Big thread from just a few months ago about prepping/survivalist planning:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[quote]poophead wrote:
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
[quote]BeefEater wrote:
[quote]mbdix wrote:
Dave Cantebury(sp?) has some good videos talking about survival. They are pretty easy to watch and before you know it you have watched 4 or 5 of them.
I just got the Kabar Becker BK2 knife and if you don’t have a good, go to bushcraft/backpacking knife it is a great knife. The sheath belt attachment isn’t the greatest, but it is real easy to use the bottom portion of the sheath and modify it.
[/quote]
I will have to look into Dave Canterbury. Thank you for a name. I like the Kabar you listed but I’m still researching packing knifes. Not completely sure if I want to go fixed blade or a reputable folder yet. [/quote]
I’ve done quite a bit of backpacking, and I can tell you that a fixed blade of any sort is a waste of space.
A good folder is all you need. You ain’t killing grizzlies out there.
I carry a Buck 55 and sometimes throw a Leatherman mini in my pack. Most of the time the Buck is more than enough, but it’s nice to have scissors and a backup blade without adding shit tons of weight.
If you’re really concerned about weight, even the 55 is a bit heavy because it’s old-school brass and wood. Pick up the Buck Vantage. Great knife, synthetic handle, light, and takes all sorts of abuse.
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3650
I don’t know how much backpacking you’ve actually done, but you’re going to be real concerned with how much your pack is weighing. Any little bit you can shave off is a victory, because that pack can get real heavy real quick.
For a three-day trip up Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks last year, i think I weighed in at about 30 lbs. Rarely do I go over that, even if I’m camping in the winter in the Catskills.
Also, my pack is an Osprey and it’s about the most comfortable fucking thing I’ve ever had latched onto my back. It’s INCREDIBLE. [/quote]
FightinIrish, what model Osprey pack is it?
I live on the border of the Catskills (just outside of Woodstock) and do mostly day hikes but will be doing some overnighters this year. Need a good pack. Thanks.
Sorry for the hijack.
[/quote]
I wouldn’t consider this a hijack at all. This is exactly the kind of information I’m looking for, people’s personal experiences/preferences.
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
With that mindset, why do anything? Why read a book when you can watch the movie? Lifting weights isn’t comfortable either but I suspect that you lift. I guess for me it’s a good excuse to get outside and another challenge.
[quote]BeefEater wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
With that mindset, why do anything? Why read a book when you can watch the movie? Lifting weights isn’t comfortable either but I suspect that you lift. I guess for me it’s a good excuse to get outside and another challenge.
[/quote]
It was a bit tongue in cheek. Trust me, I do not do many different things, but what I do, I do well. As for being outside, I’m with ya Bro. I really don’t know anyone who spends more time in the woods and on a lake then I do. And yes, it can be cold but good gear helps.
[quote]poophead wrote:
FightinIrish, what model Osprey pack is it?
I live on the border of the Catskills (just outside of Woodstock) and do mostly day hikes but will be doing some overnighters this year. Need a good pack. Thanks.
Sorry for the hijack.
[/quote]
Hey man - I’ve got the Kestrel 58, which is an incredible pack that they have since discontinued. Or, they discontinued that size, at least… I think the 38 and 48 are still available, but they would be too little, even though I’m really good about packing (the guys I learned from are not ultralighters, but they’re close to it.)
But then I do a lot of winter camping, and that requires more space, so if you’re going to do an overnight trip in the summer, the 48 might be enough. Especially if you’re leaving the tent behind.
I did try on a couple of their other packs when I was looking around, namely the Atmos and Aether lines. One had VERY big sizes - smallest was like 65L and went up to 85 - and the other was more reasonable. Both were incredible comfortable as I recollect…that air suspension shit is flawless to me.
Many people speak highly of Gregory, but I never liked them because the lower back portion really pushes into your back and it’s very intrusive… kind of like shoes, how some have no arch in them and others have huge ones. My buddy loves his though, so go figure.
