Does anyone out there think the same?

I like the outdoors and hunt, fish, and camp several times a year. Live in the USA so having a gun is still legal...lol
I also know that I can take my truck loaded of things for a weekend getaway.
I have enough for me to be comfortable for awhile in the woods.
My problem is this though,
The amount of food stored can be fit into my vehicle and so can my gear with everything that I need for a long time,(plenty of weapons,food, and cloths...not getting into the gear lists) what do you do if your on foot? (please don't say to stage or stock up on my preps at the Bug Out Location)
I can only carry so much and alot of things would be left behind if on foot.
Things that I know I would want to have or could really put to good use.
I also am thinking of a senerio that has it so your not comming back to get it because of flood, earthquake, radiation,troops...whatever.....this is for if you have to leave and not come back.
You then get other things that come up...aka murphy's law,
your secret location was also someone else's or it is not safe to go there,be it from troops, floods, the earth swallowed it ...whatever.
You have all this gear, food and weapon(s).
Do you have an alternate sight?I have several.
How far away?
I do not live in the city, But I am a far stretch from Kansas too...if you know what I mean.
You could walk for days/weeks to get to what I would feel is a safe location.That would be fine, however you would also have the masses of others traveling to get away too. (Please don't say use a bike....there are so many things wrong with that for me because of where I live, and this is not a post for them)
I am bringing this up,because I know that some here have prepaired for many different things.
After reading some posts from others about going into the country and taking from the farmers...well that is the farmers land, that is HIS/HER STUFF, it does not become community properity because your tresspassing.
You honestly would be like a nomad wondering the area.
You could try to get items needed as you go,from nature, in towns or at house's. That could be a little bit dangerous...for only one person.
I am posting this because I am at it alone, I am not a member of a group,nor do I want to be. I understand it takes a small group to provide security and chores...ect.
I know that others out there are in the same boat as me so to speak.
What do you do if you can only take what you can carry?
There will be some hard choices that might need to be made about how and what/why you packed what you did, that you'll ask yourself.
I am mearly looking for guidance because I am at a loss for being able to think of everthing.
I know about living off the land and that is fine if it is at a time when things are plentyful....what if it is destroyed by man or from radiation or gone from floods?
Would you be better off to say screw it and move to you location now and say the hell with everthing else?
With the current state of the world right now what do you do if you the flare goes up? I am just seeking advise from other sources to expand my ability and chances of survival, in a not so stable world.
Thank you for the time reading this and your comments.

reply to post by saltdog


I think you should consider becoming part of a group of like-minded
individuals.Going alone has more disadvantages than advantages.

You'll be fine on your own. Just make sure you have a book or something. Doesnt matter if it's a good book or complete trash. Sooner or later you'll get restless. Really, really restless. Reading a couple of pages will take the edge.

Overtime you'll get used to it and wont become restless anymore.

In the meantime, practice. Grab your gear and just wander. Have a direction or not, have a destination or not, but just go.

There are times when I can cruise on for days and never need anything in my pack because greens and fish and squirrels are everywhere. There are other times when I cant find anything and I'm on my last lentil and grain of rice desperately trying to make it back to the exit.

Practice every chance you get. Turn a week of camping into a week of "OMGWTFTEOTW" and you'll learn what you absolutely need, what you can do with out and what you'd like to have.

I've spent my whole life avoiding people and groups and I'm not about to start getting social when the slobs are running around desperate and scared because their DVR's arent recording Cougar Town.

I am not that big on getting into a group of people, I prefer to be alone in this type of a world...less to worry about and you make it or not depending on your abilities and skills, not someone elses.
I have been camping and backpacking for awhile now( from camping down at the creek, fishing and swimming for a few days at a time as a kid, to going up to Canada for 3 weeks on fishing trips with my father every other year...almost 30 years if you count military time with being in the infantry).
It would be easiest to be alone...however I do know that there will be times that you might want or need someone there with you to assist or to talk to.
I figure it would be like the Early Settlement days or Lewis and Clark, or the early American Trappers with getting by.
I can handle all of that but getting resupplied with some important items like seasonings, bullets, some types of food and medical items( for accidents that could very easily happen).
I guess if it was going to be like that then you would want to be around others, but not with them...you could still barter and trade for things or skills but the life with others in the woods would not be my desired way.
It is easier to hide or to dissapear if it is only 1 person and not 20-30.
I have always like and tried to stay under the radar so to speak.

