Faulkner
Member
I realize that most people probably don’t maintain a “go bag” in their vehicle. My go bag is different from my duty bag, which is always in my patrol car stocked with various necessities to help me on the job. My go bag stays in my personal owned vehicle (POV) and is stocked with what I deem to be necessary gear in case I have to hike back to the Faulkner homestead for whatever reason.
I also keep a different go bag stowed in my kayak when we’re floating in the Ozarks and it’s stocked with gear to deal with a rescue or first aide situation, plus I keep hiking boots/socks in case I have to hike out and enough stuff to stay overnight when hiking out is not an option.
Now, I don’t consider myself a certified prepper, but since I do travel outside of my normal area, let’s say the county I live in, two or three times a month I like to think if something unforeseen should happen I am prepared for five or six days on my own. I taught this to my two sons and still encourage them to keep go bags or something similar in their POVs when they travel very far from home.
So, my point of this narrative, though, is that I needed to make a trip to Little Rock this weekend and while in town I decided to make a run by the Bass Pro Shop and Academy Sports to pick up a few items to restock my go bags. Nothing really significant other than I’d “loaned” my youngest son my water filter so I figured I might as well buy me a new one, plus I need a couple of new dry bags and I wanted to look at a lightweight hatchet to replace my heavy one.
What surprised me was the shelves were just about bare in the camping and hiking sections of both stores. Sleeping bags, gone. Water filters, gone. Freeze dried food, gone. Para cord, gone. Backpacks were slim pickings. I didn’t make a single purchase at either store. On my way back I stopped by the Walmart Supercenter and came upon the same situation, the shelves were picked clean. Fortunately, I have an account with Sportsmansguide.com and I was able to purchase what I wanted on-line when I got home.
I suspect the situation is COVID related, but what I am curious about is are people buying camping and hiking equipment to go camping and hiking because they have more time to be outdoors due to COVID, or are a lot more people prepping? Certainly an interesting situation.
I also keep a different go bag stowed in my kayak when we’re floating in the Ozarks and it’s stocked with gear to deal with a rescue or first aide situation, plus I keep hiking boots/socks in case I have to hike out and enough stuff to stay overnight when hiking out is not an option.
Now, I don’t consider myself a certified prepper, but since I do travel outside of my normal area, let’s say the county I live in, two or three times a month I like to think if something unforeseen should happen I am prepared for five or six days on my own. I taught this to my two sons and still encourage them to keep go bags or something similar in their POVs when they travel very far from home.
So, my point of this narrative, though, is that I needed to make a trip to Little Rock this weekend and while in town I decided to make a run by the Bass Pro Shop and Academy Sports to pick up a few items to restock my go bags. Nothing really significant other than I’d “loaned” my youngest son my water filter so I figured I might as well buy me a new one, plus I need a couple of new dry bags and I wanted to look at a lightweight hatchet to replace my heavy one.
What surprised me was the shelves were just about bare in the camping and hiking sections of both stores. Sleeping bags, gone. Water filters, gone. Freeze dried food, gone. Para cord, gone. Backpacks were slim pickings. I didn’t make a single purchase at either store. On my way back I stopped by the Walmart Supercenter and came upon the same situation, the shelves were picked clean. Fortunately, I have an account with Sportsmansguide.com and I was able to purchase what I wanted on-line when I got home.
I suspect the situation is COVID related, but what I am curious about is are people buying camping and hiking equipment to go camping and hiking because they have more time to be outdoors due to COVID, or are a lot more people prepping? Certainly an interesting situation.
