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Rough Camping & Survival Tips
Prepare for What Crisis?
Crisis that would impact your family can be as simple as losing a job and income to a catastrophic weather event or worse, societal collapse.
However, unless you have been living under a rock, I am pretty sure you have noticed many signs around you that suggest things are not quite right.
It is an instinctual unrest that has likely prompted you to read this article.
You, however, as a responsible person, family member and citizen, should take the threat of a potential disaster head on with complete commitment and resolve.
Your mission is not to become a tragic statistic in the aftermath of such an event. Importantly, include all your family members and or friends in preparedness discussions and planning to make your planning efforts more thorough and less cumbersome.
Because we live in different climates and geographical regions, identifying potential threats found in your specific area is the key to effectively respond and counter these dangers. Thus, discuss and identify with your family and or friends all possible dangers of man-made, natural disasters and/or “X” factors most likely to occur in and around your locale.
The key to remember is to start preparing now when conditions are relatively calm.
It is often times better to initially keep your preparation plans low key from friends, neighbours and family members which are not interested, fearful or sceptical of planning.
These naysayers can become convinced in the later stages of disaster but likely will deter you to act now based on their fear of the unknown. There are other reasons for secretively keeping your emergency preparation which I will present later.
Heck, it isn’t unheard of for those in your immediate household to discourage and dissuade you from reaching your prepping goals. However, even with their hesitation and lack of support, it is important to continue your efforts and keep an open mind to prepare for them as well.
Developing a Survival Mindset
Preparing for any crisis should be one of your top priorities. The question is how do you begin?
First you must develop a survival mindset that will successfully incorporate into your life from now and forever. There are 5 aspects to internalize;
1. Develop a Thrifty and Frugal Mentality
+ Try to not be wasteful of time or money (waste not, want not)
+ Practice the motto’ “use it up, wear it out.”
+ Choose what you need carefully and try to get three estimates to get the best price before you buy.
+ Fix and reuse items that you find useful
+ Save for the future
+ Try to live a minimalist lifestyle (fewer material possessions)
2. Attempt to Be Independent and Free of Harmful Addictions
+ Manage money and become the Master of It
+ Create a realistic household budget and make every effort to stick to it
+ Learn to save by paying yourself first before spending it on frivolous stuff
+ Become drug, smoke and alcohol free
+ Fight against the obsessive use of electronic and computer devices
+ Do what work for you and not because it pleases others
3. Seek Opportunities and Be Enterprising
+ Always be learning and expanding your knowledge base
+ Continue to learn new skills
+ Constantly be improving yourself
+ Attempt to be doing something even if it fails (motion creates emotion) Look for new ways to create what you need in order to succeed
4. Be Self Reliant
Try to become less dependent on “the system” and others for your needs
+ Attempt to get “off the grid” wherever possible
+ Make, grow and create what you need whenever possible
5. Strive to Have a Year Supply of Every Needful Item for You and Your Family
+ Identify those items that would cause difficult if you do not have it
+ Purchase supplies in manageable increments of time until you reach a year supply (work towards a 3 month supply then 6 month, etc…)
+ Make sure to have the machinery, equipment and replacement parts for systems that will provide you with essential sustenance needs
(ex. water gravity filtration system and its replacement parts)
Thoughts on staying at home or the the 72 Hr/3-Day Bag (BOB)
There may come a time when not leaving your current domicile makes prudent sense.
So being prepared to stay at home to wait out the crisis is as important as being ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
The question you must answer is… under what circumstances would my family and I consider moving to a safer location better than just staying put?
Home preparedness and Bug Out Bags are important in your overall prepping plans. This should give you a framework from which to rationalize what you would select and store away in your prepper gear and supplies either safely in your home or a 72 hour bug out bag.
For the most part, staying put at your current domicile works during minor incidences of crisis at least in the short term.
But sometimes even these seemingly minor crises would be better suited to action and relocating ahead of a worsening potential disaster developing.
According to emergency experts, it takes at the very least 3 to 4 days for emergency response teams to reach a disaster zone.
But this is true if the crisis is an isolated incident. In an all-out disaster, this may not be the case.
Taking this into consideration, the minimum items for a bug out bag is for a crisis lasting no longer than 72 hours. These prepping basics are the bare minimum one wants on hand in case of a disaster.
