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Book Review of Scott Williams’ Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late
Going to a bug-out location takes much more than just hitting the road. A new book by lifelong wilderness explorer and bug-out blogger, Scott Williams, Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late, lists 275 great bug-out locations, as well as details on how to get there, what to bring and how to plan your trip.
Published in June 2010, Bug Out is 302 pages of maps, illustrations, information and useful lists. Williams covers everything from basics on, so it’s a good book for survivalists and campers of every level.
The book is separated into two parts. The first part covers bug-out basics, and it can be used for wilderness camping in any part of the world. He first goes into the realities of living off the land. It’s not all fun and games, and this section is designed to paint a realistic picture for those who have never done it before.
Then, the book gets to the nitty-gritty. This section contains a list of everything you need to carry. It keeps it to necessities and doesn’t go too overboard, just presenting the basic list of essentials.
Finally, the first part has a section on advanced planning and choosing a good place to camp, and a section on getting to the site.
The second part is a huge listing of bug-out locations. They are all located in the lower 48 states of America (not including Hawaii and Alaska). Most of them are public lands like national parks, wildlife refuges and state lands, with a few listings of private property. The listings are separated into eight regions:
- Rivers swamps and islands of the Gulf Coast
- Islands & lowlands of the Atlantic Coast
- The Appalachian Mountain corridor
- Lakes & big woods of the North
- The Midwest & Heartland
- Wilderness strongholds of the Rocky Mountains
- Deserts, canyons, and mountains of the Southwest
- Pacific Crest Mountains and the West Coast
For each location, there are several paragraphs. Some are more detailed. Information includes access to the area, local resources, size, weather, edible plants, wildlife hazards, hunting and fishing.
An appendix goes into more detail about the specific items Williams recommends for wilderness survival, including tools for hunting and fishing, food, shelter, clothing and items for self-defense.
Author Scott B. Williams has been a wilderness explorer for most of his life. He grew up in rural Mississippi hunting, fishing and camping, and has done solo long-distance kayaking trips all over the world. He has also done extensive backpacking and canoeing. His other books include On Island Time: Exploring the Caribbean, Exploring Coastal Mississippi and Paddling the Pascagoula. He also blogs on his site Bug Out Survival.
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