It’s all too common among survivalists to imagine that the time they’ll need their skills is going to be some catastrophic world-ending situation, but that’s really not the case. If there’s ever a time that you’re going to have your skills and equipment put to the test, it’s very unlikely that it’s going to be something apocalyptic, but rather it’ll be something temporary that will pass relatively quickly.

Of course, you still want to be prepared for the very worst, so you should still have some supplies to deal with a full grid-down long term survival event, but you should also have some items to help you deal with a short-term passing problem.

Generally speaking, this includes things like communication devices and other electronics such as a GPS, a phone, and a radio. It’s great to be able to survive well without these, but if you have access to them, they can be a great help.

Let’s look at some of the situations that might warrant you leaving your home to a different location. Sometimes, you might be able to find shelter like a hotel, but there will be times when that’s not available and bugging out in the wilderness is your only option.

Severe Weather Can Drive You to Bug Out

One of the most common scenarios that can force people to evacuate is severe weather. While the nature of the severe weather can differ all around the world, the basic concepts remain the same.

Any kind of weather that can be serious enough to pose a threat to you should be a reason to evacuate. Ideally, you would be doing so by car, so that you would still have some kind of protection from the elements.

It’s a bit of a misconception that bugging out always means leaving on foot to go survive in the wild. While that is one option, it’s still a bug out situation if you need to leave by car instead, and leaving by car is much more preferable.

It’s still very much worth having a bug out bag to deal with something like a severe weather event. Having one ready means you know you’ll have all of your supplies in one spot that you can easily grab and take with you.

Among the most important equipment to have in a severe weather bug out situation is an emergency radio. This will give you important updates regarding the status of the severe weather event, which can be very crucial information.

In a hurricane, for example, the path can be predicted somewhat, but sudden changes can occur. You want to have a radio so that you can know if it changes directions and is heading towards you, so that you can evacuate further away.

Things like blizzards can warrant you having emergency food supplies, because you may be unable to get into any stores to stock up on food. Something like an MRE with a flameless ration heater would be a perfect option for a bug out bag.

Environmental Hazards and Infrastructure Failures

If mother nature hasn’t caused a problem, it might be something like a failure from a man-made device or structure. Chemical spills and biological outbreaks are in the news more than ever, and this might cause you to need to escape your home until a clean-up is complete.

You don’t want to be near a toxic cloud after an industrial accident or terror attach, so you’ll need to flee to an unaffected zone. Contagious threats aren’t as common, but still a possibility, so you’ll want to quarantine away from the hot spot until it’s safe to return.

Sometimes, the infrastructure is damaged (like we recently saw with the bridge collapse caused by a ship), or it could be a dam that bursts. Bridges can collapse due to disrepair, too.

With a dam breach, you may see a sudden influx of flooding, so if your home is downstream, you may have minutes to escape the rising waters. If a bridge collapses, you don’t want to be trapped, so you may need to bug out to a new location until the repair has occurred.

Major Conflicts Can Force You to Relocate

Unfortunately, not all bug out situations revolve around natural circumstances. Instead, there may be times in which a conflict, whether it be civil or international, causes you to have to relocate for your own safety.

Modern conflicts can be very dangerous for civilians, especially since cities are so heavily populated and can often become the sites of attacks or skirmishes. If a conflict arises, it may be best to bug out as soon as possible.

One of the most important items that you’ll need in this kind of bug out situation is medical supplies. There are a wide variety of situations in a major conflict in which a civilian may have to apply first aid to themselves or a loved one, so having a good first aid kit would be imperative.

It would also be important to have access to up to date information whether it be through your phone or a radio, and having something to keep these devices charged up well, like with a solar charger.

The information broadcast over radio or phone could help you avoid any potential run-ins with an opposing force, keeping you and your family safe. Since you’ll likely be moving on foot, it would be very helpful to have that information available to you.

As a survival prepper, your goal is to always be prepared. That means not just preparing for end of the world events, but for more common, more possible short-term situations that can cause problems if you stay put.

Make sure you have your bug out bag packed for every member of your family. Since you won’t be enjoying the luxuries of home, make sure you pack solar gadgets that can help you communicate, navigate and sustain a short-term survival event out in the wild.

By being ready for anything and paying attention to local crisis events, you’ll save your family from the devastation that often stems from manmade or weather-related situations.

Being prepared is something you need to do before something happens. It is very easy to do and very easy not to do. Even if you don’t need to bug out and you lose power for several days you will still need to stay connected.

Having these few items on hand will make a big difference in your ability to survive.

#1 Item to have is a Crank/Solar powered radio to stay in touch with local authorities. It can be used as a flash light and charge your phone too. Click here

Be prepared.