350 mile survival field test

Sonnydaze said:
Hi, Mark,
John Linebaugh built mine in about 1996. Love to shoot 450's @ 1000 fps at the range. Accurate beyond belief.
You obviously have a great deal of experience. I didn't know that. I always figured that I'd need a 155 Howitzer if I ever hiked the Brooks Range. Seems like we had enough hikers getting picked off just walking the trails around Anchorage.
I admire your tenacity? to do that walk with the 1911 Auto. I have a few, and I love 'em, but I'd be reluctant to shoot a griz with solids anywhere but in the skull, and even that might glance off.
Well, friend, do this safely and you're sure to have a good book for us to read some day.
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Remember, bears in the Brooks range never reach the size of the Brown Bears in coastal areas like Anchorage. They seldom get over 500 pounds, not like the 1100 pounders in coastal areas (bears in the Brooks Range spend up to six months hibernating as apposed to less than the three months of their coastal cousins, also the arctic and interior bears don't get the great salmon runs that coastal bears get. That's why we see the great difference in size and density.) The bear density in the Brooks Range is a lot lower than coastal areas. Historically in coastal areas Brown Bear density can reach 1 bear for every square mile like on Kodiak, in the interior and the arctic there is more like one bear per 50 square miles. One more thing, the bears in the Brooks range have a lot more respect for the human animal than the bears in and around Anchorage do because they are hunted and shot at in the Brooks range, not so in Anchorage. Humans are just a nuisance to bears in Anchorage and sometimes food. I wouldn't be near as comfortable carrying a .45 in coastal areas than I am in the arctic, it's a different bear.

Shooting the .500 is a real kick (so to speak) I once made a finishing shot on a caribou at 125 paces with my .500 to finish off a bow shot caribou. You could call that shot luck, but as I like to tell my friends, "It may have been luck but it took a lot of skill to get that shot close enough for luck to take over" :):)

Nice talking to all of you.
 
BladeScout said:
Didnt the .480 Ruger calibre really catch on in Alaska?

Ive shot it an quite liked the caliber (in a Super Redhawk)

I want a Freedom Arms badly (not necessarily in 480 - more likely .454 Casull (with the ability to shoot .45 Colt) or one in .45 Colt)
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I'm not as familiar with the newer loads, can't say I've ever bumped into the .480 Ruger, I don't know much about them. Lots of guys carry the Casull though.
 
Here's a look at just some of the gear I will be taking with me on my trek in the Brooks Range. Testing this gear is one of the primary reasons for the trek.
14 of these knives are going to customers, one of them is going to the Brooks Range with me for my 350 mile survival test, then it will be baton tested in a cord of wood. On the right are four of my new survival ulus. Two of them have new homes but one will go with me to the Brooks Range and the other will be tested here.

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The Survival Ulu can be used as an ulu or it can be fitted with a handle to make it a quite formidable hatchet. It accepts the gear compartment like the knives do.

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We use 1911 magazines for the survival gear compartment. All that stuff fits in there, the door is a diamond hone, inside goes the magnesium ferric rod, needles, fish hooks, synthetic sinew, Leatherman Micra, and the Readyman Card with spinners, snare locks, arrow heads, fish gigs, hooks and more. On the thong is a LED flashlight.

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For those that don't know, the knife was modeled after the 1911 Colt Auto so that we can use the magazine for the gear compartment or carry an extra fully loaded magazine for the Colt Auto. These grip frames are casted for us in 304 stainless.

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My CNC milling machine makes the grip frames ready to accept a blade, the scales and the catch release.

I will keep you posted on the testing, and the trip.

Thanks for looking, Mark
 
I suggest that you take the one that is engraved "Brooks Range Test Knife"... it is just way too coincidental.
 
Mark,

Sorry if I missed it, but will you be posting a complete list of all your gear and its total weight?
 
With the date of my departure getting closer, here's a pretty complete list of what I am taking on the trek. Some small things my be omitted or added. Comments welcomed.

