Top ten most important survival items

Thomas Linton said:
That coffee can was a muti-use tool -- limited only by imagination. You can't cook or boil water in a zip-lock bag or condom. You can't dig with a piece of aluminum foil.
Click to expand...


Thomas,

I have the Hoods Woods video and a coffee can is great but it is too bulky to put in most PSKs. Have your read 98.6 by Cody Lundin?

Rule of 3s:
air (first aid)
warmth (shelter then fire)
water (container and disinfectant)
 
Craig_PHX said:
Thomas,

I have the Hoods Woods video and a coffee can is great but it is too bulky to put in most PSKs. Have your read 98.6 by Cody Lundin?

Rule of 3s:
air (first aid)
warmth (shelter then fire)
water (container and disinfectant)
Click to expand...


The rules of 3 are dynamic and not set in stone, there are times when fire comes before shelter, depends on situation.

Filters and chemicals are great for short term but they run out or break, clog etc... A pot will disinfect water forever;) as well as provide a cooking container etc...... A pot wont fit into an EDC PSK granted but nobody ever suggests heading out into the bush for any planned length of time with only a mini kit, even Lundin.

The scouts had it right as far as I am concerned.

Skam
 
Craig_PHX said:
Thomas,

I have the Hoods Woods video and a coffee can is great but it is too bulky to put in most PSKs. Have your read 98.6 by Cody Lundin?

Rule of 3s:
air (first aid)
warmth (shelter then fire)
water (container and disinfectant)
Click to expand...

"Coffee can"

It's just a concept. A metal container. Could be a cup. Could be a peanut can. Could be an aluminum box (There was a thread on that topic recently). I have a nice Sigg box and one made for a Coleman pack stove -- both light but useful.

"98.6" :thumbup:

I have 98.6. It is entertaining, which is a good way to get folks to read it. I have two issues with Bro Lundin, however.

> From the point of view of a KnifeKnut, he's Knife Information Challenged: a) SS is "always" harder to sharpen than carbon. :rolleyes: (Guess he never tried a POS SS knife.); b) the $10.00 MORA illustrated as the ultimate survival tool. (Even if you like thin tang knives with cheap wood handles and thin blades, there are other choices that are at least as good. Not that a MORA isn't a lot for the $$, but it is NOT good for pounding point-first into a tree as he claims.); c) then there's that incomprehensible blurb on "wide bevels." (Only a KnifeKnut would understand what he's trying to say, and most of them would disagree with the opinion that a 20 degree included single-bevel edge is a good general-purpose edge.)

> He states that statistics show that hypothermia or hyperthermia are so overwelmingly the causes of wilderness fatalities that nothing else is of much concern. That is what I had always thought was implicit in the training I got, but he was so -- what? extreme? clear? -- in his statement that it set me looking for statistics on wilderness fatalities. And, whatever else may be true, he is simply incorrect about statistics. The only statistics on wilderness fatalities rank heart attack, drowning, and falls WAY above "98.6" as causes of wilderness fatalities. He is simply repeating a statement made over and over in many places by many people - a statement which seems to have absolutely no statistical support. (Why do I care? Because cardiac risk, water safety, and avoiding falls ARE addressed in wilderness safety literature and ought not be implicitly dismissed as irrelevant risk topics when the statistics show they are, relatively, MUCH greater causes of wilderness fatalities.)

"Rules"

I was taught the "Rule of One" = accomplish Goal No. 1 first. The trick is knowing what is the first priority and how you can accomplish all the things likely to be on the survival "to do" list (such as building that wonderful, multi-use tool, fire) under all circumstances you are likely to encounter.

"Be Prepared" :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
1: .45 handgun
2: bullet
3: bullet
4: bullet
5: bullet
6: bullet
7: bullet
8: bullet
9: bic lighter
10: knife

Alternatively:
1: .45 handgun
2-8: bullets
9: 2 way CB radio with a <15 mile range
10: compact fuel air explosive for signalling and creating helicopter landing zone
 
ghost squire said:
1: .45 handgun
2: bullet
3: bullet
4: bullet
5: bullet
6: bullet
7: bullet
8: bullet
9: bic lighter
10: knife

Alternatively:
1: .45 handgun
2-8: bullets
9: 2 way CB radio with a <15 mile range
10: compact fuel air explosive for signalling and creating helicopter landing zone
Click to expand...