I just don't see having to bug out forever. Sooner of later things will settle down. And it's not as if all those houses and what's in them will be completely destroyed.

Like you, I'm a lone wolf. You seem to have more camping experience than I do, but there's only so much to know.

I don't concentrate solely on gear, because gear is heavy. Knowledge is light.

reply to post by PSUSA


You are right. Your pack is heavier in the winter and you would need a few extra things to get you through till spring.
I know it wouldn't be forever, but what if it is longer that 1 or 2 years?
You would need some seeds or a place that has a basic garden already growing. I can carry around 150lbs on my back, no problem, however if you need to take a months worth of food to get you by for the initial trip and it is winter, thats a lot of weight my friend.
I just wish (as we all do) that we knew what SHTF we are in for, so that we can prepair accordingly...lol
We all would like to know and be as prepaired as posible I'm sure, I can do about anything with almost nothing, your mind is the most valuable weapon this is true. It is just sometimes you'll need a little bit of luck or a little help...
I pray it never happens but my gut tells me different.
I sure as hell am not going to stay and be a sheeple....not a snowballs chance in hell.

Have you ever heard of this guy?

Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. The first summer he scouted for the best cabin site, and cut and peeled the logs he would need for his cabin. Dick Proenneke returned the next summer to finish the cabin where he lived for over 30 years.

There is a video out there somewhere. He filmed a lot of his experience and it was made into a movie.

Search Youtube for "Alone in the Wilderness".



If this guy could do it anyone can. It just takes a certain type of person.

[edit on 11-12-2009 by calcoastseeker]

Yes his book is great...however what they do not tell you in the show is that he had a plane come up every few weeks with items needed for his survival. they book tells more of that.
He did make it through the first winter and toughted it out, however every year after that he went back to the civilized world of the alaskan town that his pilot was from.
He has an amazing story, but yet even he needed to be resupplied as did mountainmen and trappers and early american settlers.

reply to post by saltdog


Yes I realize that. But he did it back a long time ago and lived there for thirty years.

I am sure others have done it with less because they did not have access to modern things.

I just posted that to show you have to think outside the box so to speak.

I just wonder how the OP will know where a safe place will be?

I personally have no intentions of beating feet when the SHTF.

Only cowards run and hide.

reply to post by saltdog

I just wish (as we all do) that we knew what SHTF we are in for, so that we can prepair accordingly...lol

Yes.

Everyone has their own ideas on what is likely to happen.

But the way I see it, people are too reliant on the physical. I mean gear, weapons, tools, food, etc.

I believe the real test will be mental, and on a deeper level, spiritual.

I'd be interested in knowing how others react to personal shtf in their own lives. With me, it's happened, and my mental reactions weren't what I thought they'd be.

There is an aura of unreality. It can be paralyzing. You can't believe what just happened. That leads to inaction, or faulty actions. It reminded me of when I was younger and smoked some good weed.

This is not an easy thing to fight my way out of.

I did fight my way out of that, but I didn't react at anything near 100%. I could have just as easily died. And I was mad enough to kill.

I think people underestimate this, and it will cost them.

[edit on 11/12/09 by PSUSA]

To stay fed during any type of ongoing SHTF type event we're all going to have to learn to forage and trap.
Huntiing can give your position away and that is why I would shy away from it (exception: bowhunting)
If you can forage you can eat ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. except in the city, of course.
ALL YOU GOTTA DO:
Get yourself a Peterson's filed guide to edible wild plants if you live in NA.
Learn it , try it and keep a copy in your bugout bag.
Learn how to make simple traps such as rolling snare and pauite deadfall.
Practice that too.
Learn how to eat nearly anything, including insects. Real survival depends on acquiring a great number of smaller food items for the most part.

Congratulations! You are now food independant! (Winter is still hell to get through!)

From what I've been reading saltdog,it seems like you have a decent skill set for surviving on your own.
Maybe you should start talking to the people you go into the wild with or if not, invite people to come along.The reality of the situation is,we all are social creatures to varying degrees and none of us truly want to be alone.Survival isn't just about the BOB,BOL,the equipment or the skill set.It's also about the relationships we form.