If there’s an REI around where you are, go there and try on a bunch of them. They have sandbag things that they’ll throw in them to simulate weight too, so you get a sense of how they feel with 20 or 30 lbs. in them.
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.[/quote]
Yep. Camping, hiking, and canoeing are means to an end.
[quote]WN76 wrote:
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.[/quote]
Yep. Camping, hiking, and canoeing are means to an end.
[/quote]
Yeah, the end being a good time outdoors.
[quote]mbdix wrote:
Dave Cantebury(sp?) has some good videos talking about survival. They are pretty easy to watch and before you know it you have watched 4 or 5 of them.
I just got the Kabar Becker BK2 knife and if you don’t have a good, go to bushcraft/backpacking knife it is a great knife. The sheath belt attachment isn’t the greatest, but it is real easy to use the bottom portion of the sheath and modify it.
[/quote]
I got the bk2 awhile ago, and read that the stock sheath was shitty, googled around and found this
http://www.sagewoodgear.com/BK2_Scout_Sheath_p/bk2s.htm
My best friend and my big brother liked it so much they had me order them the same set-up
[quote]MattyG35 wrote:
[quote]mbdix wrote:
Dave Cantebury(sp?) has some good videos talking about survival. They are pretty easy to watch and before you know it you have watched 4 or 5 of them.
I just got the Kabar Becker BK2 knife and if you don’t have a good, go to bushcraft/backpacking knife it is a great knife. The sheath belt attachment isn’t the greatest, but it is real easy to use the bottom portion of the sheath and modify it.
[/quote]
I got the bk2 awhile ago, and read that the stock sheath was shitty, googled around and found this
http://www.sagewoodgear.com/BK2_Scout_Sheath_p/bk2s.htm
My best friend and my big brother liked it so much they had me order them the same set-up[/quote]
That’s a nice sheath. I the portion that holds the knife works great for me I just didn’t like the nylon part. So, I took out the rivets that hold it to the plastic and got some leather and molded it and attached it to the plastic portion and died the leather black first. I like the look of it, leather with the plastic. So I am happy with it. But, like I said that’s a nice one you linked.
Hedgehog makes a high quality leather sheath like the one you posted as well
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.[/quote]
I think it also depends on where you grew up/live. I am from Los Angeles born and raised, spend most of my time downtown. So, to me getting out there with friends,lighting a fire and sleeping outside is a great escape.
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.[/quote]
No,
Camping is in tents.
Get it? In tents sounds like intense
[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.[/quote]
I think it also depends on where you grew up/live. I am from Los Angeles born and raised, spend most of my time downtown. So, to me getting out there with friends,lighting a fire and sleeping outside is a great escape.
[/quote]
I’m from a small town, and for most people I know camping means driving to a camp ground in an RV that has all of the comforts of home including TV and AC. They might actually build a fire, using firewood they bought and copious amounts of lighter fluid, so they can roast hot dogs and smores. To me this is just lame, but to each his own.
My idea of camping is either hiking or canoeing into a remote location and living off what you can carry on your back or in your canoe. As I cannot find many like minded individuals I haven’t been camping in a few years. I’d rather not go than spend my time watching TV and sleeping in a slightly less comfortable bed and calling it “camping.”
5.11 makes really good backpacks. With the web design it’s really easy to customize them for your needs.
OMM are my favorite packs. I use the Villain 45+10L with the trio pouch. Tarp and hammock for shelter strapped to the outside.
I’ve got this pack, it’s pretty comfortable, I’ve loaded it with 50+ pounds before without much discomfort.
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Not for nothing here but I don’t get the survival thing. I cant even stand camping and I have a travel trailer. Why the hell do I want to leave a new home that I built for my family to go sit in 8’x 24’ box? How about this one; you’re camping with the wife and kids, what do you have to do at night when your camping? Yup, start a fire. It’s 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity in the dead of August and I’m building a fire so we can roast smores!
I’ve worked to damn long and hard to be uncomfortable. Look, if it comes down to survival, I’m the guy you want to be with. I will die quickly and you can make a sandwich out of me.
