If only a Peanut

[Stich2442]

If only a Peanut was in your pocket along with some other basics could you sustain yourself?

Scenario:

Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, no phone or no service, you are on a solo hike, canoe or kayak trip and lose everything except whats in your pockets or attached to you, a trip to the store takes a unexpected turn, you are abducted by aliens and they realize you are more hassle than you are worth and dump you out. The scenario may vary, but basic needs remain the same.

You are here

You take inventory of your pockets

You have your peanut, Zippo, jute twine, handkerchief, small Mag light, small survival tin, one piece multi tool. You are ok for now with water you have your canteen & cup, and a 1oz package of beef jerky.

You find a can make a fast stove with the pen blade of the peanut, to make a cup of tea to decide your next move, some twigs, leaves and small amount of jute twine, zippo, and you are enjoying your tea.

Your losing sunlight so you set up camp by the lake, fish are hitting the surface so you take some gear out of your tin, notch cut a small birch and go fishing.

Set up a fire, and clean a green branch, cut and make forks to hold the fish above the fire, that you made with somemore jute twine, zippo and twigs and small branches.
Clean the fish with your clip blade.

You still have some light so you set up some snares with the jute
Spring snare

Setting the trigger

There was a muskrat swimming, this looks like a point of travel/ for snare

( snare was set up then taken down so PETA don't contact me )
The fish cooking attracts some coyotes you can hear them yipping, so you make a spear, just in case

You harden it over the fire.

You made it through the night you boil some more water and filter it through your handkerchief.
The morning sun shows you which way to go but after a while you need to take a bearing, you use your trusty peanut to make a shadow stick,

mark the first shadow cast west, wait 15 min. mark the second shadow east, and you are on your way.

A couple of recent threads got me thinking about if some thing happens unexpected could I get by with only the peanut as my knife, and I think I could.

 

[markpmc]

You realize that thinking sensibly and not carrying a 9+" 5 lb knife will set you up for ridicule in other forums right ?

Nice pics and story. Was the peanut all you used and did you stay overnight?

 

[richstag]

I enjoyed seeing your photos

A crafty fellow can survive with no knives, so why not with a peanut

 

[Stich2442]

You realize that thinking sensibly and not carrying a 9+" 5 lb knife will set you up for ridicule in other forums right ?

Nice pics and story. Was the peanut all you used and did you stay overnight?

To be honest this would never happen to me, I'm a knife nut I always have more then one knife with me these days. it was more of a worst case scenario, and having a few items in your pocket turns a unexpected night in the woods into a night or two of camping, I've spent many nights solo camping and also traveling cross country solo with only a Vic farmer as my only knife for about three months. The fish was caught and cooked as a afternoon snack hiking during the late spring, but it was processed and setup with only the peanut, and no I did not sleep out last night, made a cup of tea, smoked my pipe, watched the sunset, hiked home watched the debate, and snuggled up next to my wife in a warm bed. But everything I did was done with only the peanut, and the coyotes were yipping while I smoked my pipe.

Also full disclosure the contents of my small survival tin
Inside Tin contents
$ 20 bill sometimes it's all you need
Two small band aides ( for daughter )
Two Imodium pills ( nothing worst then the sh**s )
10 strike anywhere matches (glued together at base to help contain and consolidate )
Two straws filled with petroleum jelled cotton balls ( ease in fire making )
One straw filled with Neosporin ( first aide)
One straw ( to consolidate) filled with split shot ( fishing )
One wire leader ( fishing, snare )
Two small weighted hooks ( fishing )
Two swivels ( fishing )
Tail end of rubber worm ( fishing )
Under blue tape cordage, wrapped with twine, and wrapped again with fishing line, ( multiple uses, shelter, snares, fishing, blue tape is for compression and ease of removal)
*Match Striker glued to lid ( convince and ease )
Small amount of tin foil ( fishing, have caught sunfish with weighted hook wrapped in the tin foil )
Three paper clips ( multiple uses, fashion hooks, pins, needles, compass needle, attach two different size strings together etc...)
The tin itself could be used as a signal mirror, and also not ideal but in a survival situation can boil small amounts of H20 and pine needles, to keep hydrated.

