Recent stories have reminded me that "equipped" is great, but its just one side of the triangle. You also need to be trained in the use of your tools, the area, etc., be fit enough for the task and have the wisdom to know when and where not to go.

teacher

I would even go so far as to say that knowledge and understanding is more important than equipment. Ideally you will have both,of course.

Also, you have to take the years into account. I'm not as young as I once was, or in as good of shape (that's for sure!) So I'm not going to be bugging out and hiking off into the sunset with all my gear on my back anymore. So plans have to change. I'm planning on bugging IN these days. Once IN crumbles and that too is gone, then I guess I am too. So be it. We all die eventually. I never really had a good OUT to bug out to anyway. So at least I'll be moderately comfortable for a while. I am more tuned in these days to making a comfortable (relatively speaking), defensible, IN.

I certainly agree that having knowledge, skills, attitude and physical ability are all as (or more) important than being properly equipped in many situation.

I don't entirely agree with bugging in as a complete replacement for bugging out. For example, a house fire that can't be knocked down swiftly with a single fire extinguisher should lead to an immediate evacuation. Less commonly, a train derailment that causes a poisonous gas release nearby should also lead to an immediate evacuation.

Bugging in/out depends upon circumstances. I have twice had my vehicle loaded, ready to leave with a healthy wildfire about a quarter mile away. with wildfires, it is best to leave.

My local area is prone to earthquakes, and if we are ever hit by one that causes significant damage to the residence, my first choice will be to bug in. Basically we will camp out in the yard, utilizing what we can from the wreckage, and carry on.

Fitness is very important off course. And sometimes you have no choice but be fit or be doomed.

A few days ago, I was listening to some stories told by Syrian refugees. One of them was middle aged and he said that ISIS attacked their areas and they had to run with nothing but clothes on their backs.

Not only they had to run for themselves, they had to carry with them their elederly and handicapped folks.

That was a real-life reminder of the nescessity of being fit, which I am not !!

About a year and half ago, my brothers and I had to take care of our late father , and in that process got myself a knee problem.

Survival situations will be much more stressful.
So, definitely , we have to work on improving or body fitness to survive.

The mayor causes of death are health related, most of them are related to lifestyle. So the most effective way to life longer in general is a healthy lifestyle. Staying in shape and eat healthy not only extend your expected life expectancy, but also improve quality of life. So getting/staying in shape should be something you should have as goal.

Being fit in a survival situation is obviously very handy, but should be a secondary reason to be fit. You (hopefully) don’t end up in those situations regularly.

Training wise, well my job relates to training emergency personal. So I know how important it is to be trained. Skills fade if you don’t use them. Skill requirements changes. People change. Equipment change. Always make sure you not only think you know how to do things, but also actually done it. Some things cannot be teached from a book. Some can, but are not described in such detail in books/instructions. It’s sometimes really the small things that matter.

I can see it -- the latest craze: SurvivalFit!

-- Run away from ISIS for the best cardio ever! For a challenge, carry an elderly person on your back!
-- Fetch water from running stream with a bucket to strength your back!
-- Start a fire with a bow and drill to build forearm strength!
-- Hump heavy backpacks over miles to build enduranc

On a serious note, this discussion about fitness made me think of the difference between soldiers and athletes. Soldiers need to be able to do their job under the worst of circumstances. Athletes are given the ideal circumstances to give their best. It seems to me that survival is less about being the fittest person possible so you can run away from ISIS. It is about being able to get away from ISIS even when you have a broken leg. Athletes are graded 0-10. In a survival situation we're graded pass/fail.

With that said, it pays in general to be in good health and in good condition, physically and mentally. It's not a bad thing to be in shape even if it's only because you're motivated by the thought of having to run away from ISIS one day. But there is so much in life you can enjoy when you have good health, and let's not lose sight of that.

A more practical question -- what's a reasonable criterion of fitness for survival? Do we use the various military benchmarks? How do we adjust for age?

> A more practical question -- what's a reasonable criterion > > of fitness for survival? Do we use the various military > > benchmarks? How do we adjust for age? >

I can't see the point of military benchmarks.
The military aren't as fit as people think. The reason they train in ways no one else does; running in boots, walking with packs etc is partly because they don't want the troops to see what their actual times would be on a track. It's good to get the troops believing they are super fit, raises morale.

Walking is the main fitness for most emergencies and having feet that can take it is almost as important. I wear my boots all the time. No one in the office can see they aren't shoes unless I pull my trousers up. Try walking in a pair of dress shoes for long and you'll find it torture.

One important fitness test that is often forgotten is; can you get out of a pool without a ladder? That's like one military test; the assault course, that would be useful. Can you climb a wall, Jump a ditch, climb a rope etc.

qjs

> How do we adjust for age? >

Have light gear. A weapon if legal. Someone to call and somewhere near to go to, that already has all you need.

qjs