What should I bring with me to start LIVING in the wild???

[Carl Rotebrink]

also im going to make sure im within 24 hours walking of town and that ill always be able to get there no big rivers or anything of that sort to hinder me

[Ken]

also im going to make sure im within 24 hours walking of town and that ill always be able to get there no big rivers or anything of that sort to hinder me

Assuming, of course, that you're able to walk. How about during severe weather conditions? Blizzard?

[Ken]

Carl, after re-reading your posts, it's obvious, to me at least, that you are entirely unprepared for the adventure you are planning.

You have no training. You have no experience. You have no idea of what you will need to survive, nor any idea of how to acquire those things in the wilderness, if they're even available to you when you need them.

Your own questions suggest that you lack even the most basic and fundamental knowledge and skills you would need to survive in your own backyard in the wintertime.

I don't mean to insult you - I just don't want you to die at an early age. I also don't want to encourage you or give you any advice which may only further embolden you believe that you are capable of achieving this dream of yours - at least at this stage of your life. I believe that Crash was very optimistic when he gave you a 10% chance of survival if you go through with your plans. I believe that your chances are closer to 0% than even 1%.

You are totally unprepared to survive under the best conditions you can expect to encouter. Add a serious injury or sudden illness to the equation, and you will most probably die very quickly. The only benefit you will probably enjoy is a relatively quick death rather than a slow and agonizing one. My guess is that you'll die from an injury or hypothermia, but I don't discount the possibility that you'll starve to death either.

Get a lot of training. Get a lot of experience. Once you do, you'll probably realize just how foolhardy your plans are, and you won't go through with them. In which case, training and experience will have saved your life. Alternatively, if you ultimately do decide go forward with your plans, at least your probability of survival will increase substantially.

Slow down. Learn, learn, learn. And good luck.

[JRR]

Bah, let him go. When I was about 12, I'd go out in the woods with nothing more than a knife and a box of matches, maybe take the 22 or 410 if I was gonna stay overnight. He can always go home if he can't hack it.

[Ken]

He can always go home if he can't hack it.

Okay. And what if he can't? Are you going to help recover his body?

JRR, did you ever post an introduction? Your profile doesn't give us any information to evaluate your qualifications to give such advice to others. Maybe you're an expert. Maybe you're a jokester. Maybe you're a sadist. I'd like to know which it is.

[Ken]

i dont want to discuss my motives for going theyre personal and complicated i just have to go
i feel like i dont have a choice

Maybe you should speak with your doctor about this........

[Stairman]

Just try primitive camping for a week or two first. And I can understand being tired of a city so move to the country. I dont think youll die but I dont think youll stay for long either. Food being your downfall. Especially if you dont have experience with a trap line and edible plants . I didnt see much grub in your checklist.

[Rick]

Carl - First, thanks for answering the questions. Truthfully, they were sort of rhetorical for you to ponder but your answers provide invaluable insight.

Whatever your reasons and reasoning for wanting to do this I think Stairman gave you some good advice. Everyone needs to get away for a bit. Clear the head, flex the body kind of thing. If you give yourself a week, maybe two, then you'll get an excellent taste of what it's like, what you're missing in knowledge and gear and whether it's really something you want to do. Who knows, after a week in the woods you might just see your life differently and decide it's not so bad living in town.

[JRR]

Okay. And what if he can't? Are you going to help recover his body?

JRR, did you ever post an introduction? Your profile doesn't give us any information to evaluate your qualifications to give such advice to others. Maybe you're an expert. Maybe you're a jokester. Maybe you're a sadist. I'd like to know which it is.

Nah, I'm no expert. I'm just a country boy who was raised in the old school. My parents were sharecroppers until my dad made a few bucks by lying about his age and going to war (WW2). I just think people make too big a deal out of a kid traipsing about in the woods for a few days. Worst case scenario, he'll come home hungry. I mean, seriously, he MIGHT fall off a bluff to his death, but no amount of preparedness can stop that. He's much more likely to get hurt on his way to Wal-Mart.

[crashdive123]

Nah, I'm no expert. I just think people make too big a deal out of a kid traipsing about in the woods for a few days. Worst case scenario, he'll come home hungry. I mean, seriously, he MIGHT fall off a bluff to his death, but no amount of preparedness can stop that. He's much more likely to get hurt on his way to Wal-Mart.

JRR - you may want to go back and re-read the posts. He wants to head off into the wilderness permanently, not for a few days.

Carl - I think that Stairman's advice was very sound. Do it for a few days to a week at a time. Find out what gear you really need. Find out what skills you need to practice. Then you will be better prepared for a longer stay.

[Bibow]

Carl, I think you have a good idea (contrary to the beliefs of others) but if you want to live "forever" than you need to think long term; at least bring a gun or bow, rope , axe, gill net (sshhh we won't tell anyone) and sleeping bag just to name a few. Also, read a lot of books, read about the people who knew long term primitive survival the best: the native americans. one book i would suggest is a book i think is titled Survival tactics of the Alaska Kutchin, very good and informative. Just my 2 cents.
Also read the official book thread an this forum, a good read about reads.

