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Disabled Hiker Kit - Lightweight Survival Gear Vest
Jul 8, 2025
In this video, I share essential tips and tricks for hikers with disabilities and how to build a lightweight hiking survival kit that keeps you safe, comfortable, and confident on the trail. Whether you use mobility aids, need to travel light, or just want a more accessible hiking setup, this video has you covered! #DisabledHiker #AdaptiveHiking #SurvivalKit #LightweightGear #HikingTips Pilots Flask: https://bit.ly/4lmQncm Condor Water Bottle Pouch: https://bit.ly/4lIwyvQ Prepared Wanderer AMAZON STORE: https://bit.ly/3Jjs1iO Prepared Wanderer Patches and Stickers: https://thepreparedwanderer.bigcartel.com Prepared Wanderer WEBSITE: https://preparedwanderer.com Prepared Wanderer FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1835005976546722
View Video Transcript
0:01
Welcome back to the channel. If you are
0:03
disabled, have physical disabilities,
0:05
and you want to figure out how to get
0:07
out more to the woods, well, stick
0:10
around because today I'm going to show
0:11
you how to lighten your load and hit the
0:14
trail and give you some ideas to get out
0:16
more. And even if you aren't disabled,
0:18
you may want to stick around because
0:19
this is going to be a good video.
0:22
[Music]
0:29
All right. So, if you guys are familiar
0:31
with the channel, you probably know that
0:33
about six weeks ago, I had a hip
0:36
replacement surgery. And that surgery
0:39
really
0:41
brought a lot of issues for me to light.
0:47
Things that I never really thought
0:48
about.
0:50
um you know, accessibility to to
0:54
buildings, uh getting out in the woods
0:57
and on the trail because of course of my
1:00
hip replacement surgery. I wasn't able
1:02
to to get out at all. I was stuck at
1:06
home, uh you know, recuperating, uh
1:09
going to PT, you know, for a while. I
1:12
was uh using a walker and then I
1:15
graduated to crutches and now I'm
1:18
finally
1:19
using a cane and some days I'm not even
1:22
using that. So, even though I'm limping
1:25
a little bit, um I'm still able to get
1:28
out short distances. And I thought this
1:31
would be a great opportunity for me to
1:34
talk about um what I've kind of learned
1:37
and how I've been thinking about how to
1:40
lighten my load a little bit so I can
1:43
get out and I can enjoy nature. And
1:47
what's really interesting is that um in
1:50
the past people have asked me to do
1:52
videos
1:54
um about bushcraft survival hiking for
1:57
people with disabilities.
1:59
And at the time I really didn't think I
2:02
had any experience. I couldn't really
2:05
talk intelligently about that subject
2:08
because I have no experience with it.
2:09
I've always been a very able-bodied
2:11
person. When I was younger, I did a lot
2:13
of backpacking. Um, of course I I still
2:16
camp now. Um, I was involved with search
2:19
and rescue for many, many years. So,
2:22
being able-bodied, being mobile has
2:26
always been
2:28
never been an issue for me, right? But
2:30
now it is. And as I'm getting older, I'm
2:34
really starting to figure out that um I
2:37
need to probably change a few things.
2:41
So, I'm out here at a spot that um is
2:44
easily accessible for me. Um it's a very
2:47
short hike in from the parking area.
2:49
This is a local nature preserve and that
2:52
is one of the first tips that I want to
2:54
give to people who are looking for more
2:57
opportunities to get out in the woods
2:59
that you don't need to go deep into the
3:02
wilderness to enjoy the beauty of
3:04
nature. There are lots of local nature
3:08
preserves usually that have very
3:10
well-groomed trails, have good parking,
3:14
and are easily accessible. Now, to find
3:16
these places, start online. You have to
3:20
get in your car, and you have to drive
3:21
and check these places out. So, you
3:23
know, maybe you, a friend or your spouse
3:26
can go out, you know, on an afternoon
3:29
and visit some of these places and see
3:31
what they're like
3:34
because there's lot there are lots of
3:36
opportunities um at these nature
3:38
preserves to get out and do stuff and
3:41
they're very well groomed, maintained um
3:45
and they're usually very beautiful. So,
3:47
you don't have to go uh very far to get
3:50
outside.
