The Devil is in the Details
Posted on: March 30, 2016
Whether you call it prepping, survivalism, or something else, it is filled with what ifs. It seems as though we’re constantly running scenarios through our heads and coming up with ways to mitigate risks before they happen. This is all good stuff, don’t get me wrong. But, I think we sometimes approach it from the wrong perspective.
We talk a lot about societal collapse, EMP, economic disasters and all that sort of fun stuff. We make plans for bugging out should our homes no longer be safe to inhabit. We set aside food, water, and other supplies to last us weeks, months, even years. We put together bug out bags, get home bags, even INCH (I’m Never Coming Home) bags – that last one is really kind of ridiculous if you ask me.
We make plans for what we’ll use for barter and trade after the dollar collapses. We strive to be able to kill a deer, prepare it for dinner, and build a working bicycle from the carcass, all with nothing more than a knife that we’ve made ourselves from knapping an old beer bottle we scrounged.
Here’s the thing, though. We’re far more likely to need a simple bandaid than we are the giant pack filled with everything but the kitchen sink. By covering that cut properly, we’re going to lessen the chances of an infection that could have truly serious consequences.
Spare socks are likely to be more important in the grand scheme of things than that fancy $100 multi-tool. For damn sure they’re going to weigh less and they’ll probably get more use.
Learning 87 different ways to light a fire using everything from flint and steel to a chunk of ice to a freakin’ lemon is great knowledge to have…but pack a couple of butane lighters in your kit.
Packing several snares and knowing how and where to set them could prove very useful…but bring some trail mix and peanut butter.
Knowing how to slap together a debris hut will definitely help keep the rain off but a compass, map, and knowing how to use them might get you home before the storm hits.
It is the little things that keep us upright, alive, and moving forward. Survival is typically far more about the the little things than it is about the heroic efforts.
General conversation regarding gear , choices, quality and quantity ….
This is a sub category off what your touching on regarding gear …..
So I’ll be the first to admit I’m one of the biggest gear junkies there is , when I look back less than two years ago I had more gear than five people could ever use in a 7 day outing.
When I would pack my gear for a outing I’d have to convince myself ” I think I can” due to the weight .
I see some folks with paracord ,mule tape , bank line ,and trip wire as a necessity!!!
it actually was not ment to carry all of them . Lol (just for the what if sinerio).
With my love for the for the outdoors and “actually ” getting out and using the stuff I was collecting , buying and trading to get it did not take long for me to realize ” my needs and wants ” were not realistic …
..yea it’s cool to post pictures like hey check this out ,for all your Facebook groupies for some short lived pat on the back ….
.but just remember your the one that has to carry all that stuff or leave it in a drawer at home ….
Besides all of the money spent and trades shipped ….yea cha ching!!$$
a few years ago I had a revelation that I’ll test then either keep or sale/ trade till I got it right ..
that gear does absolutely nothing sitting in a tote not getting any use except the virtual ” Cammio” Facebook photo ……
I worked and worked to build myself the perfect kit , ( and that’s still not finished) however I’m no longer huffing around needless items and filling totes with gear that never gets used ….
Yea I occasionally post my ” hey look at me ‘ Facebook post ” of the new gear I got , but to be full hearted honest sometimes I see folks do that and think
” damn that person either has one hell of a back, and one kitchen of a pack for all that to fit in” or “that person must have totes full of shit that will never touch dirt” ……it becomes kinda of a comic relief some days …..
Any how , I’m guilty as charged but I feel as you grow as a bushcrafter and outdoorsman all that needless extra stuff is just that , needless and extra.
And with time and use you realize it .
I feel like over the last two years I’ve become more in touch with what I can comfortably huff around the woods without pretending weight is no option .
I’m in no way going ul or ditching good kit to save weight , but I am ditching the
” consumer advertising bushcraft to the max ” there is no wan any human could ever use every ” recommend ” gear that’s put out there daily .(I see some of you try lol cha ching money bags,lol)
Or if you try you’ll go broke trying.
Everyday there is something that someone is recommended , or reviewed that sparks folks to buy .
if you are buying everything that’s recommend your going to be gear heavy on your next outing , plain and simple.
I’m not talking car camping cause that simply is not bushcraft in any form , it’s car camping …..
I’m talking getting out in the woods (not backyard) and wandering 4-8 miles , staying a duration of time off your kit you brought .
leaving your 200$ yeti cooler and firewood Frome home ….
Some are way more simple kitted than I am , and I applaud them !!!!!!
And those that huff around 60 lbs in gear I applaud you to been there done that before( thus the point of this post )
I guess what I’m saying ..as you gain experience in the outdoors you learn , Learn of that fine line between being comfortable, and not comfortable…..
Between being a gear junkie collector….
And a gear user …..
Between buying all the new Fancy stuff cause your online peers influence you into having a opinion that you need it
Or finding that perfect piece of kit regardless of what they all think ….
It’s about becoming one with nature and having the correct gear to make yourself comfortable enough to do so or you can easily go overboard and hurt your back ,hurt your pocket book , and in a group outing (probably most likely)slowing the group down in the long run …..
Gear is all and good , but knowledge weighs much less than gear all day long ,
I used to cary 4 knifes , a saw ,a hatchet and a axe , it’s not necessary !!!!!
In fact it’s overkill …
I never realized it till I actually got off my ass and used it in the woods …. .it all looks great in a photo on Facebook , and it tends to spark conversation…sure
To see exactly what I’m talking about I challenge you to this:
my main point or this post is ,
Take your current kit you have made , pack it all up in your pack and go out 5 times , use it!!!!
, note what never was used ,
note what your posture is like ,
note how heavy it is ,
note how cold you were at night ….
note everything about it !!!
After that five times out , look at your notes , look at your choices and decide
” necessary” or “un necessary”
Then…
Form two piles ….
If your a gear junkie like myself you may have to do this 100 times before you get the right combination ….
however you will realize after awhile your main components will always be the same and all the extra stuff will end up on the ” un necessary pile”
I never thought I’d ever be saying it but Ive been selling off a bunch of stuff , someday I hope my kit will be complete .
But I’m really happy I’ve dumped the excess and now focused on solid gear one needs and uses …..
I’m never going to open a museum so I don’t know why I was hording gear like I was ,
Hi I’m chris I’m dumping the excess and trying to give honest information to those that may have struggled like I have on the best choices and gear hording ….
You’ll thank me and so will your pocket book once you start using ,keeping or purging instead of collecting.
I am 72 years of age , I have always been a keeper of all things, Not a hoarder , but some one who wishes to repair a broken item, instead of replacing it . I became full time prepper about 3 years ago. I constantly look for ways of living with out ” electricity” If a E.M.P. does come to pass, I feel that I would be one of the older people that a survival community would want to have around. Most community’s want a doctor, carpenter, a military specialist, But not that many people are around for all survival community’s . THE PROBLEM is finding like minded people who want a group to be part of , Much less a neighborhood .