Not so good survival advice from this site

**Razz65** · 12-01-2007, 11:37 PM

I just took the survival quiz and some of the "correct" answers were interesting especially since this site holds itself out with "expert" advice...I am an Eagle Scout, former Marine and have spent a lot of time in the woods, mountains, desert, etc...if you are in the desert and there are barrel cacti around you should definitely "eat" ( what you should *not* do according to the correct answer ). If you are in the desert the quiz says not to cover yourself up with sand. Duh, that's exactly what you *should* do during the day...you move at night....I am not saying all the advice on this site is questionable, but there are many situations where there are no quick and easy multiple choice answers. A phrase I recently coined ( yes, it's mine ) is - "If you *must* follow someone, be sure to follow someone who knows what the f-ck they are doing or talking about......" So, bottom line is that unless you know for sure that they people giving the advice REALLY know what they are talking about, just be aware that advice might get you killed one day.

**Beo** · 12-02-2007, 12:23 AM

Well its good for us we got an expert like you here. Lead the Way, and I agree that there are always more choices than the quiz gave but pick from what they gave us.

**FVR** · 12-02-2007, 12:24 AM

I took the quiz, and failed.LOL!!!

Like I don't know what the he ll I'm doing.

Don't follow me, well, per the quiz.

**RaymondPeter** · 12-02-2007, 08:33 AM

I failed too...

Could some of the answers be wrong? i don't know, and I hope to hell I never have to find out.
Could there be more than one "correct" answer to an individual question? Duh! There are rarely any one way answers in this world. There is usually a few ways of doing the same thing.

There aren't any fast or easy answers in survival but it is only a quiz and is not going to be a be all, end all information source. If it were then we wouldn't very well need this forum.

Bottom line is if you know a better way do something then do it and teach it to others. When you don't know what you are doing, sit back and learn so that maybe you can pass n the knowledge shared with you. (mainly what Ive been up to in this site! lol)

**marberry** · 12-02-2007, 09:29 AM

i failed too. good to know im not the only one lol.

**RaymondPeter** · 12-02-2007, 09:33 AM

I think it's rigged

just kidding...I'm sure someone has passed it (and not on their second try!)

**Proud American** · 12-02-2007, 12:23 PM

O when I took the test they said i "passed'(or somthin like that) but i got a 55% and if you take the quiz and get everything right they give you 105%. I'll tell you guys right now im not realy diggin Sergent Safari.
BTW whered we get that quizz.
Also I think the quiz serves a valuable tool that tells the know it alls they dont know.
Thats what made me take a second look at this website.Also I found this web site through RR website so I ow him on that.

**Chris** · 12-02-2007, 12:53 PM

All the quiz questions come directly from the website, which comes directly from Army Manual FM 21-76, which is what is used to train the US Armed Forces in wilderness survival.

The question people most often whine about is the mushroom one. It says you should avoid all mushrooms. People who are well skilled in identifying mushrooms complain because they think the rule applies to them and blah blah blah.

The average person who is in a survival situation probably doesn't have tons of experience foraging for wild mushrooms, it isn't a common ability. So, should the average person make a guess as to whether a mushroom is safe or not? The answer is no, never, not unless they wanna die. Ergo the correct answer to that question is "Avoid all Mushrooms."

So you see, the quiz isn't meant for people who are experts in X field, nor is it meant to explore all possible scenarios, it is meant for the average person and to address issues the average person may face. And mostly it is meant to keep you alive without subjecting you to unnecessary risks. Ala Les Stroud not Bear Grylls.

**tfisher** · 12-02-2007, 01:06 PM

there has been a controversy about barrel cactus for some time, they are somewhat species specific as to which ones are good and bad and ingesting them has slightly different effects on different people.

But I do agree with you razz............readers should also do a little research before eating anything new........someone allergic to peanuts could attest to that. For that matter research everything before counting it as fact.

**wareagle69** · 12-02-2007, 02:06 PM

i did some cowboying out in the deserts in phx and camp verde az and i was taught to avoid the barrel cactus as it was mostly slime on the inside and not worth the effort to extract it..

