One day recently, my 25-30 minutes commute became a 75 minute ordeal due to an accident on the freeway.  This got me thinking about the viability of bugging out in an emergency.

Consider me a bug-out skeptic because I don’t think it makes sense in most situations. The combination of limited egress routes, heavy traffic, and general panic will make a bug-out plan difficult to execute in most cities. Getting out of a metropolitan area simply won’t be an option for most urban dwellers. Those who attempt to bug-out are likely to be stuck in traffic with a few hundred thousand of their closest friends and going nowhere fast.

My plan during most emergencies is to get home safely and ride out the storm.  I can hunker down in my domicile with all of the gear I have stockpiled. This includes food, medical supplies, water, batteries, radios, and other gear I need until the situation returns to normal. Plus, I have hardened my home against forced entry so it is a relatively safe refuge. Finally, I have various weapons I can use in self-defense if (God forbid) I am forced to. For me, this is a more desirable alternative than sitting in my car trying in vain to get out of town.

Bugging out does make sense when there is a wildfire, hurricane, volcano, or other event that allows for a relatively planned and orderly evacuation. In fact, if you live in areas that could be affected by these types of disasters you should have plans in place to evacuate. If you adjust your preparations to match your geographical area and the threats that are most likely in it, you will make best use of your time and resources. For most people however, hunkering down at home makes a lot more sense than bugging out to a location outside of town. Keep this in mind next time you are stuck in traffic.