:D Don't know what you'd do with "bullets." Some complete rounds of ammunition might be good. They can at least be pried open and the propellant used to help start a fire.:D

A radio with range over 15 mi. might also be good -- if someone was in range -- and listening -- and you could describe where you were well enough for help to get there -- or get triangulated.

Funny nobody has mentioned a deck of cards.;)
 
Don't be ridiculous, I would use the bullets as ammunition for a slingshot and the gun as a club. Naturally the slingshot would be made out of the intestines of an animal I would club.
 
could some one please elaborate on the guarana/quinoa seeds?

Items in my pockets/on my belt:
knife-Spyderco Temperence or Manix
handkerchief
firesteel
Leatherman wave
Led light
If I had a bag I would carry more Items.

If I had a bag, I would carry more than 10 items
 
Heavy duty 2 person space blanket, tarp, lighter, fire starter, heavy duty aluminum foil, chemical water treatment, whistle, small fixed blade, compass, first aid kit
 
In other words I would carry ten things for protection from exposure, providing shelter, warmth from fire, to contain water, to provide water saftey from fire, to provide water saftey from chemicals, to provide a meanes for signaling, to provide a means for cutting and whittling, to provide a means for direction finding, to provide for medical needs.
 
Much of my response is based on the area where I live; the southeastern U.S. Here winters are not normlly too strenuous, some water is normally available even in dry periods, and I am unlikely to be more than a few hours from a trailhead. When I used to live in the north, when I travel in more remote wilderness areas in the far north or west, or when I have any reason to expect difficult weather conditions, I would make some choices differently.

I think the classic “ten essentials of mountaineering” is a great place to start in any discussion of what to carry with you on a wilderness trek.

1) Matches. This includes any sort of items for producing a flame including matches, lighters, strikers, etc. Since they are generally so small and light, I usually bring both matches and lighters with me.

2) Fire Starter. This covers things like candle stubs, fatwood, steel wool, etc. Something to help get that reluctant fire started in tough conditions can literally be a life-saver.

3) Map. I know a lot of people who don’t bother with maps in the more “tame” eastern backwoods, where trail are well blazed and routes often marked but all it takes is one wrong turn to get you totally lost without a map. It doesn’t weigh much so bring it!

4) Compass. If you don’t know how to read a compass, you should seriously re-think any decision to venture off the pavement. With a map and compass (and the knowledge of how to use them) you should be able find your own way out of anyplace you can walk into.

5) Flashlight, Like matches and lighers, I usually bring a couple. I always have one sturdy maglite or similar style of flashlight with a head band, and then throw a couple of the ultra-compact LED minilights in my pack for backup.

6) Extra Food. I never leave the trail head without a couple of granola bars at least. You don’t really need food even for a couple days, but having it can be a real moral booster in a tight situation. It can become more important in northern or mountainous winter conditions, where you are burning a lot of calories just to stay warm.

7) Extra Clothing. In the summer for me this is a poncho (much more versatile than a rain suit, a hat and some gloves. In cooler weather, I include a gortex rain suit and polypropylene underwear. In the sort of winter weather I am likely to run into in the south were I live, this is plenty. When I still lived up north, I brought a lot more.

8) Sunglasses. This is certainly vital in mountaineering or on a snowy northern trip where snow blindness is a real hazard, but I think its not really “essential” in other areas. That said, I never leave home without at least one pair of sunglasses no matter where I am going.

