Rule of Threes
Okay so help me here. Why is the "Rule of Threes" sacred and how does knowing that I need air to breath within 3 minutes or I will die help me? I truly am lost on the concept. I use ACRONYMS and neat little mental tools but this whole deal is lost on me. As a 20 year Scout Master, current Merit Badge counselor, EMT Instructor, NFPA Instructor, FF1 and 2 Instructor/trainer I have never seen this used nor do I see any "field application". So enlighten me. Is this a military concept?
Well....I always thought it was written for those who list their "needs" for any situation, that starts with a Glock as the first item.
Yeah kinda redundant....
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
The first time I heard it used was by Ron Hood in his video series. It is not a military thing since it is so short and to the point.
It is simply a way to prioritize actions in the field.
There is the tendency of inexperienced people to start working on things that are not priority items as soon as their feet touch the ground.
They start working on traps and snares when they have not secured water, shelter or fire.
The "Rule of three" is simply a way to get a newbies head screwed on straight.
Most experienced outdoorsmen will see situations that call for addressing things out of order, and that is OK for those situations, but newbies need a simple guide.
I am not going to pass up shooting a squirrel before I get my shelter finished if one decided to be my dinner. And if the weather is good I am going to seek water before I build my shelter. But, like you, I have done this a time or two and know what has to be finished before dark sets in.
The "Rule of Three" is a teaching tool and not set in stone if common sense intervenes.
How do you feel about the 5 Cs ?
Last edited by kyratshooter; 08-02-2016 at 10:19 PM.
If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?
I guess I do better/feel more at home with a simple "check list" I have read about the 5 Cs but I have never spend much time with application. In teaching Scouts I taught the concept but not by that method. Since I have never attended an formal "Outdoor survival" training per se, my grasp is pretty limited. By the time I started doing "living history" I think I was way past reviewing the need for fire, water, clothes and shelter (in those terms). Part of my problem may be that I have been sleeping outside for fun for over fifty years and I do not ever remember a time when I did not understand that there are certain "essentials" and a very real order of priority, IF you want to have a good time out in the woods/wilderness.
Kyrats,
The very first time I ever heard of the "KISS" concept it was in the Navy. "Keep It Simple Stupid" and "Sailor Proof" was used a lot in my part of the fleet.
Many of us share those same life experiences.....
Judging by the number of people that stop in here....just one small corner of the interwebs....and ask "What the Best knife to ROTTW".....When a good coat would be higher on the list in subzero weather.
They need "Something" as a guide.
How many are in to plants....or friction fire...or packs.....but no mention of a balanced approach of wilderness living (planned) or wilderness survival (un-planned)....just a tunnel vision of how to proceed.
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
Hunter,
I know. A "Balanced approach to living" Hmmmm I need about 48 hours of day light and about 40 hours of dark in each day to help balance my life and just to play with all my "toys" I have 5 riding mules and a team of drafts that I feed and doctor and "keep up" just for fun. Well and also in case I need to go somewhere and don't have access to gasoline or it is very limited. Then there is my water well and garden. I need to re-fence my 50 acres sometime soon. Most of my fence is 20 years old. Cutting firewood, keeping my tools sharp, getting to shoot and making a pair of mocs every once in a while. My buckskin britches are shot and I need to tan three hides and make me another pair of britches. I want to go Elk hunting real bad one more time. I need to clean and oil all my tack and harness. 30 years ago I though having my own "place" was gonna be such a sweet deal. My old cracker box welder quit on me the other day. I have not tore into it yet. Kinda want to buy one of those Millers and build a little trailer so that when I build all that new fence I can have it right there to build the corners and stretch posts. Between brushhogging and such it seems like I am buying 100 gallons of diesel about twice a month. So much for "Self sustaining" I do cut my own hay but I buy feed twice a month in the winter and once a month in the summer. What really sucks is that, in my head, I still get all excited about sleeping on the ground under my buffalo robe, building a fire with flint and steel or my magnifying glass, but even when I am in "new" country it all seems pretty the same any more. And I get tired faster and take longer to recover....But Man I have had fun...and to think I did NOT even know about the rule of threes until I was almost 60!
Last edited by DSJohnson; 12-10-2016 at 05:41 PM.
Yeah, but as is said the rules of 3 are a mental pictogram for prioritizing things with all other things being equal.
3 minutes without air under "normal" life threatening air restrictions. Think under water without extreme cold.
3 hours without shelter. That is in a shift storm I would guess.
