View Full Version : Actually living and surviving outdoors...not just camping....
I as a soldier spent a lot of times out in the woods, the desert, the hills. In the heat, the cold, and the rain.
I learned to appreciate the hazards that are presented. I bring this thread up to start a discussion on this point. If you had to leave your place and get away. And really any town became a major hazard. Just using what was in your BOB. How would you fare?
Also understand the intent of the thread is not to discuss your BOL with well stocked dwellings etc....it's about... I'm now a damn caveman or woman...how will I do?
How are your skills for really, really, living outdoors? Rate it 1-10 (and understand your only fooling yourself if you exaggerate.) and discuss it a little.
1 being I might last a day or two. 5 being I could last for months, 10 being..Hell I live like that already. - hope that clears things up ...
On foot or bike or horseback. Let's let the topic flow and hopefully some good advice will be given to us all from others here.
Maybe we can spawn new threads for each type of particular region or climate.
BugMan
07-21-2014, 03:24 PM
With my BOB and all by myself, no family... maybe a 6-7. I'd really have to think about any holes in that for a long term stay in the woods. ie indefinitely. I suppose it would help if you gave some reference for the rating scale. 1 being completely incapable and likely dead in a week or 10 making the forest your biatch. Living like Tarzan at one with nature.
I often watch Naked and Afraid and think that the majority are just starving for 30 days. Then I go about critiquing their short comings. Of course, they are naked, and only have two elements to help in surviving. I have a bag full of stuff to get me on the right track. I have food, shelter, change of clothes, multiple knives, fire starting options, food, first aid, ammo, gun, etc... So assuming the forest stays the same and I have all my stuff, I may even go higher. I would go so far as to say, I wouldn't just survive but I would thrive. That said, I've yet to really test that theory in the past 20 years.
Just Sayin'
07-21-2014, 03:33 PM
If my wife and I ever have to bug out, it will be with horses, one ridden, and one pulling a travois with our bug out bags and whatever else food/water wise can be loaded on it. I was a SERE instructor and have the necessary items in the bags to make life survivable, but it sure isn't going to be comfortable.
A lot of our ability and skill level is going to depend on the season. I don't like the cold. It's going to make it much more difficult if I've got to provide shelter, some warmth, and food when it's cold. Add in any injury to my wife or me, having to avoid others who might want to harm us and it gets even hairier. Spring, summer and fall would be much easier to survive, but the bugs at Ft. Sherman aren't that much worse than Mississippi. Especially if you get near a danged rice field.
I think that on a scale of 1-10, our knowledge of wilderness and survival living, my wife and I would rate 8, maybe 9. Our physical ability to actually do what we have to do, 7.5 and our will to do what it takes 8.
I guarantee you, it ain't gonna be any fun if we ever have to do it.
edits made to describe rating structure.
Great Post Just Sayin, Knowing your background a little I would expect you to be really high up on the charts there. Me. With My training, SERE-C included. I think I'm more in the range of 7 overall. My wife is a 2...But she's a 10 at making me work harder than I want to.
My knowledge of hunting fishing, trapping, etc as well as shelter construction and fire starting will keep me going pretty well. I have great navigational skills and security awareness and techniques. What I lack right now is more knowledge on plants (edible and medicinal) I know a few...but not enough. I also worry about sickness and injury. I have had some good medical cross training in the past...but not nearly enough. I can set a broken leg or arm and many of your expected combat wounds, but what the hell do I do about infection, diseases, or preventive medicine.
So I say a good solid 7...WHich means I could live out door for several months to years...but it would suck for awhile.
Just Sayin'
07-21-2014, 03:55 PM
I agree with you Old SF, it is very hard to quantify your skill level against an unknown situation. If you move our AO to the desert, or far north, we would probably drop significantly. I think that the most important thing to have other than knowledge, is common sense. With those, we can think our way through the problems we encounter. I really don't expect that if we ever do have to bug out, it is going to be a forever kind of event. We'll just need to get out of sight long enough for things to sort themselves out. If it is a world as we know it ending catastrophe... We'll make it as long as we can. That's all we can do.
Roger that...but many overrate the ability to last weeks to months and that what I hope to discuss most.
Coppertop
07-21-2014, 04:06 PM
I think I am 5 or 6 on your scale. Spent a lot of time in the woods, but like OSFG I lack good overall medical training and knowing the plants around here is a little weak. Along with the weather here (5 months of bitter winter), I think it would be rough but survivable. I do have shelter building/ fire starting/hunting/trapping etc. experience.
Just Sayin'
07-21-2014, 04:30 PM
First off, if we have to go out and survive for more than 2 or 3 months, I guarantee you that we're all gonna be a whole lot skinnier!
