What do you look for in a bug out location?

Near but not next to a running stream, preferably one that doesn't go dry in summer, obviously need to ensure no dangerous nests of ants are well ingrained into the area as well as wasps and bee's etc, would also have good natural shelter, plenty of tree cover (Canopy) not sure on the rest, I have some places staked out, but that is more for convenience, I'll have to read along and learn I think as my primary plan is to bug in.

Great topic though, I can think of a few members whoa re going to be all over this and I'm eager to read what they have to write.

Scouting for me, close to water, not frequented by the public. But close to public roads with multiple exit points.

Clean water, Terrain that works to my advantage (Visibility/Concealment/Defensible), Wooded areas, distance from major roads and population centers, Soil type, Neighbors.

Some great info on here! Awesome...

Right now, my wife and I are searching for and about to purchase a bug out location. I'm new to prepping, but will tell you of the things we have considered in this. Perhaps people could offer some critique if they can think of any...

1. Rural property, not near any major town.
2. Location not near major connecting roads.
3. Minimum 50 acres.
4. At least 20 or so acres of scrub to conceal structures.
5. Within 1.5 hours drive from our home. (With this distance, we can go there each weekend to supply, and there is less chance of being caught by road blocks)
6. Location for bore to be put down into ground for water source.
7. Location suitable for growing vegetables etc.
8. Able to justify to family and friends that it is a rural 'getaway' to take the kids camping.

Any thoughts people could add would be very appreciated.
Thanks.

I live in a heavily wooded area and I think it's a two-edged sword. Yes we are invisible to the outside world, but by the same token we can't see anyone approaching either. Overall I think I prefer heavily wooded, but...

Peter, your input and info is appreciated, but I don't think there is any need for the attitude

This thread is for people to put forward their ideas on what they would ideally look for in property/BOLs, they don't need to told to "keep dreaming" and those that "already live in the rural areas will see you coming". People are allowed to dream and you may be surprised by the amount of people here that come from rural areas

Looks real nice.

We live in an area where within a ten kilometre radius of us there would be over 100 small blocks from two to 50 hectares in size that would in most cases be eminently suitable for a family to set up camp in a post SHTF situation.

In the 20 or so years we have been here we have watched with interest many of these blocks being sold (several have been sold more than five times) and the new owners take possession. In a number of instances I have made myself known, welcomed them to the area and informed them of the services available in the local towns and of the organisations they could join if they felt the need. I have listened to their reasons for purchasing the block and their plans for the future.

Those plans usually go out the window about the third time they get to their block as it is a two and a half hour drive from the north side of Melbourne, they usually arrive late in the afternoon, set up camp with no water on tap, no power supply other than a generator that is usually made in China, the kids have no television or computer games, mum has trouble cooking tea as in the summer fire season the barbecue cannot be lit outside and in the winter the make-do kitchen in the shed is not set up properly, the teenage girls don’t want to use the outdoor shower because of the spider they saw in it the previous visit, there is no connection to Facebook as there is no signal and the list goes on.

We have seen many friendly and well meaning people take ownership of blocks in this area, and we have seen most of them leave because the truth about the hardships of living in a rural area away from all of the amenities of the big cities did not enter into their calculations. Owning a block of land in a rural area several hours drive from where you live and work sounds nice when hearing others talk about it, but here in the summer it is hot and dry, in the winter it is cold and wet. We suffer from bush fires and floods. Those of us who make the rural areas our homes for the long term have houses with hot showers and fires that warm us in the winter. Many of us do not have mains power, those that do are the envied by the rest of us as they can run air conditioners in the summer. The rest of us suffer.

We would not give up this life easily and neither would many of those around us. We took the time to set up our homes, we either worked or still work in the area and we have joined the groups and organisations that make a community work. In times of hardship I believe that the community would band together to overcome any hardship that were to confront us.

We would welcome other families into the area, but as I said, many of the newcomers arrive with unrealistic expectations and are usually still tied to the city life either by their employment of their children's perceived needs.

I apologise if any of the remarks I made in my previous post offended anyone but I will say it again ‘be realistic about what you are trying to achieve’.