Study more and buy less

[Old CW4]

A lot of the posts under this topic deal with the 'gee whiz' items available for sale, usually at high prices. Also, many involved technical discussions about fire making, shelter, trapping, hunting, foraging, etc. That's all well and good. And practical experience in the boonies is great but not possible for many. Therefore, I feel more attention should be paid to developing a survival 'mind set.' To hell with the neat stuff you may have in a bag in your car trunk or behind the seat in your pickup. How about survival with nothing, or literally nothing, and only your wits and will? Yes, I learn from this thread but for sure I don't run out to buy every tool, knife, water bottle, or whatever that's recommended.

Yes, carefully/wisely and within reason buy and store your survival items in bags in your vehicles. But, when TSHIF, and your vehicles, perhaps even your homes and families, are smoke and ash (God forbid but it could happen), what then? Do you have the will to at least try to survive? Even more important, do you have the BOOK knowledge of HOW to survive?

Please consider, remember one of the most important milestones in human history/progress was the printing press and more people learning to read and thus react to the printed word. That alone put the end to the age old system of apprentices learning from masters, and also for those gifted with fine memories from the need to study for years to learn the history, legends, and songs of their tribes or clans. Suddenly, most human knowledge, was available from books for anyone who could read to learn, store in their memories, and apply....

My opinion, study more and buy less. If the knowledge and lore from books, videos, this thread, etc., is in your brain the odds for your survival go way up! Sure, survival is easier and your chances improve if you have the 'gadgets' but what if you don't? Think about making a fire with sticks and rocks; a shelter with sticks, brush, and rocks; making traps or hunting weapons with sticks and rocks. Hell, rocks are the basis of our civilization! We get our weapons, tools, ores, and most basic building materials from rocks. The human world is built primarily from rocks and wood. Simplistic, perhaps, but, if you think about it, accurate. If ancient man could build a world from sticks and rocks and clay, surely some of us can survive using the same materials.....

Bottom line: Read more, study more, think more, and buy less. Your ultimate survival will depend on you and your mindset/knowledge/will more than the size and complexity of your 'bug out bag.' IMO, read more, learn more, and buy less...

 

[Rick Marchand]

Read more learn more... yes... just don't forget to get out there and do it.... LIVE IT... That is the ONLY way to truly OWN the skill.... reading books, watching videos and posting in a survival forum just won't cut it once reality sets in.

Working skills when its convenient will only take you so far. You have to be able to pull it off when you absolutely do not want to continue. When you've had enough and are ready to quit... THAT'S when it counts... ***edit to add*** As Rockywolf reminded me below.... do so under controlled conditions and supervision... don't become a statistic.

Learn what you need, not what you want.

Rick

 

[Rockywolf]

Sage advice from both of you. I'd like to add this: test new skills close to home, failure a long way from help may end tragically.

 

[SouthernCross]

Now there's a novel thought.

Who would have thought that in this day & age that knowledge & skills developed from real first hand experience meant more than the latest & greatest piece of gear stored in one or another catchy acronyms

But then again, my opinion doesn't seem to matter since I live in a different environment to most people who post on the internet




Mick

 

[Facebacon]

i lived under a brige ina box for a year.... i lived it lol

 

[ROCK6]

Absolutely agree! I'm an admitted gear-whore, but strongly believe in practicing and working towards the very minimum. When out backpacking, I'll take some comfort items, but my son and I practice a couple primitive tasks as well. I know it's extra pack weight, but I usually bring along a book or two such as the excellent "6 ways in 12 ways out" or Kochanski's or Mear's bushcraft books...all excellent. Recently I've been dragging some plant ID books out.

Reading and studying are essential...practicing is a must! When I was an instructor for our signal school, we had a ratio of classroom vs. practical exercise time. You can only reinforce the "classroom" learning with almost double the in-field practice time. Repetition is the key.

I know it's a "blinding flash of the obvious" Chief, but you're spot on to remind us all of not forgetting the basics and need to focus on the essential skills and not the equipment.

ROCK6

 

[tknife]

I absolutely agree with this. Getting out and practicing is the key to success in everything. But the forum is also about sharing ideas, thoughts on gear and of course, showing pics of new knives and gear. Using the knives and gear in the field to further your knowledge is of course up to the individual. But a day at work would suck without seeing people post pics of their cool new knife, firestarter, pack etc.

 

[udtjim]

I think most here are saying about the same thing, Read and study, compare notes test your gear before you bet your welfare on it. don't fall for every new fad.

 

[adaman04]

Great post. Learning and TRYING new skills is huge. I’m all about testing my gear and techniques now, much because of the encouragement and motivation from people on BF. Great group of people around here.

I had never used my bare bones fishing kit out of my PSK. Hand line, a few hooks and rubber grubs. Tried it out and…..

 

[Shotgun]

It should be the goal of everyone to have the skills to survive with nothing but the clothes on their back. Gear IMO is used to speed tasks up and make them easier to do.

 

[OwenM]

Working skills when its convenient will only take you so far. You have to be able to pull it off when you absolutely do not want to continue.

I think that's the crux of it, once you get past the basics.
Having a physical confrontation with nature is much like having one with another person-and many, if not most, people simply do not act when they need to, and that is why they become victims. Most skills for short-term survival are relatively simple. No matter how much head knowledge, or for that matter how much actual skill a person has, it means nothing if they aren't physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of applying it in the proverbial "gravest extreme".
A couple of basic survival courses, and real-life solo land nav problems will teach you more than a lifetime of reading about it, playing it out in the backyard, or within spitting distance of a trailhead's parking lot, because those things don't teach about the most important factor in survival-yourself.