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11 Comments

  1. JMD, thank you for all of the work you put into this series. It has been very informative.

    Quick question – do you always drive or do you also fly? As a person who flies more than I would like I am trying to visualize how you get all this stuff on the plane.

    I was one of the many who drove across country on 9/11-13 covering many thousands of miles in my rental car and I learned much from that experience. It sure beat walking though.

  2. Jake – I used to fly extensively (75% on the road for almost 5 straight years), but these days it’s mostly shorter trips that I can drive or take the train. As I mentioned when I fly I always check a full-sized suitcase, which contains my most critical RTB preps, which in turn vary depending on where I’m going and the time of year. I tend to wear my RTB clothing when I’m flying (boots, etc.), since that’s harder to pack, and I have a lot in my carry-on (see my previous article that I referenced in Part 1). I have a small core of ‘must have’ RTB items that go in my checked bag, but the rest depends on space and weight. That’s why planning is so important – knowing how long the trip may take, available transport for the RTB route, what kind of weather I may encounter, what’s available at my destination, current state of the world, etc. allows me to adjust what I pack. Yes, I carry a lot on with me and yes, I have to wait for my checked bag upon arrival, but that’s a trade-off I’m willing to make to increase my chances of surviving events that may happen while I’m traveling and getting home to my family. In my mind catching flak for traveling ‘heavy’ is no different than people who give you grief for being a ‘prepper’.

  3. Great series. Tons of information here without really overwhelming the reader/Prepper
    Makes me think of adding, deleting, changing some of what I do.

    Thank you!

  4. One comment is that what you may think will take a couple of days to get home, may end up taking 4 or more days due to the nature of the event. I carry a small fishing kit even when I travel to supplement my food. It doesn’t take up that much space and I have even packed it in my checked baggage for flying with no problems. I have in my kit 5 #10 fishhooks, 5 small lead weights, 50ft of 12lb line, a couple of small lures, and a small float. I have used this out camping and cut a willow branch to use as a pole and for me this worked well as I caught several small fish to eat. Remember you can catch large fish with a small hook, but not small fish with a larger hook.

    1. Randy,

      Thanks for the comment. The section on food in my article got chopped in half, so the rest of it will appear in tomorrow’s installment. I actually do mention fishing later 😎

      John

    2. There should be a glaring difference between recreational fishing and survival fishing. We fish because we like the experience, but after an event, sitting on a lake for hours could well be dangerous.

  5. I agree with you about food. When I hike I am ravenous after 3-5 hours. If I snack in that 3-5 hours then I am merely starving. But more to the point when I satisfy that hunger with tasty food (by that I mean food I am actually eager to eat) I am once again energized and ready to keep going for another 3-5 hours. I have no doubt that I could survive without food and I wouldn’t just give up because I missed a few meals but my energy and performance would suffer. To me food is essential in the planning.

  6. John ,,,survivel tabs ,,,,good stuff ,use to buy them in a plastic bottle just the right size to fit in a canteen pouch ,kept one for each passenger in me bush plane in Alaska as part of the ‘were walking home folks’ gear . I have serious doubt that most would be able to walk home more than a day or two , in my younger days I was fit and knew I could but I was also UDT/SEAL and lived with first people and knew the ways and how’s . now I think I’ll stay close to home ,what one can do when young and fit and 40years later don’t quite match
    Point is be realistic about what you do ,,,,,,,,I know prepper friend that are going and going but if you truly believe we are in trouble ,stay home , use the time and resources (money) to build preps ,ok so work takes you away? Find different work
    Not trying to be downer ,just honest

  7. Oldhomesteader – I agree that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to make very good time walking/biking home any great distance, but I also think there are a lot of us that enjoy hiking, camping and other outdoor activities that would lend themselves to us being able to make a decently long trip. I don’t think we’d all be able to do 20 miles a day for weeks, but with careful planning to cover water and food resources, proper motivation (getting home to your family), and a little blessing I’m comfortable that I can make a reasonably long trip. I can say that no matter where I am I’ll make every effort to get home.

    1. I would also make every effort possible to get to my physical home. With that being said, I take great comfort in knowing the promise of a spiritual home will be available if / when this earthly pilgrimage comes to its end.

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