When "bugging out" is discussed we have to make a few assumptions before we begin the discussion. We assume that the country will be in a state of absolute anarchy. There is no government, no military, no law enforcement, no electricity, no gasoline or diesel. The potential for electrical power and petroleum refineries to return to production for years to come. 

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There will be a period known as the "die off." During this time, ninety percent of the population will die within three to six months, leaving about 30 million survivors total. The majority of these 30 million survivors will be Christians that cooperate with one another. This will reduce security considerations at that point but they must have the means and know how to produce food on a long-term basis. 

There are two major considerations to surviving the die off and the initial adjustment period. First of all, you must have food. The minimum you should store is two years of food for every individual you plan on housing during this time. This will get you through the three to six months that it takes for the die off to run its course. It will also provide you with enough food to ensure that you can eat during the two growing seasons that it will take you to establish long-term food production. 

The second consideration is security. There will be as many as three hundred million refugees. They will be hungry and desperate for what you have. One in ten people is a "bad person" who had no conscious before the die off began. There will also be good people who have already broken their personal ethical code to ensure their family's survival. These people will do what they have to for survival and that could include eliminating you. You must have the security of a community. There is no way to survive alone.

When we talk about long term food production there are some specific items that you need to have on hand and you will need a lot of them. You must have a wide variety of open pollinated seeds. You need enough for two plantings and you need to think about feeding your entire community. Gardening also requires a lot of hand tools: hoes, rakes, shovels, spades, etc. Without gasoline powered tractors the work will have to be done by hand and these tools are essential. Canning supplies to store the fruits of your labor will also be a requirement. There are reusable lids but eventually they will fail. A smokehouse and tons of salt or sugar are integral for storing proteins. Consider growing cane sugar or sugar beets. Knowledge of how to plant, harvest and extract seeds is a skill you should be developing now. 

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The size of your garden will depend on your growing seasons and the number of people in your group but a ten foot by ten foot garden is not going to cut it. You must grow enough to eat during the growing season plus enough to preserve and store to eat until the next harvest comes in. Remember you could have total crop failure the first season and that is why you need a two year food supply stored now. For protein consider raising small animals: rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese; medium animals: sheep, goats, alpacas, and/or large animals: cows, horses, donkeys.

When you are deciding whether to bug in or bug out you need to do some risk assessment first. Think in terms of months, not weeks. No matter where you live, desperate refugees and bad guys will eventually be a problem. Refugees who live past the first three months will become a major problem because they probably experienced some horrific things to survive as long as they have. If you are in the city there will be no food deliveries. If you bug in, you will die, unless you have enough food and materials to produce food in a concrete jungle. The people in the suburbs or near a city will be absolutely overrun with refugees and have the same considerations as the city folks. If you think you can survive isolated in the mountains, think again. You will likely die because refugees will find you eventually and they will be hardened by that point. If you live on rural farm land, you have the best chance of survival and should bug in. Remember that you can't do it alone. You will need the support of your community. If others in the community run out of food and long term production for the entire community can't be brought online all bets are off. 

If you plan to bug out to the wilderness, you will die. Long term wilderness survival would not be a pleasant lifestyle and long term wilderness survival with your family could be like hell itself. Plus, there are thousands maybe millions of people that will have the same idea. The plants and wildlife supply will become non-existent. If you plan on going to a friend or relative's home you better help them stock supplies for two years for your family as well. You will increase security but the stress of food supplies could be disastrous. The best option, is to have a prepared bug out location. This would ensure your food and seed stocks are prepared and ready when you need them. You better take the time to get to know the community and make sure it is a supportive one. Especially if you buy a house in the country to use a bug out location but barely get time to go there. Your neighbors may consider your country home a supply pantry if you are not part of their community well before disaster strikes.