first survival thing you would make

what is the first survival item you would make?

  • fishing pole

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • walking stick

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • shelter

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • fire

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • water filter

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • bow and drill

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • water container

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • totem pole

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
psy-ops

psy-ops

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
Messages
3,164
ok you are lost in the woods it is summer time and the livin' is easy! but you got separated from your day hike group in totally unknown terrain(no map). The arrangements you made with your group were if lost they would send help in 3-4 days after the hikers reach so&so forest service station.

you have your mini-kit and a large knife or sak with saw.

you have a power bar or the like and some water.
 
Fire seems an obvious choice to me. It is summer, so I don't really need the warmth. But, since the lag-time between becoming lost and realizing you are lost is often quite protracted, I'm guessing I probably burned most of my daylight trying to find my way. The fire would serve as a light source for my shelter construction and a beacon for me as I roved about gathering materials and possibly for the members of my group if they missed me as quickly as I miss them. :(
 
Ron Hood taught me an important lesson last June. He said, make a fire first, then build your sehelter around it. Once a fire is going, it's suddenly a feeling of "home." And it can ease any other discomforts, whether physical or psychological.

Best,

brian.
 
I would do the shelter 1st. If I know I have a couple of days, I want protection from too much sunshine or rain. If you are high enough snow may even be a problem.As soon as it is done though I would get a fire going then work on a signal of some type to ensure the wait time is as short as possible.
 
Make the fire first. If nothing else it will force you to stay in one spot and think. That is much better than running around in a near panic. Everything else can be done in due time.

n2s
 
Once you have fire you can purify water and build a shelter by firelight if necessary. This should be all you need for the first night at least. I agree with others, the fire may bring rescuers to you sooner than later.
 
Needless to say, the poll did not mention climate, vegetaion, weather or other environmental factors, but, even with that qualification, fire would have to come first in a true survival situation. Lost does not always mean a survival situation but it's better to think that way if daylight is fading. Early in the day, with provisions and gear, time is on your side IF you keep your wits about you.

Back to fire. It provides warmth, light, locator signal and a reason to stay put. It will clean your water, dry your clothes, warm your body and calm your nerves. Next to oxygen, thermal protection (hypothermia) is more time critical than either water (next in line) or food.
 
I live in the desert. If were unfortunate enought to get lost in the summer, I better hope I'm carrying my weight in water. For me, I've got to carry basic shelter materials as part of an emergency kit. It takes a small belt pouch to carry two 4 X 8 tarps and a bit of extra 550 cord but it will ceratinly save your bacon instead of letting you wind up bacon. There should be enough sage and tumble weed to make a small fire but it won't last long. I'll save that for signals.

If I still lived in the north woods, fire wood be first.

Great thread!
 
I'm with all the fire people, even though my vote was for the bow and drill. My logic being that I don't have a lot of matches in my survival kit, so I should save them for when they're really needed, e.g, rainy/arctic conditions. Therefore, I'd make the bow and drill, then the fire, followed by shelter.
Lagarto
 
I voted for walking stick, it is very easy and I would probably walk around a bit looking for a good spot near water.

then fire and shelter.




I am glad some people picked totem poles, you can occupy some time and they also make great signal devices. search and rescue can say hey he built a totem pole and one here until they find you.
 
I can't imagine wasting time with anything as frivolous as a totem pole, especially right at the start of a problem. There are better ways to burn calories.

I guess Bill and I are in the minority, as I would also concentrate on shelter. The reasons being: to make a shelter, you're probably going to roam at least a little ways away from your build site, gathering materials; therfore I'd rather have good light to work by. Secondly, I'd have a fair amount of wood leftover from the shelter making project, which would become firewood. It's also easier to build a fire after dark than it is to build a shelter just by the flickering light of a fire. Also, even if I left my ruck in camp, I've still got enough in my pockets and on my belt to make a short stay in the woods fairly pleasant. I'd be hard-pressed to be caught with only a knife, power bar and a little water. Unless aliens stole most of my gear. :~}
 
I agree with Bill and V Shrake. You do not build a fire until you find the right site for a shelter. Also, you have your mini kit with you, so a fire should be easy to start any time. It takes much longer to build a shelter than a fire and the left overs from the shelter can be used to start the fire.

Just my opinion.

Geoff
 
All survival manuals state that you should acquire shelter before food or water. However, fire is defined as part of the shelter. Assess the situation. Are you at high altitude? Build a shelter to ward off the elements first. Are you in an area with relatively stable weather patterns? If so, and the nights are warm and dry, then build the fire first. Hey, we've all camped without shelter before, right? Just a sleeping bag or blanket tossed on the ground with only the fire, the moon, and the stars to keep us company. If the situation permits such luxury and leisure, why worry about a shelter?

Re: totem poles
Artistic expression in a difficult situation is what sets the best apart from the rest. However, it should not take first place. If you are making a throwing stick, by all means decorate it. If you are building a signal, make it look good. Make your shelter feel like home to such extent as you can. If you can enjoy your experience you'll last a lot longer. So the totem pole idea is not too bad, just not near the top of the list.
 
About the totem pole, true. An artistic outlet would certainly help the time go by, once you had the basics well in hand. However, I'm not sure if being stranded long enough to complete a totem pole is a good or a bad thing. :~} Plus, since totems tell a tale, what would you really have to say in your wooden message? If nothing eles, I guess it would alert any passers-by that a survivor was in the area.
 
Long before I began rendering decorative talismans from logs, I would carve a spit for carrying game back to my cooking fire. It would be a "tote-'em" pole. :D
 
Totem Pole??? Survival is situational and there are LOTS more choices that could very well take priority over some of the choices in your poll.

IE.

Sit. 1 - Your plane goes down in a remote wilderness on a bright sunny day, temps in the low to mid 60's - no rain. Plane's still relatively intact but obscured from aerial view by foliage. Passenger injuries consist of bumps and bruises. Maybe something to signal with might be a priority over many of your choices.

Sit. 2 - Your plane goes down in a remote wilderness on a bright sunny day, temps in the low to mid 60's - no rain. Plane's still relatively intact but obscured from aerial view by foliage. Passenger injuries range from mild to critical and first aid supplies are low or nonexistent. Maybe some makeshift first aid gear might be a priority over many of your choices.

No offense intended.

Mike
 
though the parameters of the poll were lost on a summertime hike so you are alone and have some things with you.

so the point of the poll is not all survival situations are do or die make a fire in five minutes then shelter.

I just put the totem pole for fun.

also another point with the poll was make first. that doesn't mean you can't make a bunch of other things later on.


it was a fun one.


down here the weather is awesome mid 70's. and I thought wow! what if something happened during perfectly awesome weather. what would you make. I guess I should have worded it like that. hind sight is always better.
 
Since it was summertime I had extra daylight so I would build the shelter first because I have a lighter, tinder and matches in my emergency pack and water purification tablets so I'd be ok there. I'd get some wood and such and get my fire started before dark.
 
Fire!
And make a real smokey one too.

Forget the walking stick-- you'll be easier to find the less distance you wander. Once you realize that you are definitely lost...stop where you are and stay there (unless ist's too dangerous of course). And if an open meadow or field is nearby, then all the better.

You have some water and a power bar, so conserve your energy and body-fluids (building things like shelters usually burns more calories and sweat than building a fire-- especially if you have a lighter or matches).

Plus, in many forests, rangers and campers/hikers are always on the lookout for forest fires. So you might be rescued even quicker if someone investigates the smokey fire.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
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