What would you need to bug out forever? Where would you go? Could you get everything in a backpack if you had to? Maybe with a game cart? I won’t go into why this would be necessary. I think you know the why anyway.
There's so much to this question and the first thing that you need to consider is what you are trying to escape and where do you expect to go that you'll ACTUALLY be able to hide from it. When the COVID hit, I had a few friends talking about "bugging out". A couple from larger cities that I could understand their concern and one from podunk, nowhere that I was confused as to where they thought they would go. I think a more immediate concern for everyone should be their "get home" bag. There's more actual danger in trying to get home to your major gear which you could then pick through and set up for what you thought you'd need to survive your impending (and as yet unknown) apocalypse. Historically, most people are just frog soup in an emergency and with that in mind, I'm not trying to pack a family's worth of E&E gear around with me daily just in case something really unlikely happens. I work less than 4 miles from home. What do I need to get there? Decent shoes (which this line of thought has brought to light that I'm currently lacking), appropriate attire for the weather and location, a little knowledge of the terrain and general understanding of the situation in which I've found myself. I got caught up in the BoB thing for a while. I worked away from home and was thinking about being able to get back to family and home. In doing that I wound up becoming interested in Bushcrafting and its a line of thought that's stuck. Basically, carry what you can't build and practice the skills as often as you can manage. You can loose gear pretty easily, be it lay it down or drop it or it being stolen. Its more difficult to misplace knowledge. I still lack the knowledge and skills to be 100% self reliant but I think I could make it a few days if I needed to.
I've posted versions of this before, I was able to update the article for this 11/20 publication of it in the Washington Arms Collectors, Gun News.
All I need is a knife. In addition I would also need to work on my flexibility, so I could kiss my a** goodbye.
I whole-heartedly agree. Which is why the vast, vast forests of my native WV will always call my name.
I find both the Hatfields and the McCoys to be the sweetest, gentlest folk you'd ever meet. As long as yer name aint Hatfield or McCoy.
Depends a lot on whether Mr. Steinberg observes the proper hillbilly ettiquette. Call out before you approach a cabin, no business talk before pleasantries, the ability to keep moonshine down, general knowledge of deer hunting and butchering, rifles and calibers, and 4x4's and dogs might just keep our Mr. Steinberg healthy and happy. Easy. Course if he acts like a revenoo'er or game warden or asks too many questions, there might not be any trace. When I was a boy I lived at the edge of "the vast forest" and used to follow a stream through the woods, sometimes for days. Once I came upon a cabin literally in the middle of nowhere, I don't even think there was road nearby. By the time the dogs start barkin you are committed, nowhere to go but forward. "Dumbass, you got too close." "Hellooooo the cabin!" Door opens, chickens scatter, better have your head straight. Five minutes later I'm sittin at the kitchen table having coffee and pie, going through the above mentioned pleasantries. I spent about an hour and a half with those folks and left feeling way better than I did when I arrived.
I agree with @TerryD Knowledge is #1. Skill #2. Go where others aren’t, or learn what few others care to learn (have valuable skills), would be #1,2, 3 and 4. Everyone and their distant kin have the same bug out idea for a SHTF scenario so the rural gonna, and is getting crowded. City folk paying 300-500% more than what land was going for locally 3 years ago in case another “pandemic hits they can have a place to bug out to. Many are outright moving now. A small “get home” bag is always top with me.