Three Most Important Survival Items

[Pritch]

In view of the fact that some of the posters are taking liberties with hollow handled knives and included goodies counting as one item, etc. (including the OP ) I'm changing my answer - not in any particular order:

1. Mors Kochanski
2. Ron Hood
3. Ray Mears (and since the rest of you are padding your three -
4. Jeff Randall.

Doc

Okay, Doc, but I would substitute Bear Grylss for Ray Mears so that the others can have some fun with him and subsititute Les Stroud for Mors so he can film it? (And it maintains the proper balance of Canadians and Brits!)

-- FLIX

 

[dawsonbob]

Oh, I agree. But if you find a forest service road at worst you'll have to turn around and backtrack, but you are no longer "lost" in the classic sense. Usually a little common sense will tell you what way to go on a forest service road (e.g., down is generally toward civilization). In addition, if someone knows where you were headed and mobilizes a search, you'll be found pretty quickly on a forest service road, since it will be one of the obvious ways for searchers to access the are you were headed toward.

My major point is to justify why a compass doesn't make it into the top three. Top five probably but not top three in my book.

So; you stumble on a Forest Service road in the bottom of a valley; which way do you turn? Both directions are up from there. I agree, though, that a Forest Service (or almost any other) road increases your chances of being found.

While I agree that a compass wouldn't make it into the top three (for me), it's still a darn handy thing to have.

 

[dawsonbob]

In view of the fact that some of the posters are taking liberties with hollow handled knives and included goodies counting as one item, etc. (including the OP ) I'm changing my answer - not in any particular order:

1. Mors Kochanski
2. Ron Hood
3. Ray Mears (and since the rest of you are padding your three -
4. Jeff Randall.

Doc

What's this, Doc? Rambo didn't make your list? Everyone knows that he can handle any survival situation. Oh, wait, he's a fictional character, isn't he? Never mind.

 

[m. wohlwend]

Dang it! I was going to say a knife, pot, and Ray Mears! looks like others beat be to it

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Not trying to be difficult, but I looked up the article you mention and Mark Jenkins (the author) actually said:

"I went to the most remote place in the Lower 48 to experience what we have left in terms of being as far away as you can get. It's still there, but it's not as if you can get that far away. At any point, you're never more than 22 miles from a road. It's smaller than we'd imagine."

So you could parallel a road 10 miles to your West for 50 miles and never cross another theoretically. If you have ever flown across the desert Southwest and looked down, it looks like a Loooong way between roads. Way farther than 20 miles.

I'm very interested in which truth is actually the truth, so can you post a link to the U of WY Science Center data? I would like to compare the two.

Much appreciated.

Carl-

 

[Mistwalker]

I"ve been thinking about this thread a bit and ya know...I'm changing my answer too.

As long as two of the items are a knife and a fire steel and the third isn't a phone I'm good.

 

[pitdog]

Okay, Doc, but I would substitute Bear Grylss for Ray Mears so that the others can have some fun with him and subsititute Les Stroud for Mors so he can film it? (And it maintains the proper balance of Canadians and Brits!)

-- FLIX

I'd be happy taking Doc, we might not find our way out but we'd find a hell of a lot of plants and take a mountain of pics should anyone ever find my camera !!!!!

 

[mtwarden]

I think 20 miles from a road is a little misleading (even if true- which I don't think it is as I can think of several spots in Montana that I've worked and hiked where that's not the case)- there are "obstacles" that are simply not doable- raging rivers, sheer rock mountains, etc)

Rambo is a fictional character?

 

[Rotte]

Sorry, but I have to disagree on this one. If anyone has ever heard of him, one of Jim Beckworths most famous quotes was "As long as a man has a knife he can survive" This guy was an ex slave mountain man turned Blackfoot Indian Chief and he wouldn't try surviving without a knife. If we are talking, got lost hiking and waiting for rescue, ok the knife is not so important but we're talking stranded don't know if help is ever coming. Also, I'd like to see someone go into the woods with only a lighter and start a fire...you'd have to be awful lucky (get all the conditions just right) or spend a lot of time bashing sticks with rocks to get enough stuff small enough to get a fire going.

JMO
David

Jim Beckworth never used a Bic. And I bet he wouldn't need a knife to survive. He was a pretty amazing character.

