"But I'm not sure why you would need to bug out with 400 pounds of equipment unless you are somewhere you won't be rescued for months and i can't think of an example."

When you're bugging out (think wildfire) and you suspect that whatever you take with you is all that will have left.

Sue

And throw gallons of water onto the pile -- heavy.

But considering the max load on my cargo trailer and what I could reasonably carry on my back, I can't see that I would carry/haul more than a couple hundred pounds.

A properly designed touring bike with panniers or trailer can haul a lot of weight if you can crank it up a hill. They are built heavier to handle loads and be stable carrying them, as well as have decent mounts for racks and extra water bottles. Also sturdier wheels which are the key to handling loads.

Typically when touring I carry less than 100 lbs, depending on if I am camping or staying in hotels. You really don't need much to "survive" while on a bike, but you will need access to food and water, as you will burn though a lot of it.

I have a 25 mile commute from work, but I could easily bike home and not carry much gear at all. Probably take me 2 hours or so, and I'm not in very good shape at the moment.

As for the comment about bugging away from a hurricane, I recall from a touring list that I used to frequent that when Katrina was coming and all the roads were parking lots, one of the members rode out of New Orleans pulling a trailer and made much better time than any of the vehicles (especially those that ran out of gas). Depending on the terrain and your load (and your fitness), it is fairly common for tourists to ride over 100 miles in a day. I prefer 50 or 60, but I like to take lots of pictures...

Greg

If that is the application for using a bug out bike, and I think it is one of the most useful, I would suggest an occasional commute to and from work to get some experience and work out an effective route.

I have found that every one of my bike routes varied, sometimes fairly significantly, from the route I used when driving a car. Variations are caused by traffic density, hills, good/bad intersections, etc. I have found that a surprising number of trips was necessary to perfect a route, and sometimes the inbound route varied from the outbound route.

If you have pedaled home before you really have to, it will really lower the stress level when the day comes.

I've commuted by bike for sometime. Not a tremendous achievement as I don't have a long commute.

It would be great to have practiced the optimal route in advance (which may vary depending on the particulars of the cause of evacuation). That's true with walking, too. The commute will look, and feel, a lot different when not driving it.

Even if someone hasn't been on a bike for thirty years and has no intention of practicing in advance of bugging out by bike, an old beater bike kept for emergencies is going to beat not having one.

Padded bike underwear would be worth their weight in gold, too. Even at today's gold prices.

No matter the bike, in an emergency I'd rather ride than walk 10, 20 or 30 or more miles.

I've had colleagues with 80 mile commutes. A lot of hilly walking. Doubtful they have a plan. Most peops don't.