[Schleprok]

Carl, gotta be something there if we're all telling you basically the same thing.
Like I said before take it to heart. Everyone is concerned for your safety and well being.
Once again. Practice.
When you believe you are good enough to make the trek of your dreams, put it off a bit longer. Then when it's really raining hard, kinda chilly. Fill the tub full of cold water, dump in two bags of ice, empty your pockets of everything. Submerge yourself completely in the tub. Wait 30 seconds.
Then get out of the tub, go to your practice place and build a shelter and fire. Manage that and you may do okay on your trek.
It's one thing to build a shelter, fire, etc, under ideal conditions. Doing it when Mother Nature is in a bad mood is completely different scenario.
I wouldn't attempt brain surgery without years of training and apprenticeship. Same applies here.
Your decision. Just remember the SWAT team logo: 1* (one a__ to risk) yours!

[Goloth]

also im going to make sure im within 24 hours walking of town and that ill always be able to get there no big rivers or anything of that sort to hinder me

Okay my friend, I'm seventeen, however, I've spent my own amount of time in two different types of wilderness which would pretty much be Desert landscapes, and mountainous forest landscapes. Now, since it's Ontario, I would say that you're going to obviously be dealing with the latter. Now my friend, to start, as they said, it seems you are lacking survival experience, I completely understand your motives, you want silence, you want to prove you can do something on your own, and you want a simple chance to get away from everything and straighten your thoughts by first proving to yourself you can do something difficult and challenging such as this.

Now, to get serious, you obviously lack the experience, highly unfortunately. The gear you did advertise was... a good start, however my friend, what you want to do, even if you are the most experienced mountain man in the entire history of the world, is review the basics! The basics of wilderness survival are... basic... well that doesn't get us anywhere you say, however think of what you would obviously need to survive a weekend in... let's say... the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, the harshest environment known to man. What would you need? Put ALL of that down on a piece of paper, then narrow it down to bare essentials. Now you may ask obviously, how in the hell is this going to help me? To prepare for the best conditions, you must first prepare for the worst when it comes to mother nature my friend, you will learn that fast.

My second piece of advice to you is take a wilderness survival class, there are some that teach up to two days of survival with nothing but a knife. However keep in mind, there is much more out there besides just you, the water, and the trees. You got predators, bears, cougars, lynx, several dangerous animals bro. I'd bring a .45 if I were you, (unless you plan on making spears out of rocks and sticks to defend yourself at a range). Here are some wilderness survival training classes in the Ontario area, I checked google - http://www.northernedgealgonquin.com/survival.html - there's an older class to give you an idea of what you'd learn.

My third piece of advice to you is to stick around the forums here for at least... a week and a half, read and absorb every single piece of information you can about survival here. Have you even thought of what kind of clothes to wear out there? I bet not, you can find out what kind to wear on here, what's the most durable, the most flexible, the best prepared, all of that. Hell, you can even find what the best kind of flint strikers are on here I'm sure, this forum will be a fountain of information to your mind man.

My fourth piece of advice to you is BRING A F--KING FRIEND MAN! Loneliness and hopelessness are probably the #1 killers of people trying wilderness survival. You get lost, you're gonna be lost for a long time man, and unless you got a partner to help you prepare camp, get food, and keep you social company, you aren't gonna get far, trust me on that.

My final piece of advice is, listen to these guys here, even me (not that I'm an expert, hell, I wish I was.) You'll learn fast what it takes, and then work your way up man, don't just jump in. The rate of survival in the area of the world you're talking about (Canada) is probably VERY SMALL due to the fact that it's one of the most undiscovered places in the world as far as the woods go, as you know, the cities in Canada are in the south, when you get more center or northern, it gets very unforgiving in it's climate. Just keep safe man, get it going, and ease yourself in, if you jump in without looking down you can end up at the bottom of a problem you can't swim yourself out of man, keep that in mind and good luck.

[Schleprok]

Goloth, you have a good head for 17...
Excellent Post!

[Nativedude]

JRR wrote: "I've spent considerable time in the woods, and let me tell you, as romantic as it may sound, doing it permenant is not possible. Let me rephrase that. Doing it permenantly, and keeping your sanity is not doable. Man is a social animal, and as such, he needs other people. . ."

I have to wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. There are men and women that live a secluded (hermit) lifestyle--prefer it-- and are living just fine. I, personally, know people that live this way and prefer it to being around others, except for an occasional visit.

Carl Rotebrink wrote: "i just want to make an attempt at living/surviving with the equipment on my initial list ill get more according to what i need thats what the "emergency money" will be for kind of
food too if absolutely necessary

ill be making monthly visits to town anyway to call my mum to let her know im ok if i am haha
maybe get some pipe tobacco too?

i guess what im saying is that im not shutting myself out im willing to adjust

i just cant wait much longer im miserable in the city

id rather die happy than live miserable you know?

i dont want to discuss my motives for going there personal and complicated i just have to go i feel like i dont have a choice.

also im going to make sure im within 24 hours walking of town and that ill always be able to get there no big rivers or anything of that sort to hinder me"

Carl, first of all, taking off in the woods with little experience is foolhardy at best and a death sentence in the worst case scenario. I don't know you, but I sure would hate to think or know that something happened to you on your quest.

