Top eight survival tools

Gadgetaholic said:
The good thing is that we are all taking it for granted that we are fully clothed - for me that means I must have my multi-tool & SAK on me, because I don't put on my pants without also equipping my EDC tools.
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Yeah, I think the assumption that if your noodle is fully functional you’re going to be dressed appropriately for activities in the outdoors. Now, I have seen teenagers in bikinis/swim shorts and flip flops hiking 6-7 miles to a nice water fall area. They were grossly unprepared for the trail conditions and had really nothing to address shelter, water or first aid.

Every location, activity and season should change your priorities a little, but regardless of the situation, unless you have a severe injury that needs immediate attention, shelter is often your first concern for protection from the elements.

So, for most, appropriately clothes can range from layered clothing to EDC with a pistol (it is for me). With the right mindset, survival almost becomes a simple flow chart of actions…all depending on the circumstances.

If there are no serious injuries (mechanical injuries), can you orient yourself? If you can’t locate your position or don’t expect to make it to “civilization” before nightfall (a tough judgment call for some), start considering shelter for the night a few hours before nightfall. Is the weather severe or expected to become severe? If so, focus on putting up or find/building a shelter immediately. Can you navigate or signal for help? If not, is there time to find a suitable location?

Depending on the conditions, water or fire may be next on the priority list. The items you choose to carry should really facilitate these main priorities.

ROCK6
 
For me, it goes: 1. large survival knife 2. fire steel 3. petroleum jelly impregnated cotton balls, 5. metal canteen with cup, 6. water purifying tabs, 7. a good multitool for field repairs, and a 100 ft hank of 550
 
1) USGI PONCHO or tarp
2) metal Pot
3) Water abottle
4) Ferro Rod
5) Wool Blanket
6) Carbon steel scandi knife
7) large knife or axe
8) spool of 550
number 9 would be a fak or a compass
 
Gadgetaholic said:
Since your number 1 priority is usually going to be shelter, does this mean that you are expecting there to be someone to rob so that you can acquire shelter?

Or are you thinking that survival equipment means equipment for survival from an aggressive attack by zombies?
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Sorry to burst your bubble, but there are no zombies here in the U.S.A, but what you can do with a firearm is shoot game to aquire food. As far as being robbed, anything is possible in a survival situation so I would much rather have a firearm than a stick, but hey thats just me, we Americans like our guns ;)
 
Thomas Linton said:
Start with the fact that 75% of wilderness deaths are caused by about equal portions of falls, drownings, and heart attacks and reason your way from there. Aspirin makes more sense than a firearm.

Oh. Missed the other post. Zombies. ^____^
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Oh yes, in a survival situation I want my asprin instead of my firearm :rolleyes:

Now how many do I need to take before drowning or falling down a cliff ?? :yawn:
 
1. Knife
2. Axe/machete
3. Steel bottle
4. Fire Starter
5. First Aid Kit
6. High Calorie Snacks
7. Cordage
8. Firearm
 
1 - some sort of blade, it doesnt matter if its an axe, a pocket knife, a machete, a khukri.. having something with an edge makes life a whole lot easier.
2 - cordage. i keep 100 foot of 21.5mm dyneema in my pack, well, its less than 100 now as i use it for rigging wishbones for my spearguns, but its still well over 90 feet.
3 - container of some sort. the ability to store water is very important, an empty 2 liter plastic bottle can be a godsend !
4 - metal pan, for cooking, boiling water, whatever its use, makes life a lot easier.
5 - something to start fire with, matches, firesteel, flint, zippo, bic, propane torch.. personal prefference is for a bic lighter.
6 - warmth.. even if its just a big towel, or an extra shirt or pair of pants.
7 - tool for hunting food. this would differ depending on region, i live in barbados and i could probably sustain myself for years with just a diving mask and snorkle, however a small fishing kit would help out greatly, if your in a salty environment, keep your hooks in a watertight container with oil in it, otherwise they will rust away very quickly)
8 - hmn.. i could make do with 7, so for 8, i'll splurge a bit, a small first aid kit.
 
I would say for me it would be....

1-axe
2-fire steel
3- 3/16" x 5"-8" knife
4-stainless steel cup or bottle to boil water
5-ruger 10/22
6-500rds 22lr
7-wool blanket
8-poncho

At least for my area.
 
scarysharp said:
Oh yes, in a survival situation I want my asprin instead of my firearm :rolleyes:

Now how many do I need to take before drowning or falling down a cliff ?? :yawn:
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You want "how many"? How many need a weapon in wilderness survival situations? What risks are likely to kill in the wilderness in the studies you made or consulted before firing off your "humorous" attempt at a dig?

Is it about what you most likely need in the real world, or those zombies?

A pistol is pretty heavy for a fire-starting or signaling device. Much more sex appeal, however. Tell you what, if you are drowning or dying of the cold, pull out your heater and blast away.
 
