Wild Camping

 

I tend to agree in a certain way with some of those who are critical of 'survivalism' on YouTube. Certainly, most of what is done is Wild Camping rather than survival training. Much of the stuff I put out so far comes under that category, so I would like to make a few comments on the subject. Firstly, we need to assess what exactly we mean by 'survivalism'. Some see this as a kind of 'escape and evasion' which rather comes into the realm of the military. Most, I feel, think in terms of when the SHTF and are 'preppers'; however, being prepared is there to aid one's survival. In my own opinion there is no real difference between any of these; the link between all of this stuff is the state of mind and preparedness of the individual. 

The word 'survival' can be used to mean so many different things; to train to 'survive' does not mean just in the wild either. What we try to cover in our work can be useful at home as much as in the wild. Take for instance the scenario when our water supplies are perhaps contaminated and undrinkable, or for some reason are cut off altogether. Then you would need an alternative supply, which would not be difficult here in England during winter times, but in the hotter summers we have had would create a problem. This is when we need to know where we can find water and purify it to make it drinkable. Without water we would never be able to survive.

There is also an every-growing number of videos on YouTube showing how to build wooden shelters, many of which are more like log cabins and certainly not seen as a quick-fit survival technique. But, would any of us like to have to live in a one-man shelter for very long? Just imagine how this would be when it rains for days on end. Most of us would welcome something a bit bigger when long-term survival is necessary. 

Hidden under these evergreen shoots is a Tepee-Shelter which is no longer in the woodlands where we built it, but which lasted nearly seven years after it was built. After all this time it was completely dry inside and was used for overnight camping when the kids were young. It was built as a semi-permanent shelter which could be used in an emergency or when the SHTF. This was the sole aim of building such a shelter. This would also go for the log-shelters that individuals build, since they would (or should) serve as somewhere to retreat to in the case of an emergency. Then Wild Camping naturally becomes survivalism. 

I went out for many years educating and training myself and the children in the woodlands and the South Downs. This dropped off as the kids got older, so recently I decided to get out myself and carry this on. But there is an area that I failed to cover and one which came to light a couple of weeks ago; a problem that came up caused me to rethink some of what I had been doing. This was an electrical fault at home which blew the main trip-switch. Luckily I know a little about this, enough to find which circuit the problem was on and keep the 'trip-switch' off whilst the rest could go back on and the main one switch on too. So we had electricity after all.

However, even though this did not prove too much of a problem it did awake me somewhat to a flaw in the preparation, because had the main trip-switch gone out altogether we would have been without electricity to heat the house or to cook on. I do have a small generator but that would not be sufficient to do much; there is the need now to look into this before something does happen. I do have an old barbecue and fire-bowls which will now be readied for such a problem; the aim is to build some form of small shelter which can be used for such times. I have some old large gas cylinders and will now get one of these filled for the future (when I get another truck because my old one has 'bitten the dust'). 

In my own opinion getting out into the wild and learning how to do new skills is the most important thing. Foraging for wild food is something to learn since this will not be just for wilderness survival since, in the hand of the lunatics that rule today, anything could go wrong at any time. Even if we cannot go hunting we can practice with an air-rifle, compound bow, cross-bow (it is illegal to hunt or to fish with a bow in England, so I am talking to our US comrades, of course). There is also the slingshot to consider, a very easy way to carry around a hunting tool. We should consider our options for wild food, both plants and animals. Again, practice can be done in any place that is safe. (Consider moving targets too since something that is ready for the pot is not going to stand and wait for you to shoot it.)

There may be a time when you need the basic elements of survival in your own home; shelter you would have but heat, food and water are things that we take for granted and we are in the hands of global corporations when it comes to these things. This is why it is essential to try to become more self-reliant with food and water, and to have an alternative when it comes to heating. Survival is, as I said, not restricted to the wild, for we may need these skills even in our own homes one day. 

I have now set up a small Bug-Out Bag which is ready to go at any time, filled with the bare necessities I could use. But I am also preparing a 60 litre backpack which will hold larger things like a 5-season sleeping-bag, larger tarps and cooking gear, as well as the stoves I have. This is not to carry far as a backpack, but to use in an emergency by throwing it into the truck to move away to safety when necessary. Both would go in the truck then. I can still use the contents in the meantime for going out to practice.