3:51
Now, the other tip that I wanted to
3:53
share today uh for people who have
3:55
disabilities or mobility issues is that
3:59
getting outside, you still want to carry
4:01
um a fair amount of gear uh for safety
4:04
and for comfort, but you need to lighten
4:06
the load and you need to you need to
4:08
make it more accessible. And that's what
4:10
I want to talk about today. I want to
4:11
show you is this vest right here. So,
4:15
not that long ago, these kind of vests
4:18
were very popular. You could find them
4:20
all over the place. A lot of different
4:21
companies were making them. Northface
4:23
and Eddie Bower, LLBAN,
4:27
um, Cabelas, Woolrich, 511, they all
4:31
came out with these different kind of
4:32
adventure ready vests. Uh they kind of
4:37
started as photography vests and then
4:40
they kind of morphed into the whole uh
4:43
adventure camping realm and they became
4:46
very popular of course after the first
4:48
Gulf War because we started seeing
4:50
pictures of contractors and their 511 or
4:54
Woolrich vests, you know, all decked out
4:57
um using these vests as a way of
4:59
carrying magazines and supplies.
5:02
And uh there's a huge amount of these
5:05
available on eBay uh pretty cheap and
5:07
all kinds of different brands and sizes
5:09
and pockets. And I found one not too
5:12
long ago. I thought it was pretty cool.
5:13
And why I like this one in particular is
5:16
that it actually has mesh on the back
5:24
and that makes it perfect for
5:26
summertime. And I have pretty much all
5:29
my survival uh backup type items that I
5:33
would need to make myself comfortable
5:36
in the vest. And once you weigh this
5:39
thing, it's only, you know, under 3 lb.
5:41
So, it's really not that heavy. Um I can
5:43
get to things very easily. I don't have
5:45
to put a lot of weight on my shoulders
5:47
or my back. So, if you have back issues
5:49
or neck or shoulder issues, the vest is
5:52
a great way of doing this. And um I mean
5:56
actually I think I don't know maybe I'm
5:59
wrong. I think it looks pretty cool and
6:00
it's really comfortable. I love wearing
6:02
this thing. I it's like I feel like I'm
6:03
going to wear this thing more and more
6:05
now that I started doing this because it
6:08
just makes a lot of sense. Um so let's
6:10
go through the contents and discuss some
6:12
of the items and how they fit in this
6:15
vest and why I think it's such a great
6:17
idea.
6:19
All right, so here is the vest. This is
6:22
a weekend traveler brand vest. It is a
6:26
nylon material and of course it has this
6:29
awesome amount of ventilation in the
6:32
back. So this is going to be very cool
6:33
for wearing the summer. But the thing
6:35
about these vests is they have just a
6:37
huge amount of pockets. And this is
6:39
where you can store all your stuff and
6:43
you can get to it pretty easily. So I
6:44
got pockets on the outside. There are
6:47
pockets on the inside as well
6:56
and there's even pockets on the back.
6:59
So, it's really reminiscent of the SAS
7:01
style Smok with the pockets on the back.
7:03
So, really a great way of storing your
7:05
gear. So, up here in this pocket, I have
7:08
a very lightweight nightcore
7:11
headlamp. Headlamps, you know, you got
7:14
to have a good headlamp. This one's
7:16
rechargeable.
7:19
And of course, since it has this cord,
7:21
instead of a thick headband, it's much
7:23
lighter.
7:25
Doesn't take up a lot of room. So, that
7:27
goes up here.
7:29
Always wanted a light source. So, either
7:30
a flashlight or a headlamp.
7:35
Down here, I've got just a cheap
7:37
emergency poncho. And then I've got some
7:39
duct tape for repairs.
7:45
This pocket down here, this is my first
7:48
aid kit. This is in a tough possum
7:51
pouch. This is made of Xpack material.
