Alright i'm actually going to do it

Chris Pierce

Chris Pierce

Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
4,837
I've decided that i need a break from the city. Dont we all?
I've been interested in this "survival thing" since i was a kid. My buddy's brother went out in the woods when he was 21 and lived off the land for like 3 weeks, this was in November i believe. He built a snow cave and lived just fine it seems. Anyway, I've been wondering how long i can actually last out in the woods, with minimal food and all that.
So in a few months, say late april i'm going to take a week off and go out in the woods and see what happens.
Ok so heres the plan, I'm going to make a pack that i can carry a few miles out into the woods and live off of for 5 or 6 days. I'm purposfully leaving the tent at home. But i will bring a GPS, getting lost isnt part of the plan. I dont want to actually starve if it turns out that i cant handle myself so i will be bringing food, but hopefully i wont NEED it.
So what preperations will i need to make? I know that i'll need to get my small game liscense to make everything legal, i'm not big on going to jail or paying huge fines for killing little furry animals.

And what do you think i'll need to carry in my pack?
I've made a little list for myself:

1. Sleeping bag
2. First aid kit, i've got a pretty good one that i carry in my truck and i have some first aid training, enough to stop bleeding, bandage, set bones, etc.
3. A Pot, maybe cast-iron or stainless?
4. Good camp knife/hatchet, I have that covered pretty well i think
5. A poncho (it rains a lot here)
6. Fire kit (flint/steel, matches, lighter, steel wool, etc)
7. Carton of camel filters
8. Emergency food (probably energy bars, rice/beans)
9. .22 rifle
10.Water and filter (any suggestions)
11.Good flashlight (extra batteries)
12.GPS unit (suggestions on the cheap?)
13.A buddy to keep my company?
14.A good book to read if maybe i do really well and get bored? :D

So what i need now are your suggestions. Any books i should read? Fire making? Edible plants? Snare/Trap making?

Keep in mind i live in the northwest, so i'll be in a wooded area, maybe with snow if i go up in the mountians, it will probably rain, so i'm not sure how the fire making will go, so any tips on that would be great.

Also, ive gone camping some, but usually in summer and never in this state.
Another thing, it'd be great to get suggestions from anyone that lives in western washington, on where i should go. Like i said, i havent ever gone camping in washington state before.

Thanks,
And if anybody actually got to the end of this post i'd like to thank you for your time, and for putting up with my rambling train of thought type writting. :)
-Chris
 
Have you checked the game laws in your area? I can't speak to your particular region, but where I live (Maine), come April there are darned few critters that are worth eating in season. Fish on the other hand... :)
 
Bravo for your desire and intent!

As an old Or-ee-goner, let me suggest that a winter outing for your first experience of really roughing it in the Nortwest may not be the best idea?

Like you said, it rains a lot, and that may be real different from what you've camped in before.

Maybe do a weekend here and there for the next six months, get to know the area and the weather. Then when you do your weeklong adventure, you'll have a better idea of what you're up against.

Best of luck, and stay dry!
 
I like your enthusiasm, but I would advise taking this slow. From the tone of your post and the vagueness of some of your comments, I get the feeling that such a trip is ill-advised.
You should spend some time building some solid skills before venturing out, and then your first excursion should only be a day or two, within range of comfort, safety, and aid, should you need it.
Read this forum, some good books, an d maybe watch some survival training videos if you can find a place that rents them. :D

Here in the Northwest, getting wet is a constant threat, and can bring hypothermia VERY quickly. Get some good rain gear, and practice firemaking and shelter making in adverse conditions.

I'm sure others will chime in with additional ideas.

-- FLIX
 
My main suggestion, and you alluded to it, is to bring a buddy!
This being your first excursion in the wild, it might be a good idea to bring someone with at least some outdoor experience.
If you indeed go it alone,study well, cover all your bases,be carefull and have fun!
 
First timer eh?

Pick a spot within a mile or so of a phone.
Tell some trusted people where you going to be and how long and such like,
then tell them you'll call every 2 or 3 days.

I'd say wait for good weather, being out in woods in the wet and the cold is a drag.
I'd also say to start off with a 3 to 7 day stay.
It's the mental thing that you have to come to grips with first.


Take food for the time you will be there.
Pick a place with access to water, that you can purify.

Take little stuff, just the bare essentials.
By the end of your stay, you'll have a better idea of what you need in the way of 'stuff'.

After that you can increase your time of stay and remoteness of location.

Injoy:)
 
QUOTE=ac1d0v3r1d3 :I've decided that I need a break from the city. Don't we all?
I've been interested in this "survival thing" since I was a kid. My buddy's brother went out in the woods when he was 21 and lived off the land for like 3 weeks, this was in November I believe. He built a snow cave and lived just fine it seems. Anyway, I've been wondering how long I can actually last out in the woods, with minimal food and all that.
So in a few months, say late April I'm going to take a week off and go out in the woods and see what happens.