After acquiring adequate shelter and water, you will need to immediately start to supplement the food you have on hand with other food sources. It's recommended that you forage as far away as possible to start with, partly because you have the most energy to do so at that time, and that there is food nearby if you are injured or sick and cannot get out as far. And if security is an issue, you are going to have to be quiet about it. So a bow, snares, traps, fishing gear would be the way to go. One item overlooked is the amount of time it takes to harvest, clean, prepare and preserve food. You also have to keep a fair amount of firewood available. So time is going to be a very valuable commodity that you may or may not have. Especially if you have to be moving constantly for security purposes.
You will also have to consider that things break, tear, or wear out. You're going to have to be able to repair or at least make a replacement at some point for a lot of things. What happens when your $200 boots fall off your feet? Do you have a plan for that? I know how to take a raw hide and make a rough moccasin, but they don't last long if not properly tanned. That's one thing I don't know how to do. At some point, we're probably going to have to start banding together to pool our knowledge and talents.
Tachammer73
07-21-2014, 04:57 PM
Being completely realistic I would give myself a solid 5 it would definatey suck ass for several months but I would be able to keep the family from wasting away and the boys are capable fishers and scavengers (all six of them , ages 10 to 18 ) and would be able to help and contribute as well
Just Sayin'
07-21-2014, 05:45 PM
Being completely realistic I would give myself a solid 5 it would definatey suck ass for several months but I would be able to keep the family from wasting away and the boys are capable fishers and scavengers (all six of them , ages 10 to 18 ) and would be able to help and contribute as well
You need to give yourself a couple of extra points there Tach...anyone can survive 6 boys is definitely above middling! :biglaugh:
Tachammer73
07-21-2014, 05:52 PM
They keep me active that's for sure, lol
Being completely realistic I would give myself a solid 5 it would definatey suck ass for several months but I would be able to keep the family from wasting away and the boys are capable fishers and scavengers (all six of them , ages 10 to 18 ) and would be able to help and contribute as well
LOL...I tell my 4 boys, that like to comment on my weight gain, that I'll out live them by a month in a SHTF situation. Plus I kid them that I'll trip them if a bear comes after us and we gotta run. Well...at least I tell them I'm kidding.
dgmj10
07-21-2014, 07:12 PM
Hopefully the wife and I would be together! It would make things easier on multiple levels. I have strong regional plant id skills, I am an average game hunter. My wife has an above average knowledge of plant utilization. She traps ( much more important than hunting) and fishes better than I.
The main variable for us, would be security. If security required constant movement I dont think we would rate but a stong 3 maybe a 4. That being a year max , perhaps only up till a harsh winter. A nomadic life is difficult ,constant movement makes it hard to collect, preserve and store food. If we could find an area with a good water source to cultivate that would put us up about a 8 or 9.Being able to have a place to create or inhance permant shelter would have to be the goal in the woods. It wood be extremely difficult for 2 people with a minimalist amount of tools.
pheniox17
07-21-2014, 08:11 PM
Good topic osfg, idk how I would honestly rate my chances if just me and mine are fighting to survive...
Just below average to us types, miles above average to sheep?? I really don't know.... All I know is the price of not surviving is too high for me to accept
I'd say that many, many folks would quickly fall into despair and panic and that will kill them fast. I think preppers as a whole understand thinking through a problem. As long as you can think...you have a chance. Solve the immediate problem, then start thinking about the next one as soon as you can. Most people on those dumb ass shows of survival (naked and afraid, etc) begin to do themselves in way before nature can. You won't starve to death in a week. SO I always say stay hydrated and warm until you get to a place where the long term problem (starvation) can be handled better. I've gone a week without eating on more than one occasion and I had plenty of strength left to function.
Just Sayin'
07-21-2014, 09:12 PM
One thing that might be an obstacle, at least in my situation, is the ability to think quickly through the problem. I love my wife dearly, but when doing almost anything, she cannot make a quick decision, act upon it, and then adapt that decision as the situation requires. She wants to slowly think things through or ask questions about why do it this way, couldn't you do it this way? A lot of this comes from having no experience in certain things, but we have finally arrived at a work around for when it really matters. If I tell her, do this NOW! She will, no questions, no hesitation. It's not a control thing, it works both ways, and it might just save our lives one day. This really stemmed from an potentially dangerous encounter when she almost walked into an urban ambush. She never saw it at the time, and now she is much more aware of her surroundings.
Take some time now and figure out how to communicate to you loved ones when it's all right to debate action and when it's time to act immediately.
