Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 25

Thread: If you had to just go and survive....

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    14

    Default If you had to just go and survive....

    Where would you go, if there was nowhere you could go to for help. You just had to get up and go. What items would you bring with you, if you could only carry a backpack and a five gallon bucket? let's say no more than 20 pounds.

    As for myself I think I would go to the rockey mountains. More specifically a heavy wooded area, a few miles below the snow line. I'd go for a cave near a water source, but of there were no caves to be found I'd try and make a wiki.

    What I'd bring with me would be my 3 sets of wool clothing including 2 pairs of long underwear.
    My 12 gauge.
    My Becker bk12, and my Mora clipper.
    A bow saw
    100ft of 550 paracord
    100ft of bankline
    Food- flour, lard, salt and pepper, sugar, coffee, corn meal, bisquick, and a
    Small bottle of fire whiskey.
    My cooking kit, which includes a teapot, cup and bowl. All stainless, and a fork and
    Spoon(i hate sporks)
    My fire kit
    My backup fire kit
    First aid kit
    My shelter system- hammock, tarp, underquilt, and down sleeping bag. And my
    Micro lite sleeping pad
    Pack of cigs, don't smoke now, but I've heard of people putting cigs in there long term packs for morale boosters.

    I feel like I could survive for a while with a system like this, I'd like to hear your inputs on my setup and I'd like to see yours. It would be interesting to see what people would do for a SHTF situation.

    Thanks guys,
    Gravy


  2. #2
    Super-duper Moderator Sarge47's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    The People's Republic of Illinois
    Posts
    9,449
    Blog Entries
    32

    Cool well now...

    Since when do you get to pick and choose where you will "survive?" Totally unrealistic.....
    SARGE
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
    Albert Einstein

    Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!

    They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    Benjamin Franklin

  3. #3
    Senior Member Mtnman Mike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Colorado & Wyoming
    Posts
    138

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sarge47 View Post
    Since when do you get to pick and choose where you will "survive?" Totally unrealistic.....
    Unless possibly one owns their own remote mountain survival retreat. But I am very different from most and what works for me likely would not be comfy enough or work out for most, especially those used to modern suciety and its expensive conveniences.
    That is where I plan to "bug out" to IF necessary and hopefully move to my Wyoming mtn paradise I mean retreat someday soon, Permanently. Even if nothing bad such as a SHTF will ever happen.

    Pic threads can be found that I have made on this good forum if you search my profile or even google { Mtnman Mike retreat }

    And MNgravy, I think the Rocky Mountains are an excellent place to have a survival retreat ( BOL ) but you have to find it first. And if you own the land or know someone who does then that is best.
    And not just Anywhere in the Rockies but a place that has an abundance of water, wildlife and wood such as the mtn retreat I found and began building on in 1987.
    Last edited by Mtnman Mike; 03-18-2013 at 10:15 PM.

  4. #4
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    14

    Default

    It is just an example, I could walk twenty feet outside my back door and carry the same mentality. Sure location would be different. But my thought processes, my actions, and my goals would be very similar. I was asking if you could pick a place, where would It be? I'd pick the rocky mountains. I'm not asking where are you gonna go no matter what, I was asking if you could pick, "IF" you could pick. There's an if in there.

  5. #5
    Senior Member tacmedic's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    319

    Default

    Guessing weights has never really been my thing, but I'm thinking your list is quite a bit heavier than 20 pounds. You list flour, lard, corn meal, coffee etc. . .How much food are you really going to be able to carry with a 20 pound limit along with all your other stuff? 20 pounds really isn't that much. On callouts my medic pack routinely weighs more than that.
    "When young men seek to be like you, when lazy men resent you, when powerful men look over their shoulder at you, when cowardly men plot behind your back, when corrupt men wish you were gone and evil men want you dead; Only then will you have done your share." -Phil Messina

  6. #6
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Tac, ya your right it would probably be more than twenty, I've weighed my bag for hiking trips a few times with everything I just listed in there, except my 12 gauge, bow saw and that amount of food. And it came to around 14 pounds so I can agree with you. It would probably be more around 30-35.

  7. #7
    Senior Member tacmedic's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    319

    Default

    To get back to your original question. . . If I had to pick I would most likely pick a tropical destination. Or at the very least, some place that I wouldn't have to deal with the changing of the seasons. It's not that I don't like the seasons, I just think it might be easier if the climate was always the same.
    "When young men seek to be like you, when lazy men resent you, when powerful men look over their shoulder at you, when cowardly men plot behind your back, when corrupt men wish you were gone and evil men want you dead; Only then will you have done your share." -Phil Messina

  8. #8
    Senior Member BENESSE's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Gotham
    Posts
    9,676

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mngravy View Post
    I was asking if you could pick a place, where would It be? I'd pick the rocky mountains. I'm not asking where are you gonna go no matter what, I was asking if you could pick, "IF" you could pick. There's an if in there.
    Not very realistic, but still...
    I'd go to a remote village in the Swiss Alps. Neutral country, (has been for a long time) civilized, hard working, independent people with a history of a national/military service, civil defense, and strong family and community values. Certainly would prefer o find that here but at the moment am stumped as to where that could be. I am certain that survival alone for any extended period of time without the support of a like minded community would be virtually impossible.

