Top ten most important survival items

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1 strike force flint and steel
1 bottle iodine water purification tabs
1 of 9 hour candles
120 ft of 550 cord
1 multi tool
1 snake bite kit
120x monocular
1 Tomahawk
1 Heavy Duty knife
1 small kife


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plan no useless move, take no step in vain.
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ishiyumisan
 
nymikel64:

My response is my humble opinion. I was refering to myself:) Which is why I stated "Coming from an ultra light backpacker that enjoyings mountaineering" prior to my post:)

What we pack, is according to our fears. The most important things(or the 10 essential items you feel you would fare well with) are covering your fears. You are confident you will fare better with them as you stated. Your knowledge is where it stands. You can have a car full of survival gear but without the knowledge and the mental preperation, you won't last long.

I have spent most of my life outdoors starting with boot camps when I was very young. Spending two weeks in a forest in Korea the first time wasn't fun. I kicked up a nest of centipedes and was told to simply 'deal with the pain'. as we continued the 20k march through the mountains. If you slacked, the trip became longer for everyone. If you complained, you got a few smacks with a bamboo stick on the back of your legs. Best advice I recieved on that trip? Your mind and then your feet are your greatest assets.

You'd be surprised at what the human body can withstand.

My father thought it would be a good way for me to 'straighten out'. I'm a better person for it. Yes I went back quite often. But in an odd way, I 'acted up' so I would be sent to a different boot camp. It wasnt the punishment, it was being a part of something. Learning how to work together. support and just learning in general. If all goes as planned, I'll be leaving for Alaska in January and hopefully become an AST. I figure I've done a lot of search an rescue on top of everything, it would be a great field to go into.
 
ishiyumisan,may I ask you where are you going to purify the water in?what you need 2 knives , a multitool and a tomahawk for, specially if your choice is limited to ten items? a monokular is fine but in a survival situation i guess its more important to be seen than to spot. A candle, is it for firestartin? And how high do you think is the risk of being bitten by a poisonous snake if you move with reasonable care??Could you please explain why you took these choices over others? Not flaming but I do not understand your picks.
 
Water purification can be done with a container(or not), leaves, grass and a sock:) If you want to take it farther, layer coals as well(no white ash).

Best way to learn is to gather some knowledge. Take a full pack of everything you think you will need. Find a suitable area. Set your pack aside. Build a shelter, gather water(then filter using methods other than a pump or tablets), then food. That way, if you ever need anything, your pack will be by your side just in case. Whatever you learn, be sure you test it before you try it for reals. It's that simple:) Just need to take that first leap!
 
Hello Aftertherain:) , I agree to most of what you say. I did serve in the German army, I do hunt and occasinally fish. I work in the cabinett&framing trades and know how to use handtools. I think I know about the basics of survival and you are right, the human body can take a lot if it has to. But I don´t consider myself to be an expert. Most people do not have the knowledge but, as you say the most important tool is your brain and you can improvise many things if you have to. Still , survival is , you are in a life threatening situation and don`t you agree that a minimum equippment would raise the chances to get out of it?And for the case you are in a survival situation, even with an expert level of knowledge wouldn`t it give you a better feel to have some stuff with you?Or at least make some things easier?
 
Aftertherain, I agree somewhat with your philosophy. Knowledge, in any situation, is power. And in a survival situation, it is the power to not only survive, but thrive. More than one nimrod has perished with all of the materials for not only survival, but comfort within reach. Your approach to "take a full pack" to draw upon as needed is indeed a good safety net for a learner. Take nothing might be a more realistic goal to achieve after the prerequesit learning. Survival situations (scenarios) vary widely upon local and season. What one needs in the desert is vastly different in the mountains. And also, is the situation where your hope to be rescued by searchers, or where you are escaping/evading. I cannot see how one pack fill would cover all situations. First and foremost is a shelter of some sort, improvised or carried. Then a means of obtaining water. Preferably clean water, if not then a means to clean it, and then to store it, particularly if you travel, not cache. Then protection from people, indiginous animals, etc., which might also be a means of food gathering, such as a knife. All of these can be improvised from nature in most ecosystems. Again, with knowledge.
Knowledge gained from experimentation, studying, and/or training.

Woodsman64
 
Since no area or season was specified, I will assume for present purposes that the list is for Zone 5 in the late Fall. That means water everywhere -- in the form of cold rain and wet snow. I also assume that I am dressed for the season and typical weather, so clothing does not make the list.

