A Bug Out Location (BOL) is a location pre-selected where preppers bug out to during an emergency or natural disaster requiring evacuation.
A BOL is a location other than you home, typically somewhere off-the-radar and rural, where you’ve planned to flea too if the need for serious evacuation ever arises. Evacuation is typically done with a B.O.B. in a B.O.V.
The term bug out location is often abbreviated as BOL or B.O.L. by members of the survival community, and can also be used synonymously with the term survival retreat.
What is a Bug Out Location?
The definition of the term “bug out location” can vary slightly, but generally speaking, bug-out locations are a type of survival shelter that includes any pre-planned evacuation location, whether that be a simply emergency
meet-up location, a remote area previously scouted out, or a off-the-grid self-sufficient retreat or survival bunker. Bug out locations can include caches of survival supplies and other survival gear, reducing the need for bug-out bags or other preparedness kits.
Areas that make a good location are typically rural with a low population density. Bug-out locations are best when hidden and discreet, and should have access to natural resources, such as water or potential food supplies.
The best bug out locations are selected with long-term survival and self-sufficiency in mind; though it may not be needed, it is better to have a long-term base in a SHTF or EOTW situation.
Different approaches can be taken when selecting or scouting a potential bug out location, with different locations and property types having different benefits and risks.
Our article on choosing a bug out location covers these considerations in detail, examining many of the different factors to consider when selecting a bug out location.