>>294371> Survivalism is to the outdoors as Call of Duty is to military service.Nah. Bushcrafters and survivalists who make youtube videos about how intense and hardcore they are is to the outdoor activites what call of duty kids are to the military, sure, but learning and practicing living outside with minimal equipment is a totally legitimate and practical interest for someone to have. The anger associated with it is just a case of people hating the activity for it's fanbase.
>>294355That said, OP, your introduction to the outdoors shouldn't be through learning how to live in the worst conditions.
Go kayaking, hiking, do some normal camping - get comfortable being outdoors and ease yourself into it. If you let your experience progress naturally and keep at it, at some point you'll have no problem being out in the woods with very little supplies.
The most misleading idea people have when trying to learn minimalist-outdoors stuff is that it's going to be really exciting and intense. It can be, but that shouldn't be your goal. If you're out there looking to fight off wild animals and shit like that, you're playing pretend, because that's not what it's like. The survivalist community is largely made up of people who have these unrealistic expectations of what living in the wilderness is like. They're really embarrassing themselves; most people who grow up close to the land have the same skills and would laugh at these kids bringing rambo knives and SKS's into the woods saying they're "surviving."
I'm rambling off, but my main advice is to get comfortable with being in the woods under normal circumstances before you go on a survival adventure.