As to starting a fire without a knife, I would be willing to bet that most of the fires I've started in the woods have been with one match or a lighter and never required the use of a knife. I tend to spare the edge of my knife and don't use it without purpose. So my fires usually get started without a knife or axe. Careful preparation is the key.

I think I would need a knife to start a fire with a ferro rod, but even there, I bet it could be done.

I know we all love our blades here, but we probably over estimate the actual importance of a knife in a survival situation. I've spent a week in the woods without ever using my knife. So a reliable means of fire starting and water collecting is probably more important in my opinion.

Not that you'd ever find me in the woods without a knife.

 

[SouthernCross]

To add a discussion point, I must admit that I'm suprised at the lack of first aid kits in most peoples responses.

Why is this the case?




Kind regards
Mick

 

[batosai117]

To add a discussion point, I must admit that I'm suprised at the lack of first aid kits in most peoples responses.

Why is this the case?




Kind regards
Mick

Hmmm....to me my first aid kit has a lot of goodies inside of it and I didn't think it counted as part of the 3 items since it is a bulk piece. Since I am learning a thing or two about using natural materials to boil water in my other thread, I think my list can now slightly change

Before I had:
1. knife
2. misch metal rod
3. pot

Now I would choose:
1. knife (this one is a given )
2. misch metal rod
3. tarp

The knife would be for all the good stuff - making other tools, my bowl for cooking/water, striking the misch metal rod, etc...

The misch metal rod is self explanatory - to make fire!!!

The tarp would be a comfort object - make a nice, water proof, shelter. If it's a big enough tarp, use half for a ground mat and the other half for the roof. Use it to gather rain water, etc...

 

[Chris_Norden]

Another thing, has anyone ever tried using a tarp to boil water in by digging out a hollow, lining it with the tarp and dropping in hot rocks? I've seen it done online with a shopping bag, so why not a tarp... Could probably make a basket type thing, line it with the tarp and carry water as well...

As for why not a FAK... when you NEED one you NEED one, but how many have actually needed a FAK for anything serious? Granted I would never be without it, but for immediate life-threating blood loss a bit of rag is just as good, and even with proper training, you're gonna get septic and need IV antibiotics. I'm of the opinion that FAK in the wilderness are more for minor emergencies than things that will kill you in 20 mins, especially with no one to help. That said, always carry a FAK.

Chris

 

[DOC-CANADA]

To add a discussion point, I must admit that I'm suprised at the lack of first aid kits in most peoples responses.

Why is this the case?

Kind regards
Mick

hey Mick, I can't speak for anyone else, but, most FAK's (as compared to comprehensive medical kits) include bandaids, some pain pills, toothache drops, etc., usually nothing that would make a difference between life and death, at least in the short term (remember I'm generalizing). OTOH, shelter, water and fire can definitely be life and death considerations both in the short term and long term, more so in some environments than in others.

Now if the scenario was set up that you were injured and in a survival situation, I'm sure a lot of the answers would be different. And I'm certainly not trying to downplay the importance of a FAK as part of an overall strategy, but the OP restricted us to 3 choices, and injuries were not part of the scenario.

Rest assured, when I canoe, etc., I have a fairly comprehensive medical kit, at least one that's commensurate with my limited abilities.

As far as my choices go, I would have like to see 4 rather than 3, but since we were limited, I based my choices on which necessary items would be the most difficult for me to reproduce.

A water proof shelter with natural materials is certainly doable, but can take a lot of time, not a good idea if you're trying to hike out and have to remake one every night, so a tarp is a god send. In some conditions, getting wet could be a death sentence. So, a tarp is my first choice (not in any order of importance).

Sanitized water, being a fairly immediate necessity, must be both available and be able to be carried. Once again, doable, but not easily, at least for me, so the Guyot is #2.

As far as the knife goes, I can find some substitutes, but nothing is going to come close to a large blade, for shelter, firewood, defense, not to mention piece of mind, and for all the smaller jobs like tool and trap building, so a machete or Khukuri, actually my Machax would be the third one.

#4 would be a monster ferro rod or a case of Bic lighters!