If Mrs Inor and I are together and in the Minnesota/Wisconsin area, I think we would be fine at a 6 or 7. The reason I do not rate us higher is because there are some variables out of our control. We both have lived our entire lives in cool climates and although we do not necessarily like it, we are adept at handling the cold, even sub-zero. The thing that does scare me is that we have each specialized our knowledge to compensate for the other. For example, Mrs Inor knows basically every plant species in our area, which ones you can eat and which ones are good for which ailments. I know how to make stuff and fix stuff. If either of us were to lose the other, we would be in deep sh1t.
But even if we were together in the deep south, we would both be dead within a week. The chiggers would get to us and we do a suicide pact two days later.
Deebo
07-22-2014, 01:33 AM
On the broad subject- im pretty low, probably a three ot four. I admit, my skills need honing. I need to practice fire making, different ways, and building a decent shelter. Seeing it one thing, you soldiers have done it.
As far as eating, a higher score, I think in a world without law, I would kill pigeons, they are everywhere.
As for security, my fiance has some great training, being an armed guard, wher they teach "firearm retention", and things, I have no traing, nothing, so again, pretty low, probabaly a two.
I need some training, and some hands on "not so fun time" to put my mind at ease.
GREAT THREAD, made me realize I need so much more time, but thankfully, it can be free stuff, training and camping and gaining knowledge.
big paul
07-22-2014, 01:57 AM
surviving outdoors in the woods on a permanent basis is not possible for most people, even our stone age ancestors lived in caves. soldiers only do it for short periods and are glad to get back to base and have a decent shower and some good food. even in the mild south west of England we can have very cold and very wet winters and most people will be dead long before the spring comes.
Agreed living outdoors would quickly lead to exposure issues. However one should learn the art of building shelters. At first lean-to's but as you settle longer start building better structures. I've lived in a lean to for a month before...you can adapt, but you have to improve it if its a long term issue. Dugouts, caves, even building a shack using a cliff or large hillside as a back wall. Anyways the thread is getting discussion going...maybe I will spawn a trapping thread using natural items vice store bought traps.
Pauls
07-22-2014, 07:02 PM
The season and weather would be the real deciding factor for me. I'm 63 and recovering from 8 years of not being able to do anything and two back and neck surgeries. If it was late fall or winter I could last a week or two. If it was late spring to early summer by the time the season changed I might make it through the winter. I have spent two weeks in the mountains with a friend - it was mid summer and I was on the crest of the Cascades. There was two of us and each thought the other was bringing the food. It was late afternoon before we figured that we were in need of food so I made and set a fish trap, a small game live trap and a few snares. I made a fire using a fire piston and once that was established I went "shopping". Glenn hadn't done much back-packing so I had him gather his own weight in squaw wood for the fire while I turned over logs and foraged for edibles. I checked the traps and snares - we had one small squirrel and two cutthroat in the fish trap. The rest were empty. The sun was getting close to the ridge line so I set up a lean-to and a cooking rack. I had collected three large "banana" slugs, about two cups of grubs, a handful of young bracken ferns (full plants) on my "shopping" trip. I started by setting the tightly curled tops of the ferns in a pot of water to boil. I cleaned and peeled the roots of the ferns and set them low near the fire to roast. I used a bit of Crisco shortening into my pan to saute' the slugs and grubs. I cleaned and skinned the squirrel and cut it into small pieces and threw that into the pan with the other meat. I decided to leave the fish in the trap until morning. by that time the ferns were boiled and the water was about half what I stared with so I drained it and filled the pot with fresh water (from the lake) and set it on the fire to continue boiling. I added salt to the meat and cut some tube reeds from the shoreline to add a bit of tang to them. I took the fern roots and beat them to pulverize the fibers and release the starch. I added the starch and some water to the meat and moved it to the side to simmer.It was getting dark and I knew we had just about a half hour before it would be too dark to move very far so we set up our sleeping bags under the lean-to and as the light left we ate. The stew was pretty good - it could have used some garlic but it was still good - even Glenn liked it. (I did not tell him what it was) It tasted a lot like liver and gravy. We ate pretty good for the two weeks we were up there and had plenty of energy to hike back out (14 miles each way). We spent some time fishing and I tended the traps. I was disappointed that we didn't get much besides the squirrels and fish but we got more than enough to eat. There was a swampy area about a hundred yards from the falls that were a half mile from where we camped so we had some cattail roots but the berries were already gone. I got Glenn to gather pine cones so we could harvest the nuts - he really learned to appreciate what it took to feed the two of us each day. There were frogs everywhere but they were so small that I didn't consider them for food. I did find a bee hive but left them alone. We didn't resort to eating the inner bark of any trees but did find some arrowhead and cooked the tubers for potatoes. Neither of us fired our guns the whole time we were up there and the only other people we saw was two guys in a float plane that landed in the lake, fished for an hour and then spent an eternity gaining altitude to clear the mountain tops to leave.
