Fail

The only thing I would take as failure here is the space blanket tearing...those cheap ones always shred and I don't like them.

But being comfortable and having a good time in the bush is camping, with a pack full of stuff you brought to enjoy yourself!

Survival is often ugly, boring, uncomfortable and depressing, in my experience. But do you know what survivors ALL have in common about their experiences?

THEY ARE ALIVE AFTERWARDS! Just like you would have been!

I would just take this as a part of the learning curve. You learn more from the mistakes than from the perfect takes in my opinion. This will just be a part of the ongoing process of evaluation and refinement that will probably stop around the time you stop caring about survival - i.e. after you're done surviving!

Buck up, man, that's good work!
 
Codger_64 said:
Dude! You didn't fail... you learned! Next time you will be better prepared. We all learn to walk one... step... at... a... time. Before you know it you will be up and running.

Codger :thumbup:
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Exactly!

Don't consider it a failure at all. You got out there and gave it a shot, and you learned a thing or two about your kit. That what was the whole idea was about.

Good job!
 
My father used to say, you only fail when you quit trying, or a conclusion is just a place where you got tired of thinking. My brother used to say, I never lost at anything, but a couple times I was short on points when the time ran out. ;)

While you may have failed this first go around, you now have a better idea what it takes to make it through the night. You also know that you may not have 4 hours to set up in a real situation. What happens if you find yourself in the dark already in a survival situation, like your snowmobile breaks down or whatever?

I have never used just my PSK in the cold weather, but I have in cool weather as well as warm. I did not make it through the night in warm weather as I was getting eaten alive by bugs. I now carry a mini Tabasco sauce bottle of bug juice in my Altoids tin. I went out again, was able to make it two days and two nights out of my tin. I probably could have gone three, but my bug juice was running low.

Another time while down in Central America, I got lost. I was alone and had my ruck with me, but I was lost. I wasn't worried until about 5 or 6 hours later. I was thinking where did I go wrong, how am I going to find my way when I can only see 20 feet in front of me?

What I did was make my situation something I could wrap my head around and accept. By this I mean I told myself I was not lost in the huge jungle, but only lost within a couple miles of a known point. This was my new reality, and easier to accept. It made my situation something that was not over whelming at all. I knew I could walk a few extra miles to find my way out, so this was something I could easily get myself out of. Three days later, I finally found a place where I knew where I was and walked out just fine.

Same thing here with you. Just take it in smaller bites and something you can accept. Tell yourself you have fire and enough wood for a couple hours. Then say I am going out to get just five more pieces of wood and I am coming back to my warm fire. I will never loose site of my fire and get lost all over again. I know I can make it another hour or so now with this wood. Don't look at the whole night or whatever, just small acceptable bites that you know you can make it through, and before you know it, you made it through the night or any situation.
 
fail-owned-chicken-real-chicken-menu-fail1.jpg


God speed
 
In retrospect, after viewing your films, I do see a major failure. That being how you defined your objective (afterward). You set out to film yourself setting up a primitive camp with minimal supplies. That was your objective and you accomplished it. Spending the entire night there may have been a secondary objective, but calling it off and going home did not affect your primary goal. In fact, just the opposite. I mean by that, accomplishing the filming caused you to run out of time you likely would have spent gathering firewood and improving your shelter. Sux that you didn't have someone else there to film and narrate while you took care of the essential chores. I am sure it makes you appreciate the differences in styles between the celeb survival shows and how they are produced.

Some of my best winter sojurn adventures resulted in no pictures whatsoever. How do you take a picture of a midnight run down rapids by the light of the moon? How do you show the contortions required to break ice enough to let your canoe pass on a frozen over river? Do you stop to take pictures when a bear runs you out of camp and rampages through your belongings?
 
There is failure, and then there is FAILURE. Maybe it didn't all go as planned, well to me that is as common as dirt in a survival scenario. I don't think you failed, but rather just kinda tried to apply response "A", to situation "B", nothing more.

If you knew you were leaving late, and knew the weather was clear, then immediate, full bore, pedal to the metal wood gathering would be crucial. A nice overstock of wood allows peace of mind, and adding a bit extra fuel for some primitive, but useful shelter building illumination. I mean worst case that night would be burrowing into a hastily gathered leaf pile wrapped in your mylar, next to the fire, and spend the evening feeding the fire, and dozing a bit, then in daylight scout shelter makings, and more wood.

