Survival Thread

I've been a city slicker all my life, but for some reason, I've been attracted to the topic of "survival" since I was a young kid. As far as I remember, it was triggered by the discovery of "survival knife", made popular by the Rambo films when I was a kid. These were badass looking knives with survival tools built inside the grip. I also had an uncle who was kind of into not necessarily outdoors, but survival & sometimes tactical gadgets. He'd gift me some of these things, and honestly, I was like "WTF am I supposed to do with this?"

Last couple of years maybe? I've been into the survival stuff again. Sure, the skills I learn, gears & gadgets I buy could end up saving my life.......... yeah. A real long shot, but there is more. On top of the popular or traditional survival in the wilderness, last few years, I've been noticing a big rise in urban survival awareness. This can range from having some can foods & bottled water lying around the house to actually buying a farm in an isolated area, decked out with a electric generator, arsenal and maybe even a bomb shelter. While most people don't believe in the collapse of the government, end of the civilization, or anything of that scale taking place, many do realize that emergency, or disaster preparedness can be vital, and risks are very real.




Sorry for the longest introduction ever. In this thread, I hope to see discussion about anything related to the topic of survival. Share, ask, be entertained. What's the easiest way to start a camp fire when you've misplaced the matches? How do you get hold of your family members if earthquake disabled all the phones? Do you need a survival weapon, and if you do, what is it, or what would it be? And finally, which survival shows do you watch? What do you like about it. Currently, I'm really enjoying Dual Survival.



Boy, did I pick a good one. If you own, or know of any cool survival gears, post a pic, or share a link!

I usually keep around 12 cases of bourbon around for survival.

I saw on TV that we need some bottled piss to survive.

Fire piston: An air-tight cylinder that compresses air so quickly that it heats up and lights up tinder inside. Brilliant!

What I'd like to discuss is what kind of backpack you use. What gear is in your survival backpack? How much does it weigh? What kind of knife do you use? How do you carry your rifle with the bigger backpacks?

Being in a hurricane-prone zone of the US means buying lots of supplies to deal with survival, but usually that just means plugging leaks and dealing without electricity. That said, I use every hurricane threat as an excuse to buy more tools: You might not need them every day, but they sure come in handy just in case. Twice a year, we check the stock of supplies and food, and stock up on what we need and what's going to expire.

Some of it just a bunch of ragtag items...we have an old analog phone for making emergency calls, for example. Sounds useless, but you'd be amazed how many people couldn't make a call after their cell phone batteries had died out. Walkie-talkies, all manner of cutting tools (machette, survival knifes, a chainsaw, axes...although this is not for psycho recon missions, but for amount of trees and bushes that can suddenly block your way out of your home). And lots of Hurricane Chow (basically, any yummy, starchy food that doesn't require refrigeration, nuts, cereals, warm Red Bull, et cetera). I suppose I should confess that I bought into the Y2K madness many years ago, and bought a shotgun. Not necessarily for the zombie apocalypse, but in case things went very, very south. And I live in The South.

I don't wander into the complete wilderness much, but usually I'm only armed with a pocket knife and a camera. But boots and a backpack certainly make it easier...usually I can't handle more than an hour or two in the wild, and I've never really gone camping or been completely alone in the wild for 24 hours. Heh...alligators.

"I'm really enjoying Dual Survival. "

Is that the one with the hippy who runs barefoot all the time??

I watch that too. And pipi Grills.

I don't really believe in an Apocalyse.

But I guess my survival skills would be there. Watched a lot of these shows and learned some stuff.
I always thought that beeing stranded on an island is pretty cool if you know how to survive, built a shelter and hunt, traps...

I always thought that beeing stranded on an island is pretty cool if you know how to survive, built a shelter and hunt, traps...

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Robinson Crusoe disagrees with you, being stuck on a small island is a horrible fate, he almost went insane from the loneliness and monotony.

I don't really believe in an Apocalyse.

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This is not what the thread is meant for, we're not talking about the apocalypse because you can't survive it, that would be the end of the world. 💡
Its more talk about gear and tactics in case of a larger disaster.

Fruit cake. It's the ultimate survival food. High in calories and has vitamins and minerals as well. It was a massive calorie source cycling across Australia.