Taking off deep into the wilderness is NOT the same as weekend camping or exploring the woods near your home. It is a SERIOUS undertaking that must be planned and thought out CAREFULLY.

I have been in the woods my whole life, but before I packed up and moved deep into the wild backcountry, I lived in remote areas (close to civilization). I lived in a cave for 2 summers and 1 winter to see if I could do it. And then I carefully planned my move to Alaska. It took 4 years total to plan and get moved to where I am now. I have been here for 8 years and have been able to do so because of my pre-move preparation.

Second, trying to live in just a lean-to shelter tells me you are very inexperienced and it is not a reality. A lean-to is a summer shelter that works where temps remain in the 70's during the night. That does not happen in Ontario. It gets cold at night up there. You will need, at least, a 3-sided shelter that will retain heat. Something covered with thick bark or wood.

You would be better building a wiki-up, but that takes a lot of time and experience to do. It must be practiced prior to trying it in the deep backcountry.

Third, the statement "im going to make sure im within 24 hours walking of town and that ill always be able to get there no big rivers or anything of that sort to hinder me", is a pipe dream. Any number of things can happen and have happened to people whom were less than 250' from their vehicle, and they died from hypothermia because they were not able to get to there vehicle or help. So being "within 24 hours" is a long way to travel if you are injured, starving, dehydrated, etc.

PLEASE, PLEASE, take your time and think this through before you take off half-cocked because you're tired of the city. I was too (sick of the city), but I planned and made preparations before I took off.

Take some time and as Goloth said, Take a wilderness survival course. Take the time to find out what it's all about!

[BK-72]

I have to wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. There are men and women that live a secluded (hermit) lifestyle--prefer it-- and are living just fine. I, personally, know people that live this way and prefer it to being around others, except for an occasional visit.

Those are the exception, not the general rule.

[oly]

Carl it seems to me that you just wont piece and quiet to get your $hit together, seems like your one of them that will go all out 100% or not at all with that said you most likely will end up 100% dead
Try to find some neutral ground like camp just outside of remote but close to civilization location to find your piece and get your $hit together, as your skills improve the most likely you will survive.
Have you considered self defence against predators?

[endurance]

Carl,
I totally understand the attraction to leaving society behind and heading out into the woods with nothing but what's on your back and escaping from your current world. At 19 I was there, too. I'm 42 now, but then I decided to drop out of college, go on a five week solo road trip with my 50mpg Civic CRX filled with food and camping gear, hike the Grand Canyon, camp in the high California deserts, and then fate stepped in. I stopped by a Forest Service office and started talking with a "ranger". One thing led to another and eventually I applied for a volunteer position on a wilderness trail crew. It wasn't purely volunteer work. I worked 40 hours a week and received free housing and a $10 a day stipend (which at the time was enough to buy my groceries). What I got out of it was the experience I needed to thrive in the wild. It wasn't about survival, it was about living without and creating things with your own hands. Building bridges across raging rivers with a crew, some basic hand tools, and the sweat of your brow is some of the most rewarding work you can ever do.

The number one thing on your list of things to acquire right now should be experience. The kind of experience you need demands training wheels if you want to survive. You need someone to point you in the right direction, look after you, and concentrate your energy into what matters. We're not talking about a lifetime here, we're talking about a summer or two working in the right field with the right people. It doesn't have to be with the forest service, it could just as easily be with an outfitter guide service, maybe a log home construction crew, a park service crew, or by paying for the experience with something like Outward Bound or NOLS. Some community colleges also have courses in orienteering, wilderness survival, construction crafts, and of course, first aid.

If you're feeling barraged by this group, it's because you're not the first to walk in here and say that you want to walk off into the woods and scratch out your own existance. It's a common feeling, but if you want to survive, you need to get the skills and experience to back it up first. The first time you experience hypothermia you need a good friend there to bring you back from the edge. If you're alone your first time, you'll die. The consequences are high and we just ask that you respect what you're getting into.

Mark

[Schleprok]

Some great ideas for you Carl. Give them another read and think on it a bit.
Is there a rush on your part? Or, could you be like the kid on Christmas Eve and just hold on a little bit longer?
If you can hold on, give yourself a timeline. Say, one year. In that time you need to learn as much as possible, practice as much as possible, etc. Don't go all out on equipment until halfway through. You will have a better idea then of what you have to have, and what you can do without.
Give Endurance's post a lot of thought. Great idea. Something along those lines would get you away and started. Learn as you go, but not be totally isolated. Plus give you more prep time for the big move. Great way to spend a year.

[oly]

I noticed that you have fishing equipment and there's one thing you need to know, if you smell like fish, in the bears eyes you must taste like one.