You didn't fail in surviving, just maybe in surviving comfortably, while filming. Those two elements alone, add so many factors beyond just being alive at sunrise.

Keep up the good work, and remember to keep your self criticism, productive, NOT destructive.

BKRHD
 
... I mean worst case that night would be burrowing into a hastily gathered leaf pile wrapped in your mylar, next to the fire...
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Ummm.... no. Don't any of you do this. Shiver if you must. Crawl home over sharp chert rocks if you must. Don't set yourself up for a Darwin award by wrapping yourself in plastic and covering yourself in dry leaves next to an open fire. Please.. :(
 
Codger_64 said:
Ummm.... no. Don't any of you do this. Shiver if you must. Crawl home over sharp chert rocks if you must. Don't set yourself up for a Darwin award by wrapping yourself in plastic and covering yourself in dry leaves next to an open fire. Please.. :(
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If I didn't include instructions printed in crayon, it is because in this thread I understand most, and clearly Siguy, to know how & when to do what. Maintaining a described 10" fire, covering yourself with a space blanket, in a leaf heap through the night is not hazardous at all. Now IF it is gusting 10-20 mph winds, IF you are going to tuck in and sleep all night, or IF you don't know how to build & maintain a fire sensibly, then do something else. Further, if a person can't manage adequate spatial separation for mildly combustible materials, then that person should just stay home and watch bear grylls.

If I recommended wrapping up in a gasoline soaked blanket, while lying in a 12" deep bed of granulated magnesium, next to a raging inferno while slobbering drunk and shooting heroin, then yes, that would be really dangerous.

That said, I do understand wanting to err on the side of caution, and not giving flip, non-detailed advice to many eyes of varying experience. So, ALWAYS be careful with flaming things, and NEVER take safety for granted.
Thanks for the feedback Codger.

BKRHD
 
siguy said:
...this was one of the first times i've been out overnight on my own. the first time in the late fall/winter.
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beckerhead said:
If I didn't include instructions printed in crayon, it is because in this thread I understand most, and clearly Siguy, to know how & when to do what. Maintaining a described 10" fire, covering yourself with a space blanket, in a leaf heap through the night is not hazardous at all....
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Siguy, by his own admission, is not an experienced woodsman. But most experienced woodsmen I have known would consider "Maintaining a described 10" fire, covering yourself with a space blanket, in a leaf heap through the night.." a very hazardous undertaking, and certainly not one I would suggest to a young person first setting out to learn.

Not trying to thump on you, beckerhead, just reminding everyone to use caution when recomending ways of doing things to young folks.

With the experience that comes over time, we tend to forget Georgie who rolled over into the campfire that night when we were kids and set his sleeping bag on fire. Or waking up in a campground to screams and folks running to put out a burning tent that was pitched too close to a fire.

Whether we recognize it or not, we here in this forum are teachers and mentors. We have a responsibility to those who come here to learn, even old Codgers like me.

Codger
 
Reads like an excellent learning experience to me and when you learn something from your mistakes, there is no failure. Congrats on your success.
 
Siguy,

Seriously man - most people go through their entire life and never butt their heads up against what would test them. You had the balls to do it. That is cool. Just keep trying - that is what I tell my kids! ;)

And - let's imagine all went well because of happenstance - you would have never learned the weaknesses in your PSK. Failure is necessary for learning. It is also the fun part.

TF
 
Can't add much to the already posted advice and comments, except to quote Wayne Gretzky - "100% of the shots that you don't take, don't go in."

Doc
 
siguy said:
after that, i decided that even though i wasn't cold and was decently comfortable, that i had already shown all the weaknesses of my kit and that if i spent the night out i would be pretty miserable.]
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You had fire, you had shelter.
Maybe you meed to re-define misery. In years to come you will not remember your discomforts.
You will remember sitting by the fire listening to the sounds of the night. You will look back at having to get up over and over to tend your small fire with some humor. You will remember how grand the dawn is.
Most of my fondest memory's are from times that I was the most uncomfortable. I would not trade the memory of a single cold wet night in the field for silken pillow.
 