To stay warm, dry, hydrated, and fed:

1. 100' of 550 cord
2. winter sleeping bag
3. insulating foam pad
4. LED flashlight (selected for length of generation of useful light rather than "flame-throwing")
5. gillnet (3' x 20')
6. 2 gallon aluminum pot w/lid
7. large firesteel
8. folding prunning saw
9. Fallkniven A-1
10. Silnylon 8'x10' tarp (Blaze Orange).
 
Presuming the clothing and pack won't count...

1) 9x9 silnylon tarp (with pretied cords on it and anchors)
2) ground cloth (heavy duty survival blanket is fine)
3) winter sleeping bag (synthetic)
4) ground pad (preferably a ridge reste from thermarest)
5) reliable fire source (ferro rod or else a bic lighter)
6) fire starter in a waterproof container (for emergencies)
7) kettle with lid
8) big water bottle
9) some quinoa seeds (lots of it)
10) big, sturdy field blade

I'd miss duct tape, cord and salt... Nature would provide the rest.

Cheers,

David
 
Bic or zippo lighter
Paracord
Knife
Big old-style metal coffee can
Tent or tarp
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Solar battery charger (AA batteries)
LED Flashlight (AA batteries)
Gameboy with games (AA batteries)

The scenario makes it sound like it's a one month trip, then rescue is assured. With this knowledge, boredom and energy conservation are high on my priority list. For a shorter time, I'd choose a book (probably a "Feast for Crows" if I had to pick today), but in one month I'd go through it fairly quickly. I plan on being as comfortable and lazy as possible given this scenario.
 
s002cjs said:
. . .

[10]Gameboy with games (AA batteries)

The scenario makes it sound like it's a one month trip, then rescue is assured. With this knowledge, boredom and energy conservation are high on my priority list. For a shorter time, I'd choose a book (probably a "Feast for Crows" if I had to pick today), but in one month I'd go through it fairly quickly. I plan on being as comfortable and lazy as possible given this scenario.
Click to expand...

I think that, after the shelter got built, I'd be spending a H... of a lot of time getting food. No calories = dead of cold pretty quick in my scenario. That means lots of digging for cattail roots, setting traps, and netting for fish.
 
Not to criticize taking games and books, because we are all different in our physical and mental needs and I can understand the need to bring items to keep your mind busy, but I think I'd spend my time finding food, wood, improving my shelter, purifying water and scouting/scrounging the area for items that can improve my situation. What time isn't consumed with work, would be utilized for planning the next day and sleep.:)
 
I don't see room for games either, but if you have a lot of calories to burn while starving, that's fine. For me the list looks like:
1. My EDC backpack which contains:
a. Para cord
b. Compass
c. UK 4AA eLED flashlight
d. Geko GPS
e. Spare batteries
f. Ritter mini-Griptilian
g. Leatherman Multi-tool
h. Water bottle
i. Ritter PSK

then I'd add
2. Hennessey Hammock Explorer Ultralite A-Sym
3. Wool blanket
4. GB Scandi Forest Axe or Fehrman FJ depending on terrain
5 Ti cup nested with nalgene bottle
6. MSR Water Filter
7. Extra Socks
 
nymikel64 said:
ishiyumisan,may I ask you where are you going to purify the water in?what you need 2 knives , a multitool and a tomahawk for, specially if your choice is limited to ten items? a monokular is fine but in a survival situation i guess its more important to be seen than to spot. A candle, is it for firestartin? And how high do you think is the risk of being bitten by a poisonous snake if you move with reasonable care??Could you please explain why you took these choices over others? Not flaming but I do not understand your picks.
Click to expand...


Very good questions? believe I don't know where to start answering.
monokular has lenses and you can use in the both ways.
Candle and the firestarting, well, the candle I will use inside tent or shelter: just for five minutes before sleep. I forget to mention that in the heavy duty knife sheath I have the addition of two big lighter........ and I can promise you that in any part of the world in any condition and altitude I can make thousands of fires.
Two knives + tomahawk =to build and destroy I use the tomahawk, the knives I just keep them sharp.
One snake bite kit because where I go there are too many snakes so you know?!

By the way here is the thread which is very interesting, I hope you enjoy it.


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=354054&highlight=survival

}There is my BOB plus some other cool guys BOBs with some photo too.




plan no useless move, take no step in vain.
-----------------------------------------
ishiyumisan
 
s002cjs said:
Big old-style metal coffee can
Click to expand...

They're going to become scarce. Maybe a never-used paintcan with a lid would serve just as well. I've seen them for sale at Home Depot.
 
Codger:

My first post on the first page asks region, season, ect. My prior posts on this thread repeat your concerns. My suggestion of a safety net meant packing for the area you are going into. Certain comforts are nice, but not neccessary. As an ultra light(minimalist) backpacker, I generally pack at approx. 10lbs. not including my water bladder. Ask any survival expert what carrying 10lbs entails. I DO NOT RECCOMEND carrying that little unless you have spent a lot of time in backcountry. It is extremely dangerous. I have spent the last 8 years of my life dilegently studying survial techniques as well as practicing them.

