Why?

Heh...I've been asked that question many times. My response has always been:

"It's better to have the skills and not need them, than to need the skills and not have them."

The same quote is used when explaining why I carry so much stuff.

Personally, I got hooked on it after my SERE course. I realized that these were skills that could save my life. As in, "Learn this stuff and have stories to tell at the bar. Ignore this stuff, and they'll talk about you at your wake."

Granted, time has gone by. Those who know me laugh outloud at the thought of me 'roughing it'. These days, outdoors is where the car lives, not me. But still...I know how to survive *if*...and that's a big *IF*...I ever need to.

1) TEOTWAWKI is not a scenario I plan for ;
2) preparing is fun, both gear and skills to learn ;
3) in everyday situations, it's useful/helpfull for me or co-workers or friends, to be prepared.

Mostly in an Urban/Office environment, I can't leave home without a knife and a light ; and it is not difficult to have a few more items along.

At the end of July, I will have a 6 days solo hike in the Vercors (Alps area) : nothing difficult, a few hours walking each day and a good hotel every night.
But I will have enough gear, water and food in my rucksack to be able to spend a night or two outside if anything happens : it's so easy to sprain an ankle ... and not to be able to go on.
(please : I chose the "sprained ankle scenario", it's the least painful but handicaping I thought of, don't give me worst examples of what could go wrong .... <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />)
If I ever have to wait for the rescue teams, I want to wait in comfort !!! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[ it's so easy to sprain an ankle ... and not to be able to go on.
(please : I chose the "sprained ankle scenario", it's the least painful but handicaping I thought of, don't give me worst examples of what could go wrong .... )]

Your pick of a sprained ankle scenario is an excellent one. However, just be aware that a sprained ankle can be extremely painful and debilitating, even more so then many fractures. Pete

Yes, I know how painful it can be.....
I just didn't want to think along the "open fracture" kind of stuff .... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

(crossed fingers ...)

i dont plan on a nuclear war either, but i must have been having an off day to let it get to me like that.

like joblot said:


and sguidos quote


that sums up how i usually feel about learning new skills and buying any new gear.

its the journey not the destination.

Chris, are you sure that you don't also have a degree in psychology too.

While this is not exactly an answer to your question, NY RAT you might want to read this,

http://www.memoware.com/?screen=doc_deta...ic%20bombings~!

It is a historical account of the effects of the atomic blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki including accounts from survivors.

No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ( for our overseas members, this is a commercial. A guy performs various amazing feats; field surgery, wins intellectual game shows with a 3rd grade education etc. When queried about his credentials ( none) he makes this reply, indicating a great night's sleep.)

I do this because I'm a private pilot who flies over remote locations, and a backpacker and snowshoer who frequently is miles from civilization on challenging routes, including trailless peak ascents and bushwhacks.

So, my survival kit is meant to actually be used if things go awry, and I've in fact used it several times (never for a life-threatening situation or for being "lost in the woods," but for small emergencies and repairs.)

I don't plan, nor collect gear, for the "EOTWAWKI" scenarios, though I do occasionally think about what might happen with civil unrest or the declaration of martial law here after a terrorist strike.

- Steve

I do this because
- it's sad to die for a dumb reason
- because I have kids I want to protect
- because people count on me to help them
- because it's a moral obligation to my fellow man to be able to help those who can't help themselves.
- because I like flashlights
- because it makes me feel like I have some level of control over things.

One thing I've noticed is that I need to actually USE my survival skills for real for this all to sink in. That's why I'm a Volunteer Fireman, because that's the way I get into situations where I literally NEED to be "equipped to survive" not just sit here and type about it.

I learn the difference between gear that's interesting versus gear that you need when you're in a dangerous situation. I've learned that you dont' want to be alone in a survival situation if at all possible.

I do all of this, the emergency planning, the equipment, all of it because it just feels right for me.

NY RAT,

Try explaining to them that the best time to fix the roof is when it is NOT raining; the same applies to being prepared.

Take the time to learn new skills, read up on history, the mishaps and misadventures etc. of others. Learn from their mistakes. Realize that not everybody has the mindset that YES, bad things can, will AND DO happen to good people.

Think about whom you'd really rather be, the person looking for help because they did not take the time to prepare for the unexpected (and/or reasonably obvious) to the most likely of mishaps to run into,

OR

for example, the person that stood back and said, hmmm..."you know, it IS possible that I could be that person on the side of the road changing a tire without a flashlight, hey, I better do something about that >and starts carrying a flashlight (with good batteries and spare lamp, or better yet a light emitting diode type of light) and starts checking their tires on a regular basis to help prevent being part of the cause of the flat tire.

As far as their comments about "the big one" or "the end of the world as we know it", I view them as just rationalization, along the lines of "if I can't survive [fill in the blank with a big ugly unlikely happening here] then there is no use in being prepared at all." OUCH!

Well if the worst does happen, then there may be little that we can really do to be prepared except to hole up in a cave etc. However the reality of it as I see it, is that we need to continue our lives and it is much more likely that we will be able to prepare for many of the other hopefully less drastic possibilities without getting crazy about it.

Many times I've found that being prepared is often some relatively small actions or items that make a big difference for myself of others around me. Hopefully it will always be the smaller things that crop up and we won't have to use the bigger things, tools, knowledge etc.,

BUT

if we do need them, isn?t it much better to be at least as prepared as practical for the given circumstances rather than being stuck saying one of the many rueful mantras such as: "I could have, I should have, I wish I'd have done this or that differently".

Hey, when someone is not appreciative of your efforts to be prepared and mocks your efforts, just let it slide off, it is not your fault that they have not experienced the "Ah HA!" moment (yet).

Often it seems that when I turn the question around and ask them ?Why NOT be prepared, if even just a little bit?? many times they cannot offer any kind of real practical answer as to why they have not prepared themselves for any of life?s little (or big) misadventures that seem to lie in wait for us (along with Murphy's Laws to create opportunities for us to solve their challenges which generally seem to occur when we are least ready for a new challenge).

Can we actually be prepared for every possible contingency? Rather unlikely. My approach is to be prepared for the events that have the most likelyhood of happening, and customizing the preparations for the different scenarios in my life, i.e. Home / Office / Travel / Boating / etc. Be flexible and take the appropriate approach to each situation that we anticipate being in with the most likely contingencies being addressed. Between that and trying to remain aware of ones surroundings and what is going on in your vicinity, you will find that you will be better prepared (and hopefully less surprised / off guard) when soemthing does go awry.

Something that has been remarked upon by folks (with more knowledge than I) is that with Mother Nature (and Life in general) the exam is often given first, and then the lesson is taught. This can be a painful educational process, hopefully it will be survived, sadly however, it is sometimes taught to the dead and/or dying and the lesson never gets passed on to help others.

When I?m able to help others I try to do so, I try to avoid confrontations when able, and I try to help educate folks when the time is right, and sometimes I?ve had occasion to believe that perhaps Mark Twain was entirely correct when he said something along the lines of, ?Never try to teach a Pig to read, it?s a waste of time and it annoys the Pig?. There are those that simply either aren't ready to learn / can?t / won?t listen or learn or simply believe that "the system" and/or everyone else in the world will help them out anytime that they need it. Sometimes all that can be said to them is "hey, the bus is leaving, with or without you".

The bottom line for me (as nicely stated by others posting above) is that it is better to BE prepared and (hopefully not need) than TO NEED AND NOT HAVE.

>Hmmm...I'll climb down of the soap box now. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <grin>

Regards,
Comanche7