For
those that have assembled a BugOutBag, maintain and occasionally use it, it’s
an easy observation to make. Hiking and the “Great BugOut” are alike.
But
does this similarity go further to Preparedness and everyday living?
Dealing with Gear first.
There
IS a similarity in Gear between the two. Sleeping bag, rainwear, tarp &
tents, water filters, easy to cook and calories intense food, and more. And to
no one’s surprise. Common functions and needs make for the same solutions and equipment
chosen.
In
our case weight is the great equalizer. When you have to lug a backpackful for
days you will eventually end up at the lightest and most efficient items regardless
of market.
It
is no wonder that preppers and survivalists start with military gear at first
then proceed to the hiking range. Military gear is for hard use first then
weight. And weight will beat macho every time.
The
more advanced prepper gear kits will combine elements from both worlds. But to
do so one has to go thru the process of selecting for function, efficiency,
reliability and cost.
But before Gear come Skills.
For
once more the needs to function in similar environments and conditions dictate
the commonality of means and the skills to use them.
Proper
knowledge of Navigation, Fire Building, Shelter Building, First Aid and Camp
Cooking are required in both cases.
The
same goes for adapting to the environment. While camouflage for the BugOut and
bright colors for the hiker come to mind and may be your objections, this is
not the real issue.
The
issue is the ability to cope with extreme weather, unfriendly locations and
also find ways to comfort, which in turn saves you energy and stamina. Much the
same, exploiting resources (like finding water) saves you far more effort and
pain than lugging them all the way to your objective.
Adaptability
is the keyword here, and the point we want to make is that any hiker is closer to the preparedness basics (and survivalism if you want) than any other man.
And
even though all the points made above relate to the Survivalism infatuation the
“Great BugOut”, hiking goes further into the preparedness core.
It
Nurtures Self-Reliancy and Mindset.
Self-Reliancy because a hiker has to do in his own for a number of days and what more,
he has to make the right choices balancing effort and resources to last.
Camp
cooking is not only a proven way to cook during an electrical blackout. It is
also the implementation of diet principles to sustain you for days of increased
physical activity. By being an advanced hiker you have to get the knowledge of food
basics like preservation, nutrition and preparation, even getting creative in
the latter. And many of them prepare and pack their own dehydrated food.
Behind
every hiker’s first aid skills and kit lies the realization that you have to
make with those scant resources and not any medevac for some time, and drives
in the sense for safety and accident avoidance (caution) when you are in the
remote setting.
And
lastly –related to the gear and weight issue- hiking cultivates the sense of
balance of risk, effort, and energy and stamina preservation.
One
could go further into saying that hiking forces and trains you to making the
right choices when operating far from the systems of everyday life, which is the
same indeed about preparedness.
And
this brings us to Mindset. Hiking by
default is about finding your Limits and sourcing the Motivation to proceed
towards your Goal while Fighting the remote environment Without any of the
modern every day conveniences. And gaining Joy and Confidence in the mean time.
Sounds familiar?
The Differences of the two.
This
article would be incomplete without a short reference to the differences
between hiking and preparedness.
For
one, the exposure time for hiking is finite and pre-defined.
Resupply
options of guaranteed quality are available, and above all,
It
is a preplanned event with an expected favorable outcome.
These
considerations are true and should be positively addressed by any prepper, yet
they cannot rob of the value of hiking in instilling (and maintaining) the survival
and preparedness principles in a beginner’s efforts. Especially since it does
it in an enjoyable, favorable and familiar way.
