Choose 2, and only two!

[jbrooks19]

Ok, lets start off this thread with a scenario...

You are alone in the mountains (Smoky Mountains of TN) you are fully clothed, with hiking boots on. You are on a 3-day hike by yourself. You get lost. You are at least 50miles from the nearest road or other person; You are alone! You almost fall of a cliff (Not many in the Smokies) and you lose your bag over the edge, but before it falls you can grab 2-items. These 2-Items HAVE to be currently in your BOB. No fictional items.... Keep in mind 50 miles in the mountains can be a hell of a walk, up and down the mountains.. It could take 5 or even 6 days to get out, and that is if you don't get more lost.

Mine would be:
Magnesium Fire Starter
1911

My reasons for these items are:
Fire starter is obvious, fire is useful and needed to cook any wildlife you may find.
1911 self protection and hunting? (Not the most practical hunting firearm, but it's what is in my bag and that is a rule)

The reason i did not choose water filter or similar is because all over the Smokies there are natural safe drinking water sources that sprout right out of the mountains.

What would you choose and why???


I spent a 10-day hike through the Appalachian trails a few years ago, it was a awesome experience and i'd love to do it again.

[nephilim]

A Machete
A bow (not technically IN my BOB but its attached too it)

With those 2 I can make fire, shelter, hunt for food and fish, make cordage, make arrows.

Basically, do what I need to do and survive. A bear can come at you with 7 shots in its chest from an assault rifle, so that wouldn't be much use, plus its loud and alerts potential prey you are near by.

[machinejjh]

Canteen and fire starter. Everything else I think I can improvise. Split rocks to make spear tip, vine or bark strips to lash it to a stick, etc. I want water and a way to keep warm. 50 miles is a hike, but doable.

[jbrooks19]

A Machete
A bow (not technically IN my BOB but its attached too it)

With those 2 I can make fire, shelter, hunt for food and fish, make cordage, make arrows.

Basically, do what I need to do and survive. A bear can come at you with 7 shots in its chest from an assault rifle, so that wouldn't be much use, plus its loud and alerts potential prey you are near by.

I agree, for the most part. The loud noise of a rifle going off would more than likely deter and animal from coming your way. How often have you heard of a bear hearing a gun shot and deciding "That sounds like something i need to find"? Haha...Not to often.

[nephilim]

I've seen a blackbear go towards the noise. Loud noise usually = food for a bear, whether it is hunters, or animals dying or trees falling.

[jbrooks19]

I've seen a blackbear go towards the noise. Loud noise usually = food for a bear, whether it is hunters, or animals dying or trees falling.

Hmm.... Guess sometimes animals do some crazy stuff

[Sparkyprep]

Knife, and a BIC lighter. You need fire to stay warm, ward off wildlife, make rescue signals, sterilize water, ect. A heavy duty survival blade is needed to make just about anything, from shelter, to finding food.

[Pauls]

First aid kit and my heavy coat. I guess I am cheating because I wear a belt upon which is fastened a knife, my revolver and two speed loaders, an axe and a trenching tool. I have always done it that way or carry the gun in a shoulder holster. It is easier to wear that stuff than it is to pack it. I am used to hiking at 5 to 8000 feet in altitude - the Smokey Mountains would be a bit easier on me than what i am used to. Native vegetation would be a challenge but I think I would be alright.

[jbrooks19]

You guys don't play by the rules!! ;) lol

[shootbrownelk]

Hmm.... Guess sometimes animals do some crazy stuff

Not really jbrooks, we have grizzlies and black bear that come to the sounds of gunfire, because they know that either a gut-pile or an entire deceased critter lies there. It used to be, that moose and elk hunters in Wyoming always bought a bear tag so they could fill it after they shot their moose. Now however, we have mucho grizzlies in the northwestern part of the state and we can't shoot them....you know...them being "Endangered" and all.

[big paul]

I'm in the UK and we don't have the large animals you have in the States, so I'm going to say a knife and a water filter(I have a Sawyer mini so that one).

[Arklatex]

Cell phone and a case of beer. Lol. I edc a nice knife, Bic lighter, a .45 and a small flashlight so I'm good there. I guess in all seriousness I would grab my tarp and water filter if I'm allowed to include my edc in the game.

