Many people have bug out bags but few have actually strapped them on their backs and walked further than the living room. I regularly go for long walks with mine through city streets and off road on uneven terrain. Have even camped for the weekend with nothing more than my bug out bag during all four seasons on a number of occasions. If you can't actually do it for a weekend during any season you might as well not even bother putting one together. Just make sure you wear your bug out foot wear when walking to break them in and get the full experience.
Sadly some preppers online talk the talk but would never or have never gone into the woods to build a shelter and live out of a small back pack for even one night. They should. It is a great lesson in self reliance and will get you in shape real fast plus its just downright healthy and fun to spend time outdoors. Even just wear your pack the next time you walk to the store or take the dog for a run. Very useful for streamlining the contents of your pack as any extra weight from unnecessary items will be noticed pretty quickly.
I also recommend another exercise if you live in the city. During a freezing cold spell this winter set up your bug out tent in the backyard and stay in it overnight with nothing more than your bug out bag which should include a good quality and lightweight thermal sleeping bag;) Im sorry but this is Canada and if you cannot do this then you have no chance in surviving an outdoor winter survival situation. The good part is if you absolutely have to give up you can just go into the house so it is a safe exercise. Just make sure you face palm yourself and order the right winter gear once inside.
What do you do to walk the walk?
There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life - Frank Zappa
Good idea
A friend and I do various walks. We like to map out and know what paths we can take if needed via forrests, rivers and cities.
It does change your expected travel distance. On another note my water bladder worked great this summer, keeping the water cool when it was very hot outside.
It was separated from my body and the outside in a slot in my assault bag made for it. Something you learn as you do your walks....now what will happen to the water in winter? Well I can answer that in a few months.
My bugout bag is on my back at least once a week for between 5 k and 22 k depending on time/injuries. When not in the field for a weekend I sometimes bugout on a Friday night just for fun and RON (remain overnight). Nothing far away just a few k into the bush from my domicile. No shelter is set up usually...just wrap the ol Wiggy's around myself and sleep sitting up but leaning back in the most comfortable position I can find. Since I have a dog, it goes for a 5k walk/run just about everyday except in the winter...2-3 k then or a 4-6 min. Tabata protocol.
three Storms,
in the winter you need to put your water bottle inside your parka, that is the only way it will remain unfrozen. That is how we did it. Not sure with the water bladder though, I normally carry the military water bottles, as in old habits die hard.
Once scenario I am thinking about to keep them unfrozen would be making a mini sleeping bag, warm bag for them, put in a hot water bottle perhaps filled with lemon juice (tastes great warm or hot) next to the bladder. This could be as simple as those freezer bags you buy in the supper market to making one out of windshield protector found in Dollar Stores, and glue the sides and one end together, fold over the top and secure it with Velcro.
That way, you stop for lunch you will have warm Lemon/Lime Water good for you, or maybe soup and the water bladder/bottle will be unfrozen at that time.
Before I got sick, I regularly carried my mid sized and large sized ruck on outings and stayed over night. Love being outside in the bush, that is my home.
thanks for the recommendations
In the past I have used one of those disposable hand warmers in my water bladder case
We live in a society of wolves ,
We can't fight back by creating more sheep
Hey, 'Mule' (et al);
Great thread. This is something I have discussed with my local prepper friends. The phrase "Experience is the best teacher" applies to every aspect of prepping. "Five minutes before the prom is no time to learn how to dance" is another I like to whip out once in a while.
I carry an over-the-shoulder "murse" (Osprey 'Warp') as my EDC bag, and it goes literally EVERYWHERE with me. I will be replacing it with the 5.11 Tactical 'MOAB-6' in the new year - not so I can carry more stuff, but so I can carry my current load-out in a more organized fashion. Even with the relatively few items I initially stuffed into my 'Warp' bag, it was heavy... even on relatively short outings. After carrying it for a couple of hours, I found myself shifting it around every five minutes. This DIRECT EXPERIENCE compelled me to re-evaluate my EDC choices. I removed a few "nice to haves" from the bag, replaced a few items with lighter, more compact options, and redistributed the items to carry more comfortably.
My 72-hour "Go-Pack" sits at the ready in my front hall closet when I am at home, and in my back seat or trunk when I am away from home. I have gone through the same exercise with it; wearing it on walks and overnighters - in urban, park and wilderness environs - to inoculate myself against the stress of the bug-out experience, and to evaluate the overall weight, weight distribution, accessability and functionality of the pack itself, and the items inside it. As with my EDC bag, my Go-Bag has gotten lighter and more user-friendly over the years, as a result of "walking the walk" with the bag on my back.
Thanks again for posting this thread.
Keep "walkin' the walk", brother. 😉
P2P
"The will to win compares little with the will to PREPARE to win." ~ Coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant
I have a bunch of the small plastic (micky) bottles that my X-mass rum come in. They fit nicely in the inside pocket of my parka, the water may have a tint of rum flavour, but hey thats bonus. 
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."