We consider these three mind sets, next to having a good bug-out bag – and yes having a bug-out bag is important even if you decide to bug in – the most important things to have or consider when bugging in. A situation can go from bad to worse very quickly so do not sit back on your certainty. Be prepared!

1. Lack of an Exit Plan
There are many situations where you may decide that you would simply rather die in your home than face all that goes with trying to bug out. As many people in 9/11, hurricane and tsunami zones have learned, you don’t always have a choice about whether or not you will survive the actual crisis event.
No matter whether you stepped away from your home at a critical moment or some other event leaves you as a survivor, you may well find out that you are alive and relatively well, but can no longer live in your home.
Lack of an exit plan from this type of situation can prove worse than fatal. Never forget that others around you that may have passed on or been badly injured would give anything to have what you have now.
Do not waste the good fortune that you have if you survive a major crisis by not developing a viable exit plan just in case you cannot bug in. Some basic things that your plan should include are:
The names and locations of friends or relatives in near and distant locations that can give you a place to stay in time of need. Often, the hardest part of bugging out is the fear that you will have no place to go. At the very least, if you have a person or location in mind, then you can focus on that goal and use it as a means to get started moving out of the crisis zone.
A bug out bag that has the tools required for navigation, food gathering, food preparation, water purification, and basic medical supplies. If you are traveling to an area with a different climate, then be sure to wear layers of clothes that will enable you to avoid common pitfalls. This may include clothes that will help you stave off frostbite as well as ones that will help prevent heat stroke and dehydration.
The financial means to support yourself once you are outside of the crisis zone. If you are in a fairly localized situation, it may still be possible to gain access to debit cards and other bank funds. To maximize your chances of getting at these funds, make sure that you have at least one pre-paid debit card that is backed by a bank large enough to have branches all over the world. As may be expected, cash or coins are always the best option if you don’t want to be tracked, however then you will still need to be able to defend yourself from various thieves and other criminals.
A list of skills and knowledge that you need to acquire. Make it your business to learn how to hunt, fish, build a shelter, purify water, tend basic medical needs, navigate, and defend yourself. You should also make it a point to learn at least one extended trade that you can use for barter as you move from one area to another. Even if you wind up remaining in your local area, these skills will still help you as you interact with others trying to overcome the same nightmare scenario.
2) Believing You Will Always Be Safer in Your Own Home
No matter what happens in life, chances are you will just want to be in your own home where you can get something to eat, go to bed, or take a shower.
Your home isn’t just a place where you carry out the daily tasks associated with taking care of yourself, it is your ultimate safe haven. In fact, even when people are very sick and need extensive care in a hospital, they always tend to feel safer at home and want to return as soon as possible.
On the other hand, there can be any number of situations where being at home can pose more of a risk than being somewhere else. In a post crisis world, it is anyone’s guess which option will be better for you.
Even in a flood, earthquake, or hurricane scenario, the house next to you may be demolished while yours remains relatively unscathed. Never simply avoid looking at the fact that your home may be too dangerous to stay in before, during, and after a crisis period.
Here are just a few things that should alert you to the fact that you may have some problems if you choose to bug in:
The floors, walls, or roof are in disrepair. Chances are, you would be amazed at how many people have enormous credit card, mortgage, and car payment loads even as their home is propped up on jacks or they need 5 gallon buckets to catch leaks from the roof when it rains. A home that is in this condition may seem like “home” to you, and impossible to leave, however it can spell death for you in a crisis scenario. While you may feel “at peace” with that kind of ending, you may find yourself thinking and feeling differently when you or a loved one are pinned under a beam and screaming for hours or days for help that may not arrive.
3) Lack of Awareness about Your Surroundings
If you have been actively prepping, then you are always thinking about ways to improve your situational awareness. As with so many other things in life, sometimes it is very hard to distinguish between routine background elements of your life that won’t matter in a crisis situation, and those that will.
Some areas where you may be blindsided include:
Overall suitability of the land and building where you will be bugging in
An accurate and thorough assessment of risk of exposure to rioters
An accurate and thorough assessment of how government and first responders will respond to the crisis and post crisis period
How your personal advantages and limitations will change over time
Lack of knowing how zoning laws and other regulations will either prevent you from making viable prepping plans or even prevent you from doing what is needed after a crisis occurs
Today, many people that are working on their survival plans figure that if the situation is bad enough, local, state, and federal governments won’t be around or able to enforce the kinds of regulations that make it difficult to store and operate necessary survival equipment.
These very same people are unaware that we are living in a world with a global government that can and will send troops, and other forms of “support” to governing bodies that can no longer control or manage any given situation.

Keeping the people you trust close to you is important but always remember your training. Whether you bug in or bug out do not exempt one for the other. Even if you have plans to leave immediately after the SHTF it may not happen if a family member is ill and cannot be moved. Be ready for anything!

There is more to read on this subject over on Survivopedia, including the possible errant belief you will always be safer in your own home. Read why that may not be true!