Long term survival Scenario

G

grateful_fred

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Jul 15, 2008
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lets say you know you and 3 buddies had to survive for 6 months deep in woods completely off the grid in the southern end of the smokies.
You know exactly where you will be and you have one month to prepare.
You have a small pickup ( ranger, colorad.. etc ) and a few $Ks and you could visit the place with your pick up loaded twice prior to the final trip. ( 3 in all ).

What would you do / store and how would do / store it?
 
doesn't sound like survival, that sounds like a nice long term camping trip, especially since we are allowed to stock and scout the area ahead of time.

i would probably bring plenty of food, at least one load would be entirely food.

next load would be all the tools...axes, saws, bits and braces, probably a chain saw and spare gas. since tools don't take up all that much room i would also put some other necessities in that load, things like extra blankets and sleeping bags and pillows. i would also bring along maintenance kits-sharpening supplies, cleaning supplies, etc. i would bring at least one or two small rifles, like an air pump gun in .177 caliber for taking out squirrels, rabbits, and other small eatables. 1 million pellets for one of those is like $10 and you would never run out.

third run (and arrival for the stay) would be a large tent shelter to keep up warm until we got a more permenant shelter up. plenty of really big tarps. a small woodstove-something like misanthropist made from a mail box a while back. a few different sized nails and a couple of nice hammers.

once we got there i would say probably setup a nice big shelter frame and cover it with the tarps and get them attached really well. in my mind i'm envisioning starting in fall and going into spring, so that means weathering the winter-so i would make the shelter very sturdy and wind and waterproof. setup the woodstove and some beds (bunks?). establish a cooking area and a sitting area. make some stools if we didn't bring alot of chairs.

i do'nt know how bears are in the smokies, but i imagine that there are all sorts of critters you want to avoid even if not bears. i would build a small log cabin style building to store all of the food in to keep the animals out of it and keep it safe. make it nice and sturdy, but it probably would need to be much bigger than a large doghouse.

oh and don't forget the toilet paper and a shovel to dig a latrine!!!
 
+1 to what Siguy says. Even i could do it with no sweat. One truck load would be enough.. There is alot of stuff i can take with me.

Sasha
 
How about a pile of 2 by 4 and chipboard, along with carpentry tools? You can hammer out an 12 by 16 shed in a few days. add woodstove and Viola! a winter shelter. 4 dog company makes a good light stove for this. Chipboard is not really exterior rated but will last for many years if kept painted.
 
Sounds like a blast. I would bring a big camp style tent, one of those canvas ones, and a wood burning stove with some cots. A few big water jugs, some dehydrated food stuffs and a bunch of condiments. Bunch of personal stuff like books and toothbrush for example.

Depending on the area I would bring a fishing pole, tackle and shotgun or .22 for some decent food/entertainment.

Basic list but the general idea.
 
I also see this as more of a Dick Proenneke (:thumbup:) than Les Stroud type of situation. More 'off the grid' than 'survival' ?
Cool, right up my alley (especially with a month to prep).

I think I'd start with seedlings, a few chickens and a rooster, maybe a goat. If we're assuming that we are specifically choosing an area, then we can place ourselves in an area with the natural amenities we want, right? Wow, that makes it a no-brainer: I'd choose the beach in Playa Del Carmen and a truck full of cash, lol. Sorry, I digress: back to the Smoky Mtns...

Seriously though, I think that a 6 month time frame puts you into a cultivation mode rather than one of survival. If you have a growing season and a stream, seedlings will keep you fed and fencing them so they aren't something else's dinner is going to keep you busy. It would take me the month of prep to figure out precisely what seedlings to take. A deer feeder and a salt lick might be a worthwhile addition while you're shopping in the agri supply store...

For meat, I'll use a local example because I'm not familiar with the fauna of the Smokies. A 308 ought to suffice for anything that a .17HMR or .22 can't dispatch and maybe a shotgun as well for birds. A bit of livestock will provide some protein (milk/eggs) and survival rations if need be.
I'd probably concentrate on more 'intensive' fishing methods (nets, weirs, traps) if food was low, but it would pay to put the basics in place while you're still fat & happy. The rod & reel would be used strictly as a past time (but would DEFINITELY be part of the gear!!!), there's much more productive ways to get fish into one's belly.

A chainsaw and a jerrycan is smaller and lighter than a pile of lumber. Axes, hatchets and saws don't take up much room either. Once on site, a locally made waterwheel driving the alternator pulled from the truck to charge it's (also removed) battery is a piece of cake (and something I've been playing with lately, lol)

The standard staples would also have a place: flour, sugar, baking powder, rice and let's not forget life's little luxuries as well. Morale is what will change how you view this (or any) experience. The odd tot of Irish whiskey, some chocolate, or some herb will bring you around when you start having second thoughts about your 'adventure'.

A well tent would make a great home at first, then ought to work as a smokehouse. What can I say: I prefer smoked meats and trout to grubs and my own urine, lol.

The tough part is all the books I'd want to bring for 6 uninterrupted months !
So when do we go ?
 
Find a turn of the century book or journal about some of the survey, mining, exploration trips to the west. (Davis & Foot, survey book) Some of them have detailed provison lists with formulas for the amount per person. Things like salt, sugar flour, bacon, coffee, rice, beans and other items they carried. They relied on hunting for their meat. These items are necessary for long term survival. Wild plants, berries and fruits are seasonal. You will find yourself traveling farther for game as it gets played out near your site. Besides you can only hunt in season, the rest is poaching which can get very expensive when you try to explain that deer hanging in your camp in August to a CO.
 
Load 1] Building stuff I'll want no matter what – wood, boards, tarps, chicken wire, clay, cables, pipes, ropes, water tanks, poly tunnel, fuel, tools / fixings, welli boots, lanterns.etc.

Load 2] Tuned version of load 1 – Refrigeration, stoves / ovens, generators, blankets, kayak or Dory? + outboard, long term foods, long nets.

Load 3] Personal kit and electronics – Radio and Tinternet, Hydroponics, Clothing and personal admin, more food, the fun stuff, brace of ferrets.
 
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