Stockpiling vs. Foraging for Survival

Foraging
Foraging (living off the land) will reduce the amount of supplies and weight that you will need to store or carry on or with you, but foraging is also a far less dependable way to meet your nutritional needs. Many outdoorsmen and women confidently assert that they believe that they would be able to live off the land with their knowledge of edible plants, fishing, hunting and trapping skills. But nature is unpredictable, as we all know, and far too many variables can adversely affect the "typical" for any of us. A plentiful edible plant in the Spring would more than likely be absent in the Winter. Or... the fish may simply "not be biting".

The most obvious advantage to foraging for your food over carrying stored food supplies is that you don't have to carry lots of extra weight in food (which is typically the most significant source of bulk and weight in your supplies)... but don't be deceived by this. The caloric energy you are able to conserve by reducing your pack weight could easily be lost again by foraging activities. Foraging is a viable option for a select few, but if you are leaning toward foraging over packing, it would be wise to frequently spend a weekend or week proving your foraging skills to yourself. Don't just foolishly assume that you will be able to do it when the situation arrises. Doing so could result in your death.

Packing/Storing
For the vast majority of us, packing/storing our food supplies is going to be the far more practical solution. The knowledge and skills required for packing or storing are far less than they are for foraging. Keeping things simple like this is very important in a survival situation. You are going to be physically tired and are likely to experience a host of distressing emotions (fear, anxiety, worry, regret, just to name a few) and you may even be injured.

While it may be fun to challenge yourself to spend a weekend camping and and limit yourself to only what you can find or catch for the next few days... you would more than likely not choose to take on this challenge having just had your home obliterated by a tornado or your after your vehicle slides off the road into a ravine. You would have enough to worry about in these situations. You don't need the added worry of finding a river to fish from.

Conclusion
Foraging skills can be a tremendous asset to have, especially if you are in a situation where advanced preparation of food supplies were not an option. So I am in no way...

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