# How far can you go?



## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

I do a lot of hiking. Just before Thanksgiving I did a 15 mile hike and I have to admit I was feeling it. I always carry a pack with supplies anywhere from 15-20 lbs. I am also always armed and bring along 2 extra mags. If SHTF and I have to bug out on foot one of my plans is to get to my parents house to take care of them. They live roughly 26 miles from me so my 15 mile hike was definitely a wake up call to let me know it'll be at least 2 days before I reach them. So I was just curious if most of you know how far you would get if you had to bug out with a 40lb pack. Do you practice for this, have you even thought about it? I'm just trying to get a conversation started so people may think about what it takes to bug out and if you are ready for it. So what say you prepper forums?


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## TG (Jul 28, 2014)

If I have to bug out (we plan to bug-in), it'll be a very slow hike with my husband who still needs an ankle surgery and our 6 & 9 year-old + BOB's


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

I plan on bugging in as well but if something really bad happens and I know my parents will need my help I'll have to bug out. I was mainly hoping to get a conversation going that made people think about being forced to bug out and if so do they know their limits and abilities. I was also hoping if anyone had suggestions or helpful hints on hiking out/bugging out they might share them.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

As the crow flies. There's no rhyme or reason for some of these roads. If I drive to wally world its about 2 miles. However if I walk 100 yards I'll be at the same location.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

I suspect those of us who are older or disabled have given the matter more thought than those who are more readily able to hike great distances. In our case vehicles are part of the plan. I have what I hope is an EMP resistant BOV in the works and would like to add to the bicycle fleet.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Diver said:


> I suspect those of us who are older or disabled have given the matter more thought than those who are more readily able to hike great distances. In our case vehicles are part of the plan. I have what I hope is an EMP resistant BOV in the works and would like to add to the bicycle fleet.


That is exactly why I started this thread. To get people thinking about ways to bug out, whether that is hiking or bikes or whatever is going to work. I'm not as young as I used to be and although I am able to hike out if need be I still can't hike like I used to. I hate to call it as it is but everyone here seems more worried about this being the "Prepper Facebook" and talking about movies and what someone ate (which does have its place) rather than prepping and being ready for anything.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

I have a broken hip. With each additional step the pain increases. Bicycle is worse then walking because the knee comes up almost waist high. So 99% of my preps are bugging in. 

So a lot of canning as the jar weight doesn't matter. Homemade water collection & storage system as well as water purification. Backup generator as well as small (520watts) solar system.


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## 2Tim215 (Jun 19, 2014)

Go get a really old trail bike - 250CC. One that has the most simple engine. Keep spare parts and learn to fix it. That will get you any where you need to go and carry gear. Will also be very light on fuel. Something like a 1970 honda xl 250


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

2Tim215 said:


> Go get a really old trail bike - 250CC. One that has the most simple engine. Keep spare parts and learn to fix it. That will get you any where you need to go and carry gear. Will also be very light on fuel. Something like a 1970 honda xl 250


And people will hear you coming from a mile away.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

My wife has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was 25 years old and has had both of her knees and hips replaced. Although we always have at least one 4 wheel drive vehicle if we need to bug out, but I have been worried for a long time what we would do if gas vehicles were not a viable option. I took a page out of the book of the Swiss military and the North Viet Namese who used and in the case of the Swiss, still move supplies using bicycles. They load the bicycles with supplies and equipment, attach a bar to the handlebars that extends to the side, and walk along side the bicycle using the extended bar to push the bicycle.

I plan on doing something similar but I have bought an adult tricycle that my wife will ride on and I will push using a rod attached to the handlebars. There is a basket on the back over the rear axle and I have a wagon that I can attach to it for extra capacity. An additional reason for my setup is that there are natural water springs about 3/4 mile from where I live and I can haul about 20 gallons of water at a time with the setup.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

I can go about 300 miles on my KLR. 6 gallon tank by 50 miles a gallon. Almost silent going 35 MPH in fourth gear. Can easily haul back pack, guns and a passenger if needed. Yeah I'm to old to hike that's why I prepared myself with the bike.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Hopefully, I never have to go anywhere, but assuming the pavement is still available and a bug out is necessary, I'll be in an old Suburban.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

I have about 28-35 miles of piney woods to get home from work. Depending on which route I chose to use. I'm in good shape physically and I walk 10+ miles in steel toes Everytime I go to work. So I know what its like to go that distance now and my body is used to it. But without my pack. Years ago when I was really into backpacking and primitive camping we used to plan our routes for 10 miles a day. I remember that by the end of the week you were pretty wore out unless you were a hardcore ultralight walker. My pack weight back then was 40+ pounds. My ghb dry weight (sans-water) is 18 pounds. It has the bare essentials and food for 3 days. I figure the 28-35 miles will take me 2 or 3 days unless I can find a horse or a bicycle. If no emp I can be home in about 40 mins, lol. Another aspect to consider is the effects of fear, motivation and adrenaline. They may speed things up a bit. You will be wanting to get to your loved ones asap and have more motivation than you would just hiking or backpacking, taking the time to enjoy nature and setup a nice camp each night. You won't be doing that in a bug out or get home situation. 

You have given me 2 ideas to test out.

1: how far can I walk with my ghb in 12 hours? I picked that time because it is the same as my work shift where I do the 10+ miles. 

2: maybe I should look for one of those folding bicycles to keep in the back of the truck. Anybody on here have one?


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

I was very fit for years...But because of the Marine Corps my knees are bad, because of a helicopter crash my back is bad, because of old age my hip is bad.

If I have to bug out on foot...it will be slow. My plans are for staying put. I am fit enough for short periods of time...also having a 2, 4, and 6 year old slows things down

I do not have a second set of preps (food) at another location...so I would need to take things with me..more than a back pack worth.

For those of you that are fit and able to BUG OUT...wonderful... I am hoping I can stay in place and use wisdom and trickery


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

27 years in the infantry and I retired with my knees still working fine . I want to keep it that way. No more long road marches for me. I still run but do it on the treadmill .
We are staying put that is why we have stayed here all these years.
Each year my sons still give me a PT test Still passing at the standard for 21 year old. Still maxing it out but my day is coming it gets hard each year and longer to recover. I always did think PT standards had been lowered to much for the PC crowd .


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

My back problems show up as ridiculous leg pain if I stand too long or if I walk a couple of blocks. Hell, just sitting here my legs is going numb. Wife's knee keeps her pretty slow. We have no plans on bugging out unless the water is lapping at the back door or the nukes land too close. Oh, I'm at 2660 feet in the mountains.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

at 58,my body is pretty much toast,knees ok,back not bad,(some pain sometimes)but,I have a huge scar from a kidney transplant and another surgery in the same place to fix a problem that occurred due to that surgery,I am in a lot of pain most of the time.we plan to bug in and hope that any situation is short lived since I can have only 90 days of immunosuppressives and getting more out of pocket is a no can do(really expensive) .if need be,we have our F-350 4x4 that will go just about anywhere but,keeping it loaded with all our bugout gear is really not a go here.to where,we really dont know,as we are pretty much in the woods already.we have thought of a place not far away from us but loading the truck would be a major effort for us.


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## 2Tim215 (Jun 19, 2014)

Another option is a large dog trained to pull a light weight cart that you can pack your gear and food on. If you have family then 2 or more can also be utilized. This way you can carry a light weight pack and be free to defend if needed. A aluminum cart with 29ers (large mtn bike wheels) and a well planned comfy harness for the dog and you are set to go. If you design the cart that the weight is evenly distributed over the axle then the dog has no load bearing weight on it's back and just pulls. this would only be for bug out not getting back to family.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

40 miles a day with a 30lb pack unless forced march beyond 10 hours with short rests how much I want to and how much I can survive are two different questions also what terrain? Crow or surface distance.. temp... cover?

Good footwear is critical. Last time I went on a long distance hike my ankle started getting sore after 30 miles (50km) made for a painful return trip. Stoppping is the problem up North as there are swarms.

I can go as far as I need to either I have water and food source or I dont. The body lives the mind is second to will. If not on a clock who cares life is the long road. 

My comfortable travel distancewith limited supply is 100 miles. More than 200 miles I would probably need resupply. definately need resuply after 400 miles.

debilitating injury and pain are two different issues. major foot injury is the only major threat. Keeo your feet dry and it should be ok. Consider second skin or breathable tape or frictionless socks.

Light boots with good foot and ankle support suited to your climate and terrain.

Pack juggling and propper placement help with shoulder strain. Learn to hump.

Also 3km of waterside bog is running 10km of boreal trail. Terrain matters. the shortest path is not necessarily the easiest one


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

At 100 miles a day, Will is only 15 days away from me.

Will,
When you get here we will work on your written communication skills OK?
Thanks


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

I can still do a mile in 7.5 minutes with a pack. That would be dangerous though as I wouldn't be able to monitor my surroundings as well and it's on a track not open ground. I'm fairly winded and tired after such a mile but I'm guessing I could do that between 5-10 times a day even at my age if I had the calories to support it. My wife wouldn't be able to do that. 

On bike We can do 33 miles pretty easy and leisurely which also means with the ability to monitor our surroundings well. 