Jesus, what kind of Canadians ARE you people? Wayne Gretzky is LITERALLY the most important curler since Don Cherry and Pierre Trudeau dominated the sport in the 1920s.
 
siguy said:
fonly, this was one of the first times i've been out overnight on my own. the first time in the late fall/winter.
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If i'm able to get out to do this (hopefully 12/6), it will be my first time overnight on my own not in a campsite as well; I think you did a great job man. In addition to your thoughts and vids, the feedback you receive as well are great to help to others:thumbup: Looking forward to the results of your second go at it :):thumbup:
 
siguy,
Great experience and you learned a lot! Not having much time once you realize you will have to spend the night is common. That was the case the first time I had a problem, and it is common with those I now go out to find. That is why I carry more shelter type materials, and recommend others do the same. With only an hour to make a shelter and fire, man made materials help. I carry at least three large trash bags (45 gallon or larger), which allow me to make a shelter and a debris blanket. It will help you get through a cold night. Also remember flagging tape to mark your campsite to make finding you easier. I know this was not the "goal" in your experiment, but it is important in real life.

Spud
 
I had to drive my truck to get anywhere woodswise, so i loaded up my backpack, MSR Reactor stove, cans of chili, pasta and coffee , buns and cheese, sausge etc, sleepign bag, balnket, heavy truckers tarp, Iltis Ax, Khukuri, MANIX etc. Basically everything i take when i explore the backcountry in the truck (one would be foolish to not take this when up here). I also packed my PSK.
I headed out to NorthWest Squamish, up to the old ASHLU Mine area, in the pissing rain, 90km winds, and and darkness. Checked in with the ASHLU Security (major power project going on there) and headed up 30KM's into the backcountry.

my goal was to park the truck off the logging/mining roads, and only take a fixed blade (BK7) on the belt, and my MykulMorris orange PSK file necker, plus my Blow Out Pouch survival kit, and set up shelter nearby, get a fire going, build a fire reflector, sit there and jot down notes as the night wore on.....fire, etc etc etc.

I had started to cut saplings for a ridgepole, and sevral supoort poles for my emergency tarp......when a few things happened:

1: bears. They must have smelled my food in the truck (provolone cheese and spicy sausage are quite strong). They gathered around the truck, about 20 feet from me and circled, sniffing the air. It was pretty dark and wet out and I could'nt really see how many there were, but i counted at least 2 and there was most likely a third. Not good odds, espiaclly since the bears in this area are aggressive and dangerous. I could'nt tell if the bears were balck or brown, either ones htough are not good to be around. The bear bangers were in the truck.

I was behind the bears, and I jumped on a big 4" stick , SNAP! the sound freaked the bears and they turned and ran, but paused and turned around. I raised my arms high, and let loose a huge yell, and blasted non stop on my Fox 40. They spooked and turned again. I got to the truck , grabbed the launcher off the dash , and fired off 5 bear bangers and several flares at them and they took off. I leaned on the truck horn and peeled up the road, to chase them off.

Not the first time i've dealt with bears up here, and not the last....ussualy its only one bear at a time though, unless on the salmon spawn rivers.


2: drorve back down about 10kms to another spot, and started setting up my emergency shelter again. packed it in when the wind picked up more (thru the Squamish valley the winds were aorund 100km hour). When the tops of old trees started crashing down in the forest I bailed out and headed abck to the truck. ripped down the decommissioned minign road and check out with the Power plant Security on my way out. Drove to one of the sheltered lookouts, stopped and heated chili, and grilled buns with cheese and garlic.

so, did'nt get a chance to set up and hunker down this weekend, but i did get my heart racing!

Going to try again nextr weekend or maybe during the wek if i get a day off work. The weather was cold, wet the one day and clear and sunny (but cold) the next. I had my fleece pants, with army overpants 9rainproof), my heavy boots with 3 pairs wool socks, my UA Heat Shirt, a wool sweater and army fleece, plus a anorak and wool gloves/toque. I was toasy warm, temps were aorund 1 deg celcius.

Spent the day up there today, took a wack of snow pictures, still got to upload them, will post in seperate thread.

Note to self: PSK needs a flashlight......

Doub le edit: this is in wrong thread, meant to be in PSK Survival thread
 
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