Whether obtaining the prepper list of supplies, staying put and waiting out a crisis at home is sound advice depends on the type of emergency that presents itself. You must decide from your group discussions what event would be most likely the ones your group may face.
However, the situation may not be so obvious on whether to evacuate or not.
Based on survival preparedness expert Jack Spirko, normalcy bias and fear are two important but dangerous obstacles to overcome which can affect one’s judgment during a time of possible calamity.
“Normalcy Bias is when one underestimates the possibility of a disaster and the possible effects of that disaster.” He argues that normalcy bias is a direct result of people failing to question things, blindly obeying authority or failing to apply logic to a new set of information.
Duane further maintains that this “bliss of ignorance” is so dangerous during a time of upheaval, one falls into a false sense of security. This leads a lack of urgency to take massive dramatic action in the face of crisis.
Fear is a very difficult emotion to pin down as it relates to survival prepping. There is a distinction to be made here, fear may be actually a good trait to have in one’s arsenal it is a basic lifesaving response.
Many experts in disaster prevention agree that fear can “set off that inner alarm” to take the necessary actions against a potential threat, to be supportive of preparedness expenses and tolerant of emergency inconveniences.
However, the type of fear that is extremely crippling is described as that which paralyzes you or elicits terror or panic. This famous quote sums it best, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
One need to consider the following factors in your threat assessment;
• Visibility (What threats are prominent in your area or community?)
• Timing (When is the threat likely to strike? Will you be able to see it before it occurs?)
• Degree (How bad or dangerous is the threat?)
• Location (Where is the threat likely to strike? Is there a pattern to where the threat occurs?)
• Personal Probability (How likely is the threat to affect you and your family?
• Causes (Are the causes for the man-made or natural disaster likely to be random or consistent?)
• Prevention and Mitigation (Can you effectively prepare against, lessen or mitigate the threat?)
In an all-out societal collapse, you need to pre-plan and choose other reasonable options in case staying at your current locale becomes untenable. Unfortunately for some, escaping to a retreat may not be an option. So, what do you do?
• Seek out like minded individuals beforehand include them in your prepper team (they can provide mutual protection and share additional prepper supplies and gear).
• Select your team members wisely (seek doers not talkers).
• Uphold the morale upper hand at all time (keep the faith in humankind and provide charity whenever possible).
• Develop survival skills rather than fancy gadgets (the stuff might breakdown, but your skills have value and worth).
• Prepare to use lethal force if necessary but be restraint if at all possible (use it only if all other less lethal options have been exhausted and become impractical).
• Have a deep larder (Food Storage of up to 7 years comes in handy especially if no other food sources are readily available).
• Train to use your survival tools and gear (acquire the education to use your gear and weapons as much as possible).
• Consider obtaining old technology over new technology gear especially in a grid down situation.
• Be redundant with essential emergency items and supplies (can be used for barter and charity)
• Prepare alternative plans in case staying is impossible (need to be flexible and adaptable to the situation at hand)
With your team and plan in place, there are more practical concerns you will need to address if you must hunker down;
• Obtain water sources (1 gallon per person is the BARE minimum) per day which also depends on locale.
• Secure food for at least one year per member (needs at least 2300 calories per person however will probably still keep you hungry)
• Seek sanitation options (bucket with seals, powdered lime and wipes come in handy)
• Find appropriate heating sources (small heater, candles, coal stove or kerosene heater will work. Have a working battery powered smoke and fire alarm).
• Need to have ventilation available (using an open flame in your dwelling may cause carbon-monoxide poisoning).
• Secure your dwelling (reinforce doors, block unnecessary entrances and windows)
• Learn self-defence with weapons (train to use them).
• Store ample fuel (odours from these fuels may attract unwanted attention).
• Keep noise and light visibility to a minimum.
• Stay physically fit (consider a stationary power generating bicycle).
Always be aware that even if you are well stocked, adequately prepared, self-reliant and independent, you may lose it all! Surprisingly enough, not from marauding bands of misfits but by the very government and military sworn to protect and defend us.
Crisis that would impact your family can be as simple as losing a job and income to a catastrophic weather event or worse, societal collapse.
However, unless you have been living under a rock, I am pretty sure you have noticed many signs around you that suggest things are not quite right.
