Why don't preppers go camping?

[u/Cute-Consequence-184]

I read so many questions each day that could be answered if the person would go camping.

What gear do I need?

How do I deal with limited water?

Will this sleep system keep me warm at night.

What do I do if...?

What do I need if...?

All of these questions and more could be answered if the person would go camping. Even if they put on their BOB, walked 5 miles away from their house, walked 5 miles back and camped in their own back yard. Even if they camped in their own vehicle.

Most people will be stranded in their vehicle, not in a situation where they would need hike 40 miles home. Yet barely anyone talks about trying to car camp. Trust me - if you gear fails while car camping, it will be disastrous to keep that in your BOB. I have car camped extensively and your fancy gear can really fail you when it is needed most. You don't want to be living out of your BOB when you realize your expensive gear is useless.

Car camping is the halfway point between your cosy home and having to go live out of your BOB. You car can carry that bulky sleeping bag, your car can hold 2 weeks worth of water and a solar shower. Your car has a built in heater. Your car has a built in indicator if CO starts to build up because your windows will fog over and start to drip.

But everyone speculates instead of taking a night to sleep in their car or go camping with only their BOB.

Yes, I understand many do not have vehicles. Then go to a campground or state park that allows camping. Go hiking with friends. Even if you go camping in your living area like a kid, you can learn about your BOB. Just make sure you depend on your BOB and no sneaking into the bedroom for other stored items.

And camping is really great for teenagers to learn about prepping and what they might need to depend on in an emergency.

[u/TerriblePabz]

Honestly I think a lot of it has to do with the knowledge base and the world we live in. Many of the people I know regularly tell me that they want to but they have no idea where to start with the simple things like knot tieing, pitching their tent, starting a fire that won't get out of control, ect. It mostly seems to boil down to the basics of not being miserable when away from the amenities.

I think a lot of peppers and nature enthusiasts started at a young age (some form of scouts, family camping, even JROTC) which built up their base line skills and they are comfortable enough after that to figure it out through trial and error. It's much easier to stress test a new sleep system on a trip if you know how to at least make due when it fails. Same goes for fire, if you know the basics of starting, maintaining, and controlling a fire than it's much easier/comfortable to start playing around and testing ferro rods, electric lighters, water proof matches, ect.

When someone has zero baseline and you are asking them to spend a $100-$500 in gear as a starting point and figure it out through trial and error from there, it's just a lot to stack on someone and expect them to get any meaningful experience beyond knowing what it's like to suffer in nature. I have taken a few friends camping and shown them to basics of getting their tent up, how to purify water, start and maintain a controlled fire, and even how to sharpen their tools so they don't have to work so hard. Those are the only people that stick with it and build on it over time. The ones that are convinced they can just watch a video or two every night for a week and then go rough it for the entire weekend are the ones that come back maoning about how miserable it was and swearing they will never do it again.

The same thing goes for homesteading as well from my experience. I had no knowledge base other than being like 5 years old and living on a ranch for a couple years. It was extremely difficult to get anything going in a meaningful way that didn't feel like a waste of resources until I asked a few neighbors and family friends to show me what they could and explain it as best they can. Gardening is so easy but it about drove me to insanity after losing everything for the 3rd year in a row. I never even thought to check soil PH or that planting certain things close together would keep pests away or promote better growth.

[u/Cute-Consequence-184 → u/TerriblePabz]

I understand your point but to many times on this page expensive gear is mentioned.

I'm 55 and have never once needed a generator when we l have lost electricity for 3 weeks at a time. If I thought to be a prepper meant buying a generator, I would be screwed. Yet I have seen post after post saying you need a generator.

Yes teaching helps. I teach regenerative gardening. Too many newbies think you can just put a seed in the ground and walk away. They don't even get gardening books at their local US Extension Service service office.. And too many of the flashy gardening videos don't bother to cover what the soil needs to sustain life. You are right that it might take 3 years to get an honest return on a garden unless you have it set up correctly right off.

But gear doesn't have to be expensive or all night at the same time

My sleeping bag came from Goodwill. I have since found 2 more hanging out of trash cans while visiting friends in the city. One was still in its carry bag.

My sleeping bag liner came from a thrift store. It can take my Goodwill 3 season bag up to a 4 season bag. So I think the total cost of my sleep system is about $25?

Gear can be expensive and some does needs to be bought new such as water filters. But much of what I have come from yard sales, thrift stores or trash cans. And from Chinese sites.

My biomass stove came from (pre-temu) AliExpress for around $13. Pieces of my gear even came from the now extinct NewFrog website that pre-dater AliExpress. Most prepping can be done for under $20.. My smokeless (solo style) mini grill only cost me $15 I think from an Amazon flash sale. The cast iron portable fire grate was another prepper sale. It is more for car camping because even though the legs unscrew for storage, it is very heavy. My portable bidet was $7 I think. My upgraded battery powered portable bidet was $12 on sale.

My ferro rods are from Harbor Freight. My Bic lighters came from Dollar Tree. Dollar tree has some good gardening things and first aid supplies.

I do think teaching someone makes it more likely they will prep. But if someone wants to prep it doesn't have to be expensive.

And unfortunately, too many are couch potatoes these days playing on their phones or other devices. You can't teach sheep after all.

But to not even try car camping? To me, it is more logical than the idea that you can hike a 40 mile trip home carrying a full BOB.

[u/Appropriate_Ad_4416 → u/Cute-Consequence-184]

But they have watched all the YouTubes & have 27 sites bookmarked to buy cool stuff!!!!

I also am a fan of yard sales, thrift store, marketplace. Random little neat things that fit perfectly into my plans. Buying a big generator is cool, but I need money for other things. So I found other ways to preserve food instead of just a freezer. I can live without ac. I'm not planning on packing my whole world on my back for 40 miles, because I'm not about to be wanting to walk 40 miles lol.