As well as a knife, a wire saw, needle and thread, tweezers and flint-match I would say the number one survival tool is a heavy duty clear polyester sheet. It'll keep you dry, allow you to store food away from scavengers and help you produce vital water supplies. Heavy duty enough and you won't even require a Bivvy/Swag/Tent/Tarp.

ExigeEvan

Fruit cake. It's the ultimate survival food. High in calories and has vitamins and minerals as well. It was a massive calorie source cycling across Australia.

As well as a knife, a wire saw, needle and thread, tweezers and flint-match I would say the number one survival tool is a heavy duty clear polyester sheet. It'll keep you dry, allow you to store food away from scavengers and help you produce vital water supplies. Heavy duty enough and you won't even require a Bivvy/Swag/Tent/Tarp.

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You thinking of panforte. Much heavier and dense compared to fruit cake. It's what the knights of old traveled with. It's everything you just described.





What I have are MREs. And never go without a Boy Scout Handbook!

Solid Lifters

You thinking of panforte. Much heavier and dense compared to fruit cake. It's what the knights of old traveled with. It's everything you just described.

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Nope, was definitely fruit cake I was eating! Though if I could have found that stuff I probably would have eaten that too.

And Army-surplus ration packs are rubbish. Overpriced, under calories and bulky. Yes the military use them, but they're maintaining a level of morale as well as nutrition. I'll gladly eat all my food cold from the tin.

Good call on the clear polyester sheet. They would make a very versatile survival gear. 👍

JER_CREST

I usually keep around 12 cases of bourbon around for survival.

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You got problems, but I'm sure you are not alone on that one.

Horde_R35

I saw on TV that we need some bottled piss to survive.

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Few years ago, I'd have said that I'd rather die of dehydration. However, after watching some of these survival shows, I'm willing to eat or drink some really weird stuff I'd never have considered consuming before. I think just couple of weeks ago, in the Man Woman Wild, or some show like that, the host was saying that you can drink your urine once. I believe him. If I die, somebody sue the Discovery Channel for me.

Michael88

Fire piston: An air-tight cylinder that compresses air so quickly that it heats up and lights up tinder inside. Brilliant!

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I've seen that on a episode of Survivorman, and at a last gun show I went to. I ended up getting these though:



You still have to have tinder, but they put out a lot of spark, so it beats rubbing two sticks together.

Michael88

What I'd like to discuss is what kind of backpack you use. What gear is in your survival backpack? How much does it weigh? What kind of knife do you use? How do you carry your rifle with the bigger backpacks?

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Closest thing I have to survival backpack is my old basketball gear bag that I keep in my car. During one lunch break, I had absolutely nothing to do, so I decided to tidy up the messy trunk of my car parked outside. Found the Nike bag, all weather jacket, flashlight, Swiss Army type knife, etc., etc. I thought to myself, this is like the making of car emergency kit! I then added more stuff like the fire starter, solar blanket, etc. I got so much stuff in there now, I almost wish I get stranded somewhere. j/k

Topic of backpack is interesting, and it would be a pretty critical survival gear. I think I'm gonna have to get one, but as far as the knowledge on the subject go, it would be close to zero. Off the top of my head, I know I don't want a pink one. Probably would have to make compromise on the load capacity to the actual weight. If it's too heavy, you won't be able to carry it around too far. They'd have to be durable, too. I know Maxpedition is a reliable brand(I have one of their Versipacks), but I don't really know who else make good backpacks......

I have one rifle, it's a Remington 597 22LR rifle. It doesn't even have swivels for the sling, so that would be a challenge to carry it. I don't really have a knife either. I have several cheapie knives. Eventually, I'd like to get a proper survival knife, and been wanting a sharp machete. For home defense, but I could definitely use it for outdoors & survival as well.

Pupik

That said, I use every hurricane threat as an excuse to buy more tools

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Well played, Josh(you can punch me if I remembered your name wrong lol). 👍

Pupik

in case.

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Damn..... Florida is rough. I mean your state's on the news all the time for that, but looks like you got rocked pretty good that year. You should be little nicer to this Wilma lady though.

Pupik

Twice a year, we check the stock of supplies and food, and stock up on what we need and what's going to expire.