It is an instinctual unrest that has likely prompted you to read this article.
You, however, as a responsible person, family member and citizen, should take the threat of a potential disaster head on with complete commitment and resolve.
Your mission is not to become a tragic statistic in the aftermath of such an event. Importantly, include all your family members and or friends in preparedness discussions and planning to make your planning efforts more thorough and less cumbersome.
Because we live in different climates and geographical regions, identifying potential threats found in your specific area is the key to effectively respond and counter these dangers. Thus, discuss and identify with your family and or friends all possible dangers of man-made, natural disasters and/or “X” factors most likely to occur in and around your locale.
The key to remember is to start preparing now when conditions are relatively calm.
It is often times better to initially keep your preparation plans low key from friends, neighbours and family members which are not interested, fearful or sceptical of planning.
These naysayers can become convinced in the later stages of disaster but likely will deter you to act now based on their fear of the unknown. There are other reasons for secretively keeping your emergency preparation which I will present later.
Heck, it isn’t unheard of for those in your immediate household to discourage and dissuade you from reaching your prepping goals. However, even with their hesitation and lack of support, it is important to continue your efforts and keep an open mind to prepare for them as well.
Developing a Survival Mindset
Preparing for any crisis should be one of your top priorities. The question is how do you begin?
First you must develop a survival mindset that will successfully incorporate into your life from now and forever. There are 5 aspects to internalize;
1. Develop a Thrifty and Frugal Mentality
+ Try to not be wasteful of time or money (waste not, want not)
+ Practice the motto’ “use it up, wear it out.”
+ Choose what you need carefully and try to get three estimates to get the best price before you buy.
+ Fix and reuse items that you find useful
+ Save for the future
+ Try to live a minimalist lifestyle (fewer material possessions)
2. Attempt to Be Independent and Free of Harmful Addictions
+ Manage money and become the Master of It
+ Create a realistic household budget and make every effort to stick to it
+ Learn to save by paying yourself first before spending it on frivolous stuff
+ Become drug, smoke and alcohol free
+ Fight against the obsessive use of electronic and computer devices
+ Do what work for you and not because it pleases others
3. Seek Opportunities and Be Enterprising
+ Always be learning and expanding your knowledge base
+ Continue to learn new skills
+ Constantly be improving yourself
+ Attempt to be doing something even if it fails (motion creates emotion) Look for new ways to create what you need in order to succeed
4. Be Self Reliant
Try to become less dependent on “the system” and others for your needs
+ Attempt to get “off the grid” wherever possible
+ Make, grow and create what you need whenever possible
5. Strive to Have a Year Supply of Every Needful Item for You and Your Family
+ Identify those items that would cause difficult if you do not have it
+ Purchase supplies in manageable increments of time until you reach a year supply (work towards a 3 month supply then 6 month, etc…)
+ Make sure to have the machinery, equipment and replacement parts for systems that will provide you with essential sustenance needs
(ex. water gravity filtration system and its replacement parts)
Thoughts on staying at home or the the 72 Hr/3-Day Bag (BOB)
There may come a time when not leaving your current domicile makes prudent sense.
So being prepared to stay at home to wait out the crisis is as important as being ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
The question you must answer is… under what circumstances would my family and I consider moving to a safer location better than just staying put?
Home preparedness and Bug Out Bags are important in your overall prepping plans. This should give you a framework from which to rationalize what you would select and store away in your prepper gear and supplies either safely in your home or a 72 hour bug out bag.
For the most part, staying put at your current domicile works during minor incidences of crisis at least in the short term.
But sometimes even these seemingly minor crises would be better suited to action and relocating ahead of a worsening potential disaster developing.
According to emergency experts, it takes at the very least 3 to 4 days for emergency response teams to reach a disaster zone.
But this is true if the crisis is an isolated incident. In an all-out disaster, this may not be the case.
Taking this into consideration, the minimum items for a bug out bag is for a crisis lasting no longer than 72 hours. These prepping basics are the bare minimum one wants on hand in case of a disaster.
Whether obtaining the prepper list of supplies, staying put and waiting out a crisis at home is sound advice depends on the type of emergency that presents itself. You must decide from your group discussions what event would be most likely the ones your group may face.
