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1. Wandering will lead to conflict and conflict will lead to casualties. Wandering people end up fertilizer and pig food.

2. This was a well-written and thoughtful piece, and I don’t mean to disparage. However to choose an itenerant lifestyle in any sort of upheaval makes you a refugee, no matter what you may want to call it. And refugees are perhaps one of the lost abused and despised groups in world history, wanted nowhere, impoverished and homeless. Gypsies themselves are still treated this way, they are not welcome and distrusted, with a reputation as swindlers and con artists (the term “being gyped” derived from being cheated by a gypsie). Finally, wanderers even now can often not expect, in small and even medium sized towns, the full protection of the law from Law Enforcement. I’ll provide an example. I used to live in a town of under 40,000 people in the Midwest. A traveling carnival came through, and one of the carnies (another semi-derogatory term for wanderer) got caught up with one of the towns men who already had a reputation and numerous legal run ins for drunkenness, drug abuse, and violence, and long story short ended up dead under dubious circumstances. The man, reviled by those who knew him, was acquited by a jury of his peers. Now, if he’d murdered a fellow citizen under identical circumstances, do you think he’d be a free “innocent man” today? And that’s when things are relatively “normal” like they are now. Imagine if there was an SHTF scenario…..

3. Ever since I was a kid and saw the old Werewolf movie of 1943 I have wanted to be a Gypsy. Maybe after I retire……

4. Keep in mind we’re assuming this happens in a post-TEOTWAWKI event. So it may become necessary to move to sources of supplies or food. This is the way many of the western Indians lived, the Apaches and Comanches for example.

5. I second the author’s advice to learn to ride a horse now, rather than after TEOTWAWKI. It takes time to learn to ride well, and time to bond with and teach the horse what you need it to do. For example, horses are skittish around loud noises, like gunshots. But the Cavalry taught their horses to be steady by gradually bringing them closer to the firing range until they could actually mount and fire from the saddle. Depending on the nature of TEOTWAWKI, gasoline and diesel fuels may be non-existent after about 18 months, so horseback is the way to patrol, respond to incidents, and travel.

6. I like this first part, & look forward to the rest of this series. One image of the Christian life is that of a person on a journey. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were nomads during the time of Abraham thru Moses. In the New Testament, Jesus traveled from one point to anther during his ministry, & later Paul & his coworkers traveled on missionary journeys. That said, I hope not to do much if any traveling, except in our neighborhood, after the world turns very bad.

7. One additional thought might be combining walking with use of an animal, such as a donkey or even a large dog for packing extra gear and supplies.

   1. There you go, now you’re talking. A donkey (or two) was one of our goals this year until I had shoulder surgery instead and postponed everything for this year.

8. If you are not already a horseman I would rethink the use of a horse you just happened to come across. If you don’t understand the mind of a horse you’re in for a lot of pain and frustration and they will hurt you if you’re timid or too ruff around them. Forget them pulling a cart 99% of horses are not trained to pull and teaching one takes 6 weeks of frustration.
   Do you know how to rig a cart to a horse?
   Doing it incorrectly will lead to a dead or serverly injured horse, or yourself.
   How about hoof care that’s very important part of keeping a horse healthy .
   If you just want to strap on your Gear and have him carry it have a plan for doing without that gear. Horses spook for any reason sometimes for no reason at all good luck holding onto 1200 pounds of panic if you don’t know how.
   I’ve been a horseman for 40 years and they still teach me hard leasons. The biggest leasons is if I go to the back country have good boots because I might be walking.

9. The only way I see this working is if you have a skill or trade in demand.

10. Wandering can be advantageous for a few, however, a larger group would provide a bit of security. Loners with skills like that of Jeremiah Johnson fame could do well. But those are rare. During most civil wars, uncivil wars and catastrophes the local population will scatter into the woods and near wilderness. This has always proven true, soon, after it is realized they don’t have the skills to live off the land the individuals tend to gather into groups and begin to travel- becoming a Golden Horde. During the time of WW II a Latvian friend said that when they heard the bombers they would run into the woods and try to get at least a mile away, often many would return after and find their homes obliterated. Eventually the whole town was uninhabitable. They organized in the near wood and built a camp to live out the war.
    Wanderers today live in the cities usually. They use the skills to survive that they currently have, usually considered immoral or illegal-though some manage to maintain their dignity. Some have cars they live out of. Some have RV’s they live out of. Some live in boats. All are reliant on fast food or Wally World to eat. Food and medicine will dictate who lives and who does not. I expect families to come together in the future just for simplicity of surviving. They will either learn to grow a garden or slowly parish. Barring radiation hazards most will stay near their homes. Families and individuals that travel to a new locale permanently will suffer anxiety and likely a loss of hope in their new surroundings if an easy lifestyle isn’t attainable in the near future. Loners will always be suspect unless they can provide skills and or a product the new community needs.
    Eli had skills and a destination with purpose (Book of Eli). Gen. Patton once said that “Fixed fortifications are a monument to man’s stupidity.” Meaning that being able to be mobile is the key to avoiding unwanted contact. That means paring down the toys and accoutrements of an over-indulged life to the bare necessities of living. That which one needs to be camp worthy and mobile.
    Eventually any group or individual will need to plant roots somewhere. Even the trappers of old didn’t live off meat alone, they foraged and traded for beans and veggies. Foraging requires a lot of travel and planning the harvest to last the winter. Traveling alone or in a group requires thought and planning, a lot of it.

11. Wandering is my backup plan in the Florida Everglades. I do not recommend horses, carts, or bicycles. That leaves u wide open & vunrable on a trail. On foot is safest and allows maximum invisability. The wanderer plan does not require you to carry a lot but requires you multiple regional caches. Hope that info helps.

12. A narrow footprint single trailer that is pulled could work, but in the thick brush, will likely get caught. Carrying water with you would be much easier with one of these contraptions. Look up hiking trailers for ideas.

    Pack goats are an option in the desert. They can provide needed meat and milk. They survive on quite a bit of natural forage. The book GOATWALKING was an interesting read. For some in the desert southwest, maybe a good idea.

    https://www.amazon.com/Goatwalking-Wildland-Living-Jim-Corbett/dp/0670828467

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