Some of it just a bunch of ragtag items...we have an old analog phone for making emergency calls, for example. Sounds useless, but you'd be amazed how many people couldn't make a call after their cell phone batteries had died out. Walkie-talkies, all manner of cutting tools (machette, survival knifes, a chainsaw, axes...although this is not for psycho recon missions, but for amount of trees and bushes that can suddenly block your way out of your home). And lots of Hurricane Chow (basically, any yummy, starchy food that doesn't require refrigeration, nuts, cereals, warm Red Bull, et cetera).

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I do same thing on the food. I keep few cans of food, and rotate them. I also keep stock of few of 2.5 gallon water thing, rotate them. Not for end of the world or anything, but I can probably go up to a week or so without going hungry. I consider that much the very minimum for any household. I wonder which soda lasts the longest, because I definitely need that. Last I checked, Coke & Pepsi have very short lifespan.

Phone thing is a great idea. I actually forgot all about it, but I just have a cell phone and a cordless. If I lose power, I don't even know how that affects the cordless. Will it work until the rechargeable in the handset run out? Anyway, I should get a corded analog phone. 👍

P.S. Powerful pics.

Pupik

I suppose I should confess that I bought into the Y2K madness many years ago, and bought a shotgun. Not necessarily for the zombie apocalypse, but in case things went very, very south. And I live in The South.

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Again... very well played, my friend. Seriously though, so many guys I know can't buy a gun because their husbands wives says "no". If looting, riots, anything like that was remotely possible, I'd want a gun. Just make sure it's stored and locked properly.

Pupik

I don't wander into the complete wilderness much, but usually I'm only armed with a pocket knife and a camera. But boots and a backpack certainly make it easier...usually I can't handle more than an hour or two in the wild, and I've never really gone camping or been completely alone in the wild for 24 hours. Heh...alligators.

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They are edible. I saw it on Man vs Wild!

*ibo* S3 Racer

"I'm really enjoying Dual Survival. "

Is that the one with the hippy who runs barefoot all the time??

I watch that too. And pipi Grills.

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Yeah, Dual Survival has that hippy dude Cody Lundin. Love those guys on the show. My favorite's the Survivorman though.

*ibo* S3 Racer

I don't really believe in an Apocalyse.

But I guess my survival skills would be there. Watched a lot of these shows and learned some stuff.

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Survival shows definitely enlightens us on survival skills in the wild. Before being drawn to those shows, had I gotten lost in the woods for few days, I'd have died for sure. Now, I feel like I'll have a fighting chance, and my odds of survival's 50-50.

*ibo* S3 Racer

I always thought that beeing stranded on an island is pretty cool if you know how to survive, built a shelter and hunt, traps...

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That stuff sounds romantic to me and all, but in all reality, that would be true hell. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't live too long without the safety, convenience, comfort of our modern society. I am a total city slicker.

Solid Lifters

You thinking of panforte. Much heavier and dense compared to fruit cake. It's what the knights of old traveled with. It's everything you just described.

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I was confused about that. Every time I was offered those things, I'd be thinking I thought they were harder..... Panforte. I'll do my best to remember that.

Solid Lifters

What I have are MREs. And never go without a Boy Scout Handbook!

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How long do MREs last?

ExigeEvan

Nope, was definitely fruit cake I was eating! Though if I could have found that stuff I probably would have eaten that too.

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Ah, OK. Nothing wrong with fruit cake, hell I love the stuff. Usually panforte is used and is often mistaken as fruit cake.

And Army-surplus ration packs are rubbish. Overpriced, under calories and bulky. Yes the military use them, but they're maintaining a level of morale as well as nutrition. I'll gladly eat all my food cold from the tin.

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Sorry to hear that, but it is British food!

The US ones are pretty good but you have to take caution, since most aren't made for the military.

a6m5

How long do MREs last?

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It depends, but about two-three years.


EDIT:

You might want to take a look at bug-out bag...

On the topic of army food, let me share my favorite survival gear purchase:



This 🤬 is the bomb. I'm sorry, but I just think this thing is so cool. Basically, the set would consist of this:



Canteen, canteen carry bag thing, canteen stove, and the canteen cup. As shown in the video, they all fit together like a Tetris Swiss Army Knife. From what I've read, modern army doesn't really use this set up anymore, but in the olden days, soldiers found many uses for the canteen cup which included shoveling, signaling(by noise making), and of course, you can use it to cook, boil, make coffee, eat or drink out of it.

