no food, no shelter this time. going on vacation this week

Take some dry dog biscuits with you. Lighter than canned food, but they still provide a goodly chunk of calories. Also, you're still damned unlikely to eat them unless desperate.

That's the backup plan for Scouts and Guides, anyways.

Or packets of refined sugar. Or cat treats. Or a can of Spam. Whatever, something for an emergency blood sugar and calorie raise. There's absolutely no reason to go straight out without food all in one try without a backup plan - if everything goes well, you can always try doing it again.
 
Eh, the dog biscuits are a no-go for this trip.

I tasted a couple my Lab puppies were eating. They taste just fine! Once you get past the shock of the first one, you'll happily gobble down all the rest, "spoiling" your trip, man.

You are looking for something so horrifying, that you'd only eat them if stuff was serious. Like a can of Alpo.

If you want something worse than Alpo, just buy either:

-chicken based Mountain House (not kidding, either). I was desperately(?!) hungry at the time, but could not force down more than 2 bites. I reluctantly concluded that starving was markedly better, and tossed the rest!

-Datrex lifeboat rations in the aluminum foil brick. Nobody at my house would accept a second bite. These are considered fit for humans, theoretically. I thought them particularly disgusting and swinish.
 
Reminds me of a little joke...How do you tell the difference between black bear scat and grizzly scat? Black bear scat will have traces of seeds, fish bones, and insect husks. Grizzly scat will have traces of bear spray, shoe laces, and bells.
 
if your only traveling 5-6 trail miles a day you should have plenty of time to forage

I'm assuming it must not be getting cold at night (my experience is in the Rockies where even in August you can see temps into the 30's) as your not carrying any insulating layer or sleeping pad

water treatment? there isn't a place that I can think of where I would trust all water sources

good luck!
 
skab8541 said:
Also might want to read this guys story...he tried what you are doing and Died!

http://www.survival-spot.com/surviv...dies-testing-survival-skills-in-ontario-bush/

Just sayin....
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Yeah, I was thinking about McCandless... I like the part about the 17 function utility tool. :rolleyes:


The trip seems fairly well thought out and there's a preplanned rendezvous with the expectation that a search would ensue if not met. I appreciate the "for real" aspect of the challenge. Personally, I think at least a little backup food would be good even if it's just a couple of powerbars if for whatever reason you cannot forage just to buy you a little time and water treatment. Is the cordage real paracord? It gives you some options.
 
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^ dead of winter is a significantly more challenging environ, not that you can't die in fair weather, but lot less likely
 
Hmmn. if anything goes wrong,...maybe a rescue beacon? dying sucks, dying slowly suck a lot longer. for when you realize it may be that bad, blizzard in August, who would have guess, well maybe just hail.
 
Whatever your plan, please be safe. A challenge is a good thing, but a backup plan (food, water, commo, medical) is absolutely required. There's only a two letter difference between "stud" and "stupid."
 
MrPan said:
If it was me, I would at least take some bouillon cubes just for the salt that you will be sweating out. Your body will need to replace this to keep things running smooth even if you have no food.

There is little to no salt in fish and plants that you are going to be eating along the way. I learned a long time ago, that if salt tastes good to you, your body more than likely needs it.

I always pack one bouillon cube per day in all my kits, but that's me and I'm in very good health with no blood pressure problems or anything like that to worry about salt in take.
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Interesting. Is that the reason why some "survival" kits have bouillon cubes? I always thought that was an odd thing to take.
 
Sorry but I think you should carry all the necessary items if things turn south. You can just leave it on your back and park your ruck next to you when you set up camp somewhere.

If nothing happens then you rucked 20lbs or so on your back. If something goes bad and the weater turns cold, then you pull out your tarp and your blankets and build a fire. Remember it doesn't need to be freezing to get hypothermia. Just get wet and have a cool breeze. If your energy is depleted you are more suseptible to other issues.

Please STOP and rethink this. Again, keep all your stuff on your back and you may not use it. Being miserable is not fun. What gets me is you said your travel buddy is an eagle scout. Tell him to put some of this experience into play when you hit the trail. Do things the tough way to see if you can do it.

Not bringing food and potable water......you must have means to boil the water or you'll get the squirts and you are going to be in a real emergency situation with the possibility of death.

Climbing off my box now....you can be pissed at me if you want but I hope some points will be taken to heart and if not from me then perhaps some KEmSat's or Rescue Riley's points will make you rethink your outing. I think the idea of trying to doing in a minimal way is great. Just prepare for the worst and based on what you have said in your post, you have just checked a few items on the list.
 
mtwarden said:
if your only traveling 5-6 trail miles a day you should have plenty of time to forage
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Umm.... that really depends on the terrain. Up and down hills all day? That'll kill you in 5-6 miles. Also, if you start to get calorie-starved on days 3-4, those miles are going to take a heckuva lot longer than they did on days 1-2.
 
i'd take a compound bow along with a dozen arrows and broadheads.

food is now taken care of.
 
hrmm....i think youre bringing way too much. if you want to experience real survival have some buddies blindfold you and cart you in 10mi then leave you. you can only bring three pieces of kit.
 
I'd bring something just incase. A small brick of hard cheese, salami and crackers along with Gorp don't use much space and will keep.
 
newknife said:
Interesting. Is that the reason why some "survival" kits have bouillon cubes? I always thought that was an odd thing to take.
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Yes, they used to have salt tablets in them to. That was back when you really were on your own if in a survival situation. Now, kits are geared toward rescue and being found in a very short time, so longer term survival really isn't something kits are built for anymore.


Survival ration bars are made to taste bad. They are not made to taste like a Snickers bar. The reasoning is if they taste good, people will eat the bars out of bordem on a plane or whatever and they will never be replaced. Then if they are needed in a real survival situation, they will be gone. They designed them to taste like crap so the only time you will eat them is if there is NOTHING else to eat. Then you will ask for seconds when you're hungry.

There are reasons for why they make things the way they do.


If you want to carry something for an emergency, take along a number 10 can of freeze dried beef stew or something and no can opener. Now if you really need it, you will have to use your knife or something to open it and it won't be so easy to just break open and use. At least you have a light weight back up plan for a just in case.
 
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