Whats harder - stuck in the middle of the ocean on a liftraft or lost in the forest?

[tunick001]

Lets say you're on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean. A major storm hits you with 50 foot waves and sinks your sailboat. You're forced out on a liferaft with nothing more than a emergency kit. 1000 miles from the nearest land with no emergency beacon. Or you're hiking in the mountain wilderness in Montana and get off the trail and you're suddenly lost. You're lost for months. What would be worst?

My answer, no doubt, being stuck in the middle of the ocean on a liferaft.

[Rick]

I can't imagine being lost in the woods for months. Not in North America anyway. While I'm inclined to say the ocean it would depend on what I have in the emergency kit. You didn't give me a backpack or survival kit for the woods so I'm totally dependent on my skills and what nature can provide. It also depends on the season and where I am in the ocean. If I'm in the northern latitudes I could be hosed in short order. If I'm in the middle of the woods in the winter with nothing, same thing. So....it depends.

[beerrunner13]

I have a better skill set for liveing in the forest, so there is no way I want to be in that life raft.

[crashdive123]

Would need a bit more info to answer. Does my kit include a solar still? time of year? location? If in the woods do I have any gear? I've sailed quite a bit and wouldn't be that far from land without an epirb and having left a detailed voyage route.

[Rick]

Beerrunner - Would you want to be in Montana in the middle of winter without so much as a match? Brrrrrrrr. Not me. And if that dingy is in the south seas....well...how far can Polynesia be (he asked straightening his tie)?

[tunick001]

Would need a bit more info to answer. Does my kit include a solar still? time of year? location? If in the woods do I have any gear? I've sailed quite a bit and wouldn't be that far from land without an epirb and having left a detailed voyage route.

lets say for the montana scenerio, its summertime June. you only have the stuff you would normally have for a weekend of backpacking and hiking.

as for the ocean scenerio, you're on a solo sail to honolulu, hawaii from los angeles. the storm hits you and sinks you exactly in the middle of the trip. its the middle of winter, january.

[Rick]

Not much of a choice is there. The woods would be a picnic in comparison.

[Tahyo]

I'd rather take my chances in the woods at this point. All my skills are land based and even my most casual backpack or hiking gear would give me cause not to panic.

[Alpine_Sapper]

lets say for the montana scenerio, its summertime June. you only have the stuff you would normally have for a weekend of backpacking and hiking.

as for the ocean scenerio, you're on a solo sail to honolulu, hawaii from los angeles. the storm hits you and sinks you exactly in the middle of the trip. its the middle of winter, january.

lol. My daypack has enough stuff that I can live for a week and not worry at all. Might feel a little hungry living on short rations, but c'est la vie. At that point it's time to start thinking about food, but, I'd have done that the first day with some snare wire and a trout line to try and make the stuff I carry stretch. Geared for a week-end? Who wants to be the dingy in the dhingy with nothing to do, no water, etc etc?

[beerrunner13]

I stand by my choice

[crashdive123]

lets say for the montana scenerio, its summertime June. you only have the stuff you would normally have for a weekend of backpacking and hiking.

as for the ocean scenerio, you're on a solo sail to honolulu, hawaii from los angeles. the storm hits you and sinks you exactly in the middle of the trip. its the middle of winter, january.

Thought I posted a reply. Must have messed up. Anyway with this scenario it's an easy one for me. Montana wins hands down. The storm that you describe is not uncommon in the Pacific that time of the year. At sea with no or little supplies would be very ugly.

[Ridge Wolf]

Stuck on a life boat in the ocean is the worst because it is foreign to you and not like if you're in the forest with familiarity (think land lubber 99.9% of your life). You have limited resourses in a life raft on some models... also, there is always the possibility of sharks which I wouldn't know how to deal with as opposed to a mountain lion or bear in the forest.

[Excalibur]

its the woods for me I get sea sick

[BraggSurvivor]

The bush for me unless I had my SCUBA gear and endless supply of gas.

[Excalibur]

the woods would provide some protection from the elements. Open ocean provides little shelter. if one was lucky enough to grab a few items befor the ship went down it might be survivable but your still stuck for months in the ocean. there are very few places left that I cant walk one direction for more than a week with out hitting a road or some version of civilizaton

[canid]

in forest land there is also very often [read: usualy] the ability to find varying habitat by traveling from one altitude/watershed to another, and thus, a dynamic source of resources. in open ocean, you're at the mercy of currents for any substantive change in resources, and still most of them are under a lot of water.

i'll take the forest.

[nell67]

Lost in the forest is my choice,I don't do the water outings,since I can't swim.

[canid]

that would be a compelling reason indeed.

[Aurelius95]

I'd definitely choose the forest. Certainly the chances of finding water would be better, and that would be the most crucial need if you're stuck in a life boat. Not to mention that in a lifeboat you really don't have control over your course of direction. A lot more is left up to nature, as to whether or not you will survive (read- being picked up). All that being said, there were 3 fisherman (Mexican, or Central America) whose fishing boat became disabled in the Pacific. They survived for an extraordinary amount of time- 6 or 7 months. Obviously, they were still in the small fishing boat, but had all their gear. They drank rainwater and turtle's blood to stave off dehydration.

[vagrant]

Actually i voted for the forest, because of the fact you said no emergency beacon. But if I was on that sailboat, I would have at least an epirb or plb attached to the life raft. And since someone would know my course and plans, I think rescue would be quicker on the raft. Nowadays anyone with a brain(and knows how to use it ) would have a proper life raft aboard any vessel. If the scenario is strictly me and my clothes then definitely forest.