[Tachammer73]

i would grab my H-harness which is attached to my battle belt and also contains the sr-9, 4 full mags as well as my k-bar and probably the cover and cordage roll that has a 8x12 tarp and 100 feet of paracord wrapped up in it for cover i should be able to stay warm and protected as well as find food with these items

[Slippy]

Bag of Cheetos and stack of Penthouse Magazines?

Knife and UST Blastmatch Firestarter.

[Infidel]

Don't have a bug out bag (yet, still trying to decide if I really need one) but I'm thinking most of what I need would be on my belt anyway so I'd probably go for paracord and some sort of container preferably a metal bottle for boiling water. There's a .45 in a holster on my belt whenever I go in the woods plus a large knife with a fire steel loop that I put there specifically for that reason, if I have the knife I can make fire. In my pocket there's always a folding knife either a SOG Flash II or a Kershaw Blur. I always have a lighter in my pocket usually my zippo. I've done enough survival camping trips in my youth to know how to build an effective shelter from my surroundings but cordage would be a big help in that. The container will allow me to boil water for drinking and give me a way to carry it for when I'm hiking.

-Infidel

[Montana Rancher]

A great post, makes people think a lot

I've done a lot of back country packing both on foot and horses, I can't ever recall I was every more than 27 miles from civilization (and I live in the 4th largest state with 1 million people total) but lets play the game fair.

I would grab my bivy sack

http://survivalcache.com/bivvy-sack/

and a decent fire starter

http://www.campingsurvival.com/fisclimyfiin.html

Montana isn't the great out back, but any idiot knows that exposure is your greatest enemy.

You can live 40 days without food and 3 days without water, but you can only live 8 hours if your core temperature is below 70 degrees.

(besides in Montana we have lots of water)

[RWalls]

I always have my knife on me period. I wouldn't have to grab it out of a bag. The only time I don't have it is when I'm going into a govt building because im not allowed to have it.

[Deebo]

In the same lines as some, I carry a lighter and knife in front pocket.
Aluminum foil and scrap paper folded in wallet.
But, as to the question at hand,
My Sog knife that has a Ferro rod and a tarp.

[Montana Rancher]

I always have my knife on me period. I wouldn't have to grab it out of a bag. The only time I don't have it is when I'm going into a govt building because im not allowed to have it.

You say a lot of smart things RWalls,

but this is not one of them, Temperatures just plunged to minus 2 degrees, not sure how your knife will solve that problem.

Not a total dis as people that live where it rarely freezes don't think about freezing.

But even in the south (pussies) you need more than a knife.

haha bring on the love

[RWalls]

You say a lot of smart things RWalls,

but this is not one of them, Temperatures just plunged to minus 2 degrees, not sure how your knife will solve that problem.

Not a total dis as people that live where it rarely freezes don't think about freezing.

But even in the south (pussies) you need more than a knife.

haha bring on the love

It was more of a question, guess I should've elaborated. Is my knife a choice I get out of my pack? Because I always have it on me. And if I am hiking or hunting, spending time in the woods, etc I have a match case with me in my pocket that has a worthless but usable compass. So are those my choices or can I get my sleeping bag and water bottle?

[Montana Rancher]

It was more of a question, guess I should've elaborated. Is my knife a choice I get out of my pack? Because I always have it on me. And if I am hiking or hunting, spending time in the woods, etc I have a match case with me in my pocket that has a worthless but usable compass. So are those my choices or can I get my sleeping bag and water bottle?

Just a little friendly banter, I like your posts and replies.

[RWalls]

Just a little friendly banter, I like your posts and replies.

Yeah well I figured that but I was still wondering. The "rules" weren't really defined by OP.

[Montana Rancher]

Yeah well I figured that but I was still wondering. The "rules" weren't really defined by OP.

I thought the question was clear, you can only have 2 items on you, what would they be?

A knife is a really decent one, what else?

[RWalls]

I thought the question was clear, you can only have 2 items on you, what would they be?

A knife is a really decent one, what else?

I reckon my underwear and my shoes then.