3 days with out water. This is an "average". Many folks die in hours because of heat stroke and poor hydration. Others live quite a bit longer at sea. depends on the situation.
3 weeks without food. Lots of folks have fasted longer. Just trying to get you thinking.
And then the final rule, most men can survive for 3 years with out their wives nagging them.
I hear ya......Didn't know there was all these rules other than the 10 Commandants and The BSA Oath....Pretty much covered most stuff.
So still spend a lot of time thinking "Rule what....?....Sheesh... everyone know THAT....Duh.....?
Heading out in Big Red (my mule) and wagon....Rondy at Lake Michigan....
Still trying to figure out how to put a A/C in the wall tent.
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
Hunter you have to get one of those little single room window units and plant your tent beside the light pole that has the plug at the base!
When I was living off grid I used to park the same place at work every day, beside the light pole. No one ever realized I had the battery charger plugged into the pole and was topping off the deep cycle battery daily.
Of course that has nothing to do with the OP.
As a fellow re-enactor from the late 1960s on I must say I have done some things others have missed out on and I have also gotten myself into some tight spots trying to do it like they did in the 1700s without realizing I did not know how they did it in the 1700s!
Also had to come to the realization that they were not limited like we are today.
A guy out in the woods traveling kept his eye out for punk wood for fires, bark for tinder, knew he had just passed a perfect rock shelter a half mile back and had stepped over a spring fed creek 100 yards ago. He might also shoot a deer and only take the hide, heart and liver and after he shot he hightailed it out of the area ASAP. He might also go for a week without a fire if in hostile country and walk the creeks to leave no footprints.
That is not modern back packing, hiking or camping.
We walk where they tell us to, set up the tent where it is allowed, hunt in season and with the correct tools, fish the same way and try to remember if there are any other laws we have broken in case the ranger comes by. In many areas camping like they did back in the day is a violation of a half dozen Federal laws.
Have any of you guys ever done a "one pound weekend"? Set off with a buddy or a group and each person only has one pound of food for the weekend, all clothing and gear set to a specific year?
You pre-1840 guys had it easy! Lots of wall tents and dead animals on your heads. All my history was centered around 1780 with button Nazis everywhere.
Last edited by kyratshooter; 08-03-2016 at 03:18 AM.
If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?
Yeah, pretty much to help people understand priorities. I found it helpful when teaching youth/scouts. For youth, the majority of the time, they will be with a group when they are outdoors. They only get into trouble when they are separated from the group. If they understand that all they really need to do is sit tight and make a shelter and fire, they will be fine and will increase their chances of being found. It also helps them decide what to put in a kit. Clothes, signal, fire, shelter, water, food.... in that order.
Of course, for kids.... the best thing for them to do is sit down for an hour, relax and think. The calmer they are, the better decisions they will make.
Last edited by finallyME; 08-03-2016 at 10:33 AM.
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
http://www.youtube.com/user/FinallyMe78?feature=mhee
Just to echo what's already been said...I feel that the rule of 3's is just a good beginning to understanding your priorities in a wilderness survival situation, all things being equal...which they often might not be, which just means that real understanding goes beyond the rule of 3's so that one knows how to improvise and modify the prioritizing approach according to particular circumstances. But otherwise it's to drive home how important shelter really is, how important water really is, etc. That water, for example, is something that can sabotage all of your other attempts if you don't have it within a couple of days, and lots of it. That you need it before eating, on the one hand, but might need shelter before water on the other hand.
The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
The realist adjusts the sails.
- William Arthur Ward
Like anything else,it was written so individuals can have the opportunity to voice their voice on the web about anything.
You've been saving that..........to say on the web.......haven't you?
Repeat it enough times and it "True"......
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
And don't forget "3 seconds without blood to the brain" !Originally Posted by DSJohnson
It's six minutes but I'm pretty sure there are some that have gone decades with no blood to their brain. Did I say that out loud?
hmmm.
I get what you're saying.
!. But I've been held down in heavy surf and in Grand Canyon rapids enough to appreciate the 3 mins.
2. Dehydration is a much underestimated foe. You lose a lot of mental facilties. 3 days.
3. I have been hungry but not starved. No experience here but 5 days. Doable.
I get the banter. But maybe a bit more respect for the 3's. I have them.
Hahaha!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Hunter63 saying Hey and Welcome....From Wisconsin.
There is an intro section to say hello at:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions
I am going to have to say....this thread by and large, hasn't gotten derailed too much, good stuff here......seems like some folks aren't just a pretty face...LOL
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
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