Survive!

[blue902]

what would you take with you for an extended hike like the AT?

since you can re-up on supplies periodically, maybe once a week on average, what food supplies would you want?

what permanent gear with you?

hope this question hasn't already been used and abused. i read this thread and searched for long hikes. seems like interesting answers could be lying in wait so here it is.

[civil]

Hope it's ok for me to post, my only tactical experience is boy scouts and camping

I will post this then go through and read others post's to gain in your knowledge.

I am a big fan of Bear Grylls (I think he's a good guy with good info) and have seen what he can do with limited tools (and a support team standing by for emergencies).

First priorities are:

1 - Water
2 - Fire
3 - Shelter

(since there is a water source nearby 2 and 3 should be relatively close to the water source, animal's and weather conditions permitting)

Once those 3 are set I can now focus on food.

Depending on what the natural conditions are like grubs and insects and possibly plants for food (pine needles if available make for great vitamin C enriched tea)

I would examine the water source for signs of animals and use that to find a track/run and set a snare using my boot lace for deer/rabbit.

While waiting on the snare I would find a good weight stick and try to find some animals to catch (club/throw and hit). If rocks are available they can be used to smooth out and shape the club for better throws (watched Bear do this and nail a rabbit)

Trees might have birds’ nests and since it's spring eggs would be a tasty treat - danger of falling and no medical support would limit how high I am willing to climb though.

If the water source has fish then using sticks in a curve, my shirt and some shoe lace to make a net of sorts can be fashioned to catch some dinner. Also a shoe lace and crafting a hook out of wood could make for a fishing line. Would have to find a nice rock to use for carving the wood. Almost forgot thread from my clothes could be used to make rope or sewing supplies.

Onto water
Filtering the water through rocks and sand and then through my sock would make do for drinking until I can make a bowl of sorts to boil the water in.

Shelter really depends on the type of trees and environment. Lean-to, dome, flat in a tree to keep off the ground and so forth.

Tools I would want to have would be a damn good knife and flint & steel
It would be a huge plus to have some 550 cord and 100mph tape and steel canteen/cup for cooking and drinking.

While waiting my 60 days I would watch for flight patterns and prepare for harsher weather. If tour planes fly by a signal fire would be in order. If I am by an ocean/lake watch for boats. Start exploring to find traces of civilization and help and better food/water supplies.


Well I think that about covers it for now


*edit - I miss read 60 days for 6 months - I will be more carefull

[koz]

Originally Posted by civil

I am a big fan of Bear Grylls (I think he's a good guy with good info) and have seen what he can do with limited tools (and a support team standing by for emergencies).

Maybe a good guy... I don't know him BUT he puts out a lot of really bad info and potentially dangerous info. Notice how many times he says "don't try this..."

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by civil

Hope it's ok for me to post, my only tactical experience is boy scouts and camping

That shows.

Originally Posted by civil

I will post this then go through and read others post's to gain in your knowledge.

I am a big fan of Bear Grylls (I think he's a good guy with good info) and have seen what he can do with limited tools (and a support team standing by for emergencies).

Bear is a freaking idiot who will get you killed. Do a search for him here.

Chlorine for your gene pool.

TR

[civil]

Just did a search on Bear Grylls here as suggested.

I do agree with the majority that most of the stuff he does is plain stupid (putting himself in unnecessary danger) and "fear factor" related.

As with anything watched on TV (or most things in life even) you have to separate the good from the crap.

I enjoy seeing the locations he goes to, tricks of the trade he uses (trapping and local info fed to him by local experts brought in by the show) and learning from his mistakes. Seeing someone do something bat shit crazy/stupid can really get you thinking on the proper way to do it.

I get a good laugh at the obviously staged stuff (hey it's TV right)

A few of the tidbits I have picked up (filtering out the BS crap) would be telling how long before sunset with your fingers, North with a watch on 2 different hemispheres, North with the stick technique some interesting ways to fish, and if trying to tie something to cloth putting a rock in it and twisting can give the cordage something to hold onto.

Thanks for the reality check on Bear, now back to reading the rest of the posts in this section, some really great info here!

*Edited to add I just finished reading threw all the post's in this thread and there is some great information in here, thank you all for your insight!

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

That shows.



Bear is a freaking idiot who will get you killed. Do a search for him here.

Chlorine for your gene pool.

TR

TR is so right,Bear is frighting...... Be careful on anything he comes up with....... For your own safety .........

Big Teddy

[kgoerz]

Who's the Guy on Surviver Man? The one that got busted for not being alone. You could see a reflection of other people in the water when he was suppose to be out on his own. I yet to see him actually catch an Animal in one of his traps.

[BryanK]

Originally Posted by greenberetTFS

..... Be careful on anything he comes up with....... For your own safety .........

Big Teddy

Sound advice. I saw a couple weeks ago when he was in a swamp trying to gain a better vantage point by tying his boot laces together (with boots still worn) and using them to scurry up a tree like a climbing stand sort of. I pondered the idea to test it, but an unnecessary risk if the strings wear through. Maybe some 550 cord would do the trick. However, busting my fourth point of contact (at best) after gaining velocity is not my idea of fine holiday fun .