[Reptilicus]

My Red Ryder BB gun and Secret Decoder ring!

[Montana Rancher]

I reckon my underwear and my shoes then.

good quote, rather than back track on the knife post, go extreme

And make no sense at all

So here is your chance to pick the 2 things you would take.

[Sockpuppet]

I have no idea.......

[Just Sayin']

To play along with your scenario, the two things I'd grab are the emergency blanket and the freeze dried food pack. The freeze dried food pack has 6 2-person meals for a total of 12 meals, negating the need to forage for food (If I can't walk out 50 miles in a week, I'm either stupid, lazy or hurt). The emergency blanket will help keep me warm, act as a signalling device, carry water, or provide shelter, as well as any other uses I find along the way.

As you said, water isn't that hard to find in the Smokies, and if I have on anything other than underwear, I've got a knife and lighter with me. I don't need a compass to tell me which general direction to go, and they are not really that helpful unless you have a map anyway. The most important thing that I always have with me is the knowledge and experience of 53 years. You cannot take that away, you can't lose it, and you can always add to it because it doesn't weigh an ounce more. Add that to your bugout bag, and you're gonna be a lot better off.

[Montana Rancher]

I realize its a stupid post as I have a get home bag in the back of my truck that has about 100 items in it including my top 2 (shelter and fire).

I played along as I am assuming that there are still some on this forum that do NOT HAVE A BUG OUT/GET HOME bag.

So if you are stupid and have no plan when it hits the fan, lets at least start with the basics.

P.S. I recently added a mountain bike to my bug out bag, I know it sounds funny but I work about 15 miles from my home and then .... it doesn't sound funny when you think about it in my pickup.

[Txwheels]

I'm NEVER without my 1911 and a very stout folding knife, so I'd just grab my canteen and a tarp.

[Jeep]

Tarp and fire, because I am wearing a weapon. And yes A gunshot here is a dinner bell for wolves and Bears.

[A J]

As so many folks already posting above, I almost always have a pistol, knife and fire in my pocket. I'd grab the tarp and large Rx pill bottle (that contains paracord, some aspirin, firestarters, fishing hooks, fishing line, small piece of alum foil, bic lighter etc. as well as wrapped in duct tape out of my BOB. I hope that large Rx bottle counts as a single item.

If I didn't have Pistol, Knife and fire in my pocket, I'd take the Rx Bottle and the Blanket if it was winter time or the Knife if it was warm weather.

Notice that I wouldn't grab the pistol, as I can survive for a week without shooting anything and am not worried about being in the woods in the dark at night without a gun.

I grew up running all over the mountains of central/western Colorado.


AJ

[Jerry D Young]

Since I have most of what I need to survive for several days on me as part of my Field EDC, from the BOB I would grab the GI Poncho (carried with Ranger Rick liner in place) and the Cold Steel Rifleman's Tomahawk.

Now, if it is a two item only exercise, with normal EDC not allowed, then I would probably grab... Actually, probably the same things. Since it is going to be several days before I can hike out, I am going to need to be able to sleep well so I can stay rested. The poncho and liner makes a good sleeping bag. In the Smokey Mountains water is available, and natural fire making components are, too. With the tomahawk I can obtain pretty much everything I need, including materials to make shelter, weapons, cooking gear, etc. I probably would not immediately start hiking. I would set up a camp, make the things I need, hunt and forage until I had a good start on food supplies, and then head out, continuing to hunt and forage as I hiked to supplement what I had already gathered while using the base camp.

Given a different location, I might choose different items. But the Smoky Mountains are pretty survival friendly.

Just my opinion.

[Rob Roy]

great question. I too will keep to the rules. I would be severely tempted to keep my 1911, but in the end I would abandon it for a good 1-handed fire starter like the Sparkie (http://www.blackriveroutpost.com/UST-Sparkie-One-Handed-Fire-Starter_p_608.html) and a fat roll of duct tape.

Like any patriot, I have a love for duct tape, but it wasn't until an episode of Naked and Afraid where I realized how truly useful it could be in a wilderness survival situation. This dude made a drink container, sturdy shelter, you could make a carry pouch, strap a stone to branch for spear, etc. So many uses...