Never fear, for most in this country never stray more than 100m from the nearest car park...
Funnily enough, in late teens I made my own survival tin, out of basic items that wouldn't 'keep me alive on the run' but are the little things that come in handy, and are all in the same place so can be easily found. Over the years things changed around in there, but a few weeks back when going to Dartmoor with a friend for the first time (with him, that is) I got it out and we went through it. Amazingly, some of the original stuff was still in there, but so much had been used and replaced over the years. It is mainly a mini first aid kit along with water treatment, fire lighting and that sort of thing, but carried more as a compact back up in case the main article goes wrong. I even use bits of it in the home, like medication, when stuff on the shelves run out. So it's more of a 'survive the day' kit for me. However, in this country, there are very few places that can truly be called wild, especially in the South. Further afield, things get a little different, and in some harsher environments, a back up kit, tailor made for the situation could certainly prove useful when it all goes pear shaped. I do trust that these off the shelf kits do include instrucions on basic survival aimed at the novices who buy them? All the cool kit in the world is useless if you don't know how to use them, or practice...
Someone mentioned about the fact that some of us, myself included, look like SAS wannabes when out in the wilds. Don't know, but could it be, like you say, that we want to blend in with the environment instead of stand out in our bright designer outdoor clothing from the high street like the RA? I've always preferred military kit as it is functional and cheapish. I also track and stalk wildlife to watch it, and greens and DPM certainly help in this respect! Whenever i go out, I make every effort to ensure that nobody knows I've been there, purely for the reason that I don't want to spoil the countryside for anyone else or the animals that live in it. Whenever i can drag my girlfriend away from the West End and into the West Country, she always misses the wild life that I spot. Although this could be not because of the clothing, but more because she is too worried about stepping in something and too busy looking at her feet to notice anything around her!
Funnily enough, in late teens I made my own survival tin, out of basic items that wouldn't 'keep me alive on the run' but are the little things that come in handy, and are all in the same place so can be easily found. Over the years things changed around in there, but a few weeks back when going to Dartmoor with a friend for the first time (with him, that is) I got it out and we went through it. Amazingly, some of the original stuff was still in there, but so much had been used and replaced over the years. It is mainly a mini first aid kit along with water treatment, fire lighting and that sort of thing, but carried more as a compact back up in case the main article goes wrong. I even use bits of it in the home, like medication, when stuff on the shelves run out. So it's more of a 'survive the day' kit for me. However, in this country, there are very few places that can truly be called wild, especially in the South. Further afield, things get a little different, and in some harsher environments, a back up kit, tailor made for the situation could certainly prove useful when it all goes pear shaped. I do trust that these off the shelf kits do include instrucions on basic survival aimed at the novices who buy them? All the cool kit in the world is useless if you don't know how to use them, or practice...
Someone mentioned about the fact that some of us, myself included, look like SAS wannabes when out in the wilds. Don't know, but could it be, like you say, that we want to blend in with the environment instead of stand out in our bright designer outdoor clothing from the high street like the RA? I've always preferred military kit as it is functional and cheapish. I also track and stalk wildlife to watch it, and greens and DPM certainly help in this respect! Whenever i go out, I make every effort to ensure that nobody knows I've been there, purely for the reason that I don't want to spoil the countryside for anyone else or the animals that live in it. Whenever i can drag my girlfriend away from the West End and into the West Country, she always misses the wild life that I spot. Although this could be not because of the clothing, but more because she is too worried about stepping in something and too busy looking at her feet to notice anything around her!
