Naked Scant Survival

BrownBear said:

Best way to answer it is to try it. Even in your back yard. Lotta answers reveal themselves in the dark of a cold night.

Add some wind, rain and snow, and answers just might be different than those that seem reasonable on a computer screen. :rotf:

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Been there and did that 20 years ago for several days on a couple occasions in the Colorado Rockies. A requirement of a primitive group in which I belonged. No BS, just fact.

I was thinking in terms of the past, maybe 1800s era, for my response. If modern day I would include a water filtration setup, even a Life Straw.

Jeff

Yeah. I taught emergency survival for a lot of years, putting myself and students overnight into the bush at all times of the year. It certainly sorts the jawing and butt scratching from the making it happen.

tenngun said:

Water cup and filter is a good addition. I don't know if water was safer back then. It was considered unhealthy to drink it then. One of the reasons tea and coffee caught on was it was non achoholic substitute for beer.
And that brings up another ' third itam .... Coffee.... You can survive with out it, but who would want to? :haha:

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too true ... if I recall, one of the Wright brothers died of dysentery - in other words, he got into some bad water and couldn't recover ... this was not considered unusual in that day.

Well my choices are rather simple:
-Large, high carbon steel, full tang knife, say 5-7 inch blade.
-Some means of fire starting, like those ferral rods
-Stat phone to call for rescue...

shotgun232 said:

Well my choices are rather simple:
-Large, high carbon steel, full tang knife, say 5-7 inch blade.
-Some means of fire starting, like those ferral rods
-Stat phone to call for rescue...

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:rotf: GOOD CHOICE!!!!

If you had one of those, then perhaps a lensatic compass and a Topographical Map from the U.S. Geological Survey of the area you are in to accompany it, eh?

Gus

MSW said:

tenngun said:

Water cup and filter is a good addition. I don't know if water was safer back then. It was considered unhealthy to drink it then. One of the reasons tea and coffee caught on was it was non achoholic substitute for beer.
And that brings up another ' third itam .... Coffee.... You can survive with out it, but who would want to? :haha:

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too true ... if I recall, one of the Wright brothers died of dysentery - in other words, he got into some bad water and couldn't recover ... this was not considered unusual in that day.

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oops! I was wrong (note that, unlike a sleazy scumbag politician, I didn't claim to be misquoted or misinformed - like it was the fault of another)

Orville died of typhus, and Wilbur expired after what is believed to be his second heart attack.

my bad :surrender:

I can be done with nothing, but if I had a choice of items, they would be:
A sturdy knife or small hammerpoll axe
A 15-20' length of rope
A pot

BrownBear said:

marmotslayer said:

You may last only 3-5 days without water, but you may be finished just as quickly from drinking dirty water!

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Yup. Got some bad water one time when I was miles from nowhere, no one knew where I was, and I wasn't expected back in civilization for another week or so. Got real nip and tuck when I was blowing and going at both ends, and I couldn't keep anything down including water. Two days in I decided it was get out or die, so I covered all those miles.... Much of it crawling.

Sounds kind of cute and sexy telling yourself you can tough out a little bad water. Don't try it.

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My son is an ER physician, he has practiced in southern Lousiana, Alaska and even Australia and New Zealand. All places with exotic dangers. He has advanced certification in emergency wilderness medicine. And, while in those wild places he did like to hike and camp. He says (And, I'll accept his credentials) there is no safe water left anywhere. Even at the top of glaciers frozen for many centuries there is still living worms, guarida and other nasties that can, and will, cause you the kind of problems BB experienced. OTOH, the risk of drinking untreated water is better than dying of dehydration. If the water nasties are going to get you you will have bought a few days to get back to civilization where treatment is available.

I was packing an elk out solo (back when I could do that on my own :shocked2: ) and had no water. Don't ask why, I was young and bulletproof! I had to pack it 1.5 miles to my dirt bike but was still six miles from camp. Long story short, I drank from a clean clear stream at about 10,500'. By the time I got back to camp way after dark I was too sick to do anything but collapse. The qtrs and head were still out there where my dirt bike had been parked. Hunters camped near me had seen my bike parked and new where the meat was and went out there in the middle of the night in their jeep and brought it back.

There was no way I was going to be able to ferry the meat in on my bike. I was completely out of commission for several days.

Point being, that bad water could have been the death of me under some circumstances.

OTOH, your conclusion based on your son's observations are probably correct. You take your chances one way or another and hope for the best!

Multi-tool, lighter, waterproof poncho.

Beer,Viagra & A Fine Lady. Who could ask for more :haha: if I could have one more wish........ice :rotf:

Hmmm :hmm: My choice of items? Weeeelllll let's see...... Okay, here you go.

1. A fully loaded motor home
2. A loaded .45 acp handgun
3. Gorgeous blonde

Aw, go on. You know I'm just yankin' your chain a little bit. :blah: :blah: :rotf: :rotf:

coonskin cap, knife, grin

Great Choices!!!

Personally, I would change number 3. to a Redhead, though. :rotf:

Gus

No safe water anywhere. Our modern world makes it possible to eat a meal in Timbuktu and dump it in Tuktoyaktuk. Germs and parasites get around. My choices would be a Swedish fire steel. a 500 ml stainless single wall mug and a diving knife(big enough to use as a hatchet / hammer / pry bar). I'll boil my water in the cup and I can make fire and shelter with the other items. Here's hoping for edible plants and wood to make deadfall traps with.

Artificer said:

Great Choices!!!

Personally, I would change number 3. to a Redhead, though. :rotf:

Gus

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Now you're talking my language!

Red-heads are nothing but trouble...but well worth it!

Yes, if one of the three things in the survival kit was a modern day "Stands with a Fist," I might not survive, but I would die happy!! :grin:

Oh, and it would be a GREAT reason to survive, as well!!!!
Gus

I guess I opened a can of worms asking this question. I guess I should of specified a survival situation in a Early American wilderness setting of the 18th Century.

Rick