7:53
You've probably seen this in some other
7:55
videos. Very waterproof.
7:57
But in here, I'm keeping, of course,
8:01
tick key, band-aids, ointments, insect
8:04
repellent,
8:11
small packet of wipes,
8:18
some 8our uh mosquito protection wipes,
8:22
some nitro gloves,
8:26
and of course some lip bomb and then a
8:28
mini scissor tool with pl with um
8:32
tweezers from Leatherman.
8:37
So that comprises my boo boo kit.
8:40
[Applause]
8:42
I also have
8:45
the so survival blanket. Got to have one
8:48
of these
8:49
so you can regulate your temperature,
8:52
your core temperature in case you get in
8:53
trouble and you got to spend the night
8:55
out in the woods. You can wrap up in
8:57
that until you get rescued.
9:02
This pocket down here,
9:06
I've got my tools. So, the tool pouch
9:09
here, this is from County. It's made of
9:12
XAC material as well.
9:14
I've got LiveFire. If you never seen
9:17
this product, it is a reusable fire
9:19
starter. You can spark on that. That'll
9:22
start a flame. Get that underneath your
9:24
tinder pile. will get a fire going and
9:27
then once your fire is going, close it
9:29
up, snuff it out, and you can reuse it.
9:33
So, I don't have to carry a lot of
9:34
tinder with me to get a fire going.
9:37
Also, a smaller ferro rod.
9:42
piece of fatwood,
9:49
mini bick lighter, and I've got that
9:51
tied off with a zip tie just to
9:54
keep it from uh getting depressed in the
9:57
pouch and losing all the gas out of it.
10:00
And then another fire starter.
10:03
This is a um a fire roll. So, it's or
10:07
fire tape. It's basically
10:10
a piece of paper that has been
10:12
impregnated with um flammable material,
10:15
but you can tear off a piece of this,
10:17
fluff it up with your pocket knife, and
10:20
hit a spark, and it'll start a fire.
10:22
Really nice, lightweight option for
10:24
getting fire going. So, I've got a
10:26
couple ways to start fire. I've got some
10:28
tinder,
10:33
and I've got my whistle for signaling.
10:36
And then on this side of the pouch, I
10:38
have
10:40
good old Swiss Army knife.
10:42
What I like about this model, it
10:44
actually has the saw. And that can be
10:47
pretty handy.
10:49
If you need that in a pinch, you can do
10:51
a lot with that. It's a It's a pretty
10:53
decent little saw. And then, of course,
10:56
one of my favorite go-to items for
10:58
starting fires is a fire bellows.
11:06
And that all fits nicely in this little
11:08
pouch and goes in that front pocket.
11:13
This pouch I've got some beef jerky. You
11:15
can also put in some granola bars in
11:17
there. So, you definitely want some
11:18
calories and snacks. And then in here,
11:22
I've got 550 cord.
11:25
And then a little water purification
11:27
kit. So, this has whirl bags that open
11:30
up. Um, they're about one liter. And
11:32
then there are purification tabs that
11:34
drop into that and I can purify dirty
11:36
water pretty quickly.
11:39
On the inside pockets, I've got my wrist
11:41
compass.
11:43
Have several of these. I have these all
11:45
distributed in my different kits. They
11:47
are fantastic. They actually work pretty
11:48
well. This is one from Sento.
11:54
Then back here in the back pocket, this
11:56
is a really a great place to put a
11:59
shelter system.
12:02
So,
12:04
I've got one of these
12:07
5x8 nylon tarps from Walmart. These
12:10
things are super cheap. I think they're
12:12
under 20 bucks. You can order them
12:14
online. And it fits in this back pocket
12:17
perfectly. And in this pocket, I've got
12:20
some water, believe it or not.
12:25
And I'm utilizing a USGI
12:29
pilots flask. Now, you can actually get
12:31
these on Amazon. That's where I got mine
12:33
at, and I'll get a link down below for
12:35
you guys if you're interested. But this
12:36
is a great way of carrying some
12:37
emergency backup water.