Good memories...
Sparkyprep
07-22-2014, 07:14 PM
I'm gonna go with about a 7. I wouldn't like it, but I would be ok. I would probably loose 50 lbs., and get in much better shape. I know I have the skills, I'm just not sure that I would be happy about having to use them. I like my modern conveniences, but I could make it without them.
big paul
07-23-2014, 11:18 AM
where I live there are lots of agricultural sheds and quite a few old farm houses, abandoned and deserted long ago, in a SHTF event this is what I will be using not sleeping rough in the woods. we are a bit different here in the UK, we don't have the American history of pioneering and I don't think many people would survive outdoors, not long term anyway.
Arklatex
07-23-2014, 12:05 PM
My area (piney woods where Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas meet) is like a garden of eden. There is plenty of water, game and wild edibles. The counties have actually been issuing extra doe tags for awhile now. I have learned how to make fire without matches and I am an experienced hunter and fishermen. Every piece of gear in my bob has been extensively tested by me so I will know how to use it if the time comes. I also make at least one backpacking trip every year. I will give myself a 5 on your scale. Never tested my skills for more than 2 weeks. And that was on well planned hiking and canoeing trips with a group. If it was just me and the ole lady I'd be doing double work. Also the security aspect knocks me down a few points. I strive to learn the skills of the backwoodsman but I definitely ain't no pioneer. If I was in another environment I would be in trouble, especially if it was the desert.
Edit: My medical knowledge is only cpr and basic first aid. So I'm kinda screwed there too...
I really like the fact that this thread hasn't been folks claiming to be a 10. There are some out there but they are few. Even the best of us rank in the 5 to 8 range at best and that's in our home climate and region. Think about if your visiting family across country when the SHTF... we would all be more of 3 to 5 at that point. Good comments...keep them coming.
Bigdogbuc
07-24-2014, 01:56 AM
I would rank myself at a two, MAYBE a three. And that depends solely on food procurement. As long as I have or can find a food and a water source, I could go for weeks. My biggest potential issue could be my heart medications.
Arizona Infidel
07-25-2014, 07:33 PM
I think I'd make out OK. Not because of any skills I may or may not have had or picked up over the years. I'd say I was a 2 on that scale? But I'm a 10 on the stubbornness scale, and I'm a 10 on the asshole scale. So I would wind up more pissed off than I usually am, and I would refuse to give up.
big paul
07-28-2014, 03:53 AM
I would refuse to give up too, mainly cos I don't fancy the "alternative" !!:grim:
dsdmmat
07-28-2014, 04:23 AM
depending on the time of the year I would be a 2 or a 4. Winters in NNY are brutal and if it is Jan or Feb and you have to deal with the -30 without a windchill it can be down right tough to do anything. If I was caught out in the woods with no time to prep I would be dead inside of 3 hours. With the little survival kit I keep in the truck I should be able to make it in those harsh conditions for a day or two inside the truck and maybe a day away from the truck. Spring, Fall or Summer I shouldn't have a hard time making it a few weeks to a few months depending on my level of injury rate.
pheniox17
07-28-2014, 08:05 AM
I think I'd make out OK. Not because of any skills I may or may not have had or picked up over the years. I'd say I was a 2 on that scale? But I'm a 10 on the stubbornness scale, and I'm a 11 on the asshole scale. So I would wind up more pissed off than I usually am, and I would refuse to give up.
Just had to edit on your behalf :D
99% of people that survived some of the worse enviroments known to man, it wasnt
Fancy tools that saved them or a tonne of knowlage, it was simply the will to survive..
machinejjh
07-28-2014, 08:24 AM
Due to my wife's medical issues, we would be extremely hard pressed to make it. I'm stubborn as all get out and would like to think I would survive any situation but her? I don't know. She survived being shot in the head, so she's tough but out in the elements is another bag of issues.
omegabrock
07-29-2014, 11:25 AM
i would rate maybe a 2 or 3. i have some knowledge and experience, but then factor in my wife and kids. a 7 year old going through emotional issues already and a 1 year old. i can build temporary shelters and would be confident in building more stable structures if i have the materials - tools and trees. i have no knowledge of plants and would have to rely on a bit of luck with hunting. if we are talking in an urban situation, i would feel more comfortable scavenging for the time being but again, i plan on learning all that i can about farming and food procurement...im just a hands on guy, so it's hard for me to learn without doing. another huge drawback, i don't even have a bob. i would say i am excellent at improvising and making things work with a basic knowledge of first aid training and experience. me and the wife are both pretty good at fishing.
oldmurph58
07-29-2014, 03:13 PM
i'd give myself a 5 i have a lot of military exp, and i'm a nurse, so that would help, but runnin and gunnin at 55? i doubt i'd win
Excellent assessment so far. I think we all can look at each others and add some weaknesses to our original assessment. An update to mine is ...I went out with 3 of my kids...we fished...built snares and traps and I can say honestly ....I'm out of shape...bad. so drop me a number or two from original to about a 5. All the knowledge in the world does you no good if your unable to execute it because your out of shape.
