Prep Fails - Share Your Shame!

We post a lot of success stories here, but people learn more from failures than from what they get right. I like to read stories from folks who can set aside their egos and share their mistakes, so I can learn from them and don't have to make the same ones myself. So post up - what did you screw up?

I'll start:

1. I lived in North Carolina during Hurricane Matthew. It hit Sunday afternoon so I decided I could drive to work for a few hours Sunday morning. Saw an area where the water was rushing over the road; decided it was safe to cross. This happened 20min later, which means it was already eroding underneath when I crossed. Stupid.

Then, the alternate route home was blocked by a fallen tree. Third option was flooded out. Fourth option was blocked by several fallen trees, but at least it wasn't flooded so I helped some guys clear one lane with chainsaws. The govt workers had already been sent home because of unsafe working conditions. That was a good decision because more trees fell literally between us as we were cutting...and because of my stupid decision, I was out there in it. If it weren't for those guys with chainsaws, I would have been stuck away from my family (probably for a few days) because I wanted to get a few hours of work in on a weekend, during a hurricane.

Lesson learned: I know I prioritize my family over work, but I didn't have the discipline to stick to my priorities when the decision wasn't clear. Need to practice better risk management.

2. I hadn't tested my generator for a while, and about a month ago I couldn't get it started. It acted like it didn't have gas, but I could hear some sloshing in the tank. I went to the internet to troubleshoot, and it turns out the Honda EU2000i's gas line enters the tank about halfway up...so if you let it sit at less than half a tank for too long, it basically unprimes itself and you have to add gas until it's higher than where the line enters. (There is no priming bulb.) If this happened when the power was out and I needed the generator, I couldn't have looked up the problem...and I wouldn't have added gas to a non-functioning generator.

Lesson learned: Know more than the basics about the gear I'll depend on when things go south. Don't skip maintenance/testing schedules.

3. Went on a 3-day hike on the AT and forgot my water treatment. Mentioned it to another hiker and he asked how long I'd be out. "Well, it's clean enough...it's about a three day spring." Funny.

Lesson learned: Don't be an idiot. I didn't get sick, but still.

4. Took me eight years of prepping before I bought a $30 handheld ham radio. Considering how much I've spent on guns and ammo, overlooking comms was a serious failure in prioritizing and decision-making. I had the guns/ammo requirement more than covered and still had gaps in other important capabilities.

Lesson learned: Do what's needed, not what's fun.

So no huge consequences, but these mistakes could have been much worse. What would you like to share?

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Prep Fails - Share Your Shame!