HOBOFICATION
Bug Out, Hobo Up, Hobo Down
Things in the Triple W ( White Western World ) are pretty tense.
Many forsee a future scenario where things go “kinetic”. This is often reffered to as SHTF, or Shit Hits The Fan.
Of course, this is well within the realm of possibility. The differences between various groups are seemingly “unfixable” by peacefull means, and for many, patience is gone.
Rather than writing yet another screed based on “Who to blame” for this state of affairs, here, I want to focus on giving some advice on how to survive if and when such a scenario comes to pass.
First, most People who offer advice in this arena often talk or write about “bugging out”. This slang term was first coined during the Korean War, where 72 hour firefights in response to Chinese / North Korean Human Wave attacks where suprisingly common. Once the last round was fired out of the last melting barrel, and the enemy was STILL ADVANCING, the G.I.s would “Bug Out”. This refers to a state of affairs where to “stand and fight” is certain suicide.
IF You live in anything approaching a city, in a SHTF scenario, staying in place is certain death. Cities WILL become a place where electricity and clean drinking water, along with food will go away rapidly, and ALL who stay will become competing Tribes of cannibals. Naturally, many People would not WANT to eat other Human Beings, and are even far fewer would desire to BE EATEN.
So, the advice often given is for You and Yours to “plan” to Bug Out.
What I aint hearing anyone else say is that the moment You and Yours Bug Out, You are suddenly homeless. Yes, You are in the act of undergoing a proccess of “Hobofication”. Hobo Up, Hobo Down, whatever, now YOU are the hobo.
As somebody with homelessness in My history, allow Me to offer some “lived experience”.
First, hygiene is priority NUMBER ONE. I dont care how well armed You are, or how much gear You have, sickness and disease WILL take You out if You dont handle this priority. Get some Listerine, the old-school brown kind, and have paper towels and a toothbrush. Use it sparingly to rinse out Your mouth after brushing Your teeth with NO TOOTHPASTE. Use it sparingly to wipe down Your ballbag, bunghole, and between Your toes, by pouring a tiny amount on a paper towel. For Men, these three areas going super-critical will be the beginning of Your doom.
Second, have a small dropper bottle of food-grade Iodine. Infowars Survival Shield X-2, or X-3 are best. This can keep shallow wounds from getting infected, and, in a pinch, can clean water for drinking. A drop in a gallon jug of creek water that You have filtered through a rag can be cleanish after two hours. With a funnel and a rag, filter the water into the jug, this should get out most solids. Fill the jug about three quarters full, put in a drop or two of the Iodine, shake it up, then wait two hours before drinking. Most surface water WILL be contaminated by farm runoff, which will destroy Your kidneys and liver over time, but what I am telling You here is to avoid dying on the trail as a cramped up puking, shitting mess.
Third, and this is for those with the Eye of the Tiger, walk Your route OR ROUTES that You expect to take when You Bug Out. Did I mention that You need to Bug Out on foot? Attempting to drive out of the city is simply making a “plan” of how You will meet death sitting on Your ass behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Anyhoo, walk Your route or routes You expect to walk , while things are still “normal”, like today. Have a backpack with a hand shovel, and a sack of potatoes, and some drinking water, and some salt. Drink the water as needed, and eat tiny pinches of salt. Without salt You WILL die, so during this recon phase, keep some on You.
When You are just outside of the city, in an area where nobody can see You, plant a potato. Keep doing this every couple hundred yards. When You get to a place where You believe that You could camp for awhile once Operation Hobo has gone live, plant potatoes everywhere. This “Viet Cong Gardening” could be a new hobby. All the laws in the World cannot stop photosynthesis, so If another growing season passes without calamity, You can go on a potato harvesting hike.
Also, get plastic trashbags to keep clothing and such dry. You NEED to train Yourself to walk in the middle of a rainstorm. Wood ashes make an excellent detergent for washing clothes, although You need to get to know any area BEFORE starting a fire. In the dark of night, a tiny fire is a bright and shining beacon, and during the day, a plume of smoke is also.
So to recap;
Listerine
Food-grade Iodine
SALT
Papertowels, rags, and a water container
Hand Shovel
In all this, I hope You can develop the survival mindset to include a sudden and radical instant state of inconvinience, discomfort, and varying degrees of fear, ranging from concern to absolute terror, AND, at the same time holding the line against Your greatest enemy;
Your internal limits.
VIVA LA HOBO!