Nightshade
07-29-2014, 05:58 PM
Here is some background on me so maybe you can rate me SF guy from what i tell you. If i were forced to rate myself i say probably a 5 for 50% chance of surviving long term.
1. I am young and in pretty good shape. i weigh about 210 pounds 6'3''.
2. I do not know any hand to hand combat techniques because i am not a soldier and have not studied martial arts.
3. I am a good shot without a scope and with a scope. we occasionally test our aim out on infestations of turtles and i pop a good amount without a scope while they are swimming. only head shoots is what i go for on them since its with a .22
4. I'm studying medicine currently. One passion of mine is to study and practice natural cures for infection. I am poor so i am my own doctor most of the time.
5. I fly fish and bait fish, make fish traps. however i have never trapped anything else besides fish in my life. I read about it but never practiced it with snares and pits for example.
6. Fire starting skills are pretty good but I would have a hard time if it was raining and windy. if there were rocks around id make a makeshift oven done it once before.
7. water procurement is something i research quite a bit. like extracting water from trees, looking for green plants and digging under them to reach water, boiling and filtering water, making a evaporation chamber system for salt water if you are by the sea or ocean and have no fresh water.
8. I have experience building shelters and tree platforms. I would most likely live up in the trees on a platform with a roof and sides. I have never made cordage out of plants that is one thing i really want to learn.
TJC44
07-30-2014, 06:14 PM
Great thread. I was going to give myself a 5, but if the MUCH more experienced ppl are giving themselves 5-8, then I am guessing 3-4. Do I get to bring my bow? It's not IN my BOB but it will be coming with me. In the spring/summer I will do o.k., but New England sucks in the winter. I can fish, hunt if I have the bow, like some of the others said, I need to get out & PRACTICE the skills. I also need to learn more about native edible plants. I am also assuming I am alone.
If you consistently keep your bow attached to your BOB then yes. The idea is completely predicated on,that under extreme duress you have had to grab what you can carry on your person and flee. I would like to limit it to an on foot departure, but I think a horse or bicycle could be considered as transport also. I would also add that my basic military service gives me only the tactical/security benefit and some basic medical training. My additional survival training, which is not typical for all of the military , as well as some exposure to trauma surgical insight adds a little bit, but very little. In short, military experience is not always a contributing factor to a higher grade. Very few in the military are field or combat soldiers trained to live outdoors or survive that way. So that is exactly why I expect many who have never served a day in the service to have equal or higher scores than I give myself.
pheniox17
07-30-2014, 07:27 PM
That's my I rate myself as average (the average seems to be a 3-4??) But most of that is just pure will...
But that's also why one of my projects is a quility inch bag
What's the point of surviving, when we are preparing for this type of event when we can thrive
Knowledge wise, need to go out hunting and trapping again but I know enough to keep my head above water... But finding food is something I'm also slowly teaching my kids (eels are very common here, not the best meal but very easy to catch in a narrow stream ;) and after dark)
But we all need more work, may try and get a local bug out 2 day tryout happening (I even have a standing offer from keith where a small group is welcome to use his land, just no firearms)
That's my I rate myself as average (the average seems to be a 3-4??) But most of that is just pure will...
But that's also why one of my projects is a quility inch bag
What's the point of surviving, when we are preparing for this type of event when we can thrive
Knowledge wise, need to go out hunting and trapping again but I know enough to keep my head above water... But finding food is something I'm also slowly teaching my kids (eels are very common here, not the best meal but very easy to catch in a narrow stream ;) and after dark)
But we all need more work, may try and get a local bug out 2 day tryout happening (I even have a standing offer from keith where a small group is welcome to use his land, just no firearms)
Ah-ha, the Eureka moment!. This is actually why I wanted to start this thread. We, as preppers prepare and get ready. Many of us stock and buy and learn. To Bug-in or Bug out. These are where we are strong. Making stuff work when all else fails. and that is why I wanted to present this thread...What do we do when our preps fail? This is such and easy thing to practice in our normal day to day lives. Build some live catch snares/traps and place them around that garden you grow or near that stream you have. Practice building only with what nature provides you. It took me 30 minutes to construct a figure 4 trigger and a field expedient cage using only things I found near a lake I was camping at. I used my shoes strings as lashings but I could have used vines or other natural cordage. These are things we can practice easily. Also start a fire. A fire with those natural things....try a bow drill, a pump drill, Flint and tender, etc. We all watch the how-to videos...now take one afternoon or morning to try the important ones. Figure out how to do it not see it. Find out which one works for you. A bow drill? Which works better..hard wood spindle on hard wood board, soft wood spindle on hardwood board, hard wood spindle on softwood board, soft wood on soft wood? I have heard every one works..so I want to find out which works for me best. And what are the hardwoods, or softwoods around my area that are best? The point of this thread is not to get you to admit to a 3 or an 8. It's to get you to say here is my weakness and let me try and learn. Not learn through reading, but rather reading and doing. Otherwise you will not understand the energy required to do it and then understand based on your state of privation which is better to attempt. I sincerely mean this as a challenge to grow in a weakness and then come back in my next thread..."What have you learned" and update your rating to the higher number we all should strive for. Thank you all for participating and ....its not over yet.
