Don’t get fouled up by foul weather when bugging out or hunting!

Hello, my friend and welcome back!  I was just standing at the window, looking at the rain coming down and it got me to thinking how miserable that could be if I were bugging out.  In today’s post, were going to look at what one would need just in case they ran into foul weather while bugging out of hunting.  Grab a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.

Just imagine that you are bugging out or out hunting for something to feed your family and the sky opens up, followed by cold air and possibly snow.  In a case like this, being stranded out in the open could lead to sickness and even death.  That little pup tent you have in your bug out bag will not keep you warm and dry without a way to generate heat.

So what should you have with you to keep you warm and dry and can be carried in a backpack, without adding a lot of weight?  Let’s take each issue at a time.

Staying dry can be a challenge all by itself.  If at all possible, never travel on foot in the rain or snow.  Find a dry place to hold up, but since that may not be possible you need to have a few things with you, just in case.  You will need a large tarp to cover a good size area to prevent rain from blowing onto you.  No, I’m not talking about one of those big heavy tarps, but one that while it is large, it is still light weight.  If you anchor it between trees and set it just right, you could also use it to gather water as well.

One like I’m talking about can be found here.  They come in many sizes and weigh hardly nothing, they even roll up very small, so as to take very little space.  Their sizes vary from about 10’ X 10’ all the way up to 14.8′ X 20′ .  The large one only weighs 4.3 lbs.  That’s a lot of coverage for a little weight.

Use it to form the top of your sheltered area.  This will help keep your camp area dry and out of the wind.  Just outside of the overhang of the tarp, place your campfire so that excess heat is funneled into the covered area but doesn’t burn your tarp.  You want the warm air to flow through your camp while the flames and smoke remain on the outside.  To do this, build a small wooden wall with limbs on the opposite side of the fire from your tent to help direct the heat back towards your camp.

If the ground is wet or cold,  you will need to get up off of it by making a platform to sleep on.  To do this, you will want to gather several small limbs about 2 to 3 inches thick and place them on the ground and pile some cut limbs with leaves on top of the platform to create a bed that is off the ground.

Once you have this, place a small tarp on top before putting your sleeping bag or small tent on top.  This will help you maintain your body heat better.  It will also keep you from hurting as much the next morning, if you suffer with arthritis.  If the water rises throughout the night, you should be safe on your wooden bed as long as you’re not in a low spot.

If you are where there are fist size rocks available, placing a few of them near the fire and letting them warm up, then putting them below your sleeping bag when you go to bed will keep you warm a cozy while you drift off to sleep.

So what else should you have with you?  If it is raining or snowing, then finding dry wood for a fire may be hard to do.  Always be sure you have some type of fire starter that will burn long and hot for getting wet wood started.  Remember, that while the outside of a piece of wood may be wet, the inside could still be dry.  By using your knife and baton on some limbs, you should be able to find wood that is dry enough to burn and get your fire going.  Once the fire is hot enough, it won’t matter if the wood is a little wet or not.

If you have heat and shelter, then you are well on your way to surviving a cold, wet night in the forest or anywhere.  Always remember to keep your feet warm and dry.  If you don’t have watertight shoes, the use plastic garbage bags to help keep them dry.  Put your shoe inside them then using a piece of string or paracord, and lash the excess to your leg.

If your feet get wet, then take the time to build a fire and dry your shoes and socks before continuing.  Wet socks will cause blisters very quickly and if it’s very cold could lead to frost bite.  Whether it is winter or summer, always keep your feet dry.  You can’t go very far on blistered feet, and they will fail you when you need them the most.

Well, I guess that is it for today and I hope you have enjoyed today’s post.  Until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and stay prepared.  God Bless America!

-Sarge-