Actually Prepping
Posted by lonegrasshopper@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 25 comments
Forget the gear and your "go" bag. If you don't regularly camp and go backpacking then you'll never be prepared either physically, mentally, or equiped to use your gear when shit actually hits the fan.
The_Krystal_Knight@reddit
I haven’t camped in almost a year am I still good or should I throw all my gear away? Very few of us are doctors or are medical professionals but at some point we might have to be. So should I chuck my med kits cause I’ve never done a tracheotomy?
thebadslime@reddit
Some of us only prep in place. Im disabled and just want to be comfortable in case of extended outages.
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DrHugh@reddit
I'm not sure that's entirely fair. Consider that the particular "shit" might be something like wildfires approaching your neighborhood. Camping isn't what's needed, just making sure you have the essential items and get everyone you care about (including pets) into a vehicle so you can drive in the recommended direction. Having the ability to be patient with people directing traffic, or operating a hotel, is going to serve you better than backpacking skills.
MethodicallyMediocre@reddit
I think being able to carry what you need is extremely important. That or learning to live with what you are carrying is important. Running for your life is not trivial, you really should try walking or running with some weight on.
Also, have you ever packed all your stuff into your vehicle? Have you ever been able to wake up early, get everything and everyone, including your baby, and your dog, organised into a vehicle before 9am? It takes a ton of co-ordination, and you would be surprised what kinds of things you miss or forget while you're halfway to the lake.
DeafHeretic@reddit
I am not going to run for my life because I literally can't run. I can't even walk very far and sometimes have to use a cane.
However, I do have a 750# capacity game cart that has dual wheels (each side) and solid tires, so if I need to "carry"/move something and I can't do it with one of my vehicles, I do have a backup.
Speck72@reddit
Noooooo "SHTF" has to mean OP's exact, narrow definition and everyone else claiming to be prepped for Tuesday is wrong! /s
Chief_Mischief@reddit
The gatekeepers here are hilarious. SHTF is an individual experience and journey. Someone with chronic health conditions will have a different definition of SHTF than someone who is able-bodied; e.g., insulin is lost or stolen.
Prepping for Tuesday and TEOTWAWKI are both SHTF.
DeafHeretic@reddit
True.
I've been prepping for a SHTF scenario that is happening right now and will continue for decades; Peak Carrying Capacity. My most involved preps do not involve camping, hiking or foraging - they involve creating a homestead that can support me and my family in being self-sufficient & self-reliant.
That said, preparedness, IMO, involves having sufficient preps, with backups; Shelter, Water, Food, FAK/Health, Energy/Fuel, Comms and Transport - more or less in that order.
I've been prepping for 50+ years, I've been "camping" for longer than that, Hunting, Hiking too. But I am 70YO with a bad back, a heart condition and I am out of shape. I can't walk long distances due to my back injuries and I am therefore woefully out of shape. So I pretty much have to bug in - I live at my BOL (rural forested acreage on a mountain) - although I did have to evac 4 years ago due to a forest fire.
Unlikely_Cut_5769@reddit
This is exactly why I used to laugh at the preppers show. It was always a very narrow definition of SHTF which had no flexibility.
19Thanatos83@reddit
Ah yeah, another "You are prepping wrong" Thread.
ProbablyABore@reddit
But sir, in case you didn't know, you're prepping wrong.
/insert thatsnothowanyofthisworks.gif
Only-Location2379@reddit
While practicing with your kit and camping can help you and I agree it shouldn't only be stocking up to say that if you don't only camp you're screwed is a bad take and very narrow minded.
What about turning off the power to your house for a weekend and surviving with only what you have at home. It's almost a more realistic experience then camping as we experienced it during COVID being locked down and having a power outage.
There are many ways to practice and be practical beyond only camping.
SebWilms2002@reddit
There are many scenarios where leaving is not necessary. Bugging out/Evacuating is honestly a worst case scenario.
I agree in principle, just because it is a challenging and rewarding experience, and allows you to test your knowledge and skills and gear in the actual setting where it is needed. So in that sense, absolutely it is a good idea.
More than that, it will improve fitness. Far too many people are in horrible physical shape. I frequently invite friends on back country trips, and despite not appearing unfit (as in, not being especially overweight) all of them get absolutely winded doing very novice treks. If you can get yourself out rucking at least once or twice a month, you'll do wonders for your health.
justasque@reddit
It really depends on what the threat is. CAT5 hurricane heading your way? Best approach is usually to grab an overnight-type Go Bag and head to somewhere out of the storm’s path. That could be a friend or loved one’s house or a hotel. Mandatory evac due to wildfire or mudslide? That could just mean grabbing your GoBag and heading to the temporary shelter at the local school for the night. Loved one has an injury or sudden onset of stroke-like symptoms? Grab the Go Bag and head to the ER, where you might end up staying for hours or for a couple days. Loved one in crisis who needs help? Grab your bag and go make yourself useful. On a day trip and facing a complication? Good thing you threw that go bag in the car, because it will make staying the night much more pleasant.
Fitness is good for all kinds of reasons, and camping or other “make do with less” experiences encourage improvisation and can be a nice “reset” from the consumer-based “have to have all the things” culture often prevalent in day to day life. But preparing for basic everyday situations where leaving home is the best way to handle the crisis is both easy and very useful.
KeepDreamingOk@reddit
It's true—if you don’t use it, you forget what’s inside. While I’m not sure of the exact contents of my go-bag right now, I do know it has everything I need: a sleeping mattress and bag rated for extreme cold, plus a poop shovel! LOL
Lenarios88@reddit
Did we need a much less detailed rehash of the post from 3 days ago? I go camping and backpacking for fun fairly often and have for extended periods in the millitary, but grabbing a pack and setting off into the wild is a terrible idea vs staying at my house where I have everything I need prepared in an emergency situation. Homeless people camp for years on end and I dont envy their survival odds.
People can learn how to use gear most of which isn't overly complex and stay physically fit without setting off into the woods. Its wild to assume the average prepper hasnt been camping before or that you're bear grylls because you went out recreationally on the weekend with some rei gear. Dudes really think going camping is going to give them the experience to live off the land in a disaster situation.
enolaholmes23@reddit
Gatekeeping
NoAssist8185@reddit
Wife and I are 77. We will make our stand in our house or what’s left of it. Living in the country we have deep well, septic, 100 gallons of propane, gas stove, solar backup, and 5kw gasoline generator to backup the solar. On our 3 acres we consider ourselves well off.
DisplaySuch@reddit
I agree that prepping your family with camping is nearly essential. The ability to live without utilities for a week makes a power outage, a boil water advisory or relocation easy to digest. We test gear like walkie-talkies during a hike and then used lake water for dishes.
GrillinFool@reddit
What if my “go bag” is 3500 square feet with a wood burning stove, 4 cords of wood, has a thousand pound gun safe and a creek in the backyard? I mean, I’ve tried hiking with just the gun safe on my back and that’s mother is heavy! I couldn’t even get it up the steps.
I get what the OP is saying, but maybe tone down the critique of others that don’t have the exact same vision of the future as you do. I mean, maybe you are better at predicting the future than other people, but I doubt it.
Traditional-Leader54@reddit
You need both and since you can’t go camping without the gear…
Environmental_Art852@reddit
I camped for years, hiked and swam ever since my 3 son's were young. I know how to handle gear, but age and health have become obstacles. I go to the firing range still, with my youngest son. What a blast.
mlotto7@reddit
You're getting downvoted, but there is value to your insight.
On one hand I think you're overvaluing bug-out and going into the wilderness. Unless I have absolutely no choice whatsoever and the lives of my family and I are at dire risk of staying in place - I am never bugging out. I am staying in my home and neighborhood where we have the safety of shelter, support from great neighbors, and familiarity.
I am a Veteran and former search and rescue/law enforcement. Those experiencing were nothing compared to four decades of experience of remote elk, deer, and bear hunting in the Pacific NW. We have used pack mules and gone miles into remote areas. We have had storms blow in and destroy $3000 canvas four season tents. We have had 60 degree drops in temperate. We have had our camp raided by a large black bear. We have been stalked by cougar. We have had an experienced outdoorsman shatter his ankle miles in from any road and 100 miles from medical care. We have had an experienced outdoorsman step on an inground yellow-jackets nest and have an shock episode from dozens of stings. We have almost been bit by rattlesnakes.
I don't think backpacking on established trails and pitching a $100 REI tent in established campground with facilities is the best prep for actual bug-out.
My experience had taught me there is one place I want to be in a true SHTF scenario and that is in my own home.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
I just had this posted last week.
Sy least the "go camping" aspect of it.