Arklatex
07-31-2014, 06:37 AM
Challenge accepted. When I get time off work I will *attempt* making fire with only natural materials. I'll get pics of the setup pass or fail. I am already comfortable using a fire steel, I practice weekly when I burn the trash at home. But ive never tried a friction fire.. I recently saw a method for this on dual survival that is supposed to be easier for one person working alone. This will only be the first of many attempts at learning a new skill.
TJC44
07-31-2014, 07:50 AM
Dual Survival actually showed some good skills, until Cody went off the deep end. Not sure about the new guy yet.
Sorry, I don't want to hijack the thread, too good a topic.
TJC
Here is some background on me so maybe you can rate me SF guy from what i tell you. If i were forced to rate myself i say probably a 5 for 50% chance of surviving long term.
1. I am young and in pretty good shape. i weigh about 210 pounds 6'3''.
2. I do not know any hand to hand combat techniques because i am not a soldier and have not studied martial arts.
3. I am a good shot without a scope and with a scope. we occasionally test our aim out on infestations of turtles and i pop a good amount without a scope while they are swimming. only head shoots is what i go for on them since its with a .22
4. I'm studying medicine currently. One passion of mine is to study and practice natural cures for infection. I am poor so i am my own doctor most of the time.
5. I fly fish and bait fish, make fish traps. however i have never trapped anything else besides fish in my life. I read about it but never practiced it with snares and pits for example.
6. Fire starting skills are pretty good but I would have a hard time if it was raining and windy. if there were rocks around id make a makeshift oven done it once before.
7. water procurement is something i research quite a bit. like extracting water from trees, looking for green plants and digging under them to reach water, boiling and filtering water, making a evaporation chamber system for salt water if you are by the sea or ocean and have no fresh water.
8. I have experience building shelters and tree platforms. I would most likely live up in the trees on a platform with a roof and sides. I have never made cordage out of plants that is one thing i really want to learn.
I would put you on the upper end of about 6 to 7. The survival piece is based on avoiding the hand to hand fight and living with nature vice railing against it. People forget that a fishing hook can also hook a duck or a turkey, or a rabbit if the right bait is used...think of how many times a hook has caught your hand or clothing just trying to get them. So traps are great but not always required. The long term survival to me also comes to depend on how well you can save up the food you do catch. Meat has to be smoked or canned for longer term storage. You have to get vitamins and other essentials or you will suffer rickets or other issues like tooth loss, etc. Knowing what you need and where to find it is paramount. The best of us can survive a long time...right up until we are disabled by sickness or injury...then it gets hard unless we have prepared for that too.
Innkeeper
08-08-2014, 09:38 PM
hmmm since I just saw your part 2 I hoped over to your part 1 to read up and get my grounding....
lets see just on the assumption I had to bug out from where I live I would give myself a 6 for overall my reasoning on this is as follows.....
I have over my almost 21 years service split almost equally between Active and Guard 5 MOS's in 4 different branches most relying heavily on land nav and compass as well as having done the state OCS course up to the last 2 of the 16 month course, (not enough college credits to commission and left to attend another Military school).
I did teach Land Nav and compass first in my Aviation unit on active and then later in the Guard, I was also a Land Surveyor for a few years and have worked all over the northern Half of the Mitt and have a good knowledge of the terrain, where water is, where to find both edible berries, plants and animals as well as good fishing areas. I am also joining the CG Auxiliary through my college and will be working S&R as part of a flight team and helping to teach maps and compass for them as well and expanding my knowledge through courses with them. (I will share what people may like from there on here as well).
I was lucky to get to do the Guards winter survival school at Cp Grayling, and being Feb, it was very cold giving me a great deal of faith in the skills I was learning and more confident in myself, though a long cold winter like last year would make me work hard and I am not sure how great I might survive without some of the gear in my BOB or access to enough food to keep the metabolism going for a tough winter.