I have a "point man" drone on my wish list.m


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## Oddcaliber (Feb 17, 2014)

I'm staying put! Way too much gear to haul around.


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## CrossbowJoe (Dec 21, 2014)

Oddcaliber said:


> I'm staying put! Way too much gear to haul around.


For now, same here. I'd need a trailer to haul my stuff somewhere. Eventually I plan to live on my off-the-grid property. *If *I can put all that together before the poop hits. :black_eyed:


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

This is what I was thinking about while waiting for sleep to come last night. Of course I've thought about it many times, but for some reason, last night it really clicked in place, the benefits of having "In Route" caches.
We have 2 horses. One is trained for pulling our small wagon as well as riding. 
There are 3 adults, and 1 9yr old grandson in our family.
I would saddle our wagon horse, have our grandson ride, along with about 200lbs of gear.
The 3 of us adults would have backpacks, and walk.
We plan to stay put. But, even tho we are in the country, and have 35 acres of our own, if we had to 
bug out, we would go to a thick forest area about 10 miles away.
My husband knows all the land and woods around us for many miles, so that's not a problem.
I wouldnt want to take the wagon, because there are too many places a wagon can't go.
Our other horse is 25 yrs old. I'd just let him loose to follow us, as would the dogs.


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

Like most we plan to bug in. But if we have to leave on foot then INCB. For this reason we have an INCH bags and hand pull carts to carry as much stuff as we can. Our bugout location is about 15 miles from our home. Closer as the crow flies. I think we can make it a day on foot providing we don’t have to deviate from our bugout root/road and we leave early.


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## Ice Queen (Feb 16, 2014)

I'm not sure who we are running from yet, and if any place is really safe. :/


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## oddapple (Dec 9, 2013)

12 miles down the mountain and 12 miles back up, 3 times a week or more for 12 years. Other days just 6 each way, I didn't always go down to town.


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## phrogman (Apr 17, 2014)

Living in socal does not give me many options for bugging out. I dont do hikes very often but I do run and stay in shape. If we had to bug out (we plan to bug in) I would figure that we could do about 10 miles a day, tops. My two older kids are in good shape but my little one is still too small to get many miles out of him. He is just learning how to ride his bike that Santa brought him, hopefully we never have to bug out but if we do let it happen when my little one can ride a little better.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

My whole point of this topic was to get people talking and thinking and it seems to have worked. Thanks for all the input from everyone! I hear a lot of "I'm bugging in for X,Y,Z reason" which is great. That is my main plan as well, but even if you live in the country or forest you could be forced to bug out and a plan is always a smart idea. You may think you can handle all comers if you have ammo and people but what if a fire surrounds you? You can't fight that with bullets. You may have to bug out because of toxic material or numerous other things. I'm not questioning your choices, only trying to make you think of any and all scenarios.


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

i walk about 3miles a day and sometimes with a pack. I plan on staying put as long as possible although my bol is about 8miles away so not hard to do. My biggest concern is being away from home when something happens. So walking with your get home bag... should you actually have one in the vehicle... is what I try to do. I also tend not to be more than 10 or 15 miles from home at the most. Just my lifestyle.


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## Oneman (Dec 29, 2014)

For me its a mix of Age and Location; Up to a couple of years ago I was quite fit, Now having got to 63 health is not as good as I would like, But working on that one.
Living in a quite rural area, Mountains all around, I have some good options with some good abandoned Mines 10 miles from me & some good dry Cave systems, should I have to leave my Home.
All depends on What the situation is when the S*** hits the fan; Mountains should give good protection from NBC Blast, Nearest Town of any note is 40 miles away across the Mountains.
Keep 6 Months food always stocked, And Bug-Out bergan packed and ready to go at any moment.
So Its a good start, Just more time in the Gym needed.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have given this a lot of thought as I am 55 years old. While I still get around well enough and work out I know I am not 21 anymore. My plan is to bug in until my situation becomes untenable. Then use the trucks to go as far as I can assuming I can find gas. Being on the the road in the open presents a whole different set of problems to be sure. My first bug out option is my Moms farm in Kansas. Very remote. But, also 802 miles away. I will have to avoid more then a couple of major cities in route. The situation will be fluid and I will have to adjust accordingly. The main thing is I have a plan in place. Several ways out from where I am, extra gas, ammo, water and food. Enough supplies to last a month or more at my home.....but I am thinking in a large city it will become necassary to get out at anything more then a month, Perhaps sooner. Again, all fluid and depending on the circumstances. I am also exploring the option of finding a place closer to home to bug out to. A place more easily defended. Working on that.


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