Anyway, that's my thinking, YMMV,

Cheers,

Doc

 

[DEXIX_five-oh]

No no no! the hollow handle thing is SO silly! where do you intend to get lost with the knife full of goodies without a sheath, which can carry MORE goodies if built right!

my SHEATH has a Kershaw T tool, a Bic, a Ferro Rod, my work Keys, two rubber bands, a bobby pin and two paper clips on it RIGHT NOW. and thats my WORK knife.

my new outdoorsy kinda knife is a Busse Tank Buster and it's sheath is in the works but so far i've sewn up the loops for a micarta handled Spyderco Rod, a matching Micarta Handled "Grizzly" from GoingGear and a pocket that will hold an altoid tin (i keep wetfire tinder, needles, thread, superglue, painkillers, water tablets, and 2 CR123As in mine) now i just gotta but the D rings on the other edge, and the pocket for my SOG tool and sew the back on. but obviously you see my point.

if you're counting on grabbing your knife and having your matches and fishing line in the handle, just put them in the sheath. then when you drop your knife in a river you'll only be MOSTLY S.O.L.

my 3 things?

My Knife (see above)
Guyot
Tarp

 

[Wabajack]

Knife: Something big and ugly preferably. A Fallkniven A1 would do fine. A mora #1 would also work just dandy.
Bic lighter: Bics have never let me down, and they save a lot of time. I'm not going to be pissing around with a ferro rod looking for tinder.*
Canteen w/Pot: Contaminated water would be debilitating.

Nights wouldn't be too much fun without a good shelter, but most likely survivable.

*In some environments, if you get the right kind of weather this can be one hell of a task. Off the top of me head I'm thinking close to home; a deciduous flood-land. No coniferous trees around and sad out of birch.

 

[dougo83]

No no no! the hollow handle thing is SO silly! where do you intend to get lost with the knife full of goodies without a sheath, which can carry MORE goodies if built right!

my SHEATH has a Kershaw T toolThat's 1, a Bic2, a Ferro Rod3, my work Keys4, two rubber bands5 and 6, a bobby pin7 and two paper clips8 and 9 on it RIGHT NOW. and thats my WORK knife.

my new outdoorsy kinda knife is a Busse Tank Buster and it's sheath is in the works but so far i've sewn up the loops for a micarta handled Spyderco Rod, a matching Micarta Handled "Grizzly" from GoingGear and a pocket that will hold an altoid tin (i keep wetfire tinder, needles, thread, superglue, painkillers, water tablets, and 2 CR123As in mine) now i just gotta but the D rings on the other edge, and the pocket for my SOG tool and sew the back on. but obviously you see my point.

if you're counting on grabbing your knife and having your matches and fishing line in the handle, just put them in the sheath. then when you drop your knife in a river you'll only be MOSTLY S.O.L.

my 3 things?

My Knife (see above)9
Guyot 10
Tarp11

Ok...so...out of 3 items you have 11...close...

 

[TAH]

In view of the fact that some of the posters are taking liberties with hollow handled knives and included goodies counting as one item, etc. (including the OP )

No no no! the hollow handle thing is SO silly! where do you intend to get lost with the knife full of goodies without a sheath, which can carry MORE goodies if built right!

Okay, dangit. I'll empty the handle. But I'm still taking a Randall or Reeve so I can turn the knife into a spear and kill a pig.

I am not trying to hi-jack this thread, but I have a question on the Randall 18. I have always wanted to try one, but I have a reservation about the handle being silver-soldered to the knife.

I highly doubt the Randall will come apart with normal use. The tang is epoxied in place and then the blade is soldered to the guard and the guard is soldered to the handle. :thumbup:

 

[blgoode]

Compass(as to prevent from walking in circles)

Never thought of it that way!!

Good way to go AROUND terrain as well:thumbup:

 

[akennedy73]

knife or hatchet
Metal pot or cup
Ferro rod,

If I could take a 4th it;s be my usgi Poncho

I agree with RR - and would add a fifth which would be cordage.

This is actually what Les Stroud lists as what he would have like to have on his Survivorman outings to make himself more comfortable - a knife, fire, pot to boil water, tarp and cordage. It's my mental checklist and can conveniently be counted down on one hand. Along with the five W's for camp site selection - water, wood, weather, widow-makers, and wigglies - you've got two great checklists to keep your butt out of the frying-pan.

Generally speaking, I'd prefer a small hatchet over a knife for collecting firewood and building shelters unless the knife was up to the task like a 12 inch golok or something similar.

 

[hoopster]

This thread has me thinking it would be a good idea to attach a fire steel to my clean canteen. Or maybe even ranger band a knife and ferro rod to the can.