A thread at the Hiking HQ led me to Blackpacker, a blog by a guy who says he joined the military for training as a revolutionary (I have a weakness for radicalism — sort of a release valve for working in the corporate media). The blog has some political rants (which are pretty good, frankly) but the best parts, for our purposes, are his tons o’ tips about living the wilds. On the merits of tents (vs. tarps, etc.):

There are several good reasons to choose a tent. I think one of the best reasons for a guerilla camper is the sense of legitimacy a tent brings. A plastic tarp, while being very useful and versatile, screams vagrant. A tent, on the other hand, calmly introduces yourself as a camper. Tents are more weatherproof than tarps, almost always provide better protection from bugs and are often more wind resistant than tarps. All things considered, I believe the most compelling reason to buy a tent is the sense of security they give you. I know that the first few times I slept under the stars I honestly expected a raccoon to bite my face off in my sleep and can only guess that many feel the same way for the first few times.

Been there… had a raccoon run right past my head while sleeping under the stars at Big Basin State Park. Or maybe it was just me dreaming of rampant raccoons.

Blackpacker’s blog is hosted by the Guerrilla News Network, which features 99 flavors of anti-something or other. He’s all about the anti-, too, but he has his limits. I loved this aside from a post discouraging folks from imagining civilization’s collapse is right around the corner.

I think a lot of people on here are pressure cooked. And I know this is going to steam a few people. But society is not going to collapse. And we should not be