 

[Jack Black]

Nice thread

 

[midnight flyer]

... no I did not sleep out last night, made a cup of tea, smoked my pipe, watched the sunset, hiked home watched the debate, and snuggled up next to my wife in a warm bed. But everything I did was done with only the peanut, and the coyotes were yipping while I smoked my pipe.

Still, it is a good thread and and enjoyable to read. Nice change of subject matter for the forum. Good job!

Robert

 

[Stich2442]

I enjoyed seeing your photos

A crafty fellow can survive with no knives, so why not with a peanut

That was sort of my mindset, I figure Paleolithic man survived useing stone tools, I seem to always have my peanut, but I take along my moose, or a stockman or something larger like a fixed blade, I think more for a mental security blanket. I figured I would try some basic bushcraft with only the peanut.

 

[rinos]

Nice photos and skills :thumbup:
guess i could survive one night with just peanut,but usualy if Im in the woods i ave something more then peanut

no coyotes,just bunch of kids with guitar and bongos camping somewhere near :yawn:

 

[Gevonovich]

I enjoyed the "would you make it out alive" episode! Well done and nice pics and fish.

 

[Stich2442]

Thanks Gevonovich, I really need to get a camera, I took a cool pic of the moons reflection in the lake, but the cell phone camera just didn't capture it well.

 

[jackknife]

What???

No multi large chopper, with back up chopper to backup the back up chopper? No 15 pounds of steel? Ridiculous, you'd be dead before sunset.

Really, Stich, you move up 3 levels to guardian in the cult for your dedication. Of course it's possible, Otzi the iceman had a flint knife on him that had a 2 inch blade. Many of the flint knives and tools recovered had fairly small blades as the material would break off it made too long. If a brittle 2 inch flint knife could skin and process the bear skin cloak Otzi was wearing, a good steel 2 inch blade should be able to do it. Att he time of his death, Otzi was workingon some somenew arrows for the bow he was carrying. Since the flint knife was found with him, we can only presume that it was what he was using as his go-to knife. And that 2 inch knife was his defense weapon as well. He was in a heck of a fight just hours before he died, as there was blood DNA on his cloak and knife from at least two other people, and a small bit had been chipped off the point. If he hadn't got shot with an arrow in his back he'd of got clean away. Still managed to out run his attackers in the mountains with a fatal arrow would. Must have been a genuine tough guy.:thumbup:

In the museum out at Mesa Verde is a knife in one of the glass cases of objects of the cliff dwellers. It's almost a twin of the small flint knife of Otzi. Bigest difference in instead of hide sheath, the Mesa Verde knife has a sheath made from woven Yucca fibers.

The mighty peanut can be used if you are dumped out someplace. Man has not survived for all those years before steel was invented for big choppers that can baton a giant redwood. Man's brain is his greatest asset. Tools just allow a concept to become reality. With a small sharp blade, tools can be made, bush bobs for fish can be set, fish and small game cleaned, and leafy boughs for a bed can be cut. For shelter, debris huts can be made with no tools at all in wooded terrain. If I had my peanut, a source of fire, and a canteen cup, I'd feel fine. Why, I actually knew a man who got by very well with a peanut a Zippo, and a Colt Woodsman .22 as main tools.

Carl.

 

[Will Power]

I enjoyed this thread immensely, great deal of atmosphere!

A lot can be done with a little if you are calm and collected. I have to say those Coyotes might have unnerved me though....I'd be looking for a stout club (it doubles as a walking stick, very important in rougher terrain)

 

[jackknife]

Stich, I gotta say that your pics are very good. Better than mine with a camera, you must have a great cell phone. The close ups show great detail, and you can see the depth and texture of the jigging in the pic of the 'nut with the spear point. :thumbup:

Carl.

