Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It's Too Late

I'm torn on how to rate this book... The author is very intelligent, and the book is well thought out.. But to most people this book is not practical.

I think this book will only benefit the maybe .01% of people that might actually practice wilderness survival EXTREMELY hard core before the fact... 99.9% of the people who read this book WILL NOT be able to strap on a backpack and live off the land for months or years. (which is basically what this book is about).. Not only that,, most people that think they are going to survive like that will become part of the problem NOT part of the solution. Once the fantasy collapses temptation to try and take from others will be real....

Fantasyland Macgyver watching types that think they can watch re-runs 16 hours a day and then grab a knife and survive will love this book...
The ability to survive with one backback for months at a time with no resupply goes way beyond almost everyone's realistic abilities. I know right now there are lots of guys pissed off saying "yes I can" but let me ask those Kit Carson types- when is the last time you went out into the woods and survived off the land for 3 months with NO resupply? ..... If you are one of the .01% that has actually done this then my hats off to you... However to the overwhelming majority, this book will only fuel a completely unrealistic fantasy about putting on a coonskin cap and playing Daniel Boone..... If you want to prepare for real buy James Wesley Rawles book NOT this one..

Lots of Joe Sixpacks will try to bugout to a nearby National Forest to live off the land... The vast majority will become a problem when fantastyland and reality collide.... Don't be one of them... Prepare now to help yourself, your family, and those desperate people that will need your help.

With all that said, My hats off to the Author Scott Williams, I think Scott can actually pull off what he speaks of... however I think that vast majority of his readers never will...

I wouldn't buy another of the author's books based on the poor quality of information in this one. The book is 10% describing Bug Out gear and 90% naming of forests and parks around the country.

I am so disappointed that the book mostly just named and described various forests, wild lands and parks around the country...stuff that most people no about their local all ready or one could find by looking at a map, or a quick Google search.

The performance was ok...kind of dry, but about what you would expect for a book of this type. Kind of a whiney high pitched tone to the reader's voice though.

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Seriously don't waste your money on this...you can find more relevant, detailed and helpful information by googling "bug out" or "survival". Wish I had my time and money back.

Total "not what the blurb described." This is actually a travelogue for places to bug out to, and not a particularly good one either.

Not only is it useless, but further, it commits the unpardonable sin of being BORING!

OMG do I wish I had my credit back.

Yes, It has a lot of good info.

Not sure that it could be done.

There were not characters to differentiate.

I would like to see a book that deals more with the use of wild plants for food and meds.

The first half of the book was interesting and useful. It reinforced many ideas that I had already had through reading and discussions with others. The no nonsense approach to equipment and avoidance of survival gadgets was an indication of someone who knew their stuff.

The main thing that Scott stresses is the importance of not only being prepared but of making the decision to go early in the crisis. Scott also has a detailed list of equipment that he has field tested that is very useful. A couple of the items that he suggested were mosquito netting, a rip proof nylon tarp and a machete to name just a few.

The second half of the book of the book was less useful. It dealt with the different areas of the country and the locations best suited to bug out too. If you were constantly on the road this may help. In my case the only useful info was regarding my state and local area. Only a couple of pages were used to discuss the areas I was most interested in. In NM the best place according to Scott is the Gila National Forest with over a million acres of wilderness and very few roads of any kind.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate this book a 7.5. It has some good info and speaks clearly to the topic it addresses. However in its attempt to be all inclusive it also contains a good deal of info that is basically useless.

I knew the areas in my state he talked about. There was a few cities missed but there are not of much size. Glad someone agrees with me on where to go.

There wasn't one. Could have made some short story of how everything fit in place. He did explain areas and who and how they where used in the past in fair detail.

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The green sticks with a cook pot trick. Been kicking around how to do something like that. Been playing with small homemade camp food camp stoves.

Missed a few items I feel are needed, I may have missed it but a cleaning kit for your fire arms, hygiene items, tie small key gear to you or your pack, like your compass, GPS etc. Also bring a hand crank radio with a light for news and light when needed and a folding Army type shovel. Can be used as seat, axe, hammer and shovel for shelter building. Over all this book is not behind the skills of a trained person. If you get yourself trained and follow the advice in this book the odds are in your favor. Some reviews say this can't be done, well this is for an extreme situation and one persons view on how to deal with it. Why is James Rawles the end all? What we may face has never happened so how can anyone be an expert? This is written by a man that claims to have done it and mentions others as well, so if you follow his plan why can't you do this if needed?

Unless you have highly specialized skills, bugging out to the wilderness is unrealistic. Bugging out to the desert of Southern California would just mean more food for coyotes and birds.

I agree with the concept of bugging out to be prepared to leave in the event of a catastrophe. The destination is somewhere that needs to be carefully chosen and prepared for well in advance.

In the even of an storm where evacuation is required or a prolonged outage of services because of disaster, bugging out may simply mean that you put the kids in the car and go stay with a relative or friend until you can go home.

In the even of a real bad situation, where there are riots and you feel your family is in danger, bugging out until things get better may be a good option. However, bugging out to play survivalist in the wilderness is not really an option for most people. Even experts have starved to death or died of exposure.

Recommendation: If you are going to bugout, have a preplanned destination, and the necessary supplies and equipment to take care of your family.

The bugout bag supplies listed in the book is a good start and can be customized to meet you and your families specific needs.

Its interesting, whether you are just new to the concept, or have some experience. The most experienced will already know most of this info. The summary of locations is good. Wish I had the hard copy list for this part, but thats ok. If you're interested in the concepts, listen to this and maybe a few more. Everyone's getting ready to bug out now, so why not you too.