12:41
Now, if you're worried about carrying
12:42
more water, and you probably should
12:44
because water is such an important item
12:46
to have, I would add one of these water
12:50
bottle pouches or canteen pouches,
12:52
something that you're comfortable
12:54
carrying. Uh, this has a shoulder strap
12:56
to it. This one's from Condor.
12:58
Um, you can get these on eBay, on
13:01
Amazon,
13:03
but it'll hold a 32-oz nalene
13:07
and it is deep enough and wide enough
13:09
that it'll fit a metal cup. So, if you
13:13
um are concerned about maybe boiling
13:15
water,
13:17
especially when it gets colder,
13:22
you can put your cup down there. Now,
13:23
this one is
13:26
an aluminum cup that I got from Walmart
13:29
and um it's a decent little cup. It's
13:31
from uh GSI
13:34
and it has the graduation marks on it.
13:36
And my 32-oz bottle fits in there
13:38
perfectly and that nests nicely down in
13:42
this pouch. And now I have extra water
13:47
and a metal cup for boiling water and
13:49
purifying water if I need to.
13:52
If I really want to get adventurous,
13:55
put in
13:57
my espit stove
14:03
here
14:09
and a little titanium spork there. Some
14:14
extra snacks. And I've got a nice little
14:17
traveling pouch that doesn't weigh a
14:19
lot. Um, it carries easily and even with
14:23
my my bad hip and my recovery, I can
14:26
carry this no problem and I don't feel
14:28
like it's going to cause me any issues
14:30
like a big backpack would.
14:34
So, there's the vest in all its glory.
14:36
You can see the back pocket, easily
14:38
accessible. I can get to my water if I
14:41
need to.
14:43
That's what's great about these. All
14:44
these items
14:47
I don't have to take on and off a
14:48
backpack. I can get to them easily. I
14:50
got all these pockets on the inside. I
14:52
got pockets on the outside. Get to stuff
14:55
very quickly. It doesn't put a lot of
14:57
weight on me. Like I said, this thing's
14:59
sub 3 lb.
15:02
Weighs hardly anything. And actually,
15:05
for the weather today, it's perfect. Um,
15:08
it's in the 80s. Uh, humidity is
15:11
starting to drop a little bit. There's a
15:12
cold front moving through, but I'm
15:14
perfect perfectly comfortable in this.
15:16
It's not overheating me in any way.
15:19
because of all that ventilation in the
15:20
back. And then of course I can just
15:21
leave this open. And then the other
15:24
advantage of one of these vests, and
15:27
this may seem obvious, but if you are a
15:29
concealed carry person and you carry a
15:32
pistol, well, you can get that get to
15:34
your pistol pretty quickly and it kind
15:35
of covers it up on trail. So if you are
15:38
concerned about your safety while out
15:40
alone,
15:41
well, you you have an option here. But I
15:46
got to say, I'm really digging the vest.
15:50
Um,
15:52
you know, do your research, find some
15:54
places that you can get to that are
15:55
easily accessible. Um, put your
15:58
equipment together, make sure you know
16:00
it, uh, make sure that you're taking
16:02
care of yourself, be hydrated, have
16:04
enough calories in you when you go out,
16:07
let people know where you're going, and
16:09
try to get out and enjoy. Because let me
16:11
tell you, just the 6 weeks that I've
16:13
been at home um has driven me crazy.
16:16
It's really affected my mood. I can tell
16:18
I am definitely a grumpy old man right
16:20
now. And getting out here just for this
16:23
little bit walking around today um
16:26
really helps me quite a bit. So, I know
16:28
how it it must affect other people if
16:30
it's affecting me this way. If you like
16:33
this kind of content, do me a favor and
16:35
consider subscribing. Hit that like
16:37
button. Um, hit that bell notification
16:39
so you know when new videos are coming
16:40
on board. I try to do a video at least
16:42
once a week, maybe twice. And as always,
16:45
thank you so much for watching and we
16:47
will see you next time on the Prepared
16:48
Wanderer.
#Hiking & Camping