camping Archives - American Survival Gear

Camping or Bugging Out – Is There A Difference?

admin — Sun, 12 May 2019 21:13:02 +0000

When you hear the term “bugging out” what runs through your head? Most likely, you’re envisioning strapping on your Go-Bag and heading out into the urban sprawl or outdoors to survive with nothing more than the gear on your back. My bet is no matter what situation causes you to strap that Go-Bag on though, chances are you’ll be spending some nights under the stars. Today I want to discuss the thin line between being prepared to go camping and full-on bugging out.

Let’s Define Camping

Call it what you want, camping, glamping or a multi-day outdoor excursion, what it means to me is that you’re spending one or more nights outdoors. There’s no specific method I believe is necessary for camping and I’ve done everything from sleeping in a spacious Tent Mahal in a campground to hanging between trees in a lightweight hammock in the backwoods.

No matter where you’re headed or the method you’re using, camping involves sleeping, eating, drinking and killing time in the outdoors. It’s survival at its most basic form.

Is Bugging Out Different?

When people reference “survival” it’s almost always in a last-ditch effort sort of way. However the reality is that we’re all just surviving on a day-to-day basis and the environment is all that’s changing. Some might have you believe that if the grid goes down, they’ll be hoofing it to some remote location and preparing their defenses against the impending zombie hordes.

Reality is a lot more slow-building and less exciting. We had a gas shortage in North Texas a couple years ago that opened a lot of eyes on what an emergency situation looked like. With nothing more than a word-of-mouth and social media filled rumor around Hurricane Harvey, gas stations all around North Texas were emptied. For that two day period, all of us on the ITS Crew saw signs notating empty gas stations, long lines for stations that did have fuel and an ever-expanding group of panicky people.

My point with this example is that by the time it actually comes to “bug out” you may not have the avenue of escape you anticipated or the time to make it before traffic and other people become a factor.

What Does This Have to Do with Camping?

I’ve been doing a lot of culling in my life recently, both with gear and mindset. I fell into the hobby of ultralight backpacking, which has helped me cut my gear down to the most extreme basics. What it’s made me realize is that whether I’m headed out for a fun weekend trip, or headed out because of a large-scale emergency, living outside has mostly the same requirements.

I can grab my camping pack and survive for at least five days

When I set out for a backpacking trip, I’m concerned with ensuring that I’m safe, comfortable, fed and hydrated. These principles don’t go away during an emergency so there isn’t much difference to me. The location I’m headed to might change and the routes or precautions I take might differ, but at the end of the day I’m just looking for a quiet spot to filter my water, eat my meals and hang up my hammock. I fear my glamping days are over, as lightening my gear has shown me you really don’t need to much to have a pretty pleasant experience in the outdoors.

Length of Time

Any bag, pack, vehicle or cache is going to have a time limit on how long the supplies will last. Most people prep their “bug out bags” to last about 72 hours, with some supplies being able to stretch them longer. I’ve found that with my backpacking setup and lightweight freeze-dried meals, I have the maximum pack space for about 5 days of meals for one person at a little over 2,000 calories per day.

In an emergency, you could step the calorie count down a bit to stretch to 7-10, but it wouldn’t be a comfortable time, especially if you’re moving between sleeping stops. I refer to this time limit as a “line of paranoia.” At a certain point, you have to draw your own line of paranoia and say, “in an emergency, I have the supplies to last XX minutes/hours/days.” Drawing my own line of paranoia, I think 5 comfortable days worth of food is plenty for both a camping trip and an emergency situation.

Conclusion

One thing I do want to touch on before people get to cracking their commenting knuckles is the firearms aspect many people touch on when discussing bugging out. As I mentioned earlier, safety is one of my concerns whether I’m camping or planning on evacuating so defending myself is definitely something that I keep in mind. I won’t go into much detail on that as everyone’s solution will be different, but I did want to address that it’s a part of my considerations and load outs.

At the end of the day, camping and bugging out seem to share many of the same characteristics and requirements. By taking up this mindset, I feel much more comfortable about what to do in a situation where I’m forced to leave my home. Rather than worrying about running around the house grabbing the things I’ll think I’ll need, I can grab my camping pack that I keep loaded and know that I have the supplies to survive for at least five days. In addition, I’m not having to worry so much about getting to a specific location within something like a 24-48 hour window. This five day setup allows me to take a longer amount of time traveling so I can be more cautious.

Have your own thoughts on camping vs. bugging out? Leave them down in the comments below!

The post Camping or Bugging Out – Is There A Difference? appeared first on ITS Tactical.