Respectfully, I think you should put off the departure for a couple of years. If you're asking what you should be taking, you are far from ready. Please note that I am making these suggestions with your well being in mind, not to try to flame your post.

Ok so here's the plan, I'm going to make a pack that I can carry a few miles out into the woods and live off of for 5 or 6 days. I'm purposefully leaving the tent at home.

Don't leave your tent at home, take it. Don't use it if you want, but it's built-in safety equipment.


But I will bring a GPS, getting lost isn't part of the plan.

Then bring a map and compass too, and learn how to use it beforehand. GPS' are great if the batteries don't die, you don't drop it and break it, or drop it in a river and the electronics self destruct. Also learn how to navigate competently with primitive methods.

I don't want to actually starve if it turns out that i cant handle myself so i will be bringing food, but hopefully I wont NEED it.
So what preparations will I need to make? I know that I'll need to get my small game license to make everything legal, I'm not big on going to jail or paying huge fines for killing little furry animals.

And what do you think I'll need to carry in my pack?
I've made a little list for myself:

1. Sleeping bag
2. First aid kit, i've got a pretty good one that i carry in my truck and i have some first aid training, enough to stop bleeding, bandage, set bones, etc.
3. A Pot, maybe cast-iron or stainless? Too heavy.
4. Good camp knife/hatchet, I have that covered pretty well i think
5. A poncho (it rains a lot here)
6. Fire kit (flint/steel, matches, lighter, steel wool, etc) times ten.
7. Carton of camel filters Dump these, not only are they slowly killing you, they also dilate surface blood vessels creating greater heat loss when maybe you can ill afford to lose it.
8. Emergency food (probably energy bars, rice/beans)
9. .22 rifle A good choice but you should put more emphasis on traps, snares, and nets.
10.Water and filter (any suggestions) Learn primitive water purification methods.11.Good flashlight (extra batteries) Also a solar battery charger and learn about primitive lighting techniques.
12.GPS unit (suggestions on the cheap?) See previous.
13.A buddy to keep my company? Always a good idea. Even early peoples had a hard time surviving living on their own - Ishi is a good case in point.14.A good book to read if maybe i do really well and get bored? :D I wouldn't worry too much about that, but field guides are always useful.

So what i need now are your suggestions. Any books i should read? Fire making? Edible plants? Snare/Trap making?

I certainly would never knock reading books, but you need to do more than that. You have to put the knowledge to use. Find out what works for you and what doesn't, and then find out what does.

Keep in mind i live in the northwest, so i'll be in a wooded area, maybe with snow if i go up in the mountains, it will probably rain, so i'm not sure how the fire making will go, so any tips on that would be great.

Also, ive gone camping some, but usually in summer and never in this state.
Another thing, it'd be great to get suggestions from anyone that lives in western washington, on where i should go. Like i said, i havent ever gone camping in washington state before.

Thanks,
And if anybody actually got to the end of this post i'd like to thank you for your time, and for putting up with my rambling train of thought type writting. :)
-Chris

Chris, take the time to learn (and be able to perform) the skills required. Or as Ron Hood says, keep at it until you 'own' the skills.

There's a couple of books I would urge you to read - Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer, Anchor Books, 1996, ISBN# 0-385-48680-4 and In The Shining Mountains, David Thomson, Bantam, 1981, ISBN# 0-553-14821-4

Best of luck,

Doc
 
Thanks for the quick replies guys.
I thought 5 days would be a good start... but then again i dont really know
The thing is, that i'm not going to actually be lost out in the woods. I can hike a few miles back to my truck and go home anytime i want. Thats the whole idea, to see what i can actually handle. I dont want to have a comfortable camping trip. Adverse weather is a good thing :)
I guess what i'm saying is that i've made up my mind, i want to try this, and i need some suggestions on specifics. :)
"Good rain gear" Brands? Features i should look for? I have some that a buddy gave me when i was doing siding on a cabin last winter. Now that was an interesting job, living in the woods in a trailer with no running water or electricity 5 days out of the week.

I think i will take your advice and go out next weekend and maybe just stay out a night, to practice fire making and what not. Great idea. Keep the suggestons comming guys
Thanks
-Chris
 
We should put up a sticky about this. If you have little or no experience with this kind of thing, or if it's simply been a long time since you've been away from the pavement like this, I suggest you:

1. Start by practicing essential skills in your backyard/park/wherever it's legal to do so. At a minimum, practice building a fire and pitching a tent or tarp (whatever you're going to use). Also try cooking the food you want to eat on your backpacking trips using the cooking implements you intend to use. Do try to do these things in good conditions first, followed by adverse conditions. The key is not to do them once you're already out of town, but instead to do them in a controlled environment like your backyard or neighborhood park.