However, the situation may not be so obvious on whether to evacuate or not.
Based on survival preparedness expert Jack Spirko, normalcy bias and fear are two important but dangerous obstacles to overcome which can affect one’s judgment during a time of possible calamity.
“Normalcy Bias is when one underestimates the possibility of a disaster and the possible effects of that disaster.” He argues that normalcy bias is a direct result of people failing to question things, blindly obeying authority or failing to apply logic to a new set of information.
Duane further maintains that this “bliss of ignorance” is so dangerous during a time of upheaval, one falls into a false sense of security. This leads a lack of urgency to take massive dramatic action in the face of crisis.
Fear is a very difficult emotion to pin down as it relates to survival prepping. There is a distinction to be made here, fear may be actually a good trait to have in one’s arsenal it is a basic lifesaving response.
Many experts in disaster prevention agree that fear can “set off that inner alarm” to take the necessary actions against a potential threat, to be supportive of preparedness expenses and tolerant of emergency inconveniences.
However, the type of fear that is extremely crippling is described as that which paralyzes you or elicits terror or panic. This famous quote sums it best, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
One need to consider the following factors in your threat assessment;
• Visibility (What threats are prominent in your area or community?)
• Timing (When is the threat likely to strike? Will you be able to see it before it occurs?)
• Degree (How bad or dangerous is the threat?)
• Location (Where is the threat likely to strike? Is there a pattern to where the threat occurs?)
• Personal Probability (How likely is the threat to affect you and your family?
• Causes (Are the causes for the man-made or natural disaster likely to be random or consistent?)
• Prevention and Mitigation (Can you effectively prepare against, lessen or mitigate the threat?)
In an all-out societal collapse, you need to pre-plan and choose other reasonable options in case staying at your current locale becomes untenable. Unfortunately for some, escaping to a retreat may not be an option. So, what do you do?
• Seek out like minded individuals beforehand include them in your prepper team (they can provide mutual protection and share additional prepper supplies and gear).
• Select your team members wisely (seek doers not talkers).
• Uphold the morale upper hand at all time (keep the faith in humankind and provide charity whenever possible).
• Develop survival skills rather than fancy gadgets (the stuff might breakdown, but your skills have value and worth).
• Prepare to use lethal force if necessary but be restraint if at all possible (use it only if all other less lethal options have been exhausted and become impractical).
• Have a deep larder (Food Storage of up to 7 years comes in handy especially if no other food sources are readily available).
• Train to use your survival tools and gear (acquire the education to use your gear and weapons as much as possible).
• Consider obtaining old technology over new technology gear especially in a grid down situation.
• Be redundant with essential emergency items and supplies (can be used for barter and charity)
• Prepare alternative plans in case staying is impossible (need to be flexible and adaptable to the situation at hand)
With your team and plan in place, there are more practical concerns you will need to address if you must hunker down;
• Obtain water sources (1 gallon per person is the BARE minimum) per day which also depends on locale.
• Secure food for at least one year per member (needs at least 2300 calories per person however will probably still keep you hungry)
• Seek sanitation options (bucket with seals, powdered lime and wipes come in handy)
• Find appropriate heating sources (small heater, candles, coal stove or kerosene heater will work. Have a working battery powered smoke and fire alarm).
• Need to have ventilation available (using an open flame in your dwelling may cause carbon-monoxide poisoning).
• Secure your dwelling (reinforce doors, block unnecessary entrances and windows)
• Learn self-defence with weapons (train to use them).
• Store ample fuel (odours from these fuels may attract unwanted attention).
• Keep noise and light visibility to a minimum.
• Stay physically fit (consider a stationary power generating bicycle).
Always be aware that even if you are well stocked, adequately prepared, self-reliant and independent, you may lose it all! Surprisingly enough, not from marauding bands of misfits but by the very government and military sworn to protect and defend us.
Why not Solo Survival or Rough-camping in SHTF?
[Maybe debating why not solo but in a group?]
Other than a personal decision or challenge to test one’s own basic skills as a hobby, why would anyone with family and friends voluntary just go and try to solo live the hardship of the wilds for a long-term, with just the bare minimum of goodies carried hiker style during SHTF?
