Red Dot Arms Forum

Ok, lets face it we preppers rarely do a lot of testing, and many of us are on the wrong side of 45. Here are some things I do to test my preps and learn what to add or delete from my BOB's and EDC's.

I hike 12 miles with my BOB. Now it is not that tough, it is a day event. But it is not like a military hike. The trail I do this on is the Bike trail from Ringwood to Richmond, PERFECTLY level, no ruts, or obstacles what so ever. My hope is that if SHTF and I have to walk, I can do 6-8 miles a day. overland. Try it, you will appreciate WOOL socks and good boots. You will ask yourself about what you can do to lighten your BOB.

The second thing I do is test my winter camping gear. Adding simple boot insulation soles has proven to be a god send for extreme cold camping. I set up the tent in my back yard and try not to go inside for any reason from Friday Evening to Sunday afternoon. Try it, you may find all sorts of improvements you can make that are low cost.

I cannot stress this enough, learn to use your gear and test it out!

Good stuff! What are your thoughts about using a bicycle for moving around. I figure you'd be more of a target for unsavory folks, right? You can tell I love biking and that could be one of my first choices to consider.

That's exactly how I got into it. Several years ago I started backpacking, did my first multi-day trek through Isle Royale. When I started shooting and buying guns I stumbled across the prepper world as a result. It was obvious regarding gear the similarity between that and backpacking.

On a side note my first trip was 50 pounds, 40 miles, 5 days. When I got home I weighed everything and tossed out anything I didn't use, and replace a lot with lighter versions. It was the last time I was going to haul 50 pounds around.

I try to keep my BOB to 40 lbs. I learned long ago, lighten everything. Shave every ounce. You learn little things with practice. What works what is of dubious value. What is worth taken, and what you will never use. Same with extreme cold gear. Learn what works, before your life depends on it.