**RobertRogers** · 12-02-2007, 09:07 PM

I am always amazed at the advice floating around out there, much of it merely rehashed and regurgetated from book to book and site to site without anyone actually having tested it.

In short, there are many poseurs that can get you into a great deal of trouble if you follow what they are saying.

**Nativedude** · 12-03-2007, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by Razz65

". . .have spent a lot of time in the woods, mountains, desert, etc...if you are in the desert and there are barrel cacti around you should definitely "eat" ( what you should *not* do according to the correct answer ). If you are in the desert the quiz says not to cover yourself up with sand. Duh, that's exactly what you *should* do during the day...you move at night....I am not saying all the advice on this site is questionable, but there are many situations where there are no quick and easy multiple choice answers. . . ."If you *must* follow someone, be sure to follow someone who knows what the f-ck they are doing or talking about"......So, bottom line is that unless you know for sure that they people giving the advice REALLY know what they are talking about, just be aware that advice might get you killed one day. . . .

Everyone holds so much stock in the survival training that the military teaches, that most people take what they say as gospel. I have many friends, whom are active and retired, Marine & Navy, that have been taught jungle and desert survival. While a lot of the training is worthwhile, there are many things that are not "good" survival practices. Things like;

In the desert:
1.) You should not bury yourself in the sand. Why? "The desert is an extremely arid and dry region. Burying yourslf in the sand will suck the moisture from your body quickly, expediting dehydration."

2.) Traveling at night increases your chance of death 10 fold. Why? "Snakes, scorpions, spiders (black widows), peccaries (Javelina), are highly active at night (hunting for food). Traveling in unfamiliar terrain and walking through rocky and scrub bush terrain amplify your chances of getting bitten, stung, gored, etc. by any of the aforementioned hazards.

Because of the daytime arid heat, animals, reptiles, and arachnids, spend that hiding in the shade, while at night, they forage for food and warm places to rest for the night.

I have spoken with various survival instructors that teach in the Sonoran desert of AZ and the Canyonlands of UT. In deriving as much knowledge as I could about arid terrain survival, I learned that sand burying and night travel are serious "No No's" if you want to survive and stay alive.

Now I know that there are the "Survival Rambos" out there that will disagree with me, and that's fine. But I will take the knowledge and experience of people whom live in those areas and have many, many years of experience living in these type of terrains!

But to each their own!!

**FVR** · 12-03-2007, 12:51 AM

Here is a pretty good pic of 29 Stumps.

While back at the bivouc area, we would dig holes and drive the trucks and jeeps over them, lay our ponchos down and crawl in to try and cool down. The alternative was to be out in direct sunlight which was a killer.

On patrols, during the day we would dig holes, cover with out shelter halves, and do the poncho thing as the alternative was again to be out in direct sunlight. All our ops were done at night, which surprisingly got really, I mean really cold.

We never really buried ourselves, just dug a hole and put up some kind of canopy. Jeep patrols made this alot easier.

You were either burning up or freezing.

Here is a good rep. pic of 29 Stumps anyway.

http://Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Mainside was always a welcomed blessing, but we usually screwed that all up. We got banned from the base in 83, Grunts and Recon just don't get along.

**Nativedude** · 12-03-2007, 01:18 AM

Originally Posted by FVR

". . .While back at the bivouac area, we would dig holes and drive the trucks and jeeps over them, lay our ponchos down and crawl in to try and cool down*. The alternative was to be out in direct sunlight which was a killer. . . .On patrols, during the day we would dig holes, cover with out shelter halves, and do the poncho thing as the alternative was again to be out in direct sunlight**. All our ops were done at night, which surprisingly got really, I mean really cold***. . . .We never really buried ourselves, just dug a hole and put up some kind of canopy. Jeep patrols made this alot easier. . . .You were either burning up or freezing. . . ."

*Yes FVR that is a technique that is widely taught.
**I have seen this done and is a good technique where there is no shade or shelter.
***For the Military traveling at night is, in most cases, a necessity.