While you're at it, start training for your trip. This means packing all your gear up in the pack you intend to use, put on the footwear that you intend to wear, and start hiking in whatever wilderness you can find near your house. If your intended destination is hilly, make sure you walk hills with your intended pack AND footwear on to get an idea of how comfortable it all is. Watch out for blisters. Make adjustments as is needed. Be sure to try out walking sticks and/or hiking poles

2. Go car camping. That is, drive to the county, state or federal park of your choice and camp where you park your car. Practice all the things you intend to do when the day comes that you leave your car behind. Try to do this once or twice in nice weather to get the hang of it, then go out in progressively nastier weather. Hint: the worst the weather the fewer the people will be in the parks. So there's a bonus to camping when it's 30 degrees and raining out.

3. Go for a two or three backpacking trip. BRING A FRIEND. Hiking and camping is both safer and more enjoyable if you can do it with a buddy. If you bring the right, ahem, "buddy," it can be downright cozy.

4. Only once you've gotten a few two- and three- day trips under your belt should you try a longer trip, especially if you intend to go solo.

The important thing here is to gain some experience in "safer" locations before you get in over your head in more challenging circumstances. Believe me when I tell you that you do not want the first time you use that camp stove, or to pitch that tent, to be when you're all alone and 15 miles down a trail with ill-fitting boots and freezing rain turning to snow.
 
Thanks for the very complete reply.

Looks like we posted at the same time.

Your post is exactly what i'm looking for, good advice. I will definetly look into those books. And as pretty much everybody else said, practice practice practice. I want to OWN these skills. I need to OWN them. If only for myself.

This is going to be a great learning expierence for me i hope.

Be all means, keep the suggestions comming
 
Chris.. I too live in Western WA.. In Vancouver.. I would be happy to meet with you and help you develope your skills. However, Doc is right. you need to OWN these skills before you head out. If you are interested, PM me, or email me.

There are several other instructors in this area, like Greg Davenport, and Wilderness food classes are held monthly in Portland. These would all be ways to start your path to a greater understanding of the Wilderness.
 
Rescue Mike said:
Chris.. I too live in Western WA.. In Vancouver.. I would be happy to meet with you and help you develope your skills. However, Doc is right. you need to OWN these skills before you head out. If you are interested, PM me, or email me.

There are several other instructors in this area, like Greg Davenport, and Wilderness food classes are held monthly in Portland. These would all be ways to start your path to a greater understanding of the Wilderness.
Click to expand...

Chris, this is a hell of a generous offer. If I were you, I'd take it. In fact, if I was closer, I'd take it.

Doc
 
jeez guys, i never expected people on this forum to be so kind.
What can i say, i'd love some personal instruction.
170 miles aint too bad i suppose....
Mike, I just dont know what to say, its very kind of you to offer. What do you suppose we do? Oh i guess i should just pm you....

And Doc, funny thing, i'm actually from california, and lived in southern california for a few years.

Thanks
-Chris
 
Chris, good luck to you on whatever you decide. In terms of the GPS I second learning the ways of a good ol map and compass, but in terms of an inexpensive one I just got a Garmin Etrex Legend. You can get them for around $120US. I'm a moron when it comes to technology but this thing is really easy to use. It's waterproof up to 1 meter, has a backlit display, and can run for up to 18hrs on a single pair of regular AA batteries. This is my first GPS mind you so I don't have much to compare it too, but I like it. Cheers.

-Lindey
 
I like my Etrex (I have a Vista - black and white) - but you can't always count on them if you're under any kind of canopy or in a valley. I'd still recommend a compass and paper map if you know where you'll be going. Maybe look over Army FM21-26 on map reading and land nav if you're not too familiar with that sort of thing.
 
Remembering from my Boy Scout days.....When you sleep on the ground without a tent, Squirrels walking thru the leaves at 3:00am sound like Godzilla coming for you......and for Gods sake...Bring Toilet paper...LOL
 
Don't let these guys discourage you. I went on a five day backpacking trip for the first time ever when I was 21 with a couple friends. None of us knew what we were doing and we survived just fine.

Going alone is your biggest danger. You can plan for months and have all the essential gear, but all the planning in the world won't keep you from having and accident and injuring yourself too seriously to make it back for help. Just make sure you make a trip plan, leave it with friends and family, and stick to it. Day hikes from your base camp should be noted and left somewhere conspicuous at the camp.

That being said, go for it. I'm sure it'll be fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top