The topic is 10 items we feel are essential to SURVIVAL. Suvival doesn't include pampered campers and car campers. I spend roughly 4 months out of every year in backcountry for weeks at a time. It's what I live for. Avanlanches, flash floods, sand storms, ice storms, are all my favorite past time. I should have died more times then Homer Simpson. Maybe I have a death wish, I'd like to think its simply appreciating mother nature in its purest form.

In regards to your comment regarding storing or caching water, be more specific(situation).

My biggest question, you mention protection from animals...and errr...people? Almost every trip I go on, I never see a single person for weeks on end. If it was a survival situation, where would you find people?

So many concerns regarding food, shelter, water and protection. All are obtainable in any situation, season or region. Think of it this way. If it was that impossible. Would you be alive today? Shouldn't man be extinct? That mentality, is the first step to surviving.
 
aftertherain said:
. . .
So many concerns regarding food, shelter, water and protection. All are obtainable in any situation, season or region. Think of it this way. If it was that impossible. Would you be alive today? Shouldn't man be extinct? That mentality, is the first step to surviving.
Click to expand...

Protection? Statistically, protection from animals of whatever species is not a significant survival concern.

As for thr other three, they are the issues that typically determine who survives and who does not.

Food is typically not an issue, but it sure is over a month -- especially in cold.

Shelter? Life and death in Winter here.

Water? Life and death in relatively short order everywhere in a survival situation.

"obtainable in any situation"? Respectfully, not the issue. People die when they cannot accomplish the merely possible because it was not easy enough for them (taking account their mental and physical condition) in that situation. That some can do a "Tom Brown" is irrelevant to most.

The tools make meeting essential tasks easier. Limiting to ten, rather than 12 or 15 as some have listed, forces us to think about priorities.
 
longbow50 said:
Not to criticize taking games and books, because we are all different in our physical and mental needs and I can understand the need to bring items to keep your mind busy, but I think I'd spend my time finding food, wood, improving my shelter, purifying water and scouting/scrounging the area for items that can improve my situation. What time isn't consumed with work, would be utilized for planning the next day and sleep.:)
Click to expand...

VERY true and good points. This choice was for this situation...my assumptions were a known duration and certainty of assistance at the end of the time. This would be COMPLETELY different in the much more likely circumstances of an uncertain outcome.

I would not ignore these things, I would just work at accomplishing them in the most efficient methods possible.

A good example from a well-known survival instructor was students gathering wood. The men of the group went all around dragging huge logs to the camp, getting hot and sweaty in the process while proudly piling their wood up. A small woman went up the hill, called out 'Look out below', and with one push, rolled a fallen tree into the camp, breaking apart on the trip down. With one push and little effort, she had provided more wood than everyone else combined. If I can provide for the relatively limited needs of this scenario easily, I'm going to be sitting around alot with time to kill. In a more convenient setting, I'd work on carving, wood burning, etc., however if I don't NEED these tools to survive, I'm not going to increase the small risk of cutting or burning myself for no gain.
 
Thomas Linton said:
The tools make meeting essential tasks easier. Limiting to ten, rather than 12 or 15 as some have listed, forces us to think about priorities.
Click to expand...


That is my main point when I said we pack according to our fears.

You say people die because they can't complete the simplest of tasks. Thats where the mental aspect of the game comes in.


No offense to anyone respondng to my posts. But please do me a favor and read what I write before you say anything. I keep seeing people commenting about things I already wrote about. Either you dont understand what I'm talking about or you aren't bothering to actually read the full posts.

I'm simply trying to be helpful and help people understsand some key issues important to their 'survival'. You can scale it down as much as you want, tell yourself you'll have the essential gear, and all the crap. Fact is, no matter what type of wrapping paper yo use. It is survival, period. Keep yoru buts to yoruself, out there, it doesn't mean anything. Join a SAR(search and rescue) team for a couple of years. Thats the best way for you to understand what it means to survive. When you scoop up decaying bodies into bags in the sand dunes or find the left overs of some poor schmuck that met the wrong critter. THEN you will understand what surviving means. I've been on both ends many times. I've spent plenty of times in what you would consider 'suvival' situations for extended periods of time. avalanches while skiing the alps(most exhilirating experience..being chased by an avalanche:), flash floods backpacking through the grand canyon, ice storms in alaska, been there, done that, enjoyed it.

This is honestly a waste of my time. If you won't bother to read the posts, the heck with this:)
 
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