9) First Aid Kit. Personally I think this should be a bit more comprehensive than the sort of first aid kits you are likely to find at most drug or sporting good stores. I like Adventure Medical Kits myself and use them exclusively (I currently have one of their Ultralight .7™ first aid kits in my daypack), but there are some other alternatives including assembling one yourself with the help of a good wilderness first aid manual. Speaking of manuals, the training to use that first aid kit is as important as the kit itself. At the minimum I would sign up for a Red Cross first aid course. If you have the time and money, there are a number of wilderness groups that sponsor special wilderness first aid training for guides and travelers.

10) Pocket Knife. Most of us would probably place more emphasis on this than the Mountaineers do, but I think in the most eastern backwoods areas you can get buy just fine with a good folding knife. In the far north or western mountains I would want to have a bit more than just a pocket knife but even there this is acceptable as a minimum.

There are I think two serious omissions in this list; water and shelter.

11) Water. At least one quart bottle of water (more in arid areas like the southeast). In addition I would also include some water purification tables or a water filter to get more.

12) Shelter. I have tried to address this to a limited extent by including a poncho in the “extra clothing” category. A poncho can be pressed into service as a temporary shelter, to at least protect you from rain and wind. If you have the room, or feel the need (such as in northern or high altitude environments), a simple bivouac shelter or small tent is even better.

I think after saying all that, I strongly beileve in what Aftertherain was trying to say (if I'm not putting words in your mouth?) that training and knowledge are more inportant than just about anything you can put in your pack. Read books. Take classes. Talk to people with real experience. All this will make you that much more "survival prone" than someone with a full pack but an empty head! :rolleyes:

Always an interesting topic.
 
1.-10. Knowledge and experience. With knowledge and experience, few tools are beyond your making, no place entirely lacks shelter, food is available, fresh water can be found. With knowledge, orientiering is second nature, overcoming and enduring a "hopeless" situation is an easy thing. Fire lives in the wood waiting for you to bring it forth. Learn the six ways to make fire (not Bic, Zippo, Diamond, etc.). Remember... anything you own can be lost, broken, worn out, or taken from you. Your knowledge and experience cannot. Learn to do things before your survival depends on it. Hunt and kill a game animal with a rock, trap, primitive bow or spear. Butcher the animal with a rock. Build a fire and cook the animal, drying a portion for later. Experiment with brush, leaf, bluff shelters. Work on orientiering without a map and compass. You cannot prepare yourself properly by putting together a thousand dollar bag of gadgets and expendable supplies. Better to buy two hundred dollars worth of books and learn from them, then spend 200 hours applying what you have learned.
Codger
 
Uncle Henry's loss replacement offer is no longer being honored by the chinese manufacturers. :D

But you are right, I would strike out with a Schrade 165OT Woodsman Old Timer sheath knife if I had my druthers, but caught unawares, I would still have my 897UH Uncle Henry Premium Signature Stockman in my pocket. But caught butt nekkid, I'd still survive. Done it before, can do it again!:)

Codger
 
I have taught survival courses for airmedical rescue crews. I recommend the following:
1) MSR Miox water purifier, (when you are thirsty you will drink anything and....possibly die from it);
2) Leathermann multi-tool;
3)Emergency spaace blanket;
4) 80 lb fish line(for snares, fishing,etc);
5) Wood saw made from chain saw chain(can't remember the name of manufacturer;
6) Suunto MC-2 compas w/ adj. declination;
7) LED light(battery lasts 10 years)
8) Gerber Strike Force;
9) 3-4 steel wool pads in ziplock bag(it will inflame even when wet, also used by military survivalists and has never failed to start fire)
10) First aid kit(as I have worked in emergency medicine for 25 years, my list may be idiosyncratic.
 
Wow! Holy old thread, Batman! But I think it is good to revisit topics like this every so often.

Revbob, I believe you are referring to the SaberCut Saw by Ultimate Survival. There is also a Pocket Chainsaw out there that is a little different. Both 'chainsaws' have gotten decent reviews from what I've read.

And for an LED light with batteries that last 10 years, I'll toss out a recommendation for the Petzl e+lite (about $30) and a 3-LED, multi-mode headlamp from Radio Shack ($10). Both lights operate on 2 CR2032 lithium batteries, which have about a 10-year shelf life.
 
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