I am a good shot shooting expert through my service time, as well as being one of my units DM's on the last deployment, I have also been hunting here in Michigan since I was 12 except for time spent out of the country for the service. A good .22 pistol in my bag for small game, as well as a nice light youth shotgun which could help supplement game from pistol and rifle, and a great Bird dogging lab to bug out with should go a long ways to helping the food situation.
My biggest weak spot is my physical attributes I am in good shape overall about 35 pounds over what I want to be for my injuries I weigh in at about 255 at 72", I can walk a good speed for a period of time my last 4 years in service I had to do the walking alternate so was able to complete the 2 1/2 in 30 min flat. I can run for short periods as needed but when I do my lower vertebrae grind like bone on bone. I have 2 that are almost completely deteriorated and the one above them bulging out all around. This is why I was medically retired this past May.
I am also weak in medical knowledge I know all the basic first aid the Army teaches and I have stayed up with my CLS training up til being retired, but that is about the extent of my knowledge at the present.
I know edible plants and fruit of my area but no knowledge of medicinal ones, the biggest animal threats here are black bears and a few scattered wolves and cougars both rare to see in the Northern LP lots of Coyotes and only one poisonous snake the Mississauga Rattlesnake, also rare I have seen one in 46 years and one other shed skin.
If my son makes it before I would need to bug out that would also be an added bonus as this gives help in doing what is needed.
I have recently bought a Marine 2 man 3/4 season tent this year and plan to try it out with my Military issue sleeping gear this winter and see how it does, I will let everyone know the down side to it is the weight 8lbs again making 2 people more valuable then one.
Outstanding Innkeeper , I would agree with your assessment based off of what you have learned throughout your career.. I definitely rate you higher than me...because of your knowledge of local flora. Our military training, that is relevant to this scenario, is relatively the same but you beat me in the vegetation and the cold weather department. Now Part 2 of the thread is where you go to discuss the weaknesses you have identified and follow up with what you have done to improve in those or any other area you feel less than optimal.
Montana Rancher
09-01-2014, 11:01 PM
I as a soldier spent a lot of times out in the woods, the desert, the hills. In the heat, the cold, and the rain.
I learned to appreciate the hazards that are presented. I bring this thread up to start a discussion on this point. If you had to leave your place and get away. And really any town became a major hazard. Just using what was in your BOB. How would you fare?
Also understand the intent of the thread is not to discuss your BOL with well stocked dwellings etc....it's about... I'm now a damn caveman or woman...how will I do?
How are your skills for really, really, living outdoors? Rate it 1-10 (and understand your only fooling yourself if you exaggerate.) and discuss it a little.
1 being I might last a day or two. 5 being I could last for months, 10 being..Hell I live like that already. - hope that clears things up ...
On foot or bike or horseback. Let's let the topic flow and hopefully some good advice will be given to us all from others here.
Maybe we can spawn new threads for each type of particular region or climate.
Sorry what a completely useless post.
You give no other qualifiers other than having to leave your home and survive.
Unless I read this wrong we are talking SHTF and that makes a LOT of difference between casually surviving without outside help and SURVIVING with anyone you meet gunning you down and taking what you have for their survival.
What a worthless post.
Sorry what a completely useless post.
You give no other qualifiers other than having to leave your home and survive.
Unless I read this wrong we are talking SHTF and that makes a LOT of difference between casually surviving without outside help and SURVIVING with anyone you meet gunning you down and taking what you have for their survival.
What a worthless post.
Well Montana...I expected harsh criticism from you... The qualifier is simply this...You don't have anything other than what's in your Bug out bag...every town is overrun by something that prevents you from entering safely...you cannot get to your bug out location....how long can you last out in the wild? It's that simple of a question. If you want to address your ability to fend off bad guys then do that...but the discussion is living in the wild...not surviving battles against the horde.
Montana Rancher
09-02-2014, 10:48 PM
I apologize for the post, I could have been drinking at the time
Montana Rancher
09-02-2014, 11:02 PM
Having said that and as I am not currently drinking here is my response.
I live 15 miles from where I work, to some that seems a long way that could take 2 hours to drive but it usually takes me 20 minutes to get to work as I live in Montana.
My bug out bag is in my truck, it is a serious outfit with clothes and hiking boots and a really decent 12 gauge shotgun and a Glock .45 with a decent ammo load, food, water, etc.
Also in my truck is a mountain bike.
IF SHTF at work I am about 2 hours away from home, if for some reason my mountain bike is disabled I am 8 hours away from home avoiding choke points on the road and moving tactically.
I reject the fact that all is lost and I need to live off the land forever, I put in place a plan to not put myself in that position so your point doesn't exist.
My point is to plan so you don't to have to react.