In a long term SHTF situation,it will be hard to make new friends in such a environment.
That doesn't mean you have to form or join a full blown survival group with all trimmings.
An acre of land shared with a couple of buddies as a way point or a mini BOL with a couple of buckets buried there,maybe all you need.

Personally,I don't want to be dragging anyone around in a SHTF that doesn't know anything.
But we still made provisions for such a situation just the same.
We set up a few extra way points and puts some stores there,just encase.

Last thing you want to be doing is driving around all alone with a lot of stuff in a SHTF situation.

Joins some clubs or take a seminar or a course two.Spelunking around Wilderness and camping stores is a good way to meet people.Even going on nature walks or a canoing trips might make the difference.

One of the important things in a survival situation is being flexible in your course,direction,and thinking.

Just don't make any commitments to a group,just be flexible with a few loose affiliations to individuals and share a few way points. It's always a good thing to know a few people you may run into out there.



[edit on 12-12-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]

reply to post by The Utopian Penguin


Thanks for your vote of confidence, I thought about having someone else or a small group, however it is not easy to get a group together and then you have to count on someone else, and personally, I have a hard time trusting people that i just meet and know little about.
I have family but they are way to far away to be a part of it and If something was to happen, chances are I would be making my way back there and it would be a long hard trip.
Besides I can't put up with the useless BS that always comes with groups, your only as strong as your weekest link.
I guess I'll just have to find the right people or go it alone if it ever happens.

reply to post by saltdog


I dont have many things at all, I'll be just foraging for water and living off of my jerky/nuts/berries for a few days or weeks until I finally get out into the countryside. Once that happens I'll build a semi-permanent shelter and stay there for as long as...whenever.

You really dont need much though, I keep stressing to people to just have the KNOWLEDGE of how to survive, and with that you dont need hardly anything. Bring your bushknife and some flint, maybe learn how to make fire by friction (bow drill, hand drill), because a fire and shelter are so so vital(and your flint will only last so long, its not infinite). Food comes WAY later, and can be procured much easier once youre established, calm, and secure.

Granted, you can bring some things with you so you dont have to waste time making them once you get there. For example, bring a small flashlight, some paracord, and some spare clothes. But you dont absolutely NEED those things, since you can make cordage, torches and clothes from the wild, they are just conveniences to help get you started. Establish what is a convenience item and what is neccesity according to your skill level. =)

If it's for a scenario of shtf type, you would just have to either make do with what you have or steal/forage for supplies and food stocks. In such a situation It won't matter who owns what land or where, it will be whatever goes and a survival of the fittest or most stronger defended. owning a piece of land won't be worth anything to those who want it or need to restock for their own needed goods.

Originally posted by redgy
If it's for a scenario of shtf type, you would just have to either make do with what you have or steal/forage for supplies and food stocks. In such a situation It won't matter who owns what land or where, it will be whatever goes and a survival of the fittest or most stronger defended. owning a piece of land won't be worth anything to those who want it or need to restock for their own needed goods.

Stealing supplies wont be a good idea for a lone scavenger. Be prepared to encounter people defending said supplies with deadly force. He's got a better chance of finding the most remote forest he can, and skipping out on modern conveniences that he couldnt otherwise carry(with any considerable speed) by himself, IMHO.

no people do not think the same at all if we all did it would be a very boring world jmo

even some of us likes the same as others which we do we still have a different out look on how to do it how it should work and so on.

When doing things such as what you are doing you will always find things that you should have taken or you will find things that you will say why would I have brought that for.

I live out in KY and in the boon docks as well so we have to pretty much fend for our selves but it is better if you have some one with you to help you to remember things and get things together and so on am I making any sense here at all lol

reply to post by saltdog

"what do you do if your on foot? (please don't say to stage or stock up on my preps at the Bug Out Location) I can only carry so much and alot of things would be left behind if on foot. Things that I know I would want to have or could really put to good use. " ""

You should check out the 2011 jan/feb issue of "The Backwoodsman Magazine", the article on" Tumplines and Wanigans". Very informative!

Text

I have a few things that I would always want to take with me for any situation...it would be nice to have a woman with some skills for wilderness survival.
I have more than enough for me to get by on for quite a while....
What Quennicess said is true, and there are several ways to do something...all with the same outcome in the end, its just the way each person goes about doing it.
Are any of you all in groups? or do you have campouts with like minded people from here?