Outside...

I was talking so much about having to "Bug out" i wanted to talk about what "Outside" really is.  To a lot of us this is outside.  We have the illusion that our back yard actually is outside. I know I did. That being the case, when shows like Doomsday Preppers shows people grabbing their backpack and headed off to the woods, we're like "cool, I can do that".

Well, THAT is not outside. THIS is outside.  And to be completely honest this is STILL a sanitized and tamed representation.   Outside is cold, wet, harsh, and unforgiving, and you can die of dehydration and exposure just like the chaos you may be bugging out to avoid.  And its populated by people who own the land, and might not take to kindly to you coming out to their farm because your little suburban utopia has gone to crap. 

OK, so how do we fix this?  I have no clue.  But I do know if you're serious about adding bugging out as a possible option, I have one word.  TRAIN.  Go camping, get use to doing it. And not just on the sunny weekends too.  Go when it's raining.  Dig a fire pit and make a bond fire, then cook over it. You will quickly learn what you really need to cook a meal without the aid of a comfy stove and kitchen.  Then write a list of what you need and check things off as you get them. Better yet if you camp, invest in a second set and pack them with your camping gear so you don't have to search. Pitch your tent in your yard until you can do it with your eyes closed in the dark while shivering.  The more you do these tasks better you will get, and the better prepared you will be to do them under the stress of an emergency.

So, do my neighbors think i'm nuts for putting up my tent in my yard 3 times on Sunday afternoon? Maybe.  But I can do it the dark of night in a rain storm? absolutely!