1 Luxury item

T

Temper

Joined
Oct 30, 2002
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OK, you are going off on a big two week self supported hike. After putting all your essentials into the pack and weighing it, you realise you have 500g (1 lb) free for 1 or 2 luxury items. What would you carry?

Espresso blend coffee and a small bottle of Rum for the evenings.
 
PORN :D OK smarta$$ mode off. I would probably go with some sorta comfort gear like a pillow or camp slippers for milling around after hiking.
 
A pound eh? I've got everything I want, so I'll take the luxury of hauling one less pound. :D Actually, I'd take up the weight with more water.
 
small radio (4 oz) , and hard candy (12 oz)


to those who answered more water.......are you going to be carrying carrying two weeks of water on your back? (plus other essentials?)
 
My Hot-Seat. (Camo pillow stuffed with styrofoam BB's). I happen to have no natural pillow on my rear. Sitting on rocks and stuff gets old after a few days. The hot seat is very light but it is bulky. When you get back to camp it is nice to have a warm, dry, soft place to sit.

If hunting is a possibility then I would take a handgun as a luxury item. Most of the time it's not an essential but in my opinion you can't have a proper adventure unless you have a decent blade and a sidearm. Of course the very best adventures are in places where the handgun is a necessity rather then an option. I would much rather go to a place where the handgun is too little gun and I really need to carry a rifle or shotgun than to go places where the handgun is dead weight. Mac
 
pict said:
If hunting is a possibility then I would take a handgun as a luxury item... Of course the very best adventures are in places where the handgun is a necessity rather then an option. I would much rather go to a place where the handgun is too little gun and I really need to carry a rifle or shotgun than to go places where the handgun is dead weight. Mac
Click to expand...

:D :D

Well said, Pict.


I consider a gun to be a necessity rather than luxury myself, so that would already be covered.

Whenever questions about survival equipment arise, I often think about what the pioneers, trappers, and early settlers carried here, and what the native Americans were eager to trade for.

They sure seemed to think Whiskey was the king of luxuries, if not an outright neccessity. I'm a bourbon man, myself. I do like the idea of good coffee, as well. Maybe that's just my German heritage showing through. (who were once called the "Coffee-Saxons" by their enemies.) I'd like to bring a Bible, with a picture of my wife inside. Mental and spiritual needs are just as important as physical ones in a true crisis. Tobacco. I could probably go a couple days without just fine, but I have grown perhaps a little too fond of the stuff. I love the Clove/Indonesian tobacco mixes available from Djarum. Maybe spices (salt and coarse black pepper) for cooking and/or curing, or a decent sized metal pan or pot. All those burnt calories need to be replaced, and it seems a hassle to cook a good sized meal in a tin cup or something. How 'bout sugar? That was another hot commodity back then, along with gunpowder, lead, and flour. Maybe think of some things you'd intend to fabricate in the wild, and just bring along a ready made one instead. A small steel leg trap comes to mind.
 
I was thinking more along the lines of a 'treat' for yourself, some thing to savour. Just how tasty are those traps? ;)
 
Well, ummm...
Wow. I got totally off the subject with my post, didn't I?
For some reason I got to thinking of extended survival situation rather than a long hike.


So, put me down for 4 oz of coffee, and 12 oz of good bourbon. :)
 
Since coffee is an essential... that means my flask would be full of either single malt or whisky.

Already have reading material in my kit, just need to add water purifcation to it still(getting tired of changing water every month or so)
 
As I'm a photographer and normally go into the jungle for no less then a month I never have space for a luxury. but if some how I did, it woud have to be sugar or sugar related. sometimes food goes bad, your out there longer than planned and you need that little bit of an energy push. :D
 
As my friend RadioRay said, "I'd bring a small radio. That way, it's a luxury, but if emergencies happen, I can reconfigure it into a way to call for help, or just use the components for all sorts of survival necessities."
 
Luxury is a relative thing. Some folks consider a sleeping bag and pad as snivel gear. However, for me I would bring my large chopping blade since I usually can't justify its weight for backpacking but always want to use it when setting up camp. Other options would be additional gear like a full size (9v) super bright Surefire.

Hey Photo Murray, what kind of photojournalism brings you into the jungle for a month at a time? Sounds cool. I would like to hear more about it.

-- Dizos
 
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