Forum wide challenges if you fancy it...

[Prepper1]

I was going to put this as a reply to sd's post on the main site but as some people dont go there, I thought I'd put it here for you to have a butchers at...

For me, prepping and survival is about mindset more than it is about kit,
look at what the Australian Aborigines DON'T have and can survive without.

Yes I know, we don't have the sun over here,the main problem over here is the rain, wind and cold, also snow but to a lesser extent. Snow never seems to be a given over here, unless you live in Scotland or the high moors in Yorkshire say.

Maybe not now, maybe not when your having that nice naked sunbathe in the garden...but you know we have it, that's one thing you can rely on the u.k. for cold and rain and not much sun, are you prepared for it??

Food wise, Bunnies, squirrels and such are about but you need to "know" them and their habits, where they go when they feed, what they feed on AND how to make snares, traps or be a good shot or you'll never ever get one.
The same can be said for fish, fishing's harder than it looks, especially if your cold wet and shivering and near death due to hypothermia.

Try going out with your fire starting kit next time its pissing down, just in your back yard or whatever, stand there in just a t-shirt and jeans and get soaking wet, say about half an hour at the very least, its even better if its windy and cold as well. get soaked to the skin. get cold, get shaky and shivery, then try and light your fire with whats available in your yard or garden only and no, not the charcoal briquets from the shed.

Go out on cold windy wet days in very inappropriate clothes, anybody can survive with a Berghaus jacket etc...

Experience the weather, experience cold wet misery for an hour or two in a safe controlled way now.

Experience the mind numbing cold on your head when its raining and the winds howling and you've forgotten your hat.

What I'm trying to say is experience things now, push yourself to experience suffering, but in a safe way while you can.

What happens if you have to bug out with nothing but the clothes on your back, no coat, maybe no shoes?

Think it cant happen?

Why do you think soldiers rarely take their boots off on a survival or escape and evasion course? Because its guaranteed the minute you take your boots off to dry your cold wet feet, you'll get bumped and hey presto there's you running away with either no boots or your boots in your hand...Pick a day that your at home and walk round inside and out all day barefoot on the grass on your path, when its wet and cold as well, feel you cold wet feet, feel the stones...

Could you improvise footwear from whats in a shed maybe, and no not the wellies or gardening boots.

Pick a day in autumn or winter when its cold, spend the day outside in the cold and wet with no coat on, get cold and wet, how do you feel??

Go out with your air rifle or bow, crossbow whatever you have in the middle of winter, without gloves or a coat, try loading the air rifle or fitting your arrow with cold numb hands, definitely try for that kill shot whilst your shivering uncontrollably...

Can you banish the shivers long enough to get off a good shot??

Go a full day without eating from the minute you get up till at least 3 in the afternoon, later if you can, experience hunger, experience watching others eating but not you, smell the food but you cant eat.

These are all basic things we should all experience more than once, to feel what it might be like in a real shtf situation.

As an ex reg, I've been "privileged" to experience sentry duty for hours in the pouring rain, not being allowed to put your waterproofs on because they make to much noise... Lying in a shell scrape on a windswept, raining sideways, godforsaken moor, or walking in driving horizontal snow over moors with ankle breaking grass tussocks up to your knees... not being allowed a fire because it can be smelt and seen for miles... not being allowed hot food because it can be smelt for miles... not being allowed more than your one canteen of water a day no matter how hot and thirsty you are...no smoking because that can be seen for miles at night.

Have a go at things now while you can in a safe controlled way, because experiencing things like cold, hunger and pain etc... in a survival situation for the first time is not a good way to go.

Peace out, prepper1