[/quote]
Actually, I agree. Camping just to camp is boring. Camping + Hunting and or Fishing is freaking awesome! Gives one a purpose, a mission. It’s even better if you’re so far out you don’t see anyone who isn’t a part of your group.[/quote]
I think it also depends on where you grew up/live. I am from Los Angeles born and raised, spend most of my time downtown. So, to me getting out there with friends,lighting a fire and sleeping outside is a great escape.
[/quote]
I’m from a small town, and for most people I know camping means driving to a camp ground in an RV that has all of the comforts of home including TV and AC. They might actually build a fire, using firewood they bought and copious amounts of lighter fluid, so they can roast hot dogs and smores. To me this is just lame, but to each his own.
My idea of camping is either hiking or canoeing into a remote location and living off what you can carry on your back or in your canoe. As I cannot find many like minded individuals I haven’t been camping in a few years. I’d rather not go than spend my time watching TV and sleeping in a slightly less comfortable bed and calling it “camping.”
[/quote]
A buddy of mine, a crazy outdoorsman, took his wife and kids out in the middle of nowhere. Did the tent thing, inflatable boat and fishing. This dude is hard core but did one thing wrong then ended up with Giardia. Nature is brutal if you make a mistake.
When I hear someone say how pretty a picture of some Alaskan snow covered mountain top is, I laugh.“Dude that will kill you in minutes!”
I think that camping/backpacking and survival are really 2 different topics (with some obvious overlap). “Camping” is a planned recreational event where you bring adequate food, supplies and shelter to allow you to stay outdoors in relative comfort and hygiene for a predetermined period of time. You know (at least roughly) where you are going and how you are going to get there and back.You are usually travelling along an established trail system with at least some amenities. People are expecting your return and you have a method of arranging an emergency extraction if necessary. Camping, as others have stated, is generally based around other enjoyable outdoor activities like hiking, climbing, hunting, fishing etc. If you are building a debris hut, stuffing your clothing with dry grass/leaves for insulation starting all your fires with a bow drill, pissing in your solar still to recycle your urine and attempting to trap and forage the majority of your food while you are camping, you are an idiot (unless you’re deliberately practicing).
“Survival” is a different animal altogether. Survival is generally an unplanned event where you are required, with limited and inadequate equipment, to improvise a stripped down list of essentials in order of priority (i.e. first aid, shelter, fire, means of signalling, water, food) to keep yourself alive while you await rescue (if practical) or navigate your way out, if necessary. Someone may or may not be coming for you. You don’t really do anything “fun” in the normal sense of the word. You take NO unnecessary risks (a sprained ankle could be fatal) and your day to day existence revolves mostly around staying dry and by extension warm, watching for potential rescuers and conserving calories and fluids. You will probably be pretty damn hungry, cold, itchy and uncomfortable. You could not sell tickets.
If you’re concerned with survival, I’d strongly encourage you to look into getting some kind of instruction/training and practice those skills regularly. I was fortunate to have a friend who’d invested in a significant amount of time and money in tracking and survival training who was good enough to teach me just enough to realize how woefully inadequate my skill set really is in the face a true survival situation. One cool, easy suggestion of his was to never go ANYWHERE without a compact solar still kit (i.e. roughly 1m square sheet of sturdy plastic and a flexible drinking tube stuffed in a film canister, see here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Solar_still.svg ), some means of making fire and a multitool/knife. I would add a flashlight and an EDC first aid kit to that list.
If you’re into putting together some outdoor cool kit, being outside and challenging yourself a little that’s different and pretty cool. Either way, skills like land navigation (no GPS) and austere medicine/wilderness first aid are crucial. I think any adult male should be able to navigate via topo map and compass and manage common, life-threatening injuries/emergencies. I am ashamed to admit that I don’t know how to do the navigation thing, but it’s on my to-do list for this coming summer.
Edit: Apparently that link is in Spanish, but you get the idea…
You can’t underestimate the value of a hatchet in a survival situation, at least in the northwoods (I’ve got no desert experience). If I could only have a hatchet or a knife, I’m taking the hatchet every time.