when to move, when to stay put

[wayno]

you're lost.. under what circumstances would you stay put and what circumstances and when would you move

the weather has taken a turn for the worse and you're exposed on a mountain, the weather is setting in for a while - under what conditions would you stay put in shelter and what conditions would you move and when...

[GPSGuided]

Move if there's a threat to life by not moving. Don't move if moving is a threat to life. So, move if one can improve one's chance of survival at a new location, not if one can't.

[DarrenM]

It's massively subjective Wayno, based on so many factors. If you're lost it's probably safe to assume you're not all that experienced, so moving wouldn't be smart if you already have shelter. If your shelter is likely not up to the flogging you're about to receive, then moving is less about choice and more about survival and perhaps necessary.

Alpine conditions? Type of terrain? Gear carried? Altitude? Flooding rivers? The list goes on. Every single situation would have a different set of factors and no one answer will be correct otherwise people will stay when they should have moved or moved when they should have stayed etc.

[icefest]

What GPSg said; move if moving is safer, stay if staying is safer. Why would you do anything else?

[stry]

I'm also with GPSGuided. There can be no recipe. You've got to make your own decision in each situation and accept responsibility for the consequences.

[GPSGuided]

It's massively subjective Wayno, based on so many factors...

Obviously Wayno is a big picture guy.
Hence my overly big picture reply. Seriously, if one is lost due to inexperience, doubt one would have the knowledge to know what is safer and what is not. It's all very non-specific. The other good big picture response is, use your good common sense.

[Strider]

Do I have a PLB with me? Is help on its way?

[DarrenM]

Had I waited a minute more and read your comment GPSguided before posting I wouldn't have needed to post!
Simple and correct.

[GPSGuided]

Do I have a PLB with me? Is help on its way?

Unfortunately your PLB won't talk back nor answer your question. Please upgrade to one of this. Kaching!

[wayno]

the text books on survival often tell you to stay put..
but as you guys are stating, the real answer can depend on a myriad of factors.
you need to look at the factors that are likely to be involved in teh bushwalking scenarios you are going to be in and make a decision or get someone experienced to help you make a decision, think it through before you get into those situations
its cold and you're somewhere exposed. do you move or do you stay... well cold is a killer , but if you have enough shelter and enough gear and food to stay warm, staying put may be the safer option,, but if you're caught out on a day walk,, it can be a different story, you're going to stay warmer by moving and staying still you may not be able to stay warm enough to guarantee survival till help arrives, you might die from the cold if you move as well. its a hard call sometimes.
if you're hopelessly lost and not that experienced at navigation, moving isnt such a good option, if you or someone your with is good at navigating and working out where you are and help is a long way off or experience tells you you can probably eventually find your way, then you'll keep moving...
in aus you have to worry about the heat in summer and water, that determines decisions on whether its safe to move or not...
talk to other bushwalkers about the scenarios you are going to be in and what would be the best course of action...
often the stay put message is for scenarios whre theres a search and rescue operation in your area... if you move into an area thats already been searched and the search could miss you.. PLB's and sat phones can change that scenario.. the stay put message has been around a lot longer than those devices...
if you're gonig to move when you're lost or theres a search for you, leave signs of where you're moving, broken foliage, stones arranged indicating your direction, write in the ground if you can. leave notes...

[Strider]

Do I have a PLB with me? Is help on its way?

Unfortunately your PLB won't talk back nor answer your question. Please upgrade to one of this. Kaching!

This is not the discussion I was looking for, but no thanks.

[perfectlydark]

Reminds me of world war z...movement is life is what he said. Cant say I thought driving through a city of rabid zombies seems safer than holding up quietly in a safe house but each to their own

[michael_p]

Move if there's a threat to life by not moving. Don't move if moving is a threat to life. So, move if one can improve one's chance of survival at a new location, not if one can't.

I agree.

I've always told people that if they find themselves lost then find somewhere nearby that is safe and comfortable and wait.

Cheers,
Michael.

[bailz66]

Reminds me of world war z...movement is life is what he said. Cant say I thought driving through a city of rabid zombies seems safer than holding up quietly in a safe house but each to their own

To be honest that wasn't in the book for World War Z.

Think about it on Risk.... Probability vs Impact.

If I move what is the probability of getting into worse trouble? What will the impact be?

The big one here is if you are lost and you move from where you were lost you could move further away from where you are expected. A search will focus on the areas that your expected to be (Assuming you told someone where you were going), if your not there they will spread out their area, and then spread it out again.

If you move while they are searching you could move into areas where the search has already been meaning it will take longer to be found. If a search hasn't commenced however you would be better off finding a safe area which will allow you to protect youreslf over night