Ultimate Survival Scenario - What do you bring?

S

Serrinon

Joined
Aug 19, 2007
Messages
233
Hello Everyone,

So the other day I picked up a 90 Liter pack and thought to myself:

"What would I put in here if I had to live off the contents and what I was wearing/carrying for a year in the wilderness of North America with NO help from others?"

I thought this could be a pretty interesting thread so I'll make a list with specific brand names that people suggest and update it as the thread grows and we'll come up with a final packing & carry list.

I'm new to camping and by no means qualified to start this list so I'll just post some general ideas for now:
Knives, Fire, Water Purification, Jacket, Boots, types of clothing, Sleeping Bag, Tent, Hammock, rifle, bow, fishing rod, snairs, FAK supplies, salt, useful books, etc...

Assumptions:

Situation: Living alone for 1 year in the wilderness
Location: Colorado/Montana area or further North
Weight Max: 100Lbs for initial Hump out, dropping to 55LB's or less once we find a safe place to drop some of the gear.
Pack: One 90 Liter Pack & What you can Carry - We can consider other options in the future, but lets start with this.

Once we get down a basic list we can consider different scenarios, maybe add another person, a horse, etc...
 
As far as size/weight, what do you consider reasonable? So called "light" infantry carry as much as 100lbs in a full loadout (more in some cases), but I'm betting most people wouldn't call that reasonable.
 
Humm, good point, I guess we should make sure to determine what weight is reasonable. I'm guessing that we should say something less than 100lbs. Maybe 80lbs?

EDIT: Just found this rule of thumb:

"A well-trained hiker might be able to carry up to one third of his own body weight as From the Skin Out (FSO) Weight. In general, however, one fourth will already be very cumbersome. From one fifth and down, you should be able to hike comfortably."

But we are going with the original 100 LB's under the assumption that we can take that to a location and then ditch the heavy stuff at a place we make camp.
 
I don't usually play in these "what would you take" threads, but for some reason I think I might on this one. I'll get to my thoughts on specifics later...maybe, but I would think for a year long "trip" one would do better to carry tools to make things rather than your usual "survival" gear. Think "Alone in the Wilderness" Where that guy packed in chisels, saws, axes, etc., and made everything else. Of course he had resupply by plane, but the premise still holds true IMHO. Probably an axe, couple good medium knives, a few chisels (minus handles), sturdy saw with file to sharpen, whetstone, .22 and couple hundred rounds of ammo, larger weapon appropriate to region w/ammo, snare wire, paracord, Three days food, fishing pole, hooks, sinkers, tackle, line, two pairs of boots, lots of socks, several pairs of pants, a good book or two (instructional), hmmm probably hit the 55lb mark by now.
 
it might help to know the region that you need to survive in also, to help in choice of gear for that local
 
I think I personally would be willing to carry quite a bit more for this kind of trip. I can't see myself hiking around constantly for a year. I'd go in and find a place to make a permanent shelter/camp and probably stay in that general area, probably not ever going more than a few days hiking distance from my "base camp". I think I'd be willing to lug a 100 pound load for a few days or a week 'till I found someplace to call home. I don't know if I'd go so far as to build a full out log cabin like Dick Proenneke from "Alone in the Wilderness" but I agree with Big B that some good wood working tools, as well as files and sharpening stones to maintain them would be at or near the top of my list. Unfortunately, my woodworking skills pale in comparison to those of Mr. Proenneke. He made everything look so easy.
 
My week long pack weighs about 40 lbs. of the standard stuff. Figure the normal week's food to get me started is as usual. Add 3 firearms, ammo, fishing gear, big saw, and extra hygene stuff and I'm already at 100 lbs. You can't carry a year's food so it's extra guns, extra ammo and fishing gear that is the only real difference from a week for one person. If I had the warning to have all that extra stuff with me, I'd also have family with me so that takes on a whole new set of considerations.:) Regards, ss.
 
Good points, so back to the 100LB's for the initial trip out into the woods.

And to answer Mikes point lets lets say we are in the Colorado/Montana area or further North.
 
this is what is in my pack every day and it is always near me:
1- Leatherman charge ti
2- two firestarters and waterproof matches
3- iodine tabs
4- bottle of advil
5- small first aid kit
6- survival blanket
7- goretex shell jacket
8- Busse Battlemistress
9- 200 ft of paracord
10- 3 bags of beef jerkey
11- bag of peanuts
12- 2 bags of flavored tuna
13- 5 bags of cliff shots
14- 5 power bars
15- 1 liter bottle of water and a mid size bottle of gatorade
16- ruger mark II bull barrel stainless 200 rounds of ammo
17- glock 21

the weight of all this is under 50 lbs. This is not my camping pack, but it is the pack that I am likely to have with me if there is an emergency serious weather type calamity.
 
Another consideration that I described in another thread- about 20 years ago I read an account that included the diary of a researcher stranded alone in the arctic for about eight months. He was OK for the first several months then a subtle change became evident in his diary. The isolation played on his mind until he slipped into a listless confused mental state. His writing went from coherent and hopeful to rambling despair. At the end of eight months (as I recall after 20 years) he used the Winchester on himself. He was "found" about a week later.