Shotgun said:
Which waterfall area? :D
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Ha! Yeah, my daughter is now "one of them"!!! At least I make her hike in appropriate clothing and boots/shoes. Biggest challenge was to keep my eyes on the rougher part of the trails and not those bikinis; I almost twised my ankle:D...Actually, they were older and most we ran into were from the University of GA; they still looked too young:eek: Well, not to say a firearm is an "essential", but whenever you have half-naked women hiking the backwoods the probability of running across some perverted jackass on the trail is much higher. I always make my wife take her pistol with her on the trail. Pepper sray can be a good alternative but you can at least do a proper signal with three fired shots from you pistol :D

ROCK6
 
Thomas Linton said:
You want "how many"? How many need a weapon in wilderness survival situations? What risks are likely to kill in the wilderness in the studies you made or consulted before firing off your "humorous" attempt at a dig?

Is it about what you most likely need in the real world, or those zombies?

A pistol is pretty heavy for a fire-starting or signaling device. Much more sex appeal, however. Tell you what, if you are drowning or dying of the cold, pull out your heater and blast away.
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In case you missed it, here is my original list of top 8:

firearm
knife
machete
rope
compass
poncho
water container
fire starter

The firearm would be to obtain food, not the zombies you speak of. I dont need any "studies" to realize you need food to survive.

Point #2, a firearm doesnt neccesarily mean a pistol or revolver. It could be a rifle or shotgun

Sex appeal? I leave that to my women.. And if I'm drowning asprins aint helpin me or anyone else either. And I wont need to "pull out my heater and blast away" if I'm cold, I have my firestarter with me (see list) and the skills to make fire.

At least my humor was spot on, yours was pretty much a failure :D
 
Huh? So there are fishinghooks on the list but no fishingline or even cordage? Strange list.

The Axe on number 1 is also a little weird to me. Sure it is a great tool. And for long time survival it might be high on my list, but never higher than a knife.


About the binoculars. Well binoculars might take to much space in your backpack, but I would certainly put a small sized monocular in it.

It might not be on my top #8 list, but it certainly has it uses.

See, survival is a lot about not burning calories when you don't have to. For such cases a monocular might be handy. Also for spotting game are approaching people, etc.

I have a very lightweight Luxon monocular. There is a zoomring on it, so you can choose between 8x25 to 16x25

2enc5xv.jpg


For size comparrison:

ksrwj.jpg
 
My top 8 wilderness survival tools

mtwarden
rock6
RescuRiley
pitdog
talfuchre
woodswalker
joezilla
hermann kleinschmidt (he's slow,my size and always has a lot of gear on him)
 
Eight items? This would be my 8 items for the northern woods I frequent: Canoe, bivy & sleeping bag, firesteel, 19-25" axe (gransfors for me), cooking pot, small hobo fishing kit, and probably a nice accurate .22 rifle (which if you're lucky, turns the woods into an all you can eat squirrel bar). If the canoe doesn't count I'd take paracord in hopes of fashioning a raft.

In my experience the axe is x100 the value of any knife, fires can be fueled all night, dry wood harvested with minimal effort, shelters and rafts can be built and the odd small cutting chores are still easy to handle with a properly sharp axe.

This list feels like cheating though, it would be just like camping out. But, I don't understand why some of you have opted for a wool blanket over a good sleeping bag? Lightweight synthetic bags will keep you warm all night, wool blankets are big and heavy! and the best zero-energy use-anywhere shelter with a sleeping bag is (for me) a bivy. :)
 
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fugawee said:
My top 8 wilderness survival tools

mtwarden
rock6
RescuRiley
pitdog
talfuchre
woodswalker
joezilla
hermann kleinschmidt (he's slow,my size and always has a lot of gear on him)
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I'm trying to figure out if being called a tool is a compliment :D
 
What you need:

1.) Axe -- includes tomahawks if you're a small woman who can't carry any weight
2.) Knife.
3.) Sharpener
4.) Blanket/sleeping bag
5.) Pack
6.) Projectile weapon
7.) Ammunition
8.) FAK
9.) Fire Kit
10.) Water carrier

Where did I get this list?

It's what Otzi the Iceman carried. He seemed to do quite well until he got SHOT IN THE BACK, so maybe your 11th piece of kit should be body armor. :p

Really, the first thing you should do is go stand in front of a mirror and punch yourself in the face until you've beaten the idea that you MUST have a kit of X items out of your head.

Oh and for the guy who thinks we don't have zombies in the U.S., I give you pictorial proof that we do:
nancy-pelosi-scary.jpg
 
AA Forge said:
I would say for me it would be....

1-axe
2-fire steel
3- 3/16" x 5"-8" knife
4-stainless steel cup or bottle to boil water
5-ruger 10/22
6-500rds 22lr
7-wool blanket
8-poncho

At least for my area.
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Oxford, OH huh? and only 500 rds of .22 LR...? What about all those left-wing Miami of OH profs who will vote/form a commitee of "public safety" to have your other survival items redistributed to THEM in a crisis ... ;)
 
[youtube]VU1VDzqo8T0[/youtube]

These are some of the items in the SAS carry.
 
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