Develop Your Survival Skills on the Trail
If you’re a prepper, it’s important to make sure that you’re ready for any situation. Though there are multiple ways in which you can build up survival skills, one of the best ways to do so is by hiking. Let’s explore why hiking is necessary for a prepper.
Practice Packing And Using Your Gear
If you’re a prepper, you must be able to pack your gear in a hurry. Getting ready to go on a hike can be a great way of doing
this. You’ll need to learn what pieces of your kit will go in each pocket of the backpack. You can take things a step further by timing yourself before each hike, finding out how long it will take you to pack your bag and get out the door. Over time, you can work on reducing this time.
During the hike, you’ll be able to get comfortable using all the gear. Unlike practicing in the backyard, the landscape you’ll encounter when hiking will be more unpredictable. Often, you’ll face challenges that you hadn’t anticipated and have to come up with a way of working around them. You’ll get the best practice by hiking through unfamiliar terrain. This will ensure that each time you head out on the trails, you’ll be forced to work through a new set of problems.
Health Benefits
Another reason why hiking is necessary is due to the health benefits. It’s been shown that hiking has several positive impacts on your physical wellbeing. It’s considered a full-body workout. To increase the health benefits, you can walk over uneven terrain, 
thereby improving your balance. In other cases, you can carry a heavy pack, which helps to build muscles. This aspect of hiking is essential if your bug out location is far away from your home or workplace. Hiking can better ensure you’ll be healthy enough to get there on foot.
In many cases, you’ll want to start with a few shorter hikes to get a better understanding of your current level of physical fitness. As you start to improve your health, you’ll be able to go on longer, overnight hikes. Completing these extended hikes regularly will ensure that you maintain your physical fitness.
Hiking has also been shown to have some mental health benefits. For example, you’ll be less likely to experience conditions like depression or anxiety. The perfect time to relax and reflect on your preps is while walking along the trail. Being outside in nature also helps to spark creativity. Hiking can help you to think of innovative ways to improve your preparedness.
Learn Survival Skills
If you’re a prepper, it’s important to take the time to learn some survival skills. Hiking can provide you the perfect opportunity to learn and practice these skills. For example, most hikes will come with a map, which you can use to practice how to orient yourself while in the wilderness. You might also want to spend your time on the trail trying to identify animal tracks.
If you want to take these skills to the next level, you can plan a longer journey, where you’ll need to make a camp overnight. Camping can bring a range of benefits, giving you a better opportunity to see how all your equipment works. You can also practice identifying a good location for the campsite.
If you are planning on setting up camp, you’ll need to make sure that you’re safe. One of the best ways of doing this is by taking 
Research The Area
Going on a hike can also be a great way to do a little more research about the local area. For example, you’ll be able to study the terrain and the type of plants and animals that you’ll encounter. This practice can be invaluable, as it allows you to create a more effective plan if you need to survive on the land for an extended period. You might also be able to explore the area on the hike. This can help you create a more effective bug-out route.
This is Why Hiking is Necessary for Preppers
Part of being an effective prepper is being able to survive for a long time on the land. This is why hiking is necessary. By increasing the amount of time that you spend in nature while hiking, you’re giving yourself more opportunities to develop your survival skills. By continually hiking, you’ll also realize several mental and physical health benefits. So, incorporate regular hikes into your prepper lifestyle. Before you know it, you’ll be healthier and better prepared.