 

[Humppa]

Pete - I really like your point of view. Great story! Thank you for putting this together

I agree with Carl about Ötzi and his "EDC". Though Ötzi didn´t have the chance to choose between his setup.

Putting this two things together - Most of us can survive with one knife, for sure. Most of us could, but we are in the pleasure to have a change between whatever we wanna take everyday with us.

I can agree with Kevin to 100%. Nice pics, Pete! Thanks for sharing this to all of us.

 

[DrPenguin]

Great story stitch, pretty country up where you live buddy.

What???

No multi large chopper, with back up chopper to backup the back up chopper? No 15 pounds of steel? Ridiculous, you'd be dead before sunset.

Carl.

In hunting circles we call this magnumitis: http://www.huntthenorth.com/Magnumitis.html



Will

 

[pinnah]

In climbing circles the debate is/was waged along the lines of "siege" or "expeditionary" tactics (bring everything) and so-called "alpine" tactics (light and fast). An additional layer to add to this is that knives also convey deep culturally based attitudes about being in the wild and what it means to be competent. Another lightening rod question is what constitutes the bare minimum of "survival" tools. Bug out bags, survival tins and "the 10 essentials" are different ways to come at the problem based in very different outdoor sub-cultures.

My question about a peanut in New England would be, is it enough blade to produce sufficiently dry shavings to start a fire in wet conditions?

I am not a fan or practitioner of battoning but I do a lot of winter and shoulder season camping. I generally carry a locking folder with a blade in the 3" - 3.5" range (about what I carry for EDC - today's pick is a Buck 112) and a mini multi-tool for pliers (to push a needle and thread) and scissors (for 1st aid and bandage prep). From October till April, I'll also carry a small folding saw, as fire building takes on even more significance as temps drop.

Lastly... I think there is very good reason why traditionals have fallen out of favor among the backpacking and climbing set in favor of SAKs and multi-tools. IMO, scissors and small pliers are pretty indispensable tools for modern "leave no trace" type of backcountry travel.

I would really love to see a traditional camper offered with scissors in place of an awl. That would be a really nifty traditional backpacking choice.

 

[ThriftyJoe]

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[ThriftyJoe]

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[Stich2442]

What are you talking about Pinnah? Battoning with a peanut no problem just takes a little finesse & time

Just kidding, I've never battoned anything, even with a fixed blade, I would never want to break my old Schrade that was my grandfathers. Any backcountry camping I take a hand axe and or a saw. I live in New England and if doing dry shavings is your thing I don't see why the Peanut couldn't handle it. My fire technique is generally to spend some time prepping, gathering, fallen birch bark, small thin twigs, and pine pitch, fluffed jute twine, teepee method and a spark from a flint, I very rarely make fuzz sticks or shavings, never had a problem, except one time on a solo trip camping on the Appalachian trail near northwest corner of Ct. border on NY and Ma. a week of rain in the fall made things tuff.

This was more or less a if you had to experiment, I'm fairly prepared person. My vehicle has a Vic Ranger, dry military compass, Bic lighter, Mag light, beef jerky, a tarp, rope, fresh water and tools, plus a small rechargeable generator, with jumper cables AC/DC outlets, a compressor, and a flood light. So even if I broke down lost all my gear in my pockets, I would have everything I need.

Thanks everyone for your comments it was a lot of fun and I hope it entertained and was a little informative. I'm more comfortable in the woods than in a mall.
Pete

ThriftyJoe you might like this thread I have a couple of different kits
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/979169-Survival-edc-tin-s

 

[lutejones]

Very nice thread,
There's always something I remember when this topics come out:
"You have to carry knowledge not equipment"
I think it's very true, because knowing your surroundings and what to use for what job is essential.
Mateo