350 mile Brooks Range survival trek

Basic Gear

1911 Bowie
survival ulu
Bivi-jacket
surgical tubing
duct tape
wool socks
para-cord
vitamins
back pack
8 X 8 space blanket tarp
Bushcraft Tarp
hardware store tarp
Pocket knife
hip boots
compass
long johns
maps
fly rod
Salt
magnesium ferric fire starters
hunting and fishing Regulations
binoculars
edible plants books
sun glasses
toiletries
rain gear
picture hanger wire

For Documentation

Cell phone
Camera
Tripod
Kite and string
Zip lock bags
Go-Pros
cam-corder
two solar chargers
camera
extra batteries for cameras
extra SD cards

In Case of Emergency

.45auto
Take down .22
50 rounds of .22 ammo
20 rounds of .45 ammo
Anti-biotics
pain relief
In-Reach
spare glasses
 
Lots of nice/useful gear.

'Bivi-jacket' - Im intrigued, pls tell us more?
Assume some kind of insulated jacket/parka.
I use a Brit smock myself when under way but am always interested in learning about new gear.

Always carry a space blanket in the pocket of said smock myself. They are excellent gear.

Take-down .22 - Ruger?
 
BladeScout said:
Lots of nice/useful gear.

'Bivi-jacket' - Im intrigued, pls tell us more?
Assume some kind of insulated jacket/parka.
I use a Brit smock myself when under way but am always interested in learning about new gear.

Always carry a space blanket in the pocket of said smock myself. They are excellent gear.

Take-down .22 - Ruger?
Click to expand...

Stay tuned for a description of the Bivi-jacket, it's cool.

Tell me about the Brit-smock, I haven't heard the term before.

My take down is a Henry, I chose it because, it all fits in the stock, it floats and it's all American made.
 
Mark, could you tell us what your plans are for the kite please. Will this be for use with the cameras, and only for documentation, or do you find it helpful for scanning trail/terrain?

Also, would you mention the uses you find for the surgical tubing. Always curious for methods that are unknown to me. Cheers sir.

Dave
 
Hard Knocks said:
Mark, could you tell us what your plans are for the kite please. Will this be for use with the cameras, and only for documentation, or do you find it helpful for scanning trail/terrain?

Also, would you mention the uses you find for the surgical tubing. Always curious for methods that are unknown to me. Cheers sir.

Dave
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Yes, the kite is for aerial views, documentation more than recon. It's a poor mans drone, I call it the kite cam.

The surgical tubing will be used for a sling shot for sure. I will also experiment with a Hawaiian sling and a dart sling and I am sure there are a multitude of traps and snares you could make with it. I'm going to explore all these things.
 
This is sounding like a serious venture !

I'm curious how you manage without using some things... maybe you're taking them... ? Maybe you're improvising them in the field? Or just don't see the need for them?

- sleeping bag
- insulated sleeping mat
- cooking gear
- water bottle
- first aid
- emergency beacon / signalling

Kudos for doing this and taking us along with you !
 
Currawong said:
This is sounding like a serious venture !

I'm curious how you manage without using some things... maybe you're taking them... ? Maybe you're improvising them in the field? Or just don't see the need for them?

- sleeping bag
- insulated sleeping mat
- cooking gear
- water bottle
- first aid
- emergency beacon / signalling

Kudos for doing this and taking us along with you !
Click to expand...

Stay tuned for sleeping arrangements.
I won't be using a sleeping pad.
I will improvise all the cooking gear I need.
Won't use a water bottle. For the most part, I will be able to bend over and get crystal clear water wherever I need it except for a few places.
I will have to improvise what ever I need for first aid
I have an In-reach and I have the silver side of the space blankets for emergency signalling.
I am trying to replicate as closely as possible a real survival situation, that's why the minimalism.

Good questions, thanks Mark
 
I'm back from a fishing trip and Blade Show. The fishing trip was great, came home with 120 lbs of vacuum packed, frozen fillets of rock fish, ling cod and halibut.

Blade Show was great too. Got to say hi to all of my friends and customers I've met through the years.

Two days till I leave on my trek in the Brooks Range. Very excited, got pretty much everything ready.

We started a new web site where you can follow this trip. My buddy will be posting introductory videos that we filmed prior to the trip. These videos tell a lot about me, the trek, the rout, and what I hope to accomplish while I am out.

On the web site you will also be able to read daily journal reports from me along the way. They will describe my day to day activities from ground covered to bear encounters, what I was able to catch and what I wasn't. Things I saw, things I did well and things I didn't do so well.

Here is a link to the web site if you would like to follow along. https://www.markknappalaskaadventures.com/

Please feel free to continue the conversation here while I am gone. I will try to answer all questions and comments when I get back.
 
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All the best, Mark... it was good to see you at the show. I'll follow your progress, buddy. I am jealous.... sort of... lol.
 
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