which is well worth consulting: Bugging Out and Relocating: What to Do When Staying in Not an Option. 472
This book is a comprehensive overview of all of the main aspects of bugging out and relocating and has a sensible and balanced view of the relative advantages and disadvantages of overseas locations for relocation. The author has relocated to Ireland from Argentina (and then to Spain) because of the violence and poor quality of life in Argentina.
For my generalist purposes, the most relevant part of the bug out literature book is the discussion of the bug out bag, which one will need wherever one goes. All survivalists in the know recommend that people not buy generic survival kits but tailor a survival kit to suit their personal circumstances.473 All items should be essential, durable and dependable, because whether the bugging out is by foot, horse or a vehicle, space and weight are principal concerns. For example, there is no point taking with one in emergency situations, survival and preparedness books. This material must be absorbed into your very being long before the col apse. It is what you should 472 Fernando “Ferfal” Aguirre, Bugging Out and Relocating: What to Do When Staying is Not an Option (The Author, 2014).
473 As above, p. 23.
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be doing now. It would be insane to suppose that say, one will begin to learn how to light a campfire without matches, fire starters or any modern technology, by consulting a wilderness survival book when the time comes. Hello hyperthermia. No doubt, pages of the book would be useful for fire-starting purposes, and specialist books, such as an il ustrated guide to a region’s edible plants are an exception and could be taken.
The bug out bag should be rugged and easy to carry long distances – hence a backpack big enough to take “everything.”
And what is “everything”? Cody Lundin, an American teacher of aboriginal survival skil s says that the bug out bag or survival kit “is a distil ation of the most simple and effective means of staying alive. It’s your lifeline in terms of need, the components within possibly being your only chance of living through your present crisis.”474 The bug out bag should therefore address fundamental human needs: (1) shelter, including clothing; (2) water and the means of purifying w
ater; (3) the technology for making fire; (4) food and items for cooking it (e.g.
a cast iron cooking pot, a plate, cups and utensils); (5) clothing to deal with a range of environments; (6) a sleeping system including perhaps a swag (eliminating the need for a tent) and definitely a good synthetic sleeping bag; (7) health, medical and hygiene beginning with a basic first aid kit and hygiene (e.g. toothpaste or even salt, toothbrushes and dental floss); (8) basic tools, beginning with a knife at a minimum and arguably including much more such as paracord, duct tape, and a machete/hatchet and/or saw and (9) weapons and security, firearm(s), and a bladed weapon. All of the specific items are subject to debate because individual circumstances, climate and environmental resources vary. Nevertheless, the correct approach to take to preparing a bug out/ survival kit is to address the areas of fundamental human need: without backup, what do you need to survive your environment?
The difficulties of surviving without adequate equipment are well il ustrated by two enjoyable survivalist reality tv shows. In Naked and 474 Cody Lundin, 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive! (Gibbs Smith, Salt Lake City, 2003), p. 14.
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Afraid (2013-2019, Discovery), or what could be better called Tease Adam and Eveing, two survivalists, one male and one female have to survive naked for 21 days. The locations are general y those where this unrealistic scenario would allow survival without hypothermia, such as the Costa Rican jungle, by contrast to the Simpson Desert of Australia. Even so, the program is well worth a look. If only it had hard-core sex, but alas, even the interesting bits are blurred out.
In Alone (2015-2019, History Channel), season 1, 10 survival
“experts” battled to last the longest on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, taking with them 10 survival items. Although Vancouver Island has the mildest climate in Canada, the Island is constantly wet and contestants struggled to make fire. The island also has a large number of black bears, wolves and cougars, which in the early episodes, freaked out at least one contestant, causing him to tap out.
This was done even though contestants were supplied with flares and bear spray for “wild life emergencies.” Life would have been easier with fire starter and fuel. However, one contestant who had a fire going, but who lost his striker, tapped out even though he could, like the Australian Aborigines and Amerindians, have kept the fire continuously burning. This il ustrates the importance of mental toughness in survival situations and the need for a “can do” attitude.
There are many excellent books which give insightful “shopping list” approaches to preparing a bug out bag, rather than starting with a general human needs approach. The authors of these books have already done the hard thinking for you. I would suggest that people who for one reason or another do not want to think all of this through from first principles consult these texts and make up their own “shopping list” by a process of mixing and matching.
To begin, former light weight champion of Ultimate Fighting Championship (ufc), Forrest Griffin (with Erich Krauss) in Be Ready When Shit Goes Down,475 a joyful masculine book of ribald humour and absurdity, presents a sound, but basic bug out bag of : (1) canned food (could be a possible weight issue for loner treks); (2) tent; (3) 475 Forrest Griffin and Erich Krauss, Be Ready When the Shit Goes Down: A Survival Guide to The Apocalypse (itbooks, Harper Collins, New York, 2011).
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sleeping bag (rated to minus 20 C) and wool blankets (wool retains heat when wet); (4) a propane stove; (5) guns (a semi-auto rifle or a pump action shotgun); (6) machetes; (7) books on native plants; (8) first aid kit; (9) pick and shovel (presumably a small army folding version); (10) axe; (11) fishing line/gear; (12) boots.476 Forrest has a
“go pack” for getting out quick, consisting of: (1) pistol; (2) ammo for said pistol (50 rounds); (3) multitool; (4) Meals Ready to Eat (mres) (three per day plus some spares); (5) peanut butter (an excellent, sustaining survival food); (6) water; (7) water purifier; (8) map of bug out area; (9) compass; (10) waterproof matches; (11) goggles; (12) gloves; (13) wool socks; (14) boots; (15) wool blanket; (16) flashlight and (17) toothpaste (brush and dental floss).477 This is the tough, hairy-scrotum man’s approach to the apocalypse: grab the basics and piss-off fast. I would add that a good manual can opener should be in every bug out bag even if you don’t take any canned food. You may get lucky and find the odd unopened can of baked beans, clutched in the hands of a decaying corpse. As wel , for both sunny and snowy environments, good sunglasses should be added, but occur on few survival lists. They should, because in some environments glare will make your eyes feel like they are popping out of your idiot head. A pair of strong leatherwork gloves could also prove useful to minimise cuts to one’s hands, and possible infections.