25 Top Camping Tips I Learned From My Old Man

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 23:05:04 +0000

Growing up, I learned a lot from my old man but nothing beats these 25 camping tips. Use these to make your next trip a little more enjoyable.

Camping Tips and Hacks I Learned From My “Old Man” This article was originally posted at OutdoorWarrior.com and is shared with full permission.

My dad taught me some few camping tips and hacks that made our lives easier back then, and to this day, I apply what I learned in my hunting excursions and camping trips with my family. Now, I know there are a lot of modern equipment and camping gear that already make our camping trips a lot easier, but they can never make it easier compared to these hacks.

For example, what happens when I forget my matches? What happens when I forget to bring anti-itch creams?

I used to think of other ways to create fire, or how to keep away pesky mosquitoes. These camping tips, as primitive as they may be, still work and I am glad I learned them from my father.

Camping Tip #1: Burn Sage to Keep Mosquitoes Away

You don’t want to have the company of mosquitoes on your camping trip. The best way to keep them away is by burning sages in your campsite because it is a natural mosquito repellent.

Avoid pesky bites and annoying buzzes but more so, avoid them so you can’t have possible diseases.

Camping Tip #2: Learn to Distinguish Poisonous Plants

Learn to tell which plants are poisonous in order to avoid getting in contact with them. One common example of poisonous plants often encountered when camping is the poison ivy.

Poison ivy can cause bad itching, irritation, and sometimes even painful rashes.

Camping Tip #3: Use Doritos as Tinder for your Fire

Ready for an interesting camping checklist? A bag of Doritos can really keep your fire going and strong because this snack pack is flammable.

Read the label at the back because it might just reveal its secret to you. It’s such a waste to just use Doritos for fire, and I’m not advocating the burning of plastic, but when SHTF, this might come in handy.

Camping Tip #4: Or if you Don’t want to Sacrifice your Snacks, use Cotton Pads Dipped in Wax

A more practical approach to camping tip #4 is cotton dipped in wax. Much like a candle wick, they’re quick to start a fire and keep it going.

Camping Tip #5: Have your Paper Egg Tray as the Ultimate Fire Starter

That, and match light charcoal. What you do is fill the paper egg tray with the match light charcoal and light the whole thing up!

The Doritos and the cotton pads can serve you well, but this is for when you need a faster and bigger fire for a bigger bunch of people when camping.

Camping Tip #6: Use a Vegetable Peeler for Hygienic Purposes

You don’t peel dirt, that’s not how it works. When camping, your hygienic routine may not be like it was at home, with all the items you conveniently use.

Your bar of soap can be maximized by a vegetable peeler. How? Peel a portion of your soap when you need it.

This will prevent you from losing the entire bar but still having enough to yourself.

Camping Tip #7: Hide your Money in a Soap Bar

It’s one of those old boy scout tricks that just doesn’t fail. It’s one of the most unsuspecting areas to stash a valuable.

Who would ever find the time robbing a place and examine every bit of item, including soap? That’s why it works.

Your soap bar isn’t just for washing alone, then.

Camping Tip #8: Always have Aluminum Foil Handy

As food preparation is an inseparable part of every camping trip, aluminum foil should be found in every camper’s pack. Wrap your meat and other food items and place them over a fire.

It will come out nice, soft, and juicy. It will also help you create and maintain portions of food for cooking, eating, and storing.

Camping Tip #9: Try Roasting Starbursts

I love roasting marshmallows on an open fire, and back then, we used sticks! Now my nephews and nieces discovered something else: Starbursts.

Have you ever thought of roasting Starbursts over the campfire? It’s as good as it could get, really.

Flavors playing in your mouth is something marshmallows can do, but Starbursts is on a different level.

Camping Tip #10: Roast Hotdogs on a… Rake

If you ever need to grill those tasty hotdogs all at once, a rake can do that for you. Utilize the several stands on the rake and save time in cooking.

Just make sure somebody’s holding the rake well and looking into what you are grilling in there.

Camping Tip #11: Have Aromatic Herbs with You

Forego bottled marinades because it’s just added baggage. Instead, use aromatic herbs.

Have aromatic herbs such as rosemary burned directly into the fire to easily smoke your steaks or other dishes in flavor. Go natural while camping, and have fun while you’re at it too.

Want to see the full article? 25 Top Camping Tips I Learned From My Old Man

This summer, don’t forget these tips on your camping trip whether you’re camping alone, with your friends, or your family. These are easy to remember and is perfect for outdoor warriors with all kinds of experience.

Got more camping tips to share? Don’t forget to comment and share your experiences and tips.

Do you have more camping tips to add to this post? Share your camping knowledge with us in the comments section below!

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 2, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.