Having said that and as I am not currently drinking here is my response.
I live 15 miles from where I work, to some that seems a long way that could take 2 hours to drive but it usually takes me 20 minutes to get to work as I live in Montana.
My bug out bag is in my truck, it is a serious outfit with clothes and hiking boots and a really decent 12 gauge shotgun and a Glock .45 with a decent ammo load, food, water, etc.
Also in my truck is a mountain bike.
IF SHTF at work I am about 2 hours away from home, if for some reason my mountain bike is disabled I am 8 hours away from home avoiding choke points on the road and moving tactically.
I reject the fact that all is lost and I need to live off the land forever, I put in place a plan to not put myself in that position so your point doesn't exist.
My point is to plan so you don't to have to react.
LOL I have been doing more drinking and posting as of late myself...as for your planning...I agree, we all should plan to the best so that we never have to go cave man and I understand completely your position.
I for one have a different set of circumstances. I live 5 days a week in an apartment. Home is 250 miles and a state away. It's not long term survival friendly either. I also travel all over the US for work (sort of like Inor does) ..so I have a multi-stage plan that could take days to months to effect depending on what stages of unrest or turmoil the US is in. For long term I would have to travel at minimum 600 miles and at worst 3000+ and that could be overland by foot to ultimately get into a long term survival location. It sucks ass but it's the best I can do for now. Knowing that I could ultimately have to live out in the wild for an extended time is what prompted this post. And a simply rule for the military is a plan usually doesn't survive the first contact so I wanted others to just consider...What if? and assess their abilities. To me, if that helps one person improve upon a weakness...the thread has done some good. Thanks for coming back and posting Montana.
Just Sayin'
09-03-2014, 05:39 PM
Sorry what a completely useless post.
You give no other qualifiers other than having to leave your home and survive.
Unless I read this wrong we are talking SHTF and that makes a LOT of difference between casually surviving without outside help and SURVIVING with anyone you meet gunning you down and taking what you have for their survival.
What a worthless post.
Are you the same guy that was singing in church?
Damn MR, you were either in one helluva foul mood or just a mean drunk. LOL
And man enough to apologize.
Damn MR, you were either in one helluva foul mood or just a mean drunk. LOL
.
He reminds me of somebody else like that....oh wait...yeah....me.
Just Sayin'
09-03-2014, 05:58 PM
I couldn't resist the chance to twist his tail a little bit!
I couldn't resist the chance to twist his tail a little bit!
Be nice to the Rancher. We're all grizzly old pricks around here.
Sparkyprep
09-05-2014, 07:10 PM
Not all of us.
Montana Rancher
09-09-2014, 01:19 AM
Are you the same guy that was singing in church?
Damn MR, you were either in one helluva foul mood or just a mean drunk. LOL
And man enough to apologize.
A great point and thank you for bringing it up.
Truth isn't based upon subjective reality, it is truth in and of itself.
I am a flawed human being and as such I bring with me my subjective realities.
I just figure my view of life is better than yours.
That being said I don't know what my faith in God has to do with telling the truth as I see it.
Don't try to silence me by thinking I speak for God, which I do NOT.
Which is why we have these discussions.
A great point and thank you for bringing it up.
Truth isn't based upon subjective reality, it is truth in and of itself.
I am a flawed human being and as such I bring with me my subjective realities.
I just figure my view of life is better than yours.
That being said I don't know what my faith in God has to do with telling the truth as I see it.
Don't try to silence me by thinking I speak for God, which I do NOT.
Which is why we have these discussions.
Hell .....I can't help but be tickled by this. Its a good response...has some humor from an outsider looking in perspective in...like seeing someone get slapped for something they don't know about....and the totality of the truth in its beginning and closing statements...and the confidence right around the middle part..... :D :mad::eek::D all at once....lol
Montana Rancher
09-09-2014, 10:31 PM
Friends don't let friends drive drunk, and friends don't let friends say stupid stuff and prep wrong.
Old SF Guy, I don't know what you believe and if you don't share you are insulated from ridicule.
I choose to share.
Arklatex
09-09-2014, 10:59 PM
I don't know what you believe and if you don't share you are insulated from ridicule.
I choose to share.
This is hands down one of the best posts I have ever read.
The way I see it, if you post something stupid (I am well known for it) be prepared for correction. Have thick skin and take it as constructive criticism. It is better to post and get criticized than to not post at all... At least you will learn something...
Friends don't let friends drive drunk, and friends don't let friends say stupid stuff and prep wrong.
Old SF Guy, I don't know what you believe and if you don't share you are insulated from ridicule.
I choose to share.
Completely agree and it was actually high praise... Maybe it didn't come out right.. I said it was a good response.
and I share all the time and get the ridicule that goes with it.
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