[civil]

I have seen a lot of posts on here about 550 paracord and everyone wants some in their kit, how about a thread dedicated to the 1,001 uses for 550 paracord?

*I browsed all the other threads under Field Craft and nothing really seems to cover this

Prettty much what Teddy said. Hel, we might as well get slammed together.

So, if I understand this right. It is what I can stuff in my pockets? NO guns for me. thank you..

So since I am a civilian, and knowning me at that time of yr. I would most likely be weating my favorite pants, nylon, boys pants. regular front and back pockets and then those side pockets on the leg. long sleeve undershirt, flannel shirt, northface jacket, long sleeves, one of my 8 foot long 2 ft wide scarves.

knife, magnifying glass, flint and striker, safety pins. box of dental floss, compass. wristrocket and marbles. cup to heat water and cook in. That was pretty much what I carried in my pockets as a kid. The cup was one of those fold down models.. or I scrounged, a dead tin can at times to heat stuff in. Multitool, would aslo be great, one with a saw blade on it. Few meters of thin wire might be good too..

priority: Shelter, fire, water, food. Lots of food in the woods, starving is not an option. Yeah, same here Teddy. I drank and still drink whatever local water there is. mmm, a plastic bag or two to make a simple catchment system for rainwater or dew might not be bad to add to the list.

safety pins make fish hooks. you can make a trot line with green vines or a fish trap. Wrist rocket will bring down small game and some larger young game.
Shelters are easy to make. NC? red clay.. ewwww.. oh joy..

So are was stuck and have to wait it out for 60 days OR can we just use our compass or the sky and walk ourselves out of this wilderness back to civilization and indoor plumbing?

Originally Posted by lrd

Question: if you are going to stay there until picked up, how important is it to know where you are? Is a compass important to have or not?

A Silva Ranger would be on my list. The old ones had a magnifying glass that will start a fire (many will not), a signal mirror, the compass naturally. I carried one the whole time I was in...great tool.

In fact, if the thread was "What 3 things would you choose" I would still choose a Silva Ranger as one of my items. The other 2 would be a knife, and a big ball of 550 cord. There isn't much you can't do/make with those 3 things.

[Penn]

Chlorine for your gene pool…. TR thats F'nin Brilliant..... LMFAO

[jw74]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Bear is a freaking idiot who will get you killed.
TR

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...d--hotels.html

Channel 4 last night began an investigation into the claims, which follow a number of embarrassing incidents in which programmes screened by the station were found to have misled the public.

Grylls's show attracted 1.4million viewers when it was shown in March and April, with audiences enthralled as he demonstrated gruesome survival tips that included sucking the fluid from fish eyeballs and squeezing water from animal dung.

But an adviser to Born Survivor yesterday claimed that many of his other escapades were not exactly as they seemed on TV.

In one episode filmed in California's Sierra Nevada mountains he was shown biting off the head of a snake for breakfast and boasting that he was living on 'just a water bottle, a cup and a flint for making fire'.

Viewers were not told that he was actually spending some nights in the Pines Resort hotel at Bass Lake, where the rooms have Internet access and is advertised as 'a cosy getaway for families' complete with blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

In another episode when Grylls declared he was a 'real life Robinson Crusoe' stuck on a desert island, he was actually on an outlying part of the Hawaiian archipelago and retired to a motel at nightfall.

Mark Weinert, a survival consultant brought in for the programme, said one show also wrongly gave the impression that the adventurer built a Polynesian- style raft using only materials around him, including bamboo and palm leaves for a sail.

Mr Weinert had in fact led a team that built the raft, which was then dismantled so that Grylls could be shown constructing it on camera.

In another episode, Grylls was filmed attempting to lasso 'wild' mustang in the Sierra Nevada, when the horses were actually tame and had been brought in by trailer from a nearby trekking station.

'If you really believe everything happens the way it is shown on TV, you are being a little bit naive,' Mr Weinert told the Sunday Times


These survivor/field craft threads are VERY educational. Thanks for the wisdom

[Dozer523]

The Little Dude and I were watching Bear, today.
He rappelled a long way down down a cliff (long as in almost a rope length). Next, he is walking off with the rope packed.
"How did he get his rope off the top of the cliff, Dad"
"The caterer probably dropped it to him."

[Diablo Blanco]

Originally Posted by Dozer523

The Little Dude and I were watching Bear, today.
He rappelled a long way down down a cliff (long as in almost a rope length). Next, he is walking off with the rope packed.
"How did he get his rope off the top of the cliff, Dad"
"The caterer probably dropped it to him."

I had some interest in this little trick of his so I looked it up.

http://www.douglasbsa.com/knots/sheep.html

Cutting the line in the middle of the sheep shank will allow someone to give the rope a little flip and it will come down. Bear said in the episode to keep tension on the line after making the cut or it will come undone. Also it shouldn't be done with newer synthetic ropes as they slip.

Speaking of ropes. Has anyone heard of or used 'toggle ropes'? I suppose several have and wonder about uses other than climbing, make-shift stretcher, tying up people or using in a shelter that one might have for these.