Along the same lines, this time from Australia, we have dinky di bushman Bob Cooper, who in his distinctly Aussie approach to survival Outback Survival,478 has put together a survival kit light enough that you actual y take it with you wherever you go.
The dimensions are 13 x 8 x 5 cms, allowing for the addition of a basic medical kit comprising: antibiotics, diarrhoea tablets, anti-nausea tablets, antihistamines, ear/eye ointment and any personal medications.479 Bob’s Mark-III survival kit, which has saved his hide in the tough Aussie outback is: (1) plastic container; (2) compass; (3) 476 As above, pp. 53-55.
477 As above, pp. 61-63.
478 Bob Cooper, Outback Survival (Hachette Australia, Sydney, 2016).
479 As above, pp. 50-51.
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flint and striker; (4) hacksaw blade; (5) cotton pad (first-aid, tinder); (6) whistle; (7) knife; (8) mirror; (9) tweezers; (10) large plastic bags (for obtaining water); (11) needle; (12) fishing line; (13) fishing hooks; (14) brass swivel (stop fishing line twisting); (15) sinkers; (16) trace wire; (17) stock cubes (soup and fishing lure); (18) paracord; (19) tea bags; (20) coffee; (21) glucose tablets; (22) water purifying tablets; (23) Condy’s crystals (potassium permanganate, antiseptic, antifungal, fire-making); (24) plasters; (25) scalpel blade; (26) sewing kit (clothes repairs) (27) alcohol swabs; (28) antiseptic wipes; (29) magnifying glass; (30) torch; (31) multitool; (32) playing cards (amusement); (33) pencil; (34) instruction sheet.480 Note that toilet paper is not on the list – Forrest and Bob are so tough that they don’t need it! Toilet paper takes up a lot of space and will quickly run out. Even as a kid I found that wiping the shit off my arse with soft vegetation (that wasn’t too thorny) did the job fine. Poor people in South East Asia still use their hand (one of them) to wide their ass, plus water. In the longer term, post-apocalyptic bum cleaning will be done as people did before toilet paper, using either a cloth and water, or one’s hand and water.
You too will get used to it.481
Les Stroud in Survive! 482 states that one should have for survival situations a personal survival kit carried with you at all times, on your person, so that it is not separated from you or lost, as well as a complete survival kit. The personal survival kit comprises: a sharp belt knife, bandana, small led flashlight, two large garbage bags, a butane lighter, strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof case, a magnesium flint striker, metal cup, multitool and/or a Swiss Army knife, painkillers, parachute cord, protein bar/snack bar, space blanket and Ziploc bag.483 The complete survival kit comprises: a sharpening stone for the knife, a candle, dried food, duct tape (“can repair just about any outdoor equipment), fire-starting devices and 480 As above.
481 The classic “shitting in the woods book” is Cathleen Meyer, How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmental y Sound Approach to a Lost Art, 3rd edition (Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 2011).
482 Les Stroud, Survive! Essential Skil s and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive (William Morrow, New York, 2008).
483 As above, p. 28.
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tinder, fishing lures, hooks, sinkers, a leade
r and fishing line, flares, small led flashlight, gps, map, compass, garbage bags, small hand lens, marker tape (bright colors), money, multitool, needle and thread, Personal Locator Beacon (plb), Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (epirb), parachute cord, pencil and notebook, safety pins, folding saw, signal mirror, snare wire, space blanket, spot satellite messenger, water purification tablets, water purifying straw, whistle and Ziploc bags.484 A basic first aid kit includes: antidiarrheal tablets, pain killers, antihistamines, bandages, antiseptic ointment, butterfly sutures, any prescription medicine, surgical blades and triangle bandages. Stroud does not mention dental gear (toothbrush, toothpaste/salt, dental floss) all of which could be improvized, but the thought of toothache in the field justifies the inclusion of a dental kit, especial y toothache drops. In summary, Stroud presents an excellent selection of survival items, as one would expect from a leading wildness survival expert.
The US army has survival kits for cold climates, hot climates and over water.485 The basic items are as follows.
1. Cold Climate Kit – food packets, snare wire, smoke il umination signals, waterproof match box, saw/knife blade, wood matches, first-aid kit, mc-1 magnetic compass; pocket knife, saw-knife-shovel handle, frying pan, il uminating candles, compressed trioxane fuel, signalling mirror, survival fishing kit, plastic spoon (metal would be better), Survival Manual (afm 64-5), poncho, insect head net, ejector snap, attaching snap, kit - outer case, kit - inner case, shovel, water bag, packing list, sleeping bag.
2. Hot Climate Kit – canned drinking water, waterproof matches, plastic whistle, smoke il umination signals, pocket knife, signalling mirror, plastic spoon, food packets, compressed trioxane fuel, fishing tackle kit, mc-1 magnetic compass, snare wire, frying pan, wood matches, insect head net, reversible 484 As above (Stroud), pp. 21-38, 354.
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