Don’t misunderstand me—I love practicing all of these skills and even practiced short term solo living the rough-camping style, but other than maybe hiding from the law, I cannot think about any real life scenario where I will today just leave everything behind, and try to ‘disappear’ alone into the wild in South Africa.
Realistically, where would you go and disappear into the wild anyway?
Huge parts of our country are barren and unhospitable open dry Savanna and hot, rough Karoo, with very few water and natural resources [Plants, Fish or Animals], harsh weather, no sustainable ‘hiding place’, and frankly, a place where you will end up dead even in the short term, living ‘survivor’ style!
Also, think about loneliness, no way to take help gathering food and water, no full perimeter security etc.
Other, more suitable ‘surviving’ places, are fenced off, and these private property river fronting , costal or game reserves have armed game rangers, skilled trackers or trained security guards etc patrolling the area and protecting the wild life and resources etc.
Not even mentioning trained and skilled normal farmers protecting their property!
Then you have to throw into our mix huge poor informal settlements, hungry illegal aliens, injury, crime gangs, the weather, dangerous animals, the chance of being spotted etc., and you will realize, it’s not the idyllic fairy tale you-tube ‘overnight survival’ bull s@&t being shown.
We all talk and plan for the collapse of society as we know it, and it is good and we must plan for it, but solo ‘disappearing into the wild’, is maybe not a very good option for most ,and only an idyllic wish here in RSA?
I understand the yearn to live ‘free’ alone in the wild, but for a good 98%+ of us who don't own land outside of town, it’s maybe just a nice notion and even a deadly unrealistic dream?
Why does one in this modern century even have to know these basic survival skills?
Think carefully about your circumstances and personal abilities, then practice some of these ‘old’ as well as a variety of new and modern survival skills, as you never know what will cross your path.
Realistic SHTF ‘survival’ lay in the forming of trusted and multi-skilled smaller groups of people, and the value YOU can add, also in your neighborhood.
[Maybe debating why not solo but in a group?]
Other than a personal decision or challenge to test one’s own basic skills as a hobby, why would anyone with family and friends voluntary just go and try to solo live the hardship of the wilds for a long-term, with just the bare minimum of goodies carried hiker style during SHTF?
Don’t misunderstand me—I love practicing all of these skills and even practiced short term solo living the rough-camping style, but other than maybe hiding from the law, I cannot think about any real life scenario where I will today just leave everything behind, and try to ‘disappear’ alone into the wild in South Africa.
Realistically, where would you go and disappear into the wild anyway?
Huge parts of our country are barren and unhospitable open dry Savanna and hot, rough Karoo, with very few water and natural resources [Plants, Fish or Animals], harsh weather, no sustainable ‘hiding place’, and frankly, a place where you will end up dead even in the short term, living ‘survivor’ style!
Also, think about loneliness, no way to take help gathering food and water, no full perimeter security etc.
Other, more suitable ‘surviving’ places, are fenced off, and these private property river fronting , costal or game reserves have armed game rangers, skilled trackers or trained security guards etc patrolling the area and protecting the wild life and resources etc.
Not even mentioning trained and skilled normal farmers protecting their property!
Then you have to throw into our mix huge poor informal settlements, hungry illegal aliens, injury, crime gangs, the weather, dangerous animals, the chance of being spotted etc., and you will realize, it’s not the idyllic fairy tale you-tube ‘overnight survival’ bull s@&t being shown.
We all talk and plan for the collapse of society as we know it, and it is good and we must plan for it, but solo ‘disappearing into the wild’, is maybe not a very good option for most ,and only an idyllic wish here in RSA?
I understand the yearn to live ‘free’ alone in the wild, but for a good 98%+ of us who don't own land outside of town, it’s maybe just a nice notion and even a deadly unrealistic dream?
Why does one in this modern century even have to know these basic survival skills?
Think carefully about your circumstances and personal abilities, then practice some of these ‘old’ as well as a variety of new and modern survival skills, as you never know what will cross your path.
Realistic SHTF ‘survival’ lay in the forming of trusted and multi-skilled smaller groups of people, and the value YOU can add, also in your neighborhood.
- Think group support system, morale, companionship
- Extra food and bigger diversity of skills and gear
- More ideas and solutions to problems
- Divided work effort ,food preparation, medic, etc
- Divided watch & security-safety
- ??
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