The Top 6 Things Preppers Get From Hiking

Whether you’re new to prepping or you’ve been a prepper for years, hiking is one of the best things you can do to increase your skill level and master the art of prepping.

If you’re a new prepper, your first thought is likely to start buying everything. Most preppers start out by buying everything at once, but this can be extremely dangerous. You’re likely to fall into the pressures of feeling like you need everything to do well, and you’ll be blind to the things that you really need that are unique to you.

Before you spend all that money stocking up on everything you could possibly need (plus more), consider spending money on classes, books, and trips - like hiking! Hiking is a convenient, cheap, and always fun way of practicing being off the grid without actually having to go off the grid.

How hiking can help preppers be ready for anything:

• Bug out practice. Hiking (and even camping) may be the closest you can get to bugging out without shit hitting the fan. Take your packing seriously here and pack the things you know you’ll need, and the things you hope you’ll never need (but would be great practice if something happens). Practice those skills like starting a fire, navigating, cooking, and setting up a shelter while you’re out in the wilderness. 
• Gear practice. Having the best gear for bugging out is great, but close to useless if you never get to practice with it. Hiking can be a great opportunity to break out those boots, your new bug out bag, knives, tools, and anything else you need some extra time with. Use this as an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of your gear while your life doesn’t necessarily rely on it. 
• Health benefits. Hiking can be one of the best workouts for you since it involves stamina, energy, endurance, muscle building, heart health, and mental benefits. Plus, it’s cheaper than a gym membership. (Read why it’s okay to ditch the gym.) 
• Glimpse into weather threats. Beautiful days are ideal for hiking trips, but in a real SHTF scenario, you won’t get to choose the weather - so practice hiking, using your gear, and surviving in different weather conditions. Use this as a time to master surviving in the rain, cold, humidity, high heat, snow, and more. 
• Familiarity. Hiking regularly, especially if you can hike close to home, helps you familiarize yourself with your area even more, which can be a huge benefit in an emergency. You can learn different threats, cut-throughs, safe spots, hidden spots, and where to find the best food, water, and shelter. This is huge. 
• Foraging practice. Packing well for a hiking trip will mean you don’t have to forage for food, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice this for an emergency. Read up on edible plants in your hiking area, and learn to identify them. Practice consuming them to make sure you know how these plants affect you and how to best survive if it ever becomes necessary. During an emergency, you may not have the time to do extensive research or spend too much time identifying the poisonous from the safe. (Learn about some of the easiest edible plants to identify here.)

If you need us, we’ll be out hiking, camping, and practicing being ready for anything. Have any tips or questions about hiking for preppers? Head to our Facebook page and join the conversation.

Take a hike!