  9. #9
    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Little cabin in the woods, middle of Alaska.
    Posts
    5,248

    Default

    I would load my kids in my car with as many blankets as I had, 3 sheets, 3 pillows and cases, 3 towels, a handful of washclothes, a fry pan, a spaghetti pan, 6 spoons, 6 forks, a couple of butter knives, a few sharp knives, 3 plates, 3 bowls, a couple of coffee mugs and two drinking glasses, several books, a radio, a little bitty tv, some photo albums and go here.



    <--------------
    Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can.

    Alaska, the Madness! Bloggity Stories of the North Country

    "Building Codes, Alaskans don't need no stinking Building Codes." Sourdough

    Yes, I have wifi in my outhouse!

  10. #10
    Senior Member Stiffy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    429

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mngravy View Post
    Where would you go, if there was nowhere you could go to for help. You just had to get up and go. What items would you bring with you, if you could only carry a backpack and a five gallon bucket? let's say no more than 20 pounds.

    . . .

    (etc., etc. etc.)

    and a Small bottle of fire whiskey

    (etc. etc. etc.) . . .

    I don't understand small bottle????
    Klytus, I'm bored -- Emperor Ming

    Nature is never boring -- various

  11. #11
    Super-duper Moderator Sarge47's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    The People's Republic of Illinois
    Posts
    9,449
    Blog Entries
    32

    Cool well now...

    As long as we're in "fantasy land" I'd head for a South Sea island! I'd grab a bunch of credit cards and head for Honolulu. My BOL would be the Hawaiian Hilton Village. I've been there before and the place is great! To save space I'd buy what I need there.......(Bear Grylls ain't got nuthin' on me!)
    Last edited by Sarge47; 03-19-2013 at 10:36 PM.
    SARGE
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
    Albert Einstein

    Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!

    They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    Benjamin Franklin

  12. #12
    Senior Member old2531's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    shenandoah,iowa
    Posts
    108

    Default

    if theres no place for help why leave where your at you cant posible carry more than a few days food not counting all the ammunition youll have to take with u

  13. #13
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    KY bluegrass region-the center of the universe
    Posts
    10,360

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mngravy View Post
    Where would you go, if there was nowhere you could go to for help. You just had to get up and go. What items would you bring with you, if you could only carry a backpack and a five gallon bucket? let's say no more than 20 pounds.

    As for myself I think I would go to the rockey mountains. More specifically a heavy wooded area, a few miles below the snow line. I'd go for a cave near a water source, but of there were no caves to be found I'd try and make a wiki.

    What I'd bring with me would be my 3 sets of wool clothing including 2 pairs of long underwear.
    My 12 gauge.
    My Becker bk12, and my Mora clipper.
    A bow saw
    100ft of 550 paracord
    100ft of bankline
    Food- flour, lard, salt and pepper, sugar, coffee, corn meal, bisquick, and a
    Small bottle of fire whiskey.
    My cooking kit, which includes a teapot, cup and bowl. All stainless, and a fork and
    Spoon(i hate sporks)
    My fire kit
    My backup fire kit
    First aid kit
    My shelter system- hammock, tarp, underquilt, and down sleeping bag. And my
    Micro lite sleeping pad
    Pack of cigs, don't smoke now, but I've heard of people putting cigs in there long term packs for morale boosters.

    I feel like I could survive for a while with a system like this, I'd like to hear your inputs on my setup and I'd like to see yours. It would be interesting to see what people would do for a SHTF situation.

    Thanks guys,
    Gravy
    If you are picking and choosing your spot,

    And picking and choosing your gear,

    You are not surviving,

    You are CAMPING!

    Good luck with that!
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

  14. #14
    Senior Member GreatUsername's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Western Washington State
    Posts
    532

    Default

    If you're going to bring any firearm for long-term survival, especially where weight is concerned, I find a 12-guage an odd choice. The heaviest I'd go with is .223, but personally I'm obsessed with .22 lr, especially with a weight threshold of 20 lbs.

    The location I'd chose to "survive" in (though why on earth I'd try subsistence camping is beyond me) would be the West Washington Cascades, as there are dozens of mountain lakes in a relatively small area, and one could fish, forage for berries, salal, and nettles, and avoid depleting resources by rotating through neighboring valleys, all the while having access to fresh water. Realistically, I'd still starve though, as would anyone trying to hunt and gather anywhere unless you have more individuals or agriculture.

