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Prepping Across Three States, by Kris S.
Many years ago, my two childhood friends and I began to prep for TEOTWAWKI. At first, we just began buying whatever was recommended by certain web sites, throwing our equipment into a box and then telling the others about what we have. Doing this allowed us to collect many things, however we were not sure what was really practical since we never used the items. We decided to change this about five years ago when we got serious about what we are doing and decided to take a camping trip. The camping trip would include about a one mile hike and the only things we would bring would be the equipment that would be used in a “bug-out” scenario. My group consists of seven main members who live in four different states, so the gear testing trips take place in two different states twice a year. The members of my group currently live in four different states: Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and California with the majority of the group living on the Ohio/Indiana border. Obviously, the friend in California is not a viable option for retreat, but the Ohio and Tennessee locations are both large farms and “close enough” for the remaining group members to gather together. So, we practice bugging out to each location from our respective homes. The first test trip was quite a learning experience! The oldest member of our group had equipment that weighed a total of about fifteen pounds. We younger folk whispered among ourselves that this surely wouldn’t be enough. While I will not disclose the pack weight of the rest of the group, I will say that we were having trouble going very far without having to take a break; and imagine our surprise when we found ourselves asking to borrow some of the older man’s equipment! Needless to say, we decided to take a few tips from the older man and have changed the way we pack for these trips!
We travel to each location twice a year, Tennessee in early April and late July, and Ohio in early October and late December. The reason for this is so we can camp in different temperature extremes. The difference of Tennessee in July and Ohio in December are huge and require different gear, so this allows us to practice using everything. Prior to our first travel, we sat down together with topographical maps of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. We mapped the best routes for foot and vehicle travel. We had to know if we could get to southwest Ohio from east Tennessee without hitting a major city while avoiding the interstate…and vice versa. The members from Ohio and Indiana and their families meet en route to Tennessee and take a different route each year. Throughout the trip, they stop to photograph certain areas they believe would be a good resting spot and mark the coordinates on the map. When my family and I make the trip north (I am the good southerner in this group) I retrace their steps north with photos and coordinates in hand seeing if I agree or disagree with their selected stops.
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