Physical feat/bugging out reality

Several threads have been started about physical conditioning as it concerns bugging out and survival in general.

Here's a harsh reality:

www.yahoo.com...

This man was a former professional athlete who likely had a logistics support team the whole way. He only averaged 22 miles per day. Look at how many shoes and socks he went through.

Bug out plans need to accept certain limitations about the human body. If you have to walk 100 miles, plan to carry for food for at least 6-7 days. Your route needs to be near water because you'll need at least a gallon a day to maintain your health, even if you did it in 5 days that's still 40 lbs of water, you'd have to carry. That expensive filter straw doesn't seem so expensive anymore does it? Every ounce you have to carry is extra calories you'll have to burn.

reply to post by crgintx


Well first of all I dont think many people plan on bugging out half way across the country.

And did you notice how he used shoes instead of boots.
Also your going to have to learn how to catch your own food, I only have about 3 days worth of food in my BOB, but I have things to catch my own food.
And it ways about 30 pds.

And your also going to have to learn how to deal with wrecked shoes and socks.
How do you think people did it like 1000 years ago.

You have to learn how to adapt. To deal with these things.
Thats why I've been studying how to make my own clothes out of animal fur and stuff like moccasins, when my boots where out.

So I think it should be less of bugging out is bad and more how to adapt well on the move.
My thoughts anyways.

Hey a hundred miles is not across country - in my area it's just and hour and a half - more or less - by car, and exactly the distance I had in mind on B/O day.

You have presented a stark realty if gas gets hard to find or too expensive.

Never underestimate the human body's endurance in an emergency situation, nor the human spirit to persist onwards.

On the other hand, yes, if you work in an office and never exercise, you will have problems. I know because I'm there right now, but starting to try and exercise every day again and get myself inot "military shape" . Riding my bike for 20 minutes down a gravel trail (as fast as I can, mind you) basically makes my thighs numb at this point, so yes I'm doomed if something were to happen.

I believe we Americans are about to get a taste of what life was like for the people in Sarajevo about 13 years back. From what I read it wasn't very pleasant..

THE MODERN SARAJEVAN FEMALE

She cuts wood, carries humanitarian aid, smaller canisters filled with water, does not visit a hairdresser nor a cosmetician. She is slim, and runs fast. Girls regularly visit the places where humanitarian aid is being distributed. They know the best aid-packages according to their numbers. They get up early to get water, visit cemeteries to collect wood, and greet new young refugees. Many wear golden and silver lilies as earrings, as pins, on necklaces.

Sarajevo is a city of slender people...wearing youthful clothes of teenage size. Sarajevans have lost about [8 million pounds]...They greet each other with--TAKE CARE!

A few years ago, my vehicle broke down about 12 miles from civilization in the middle of the night. I basically busted the seal on my filter and ran the engine out of oil. I didn't have a cell phone. I was running 3-4 days a week for 40 minutes(20 minutes out and back) back then.. I could run a mile and half in less than 10min:30 sec. I could pass my Air Force physical fitness test with no problem. At the time, I was wearing military issue desert boots. The temperature when I started hiking back to town was mid 80's with low humidity I thought this will be a breeze. Boy was I wrong! After a little over 3 hours, I made it to a 24 hour truck stop and I was absolutely beat. A kindly tow truck driver ran me back out to my vehicle for $40 bucks which given the hour(1 am) and situation I was glad to pay. I put on a new filter and filled my engine with oil and luckily didn't harm the engine when it ran dry.

Running isn't the same as walking and even fairly fit individuals will have a tough go walking more than say 20 miles per day. Like I mentioned in the subject line: Reality check. I recommend a bicycle of some sort as bug out vehicle if you can't get or make fuel for a vehicle to bug out in for emergencies.

Whether bugging out or sheltering in place, the key to making it is preparation and mental attitude.

I would suggest getting out and walking/running/riding to see what your limitations actually are.

I ride everywhere as fast as I can...after doing this for a few years I no longer get a burn on my muscles because there developed enough to cope with the stress. One boring night a few weeks ago I decided to test my walking fitness...managed 35Km with no water, no break lugging 8Kg on my back in a few hours, I'll admit when I got home my legs were sore but after doing a few more long walks the burn has worn off.

I found part of it is the state of mind, be determined and push through the pain...as long as I have no injuries the fitness part wont be an issue, it just takes a bit of exercise, plus it gives you a satisfied feeling having acomlished something like that

Back to gym again tomorrow after a long while off..
I used to run 9 miles a night EVERY day at school.3 nights a week boxing training..

That was a long time ago lol..
I know my cardio is still respectable because work requires carrying a couple of hundred kg of weight in equipment.. up and down stairs/fire exits.

Just a couple of extra stone to lose after getting smashed up and immobilized a couple of years ago.
All that body building beforehand went south..

It's not fat around the stomach.. it's just my chest slipped..

A very important point. Packing the very best gear for a bug out situation wont count for much if you break down 30 min out, wear out your footwear or run out of clean socks. It's not all about being in perfect shape though. Someone out of shap can also successfully bug out as long as they at least try to prepare for some of the hardships that may lie ahead. We need to know what to expect and we need to know our limitations and adapt to situations and make desicions based on that. You need some sort of experience to base your desicions on.. for example on wheter or not to push forward and try to reach a distant objective, or set up camp for the night in a somewhat decent place you reached.

Regular exercise is gold.. even just a kilometer or two every day of running will be valuable as far as prepearing goes. But walking with a nice 20kilo+ pack over long distances is absolutly the best way to prepear. Running, jogging and walking with a load are the best ways to shape up for a bug out situation in my experience. Naturally training the back and generally building other muscles is also useful of course.

Some tips would be to pack the gear you would want to bring on a bug out and regularily go on lenghty trips with it, staying a few days and nights in the wilderness (or in urban settings if you feel like it) and getting the feel of your gear. This is both a fine way to prepear and it can give you some memorable experiences. You will quickly find out how long you would last in a real bug out situation, of course depending on circumstanses. After a while you will be able to perfect your gear and how you prepear physicaly. I do this serveral times every summer, and have done it during the winter down to extreme sub-zero temperatures also (not for longer than 30 hours though), allthough extreme sub-zero bugging out is quite hopeless the way I see it. Luckily not a probable scenario for most people, but defiantly possible.

Some of the key points you can extract from reading about experiences like the one linked to by crgintx is the importance of footwear. Good footwear should be the #1 investement of anyone prepearing for sitx. Boots are not very comfortable in relation to sneakers, but they will defiantly last longer and offer much better protection from the elements. You wont wear out a pair of good boots until you have encountered a whole range of other problems, and if you walk them in correctly, choose good soles and don't over-stress your feet, you will generally avoid ruining your feet. In my experience a good pair of gore-tex mountain-hiking shoes/low boots are fantastic as well. Most are extremely comfortable to wear, they offer great protection from the elements and are very sturdy. Bringing an extra pair of footware on your pack is not a bad idea, depending on what sort of environment you may walk in of course.

Another important thing.. socks. Always strive to have clean socks, or at least dry socks. Dry socks is paramount to survival. Comfortability when you walk can't be over-estimated, and avoiding prolonged humidity around your feet is very, very important.

So.. Good footware, dry socks and some exercise and hiking-camping experience should be given a high priority when prepearing for sitx. It's easy to get hung up in gear and weapons.