    Other alterations to your kit that I'd make beyond firearm would be these:
    -ditch the whiskey
    -only 1 pair of zip-off wool cargo pants, two undershirts, one wool sweater, one overcoat, one pair of long underwear and three pairs of socks, then a light clothing-repair kit (patches, sewing stuff, etc)
    -no bow saw
    -Randall bowie + buck folder for knives, add one hatchet
    -Two (thick) wool blankets, ditch the rest of the sleep system as some of it (the tarp and hammock) is extra stuff you won't need during long-term "fantasy survival" if you build shelters from natural materials
    -food would instead consist of rice, beans, and salt, in sufficient amounts to stretch out the fish and forage (and occasional red-meat that I won't pretend will come often). Coffee is a luxury, as are any foods not efficient in weight-to-calorie-ratio, though that being said, I might bring a small amount of chocolate. (speaking of which, what's the most calorie-dense food available for survival preps?)
    -instead of the cigs, several ounces of soap-powder. Being clean would be more of a pick-me-up in long term survival (and better for my health) than lighting one up.
    -Cookware would be a metal (fire-safe) bottle, two pots, a cup, and fork. Spoons can be carved more easily than forks.
    -First aid... not going to go into detail, but it would be mid-sized and realistic to a single survivor without MD training
    -Fire kit would be several ferrocium bars, a fire-piston, and a box of matches

    I would still be substantially over 20lbs, but if I ditched the overcoat and wear one of the blankets, and use the other blanket as my pack, I think I'd be getting closer to the mark, especially with a lighter firearm. If I were more proficient with a bow, I would choose that instead, as archery systems tend to be light.

    Of course, if we're going to have freedom of location and supplies, why worry about weight? These exercises are good for determining ones priorities of supplies given specific situations, but likely not too applicable to real-life survival. For me especially, the only time I'll have to survive in the wilderness is if I get lost or injured while camping, because I am a staunch believer in "bugging-in" or fleeing to relatives in another city when shtf in my home town.
    I am to misbehave - Captain Mal

    Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, you aren't entitled to your own set of facts. - Anonymous

  15. #15
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    SE/SW Wisconsin
    Posts
    26,866

    Default

    I see from your profile you are from Minnesota?....So should be used to winter snows and cold......So a couple of comments, experience gleaned for several Elk/mule deer hunting trips @8k to 10.5K ft.

    What time of year are you planning on this....(as if you can plan a SHTF)....winter is hard going, as snow will be many feet deep, game is very scarce, and you need a LOT of calories....pick-ups full as a matter of fact.

    Mountains have no air up there......need to be acclimated to altitude....make doing anything a real chore, if you are not used to it.....and everything is up hill, or down hill....and you don't go down unless you really have to.

    Mountain are very dry, not much water anywhere unless its a stream..and most all water is know about.....water is around 8 pounds a gal.
    I truly believe you get air from drinking water....never go anywhere with out a canteen full, to get you back to camp.

    12 ga have from 7/8 oz to 1/1/2 oz of shot, plus hulls and brass, shot gun from 7 pounds up......do the math.....water and gun/shell close to 20 pounds alone......

    Your kit is as good as any other, and you can 'one more thing" it forever till it takes a truck to carry it.

    My suggestion is to take that kit, and head outside....and see how long you can stay out there.
    Most kits can get you by of 3 days.....but you are using built up reserves....the rest of the week will tell the story......by the second week you are in real bad shape, unless you really are lucky.

    The proof in in the doing...one can speculate forever,...even though thinking and planning are a valuable drill.... doing is answer.
    Then look at the kit, what worked, what didn't, how long you can stay....etc.

    I would be intrested in your adventures results.
    Good luck.
    Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
    Evoking the 50 year old rule...
    First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
    Member Wahoo Killer knives club....#27

  16. #16
    One step at a time intothenew's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    WV
    Posts
    1,139

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GreatUsername View Post
    ..............speaking of which, what's the most calorie-dense food available for survival preps?...............

    Lard, followed closely by vegetable oils if we only talk calories.


    Nuts and seeds are third, but also contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. My answer the way the question was posed? Nuts and seeds.
    "They call us civilized because we are easy to sneak up on."- Lone Waite

  17. #17
    Not a Mod finallyME's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Utah
    Posts
    4,227

    Default

    First choice, stay home. Band the neighbors together, form a community to work out the needs of everyone, and farm, farm, farm every available spot. Without farming you won't last long.
    I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
    http://www.youtube.com/user/FinallyMe78?feature=mhee

  18. #18
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    58,832

    Default

    I'd probably change channels. If nothing good was on just pull out the lawn chair, pop some popcorn add a drink of choice and wait for the big "whatever" to happen. I'm too da**ed old to be running away from a fight. Besides, someone would catch me if I tried. Can't run any more either.
    Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.

  19. #19

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mngravy View Post
    Where would you go,
    For your scenario, the sea. Where and why are the biggest population centers on the coast? Food and trade.

  20. #20
    Resident Wildman Wildthang's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3,825

    Default

    I would go to the mountains in southeast Oklahoma where the winters are mild with lot's of game and clean creeks. I think cold winter locations double the effort of survival and I don;t want to deal with that if I dont have to!

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •