Thinking of doing a straight line mission? Here's everything you need to know.

Are you considering embarking on a straight line mission of your own but aren't quite sure how to approach it? well this video is for you. Effectively a basic guide to straight line missioning, this video should cover all bases when it comes to planning, executing and evaluating a successful straight line mission.

[Ultraw]

Do I ever plan on doing an outdoor adventure? Not really..

But do I want to watch a long video where GeoWizard gives tips I will never need? Hell yes! 😄

[PentonMitch]

Just did a straight line mission from the couch to the fridge and didn’t need this- great success!

[cromwellg]

This lad doesn’t get mad at other people copying his idea he provides a helpful video for them. What a unit.

[GeoWizard]

Points I forgot (some copied from most useful comments) (will keep adding)
- Make sure someone who isn't traveling with you knows your route and expected return date. This is important for search and rescue barring the worst of circumstances.
- If you're going to be climbing a fair few fences and trespassing, I'd say 3 is a crowd. 2 is sensible though. Only go alone if the mission is a calm one and you are experienced.
- Make sure you know the local wildlife of the areas you are traveling through and how to deal with it - eg. bears, snakes, scorpions, poison ivy - do you have the right anti-venom/antidotes?
- Train Cardio and hiking in the build up to the mission - this will make it a hell of a lot easier for you, and even allow you to increase your pack weight.
- When determining if a country is possible, the width of country can be a deal breaker, depending on the terrain. For example Ireland, which is predominantly farmers fields, is probably too wide.
- Filming - I usually end up with anything between 2.5 and 5 hours of footage from each day. You never know what might end up being an important part of a story (eg batteries running out) so film when ever you can. For best results, always think about where you camera is pointing - you want good, clear and still shots.
- Trespassing laws vary wildly from country to country, and looked upon very differently from region to region. As a rule of thumb, the wilder the area, the smaller the fences, the more acceptable it is.
- Something else I didn't really say - Short missions are still valuable! You don't have to go for the country, you can always start small and go from there!

Geo Detective coming soon.

[SoloAndy]

I’d love to see a ‘Tom reacts to other Straight Line Missions’ series.

[bellybuster]

I've come up with my own top 10 list:

#1 Good preparation
#2 Spare Batteries
#3 Verity
#4 Verity
#5 Verity
#6 Verity
#7 Verity
#8 Verity
#9 Verity
#10 Verity

[KillerFoods]

Not only has GeoWizard given us the gift of creating the straight line missions, he's gifting us more content by helping other creators attempt theirs. Legendary behaviour.

[Hainbach]

Next video: how to compose an epic soundtrack to your straight line mission

[lanceanthony]

Always tell someone when you’re going to attempt an adventure like this, preferably provide them with the GPS route you will be following. You might get injured or stuck in a part of the wilderness that humans don’t frequent as a consequence of following a straight line. That GPS route will allow people to find you

[tapiokuma]

I live in Japan and had pipe-dream thoughts about trying a straight line mission across Honshu, the main island. Incredibly strict Japanese trespassing laws (prison time and/or deportation) in combination with dangerously mountainous terrain nipped that idea in the bud pretty quickly...

[pixlplex]

Google Earth does let you zoom when in streetview. You just have to use the right mouse button and move the cursor up and down. That's actually a quicker way of zooming when you're in bird's eye view as well.

[IronFractal]

0:00 - Intro
1:38 - #1 Be Realistic
3:04 - #2 Google Earth is Your Planning Mecca
6:56 - #3 The Secret is in the Tweaking
8:50 - #4 Beware of Steep Gradients
13:08 - #5 Don't Mess About on Boats
15:44 - #6 Stashes are King
19:40 - #7 Winter is Best
21:40 - #8 Use a Robust GPS System
24:30 - #9 Get it on Film
26:52 - #10 The Better Equipt you are the More Likely you are to Succeed
29:14 - #11 What Counts as Crossing a Country
32:02 - #12 Line Purity Matters
34:40 - #13 Deviations Matter Even More
38:26 - #14 Respect the Land
39:45 - #15 Be Safe

[MagiSwag]

Here are a few points that weren't said in the video that I believe are important.

1. Make sure someone who isn't traveling with you knows your route and expected return date. This is important for search and rescue barring the worst of circumstances.

2. Make sure you know the local wildlife of the areas you are traveling through. The US has Alligators, Bears, Cougars, Snakes and Scorpions that can all be very dangerous on their own. Additionally, you have plants like poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac that would all be terrible to step into.

In terms of line purity. Other sports use different terminology to differentiate feats.

Onsighting a climbing route vs Flashing a route vs redpointing a route. These types of straightline missions different terms can be used to denote the level of accomplishment. A continuous vs continuous route, the max deviation, stashed vs unstashed, and so on. The purity of the line across the country can be defined by a percentage of the theoretical max distance across.

[wilsonpatterson]

*Me, not thinking about doing a straight line mission* "Eh, might still need to know." I'll watch pretty much anything you put out, Tom 😅

[quesadapablo]

Regarding #13, an interesting idea could be taking into account the length of the line. For example: would a platinum 50km long line run be equivalent to a gold 100km long line run? Just thinking out loud. Kind regards, Tom, and thank for your videos.

[AndriyVasylenko]

How about adding another, simplest sublevel: a straight stripe(?) mission. Basically what you described with 100 meter deviation. It would look more-less even from space view anyway, although thicker than a line. A middle ground of a regular hike and a straight line mission. For those who just want to try it out without much risk.

[fabmeister]

Why keeping with straight lines? what about a perfect sinewave through wales, or a perfect circle?

[blubbber]

I would highly recommend using lithium batteries for your GPS, I have used the older GPSMAP62 on a 1500 mile unsupported walk from Scotland to Luxembourg and the energizer ultimate lithium batteries were a lifesaver! They weigh about 30% less than regular batteries (maybe only a difference of a few grams but that all adds up on trips like that), they are a lot less affected by low temperatures and I usually got about 4 full days of walking out of a set of batteries!

[benchesworth]

Really enjoyed this, Thanks Tom! Immediately brought out Google Earth and started plotting a few lines which was thoroughly enjoyable, but also made me think about what it means to do a "straight line mission".

Obviously, most people are really connected to the idea of crossing a country in a straight line. It's a phenomenal achievement, but I think so much fun can be had with other lines - I'm currently drawing one from the Bristol Channel to the English Channel. Whilst it is in no way a straight line across England, that would be a complete lie, missions and adventures are what you make of them!

What is really appealing about this one is that the line I've drawn finishes in a very important place for me, almost by complete chance. If you aren't in a position to attempt a straight line across a country, make it important to you! Cross through the area around your hometown in a straight line, and learn things about it you never knew. Put your line between two famous landmarks, castles, whatever.

Whilst the destination in these sure are important, that feeling of achievement and being the first to do something, I think its the journey that makes it all worthwhile; the feeling of adventure and wonder is amazing, especially the first time. I can't stress however how grueling it can be to do it alone though - a failed 60 mile mission to Stonehenge taught me that a few years ago. Start small, start with a friend, stay safe.

Love what you're doing Tom, thanks for inspiring us all.

[Johnny]

Your thoughts are so fun and comforting to listen to