Urban Survival - Blending In

There are times when you will find yourself outside your normal surroundings. As a result, your comfort zone can become altered due to these surroundings. The easiest way to restore that comfort zone is by blending in with the locals.

Now it’s pretty difficult for a country boy to survive a trip to the mall in a big city. You always wonder if all the blades you normally pack will set off those detector things they have at the entrance and exit doors. No worry there as they are just for the in-store merchandise. The main problem is that you don’t want to look like a tree rat on steroids if you fill your pockets with everything you feel necessary to carry with you. Solving this problem is pretty easy.

One of the most inconspicuous things you can carry is a camera case. It’s one of the few things that a guy can carry without getting a lot of funny looks from everyone. Small and extremely portable, a small camera case will allow you to carry those essential items discretely and securely. Knowing you have your essentials for survival will restore your comfort zone.

You can even throw in a small digital camera (it won’t take up much room) along with your other gear. They also come in different sizes in case you want to carry your gear a little more discreetly or feel the need for something additional just in case. The camera case in the picture is approximately 6 inches wide, 6 inches high and 9 inches in length. It will hold a decent amount of gear and can be carried quite easily. You can usually find them in a basic black but since you will probably spend most of your time in the sporting goods section, your basic camouflage works also when you need to blend in with the locals. Besides, no one gives a guy a second look if he’s carrying a camo camera case.

A few suggested carry items is a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a short piece of orange surveyor's tape to mark your antenna and a really good local map in case you get lost. A small first aid kit will probably be a good idea as well.

There are a couple of other things you might want to do also if you’re headed to the big city. Depending upon where you will be traveling in the big city, the first thing that you will probably need is a local native to guide you. It will be a lot easier to find your way if you have someone that is familiar with the concrete and asphalt trails in the big city. Next try to find a one of those big light poles in the parking lot (the kind with a number on it) to park next to when you get there. Otherwise, you’ll need to tie a colorful marker on your antenna so you can find your vehicle when you get ready to leave due to a lack of distinctive landmarks in the parking lot. You can also forget about shade on a sunny day. The few trees you may find aren’t big enough to furnish shade for even a small dog.

Do you blend?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker