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TreesNThingsKY t1_ja56zkq wrote

Reply to comment by AthenianWaters in Been in every car I’ve had since 1986. by 710dabner

It’s a very common theme for hikers across all skill levels.

I watch a lot of solo wilderness YouTube stuff and the amount of times I’ve seen people unprepared for a single mechanical error in a crucial piece of tech is absurd.

I never understood it tbh, I guess there’s a scenario in which you could have mechanical failure from your house to the bush, but the chances of that are astronomically low. You’re preparing for likely weeks for this trip already, spend the extra hour to make sure everything works WELL, is full of fluid, etc.

Edit: all skill levels may be too general, I’d argue that regular checks before heading into the bush are a requirement to get to the highest level.

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jhra t1_ja64k5q wrote

People travelling for many months, overlanding, motorcycle cruising, ATW, vancamping etc. that don't spend a good month locally field testing their setup kills me. You need to KNOW if your rig and setup will get you through a mid March snowstorm you weren't prepared for. Your water filter systems need to be tested with every kind of ditch water you can find. Does your propane tank have compatibility in Guatemala or any other country you'll go to?

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th3comeup t1_ja5zntr wrote

what is “the bush”

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ssl-3 t1_ja69n4n wrote

It's typically located down under. The name is kind of misleading: It can be so thick and bushy that you lose your way, or almost completely barren, or anywhere in between. Preferences vary.

But that's not important. The important part is to check your gear before heading in. Mechanical failures there can be life-altering.

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nerdychick22 t1_ja7upqr wrote

Most of Canada calls places that are not a city or farmland 'the bush'

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MavenCS t1_ja8us3a wrote

I thought they were being cheeky tbh

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TreesNThingsKY t1_ja6nb4y wrote

Never heard the term? Typically an Australian and African thing. I’m not either just love Steve Irwin.

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Gorgo_xx t1_ja76uw2 wrote

Common in Australia and some parts of Africa.

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Avadeus t1_ja7aqwn wrote

What are some of these “solo wilderness” channels you speak of?

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TreesNThingsKY t1_ja7oebn wrote

Not strictly solo I suppose, more just lack of help from outside sources. First few like what I was talking about above that jump to mind are these 2. video from Deadmen, video from Jon Conti

Some terrific examples that are hardly ever accidentally unprepared. The most obvious, Les Stroud. He’s got the full Survivorman Seasons 1-5, as well as most of the spin-offs they did with it (Survivorman for Kids, Survivorman & Son, etc) Alone Across the Arctic. Dude paddles (spoiler alert: it’s mostly pushing, rather than paddling) across Canada’s Arctic in one season. Really puts into perspective how much extra weight being properly prepared adds, and he gets resupplied a few times over the few months.

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