Involuntary isolation can be a considerable adversary unless there is enough hope to remain positive. Maybe that's why some don't think clearly even when lost only for a short time. I found out the hard way and it was a real surprise to me. It's more than just stuff and the knowledge to use it. :)Regards, ss.
 
Are we restricted to a back pack only ?if not i remember hearing of the VC carrying thousands of ton's of ammo & gear down the Ho Chi Minh trail 4 or five hundred pounds at a time strapped to bicycles and pushed if this idea is allowed it open's many options
 
runningboar said:
What is flavored tuna?
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those packs of rip open tuna that come with different flavors and are about 26 to 35 grams of protein. they are easier and lighter than cans of tuna and they taste great. I also carry flavored salmon bags as well. The juices from these bags make great bait if you don't mind eating small predators as well. They also attract bears once opened.
 
Then there are those of us that would really like voluntary isolation.....if only I had the money to do it with satellite internet, tv, flushing toilet, natural gas heat, air conditioning, and unlimited electricity......oh and a weekly flyover to drop off my internet purchases for that week.......OOPS!!! I digressed. I think we have pretty much covered the topic as far as equipment to carry. We now just have to decide on brand name to satisfy the original post. Is money no Object here or are we on a budget??? Serrinon time for you to chime in as it is your thread.
 
bigbcustom said:
Then there are those of us that would really like voluntary isolation.....if only I had the money to do it with satellite internet, tv, flushing toilet, natural gas heat, air conditioning, and unlimited electricity......oh and a weekly flyover to drop off my internet purchases for that week.......OOPS!!! I digressed. I think we have pretty much covered the topic as far as equipment to carry. We now just have to decide on brand name to satisfy the original post. Is money no Object here or are we on a budget??? Serrinon time for you to chime in as it is your thread.
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I don't think money is the issue, weight is. What can you carry in that 55 lbs pack? regardless of what the brand is and who cares. If I carry a G-shock and you carry a submariner more power to yah.
 
Cobalt said:
those packs of rip open tuna that come with different flavors and are about 26 to 35 grams of protein. they are easier and lighter than cans of tuna and they taste great. I also carry flavored salmon bags as well. The juices from these bags make great bait if you don't mind eating small predators as well. They also attract bears once opened.
Click to expand...

One more post and I will quit hijacking.:o

I have seen the foil packs but not the flavored ones, what flavors do they have? I hate albacore tuna and am looking for ways to make it better, because it is easy to carry and very good for you. Chris
 
MIKE MACINTOSH said:
Are we restricted to a back pack only ?if not i remember hearing of the VC carrying thousands of ton's of ammo & gear down the Ho Chi Minh trail 4 or five hundred pounds at a time strapped to bicycles and pushed if this idea is allowed it open's many options
Click to expand...

For now lets say NO. We'll stick to the pack and what you can carry. Maybe we can start another thread where you have a pack and a mountain bike ;)

As far as bigbcustom's question - Lets assume reasonable budget, things should be mid range. We aren't assuming that we've got unlimited funds but we aren't going on a low budget either.

I think we've got a good start but there are lots of detailed items that we haven't listed yet. For example someone mentioned iodine tablets, but we might be better off with a 3 oz. Bottle of Iodine Crystalline that will purify up to 2,000 qts of water. Are we going no shelter? You can pick up a hammock that only weighs 1-2 Lb's and can serve as your shelter and the rain fly will have other applications.
 
runningboar said:
One more post and I will quit hijacking.:o

I have seen the foil packs but not the flavored ones, what flavors do they have? I hate albacore tuna and am looking for ways to make it better, because it is easy to carry and very good for you. Chris
Click to expand...


They come in something like 5 different flavors, teriyaki, lemon pepper, bar-b-q and some others. They taste really good and make tuna pallatable for those that do not care for it but realize it's benefits. Give them a shot you will like them. They also make the salmon packs the same way.
 
Cobalt said:
They come in something like 5 different flavors, teriyaki, lemon pepper, bar-b-q and some others. They taste really good and make tuna pallatable for those that do not care for it but realize it's benefits. Give them a shot you will like them. They also make the salmon packs the same way.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup: I will go to the store tommorrow.

I think in the 1 year scenario the only thing I would take different than a week long trip is tools, seeds, more ammo, and as much dry rice and beans as I can carry. Chris
 
Cobalt said:
this is what is in my pack every day and it is always near me:
1- Leatherman charge ti
2- two firestarters and waterproof matches
3- iodine tabs
4- bottle of advil
5- small first aid kit
6- survival blanket
7- goretex shell jacket
8- Busse Battlemistress
9- 200 ft of paracord
10- 3 bags of beef jerkey
11- bag of peanuts
12- 2 bags of flavored tuna
13- 5 bags of cliff shots
14- 5 power bars
15- 1 liter bottle of water and a mid size bottle of gatorade
16- ruger mark II bull barrel stainless 200 rounds of ammo
17- glock 21

the weight of all this is under 50 lbs. This is not my camping pack, but it is the pack that I am likely to have with me if there is an emergency serious weather type calamity.
Click to expand...

Excellent start, can you elaborate on your FAK and what other items you would bring along?

I think that the tools bigbcustom mentioned are a great idea. Which would you bring?

Would you bring any shelter?
 
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