Bonus - My favorite outdoor utensil:



When buying a canteen cup, make sure you get the genuine military. 👍

Solid Lifters

EDIT:

You might want to take a look at bug-out bag...

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Some of the stuff in there like toilet paper, swiss army + leatherman-type knives, I do have in my old basketball bag I described. When I buy a nice machete, I think I'll put my cheap one in that bag? I think that was good suggestion, also money. That's some "bug out bag". Hand sanitizers and stuff, I always have in my car anyways. I wish I had extra gun to keep in the bag. So far, only gun I would consider leaving in my car would be my .22 rifle. And I'm not sure about the legality of that in the State of Oregon either.

a6m5

Boy, did I pick a good one.

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Just tie it off man!

Keef

Just tie it off man!

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Come on Keef! You have to contribute more than a one liner! Although that bourbon comment near the top was pretty funny, I have to admit.

Solid Lifters

Sorry to hear that, but it is British food!

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Leave my sausage and beans alone!

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[/quote]
Did I miss where he said how much it weighs? Because anything more than 10Kg becomes awkward, especially in a sports bag. And that comes from the experience of carrying a 20kg and then 15kg bag around major cities at either end of a long bicycle journey.

I also liked how he has a gas mask, for chlorine gas and the such. Like if his Bleach bottle was to leak into his kit bag!

I'd add a roll of bin bags to the kit.

a6m5

On the topic of army food, let me share my favorite survival gear purchase:
Canteen, canteen carry bag thing, canteen stove, and the canteen cup. As shown in the video, they all fit together like a Tetris Swiss Army Knife. From what I've read, modern army doesn't really use this set up anymore, but in the olden days, soldiers found many uses for the canteen cup which included shoveling, signaling(by noise making), and of course, you can use it to cook, boil, make coffee, eat or drink out of it.

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It's a decent set up, but I disagree with the gas burner. I would recommend a methylated spirit based burner as it is easily lit and extinguished, cooks quickly and works in a wide variety of weather conditions. It is heavier, but proved far more reliable than the Hexamine (military surplus) set up I attempted to use while cycling. Not only does Hex' struggle in wind but it's very dirty, and I found the fuel would sweat out of the blocks in warm weather. A Meth' set-up can easily substitute other flammable fluids if needs be.

ExigeEvan

It's a decent set up, but I disagree with the gas burner. I would recommend a methylated spirit based burner as it is easily lit and extinguished, cooks quickly and works in a wide variety of weather conditions. It is heavier, but proved far more reliable than the Hexamine (military surplus) set up I attempted to use while cycling. Not only does Hex' struggle in wind but it's very dirty, and I found the fuel would sweat out of the blocks in warm weather. A Meth' set-up can easily substitute other flammable fluids if needs be.

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Gas burner I think is nice, but only form of fuel I currently have is the Esbit stuff, which I guess is Hexamine. I've yet to see one leak in package, but that is good to know. I do store them in a plastic pouch.

I just take Bear Grylls and a bag of piss.

For urban survival you may need -

- Smart phone equipped with 3G - knowledge on the go
- PAD - Personal Antisocial Device (MP3 player) - so nobody will bother starting coversation
- Debit / credit card - to keep feed and watered
- Umbrella which doubles as a walking stick when drunk
- Bottle opener key chain
- Levi's jeans, fit for any occasion
- A lighter - to burn things
- Loose change to repel beggars or get a train ticket
- A fork - because you never know when you might need one handy

shem

For urban survival you may need -

- Smart phone equipped with 3G - knowledge on the go
- PAD - Personal Antisocial Device (MP3 player) - so nobody will bother starting coversation
- Debit / credit card - to keep feed and watered
- Umbrella which doubles as a walking stick when drunk
- Bottle opener key chain
- Levi's jeans, fit for any occasion
- A lighter - to burn things
- Loose change to repel beggars or get a train ticket
- A fork - because you never know when you might need one handy

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For a second I thought you were being serious about the survival bit. I read on and I confirmed that !

a6m5

I've seen that on a episode of Survivorman, and at a last gun show I went to. I ended up getting these though:

You still have to have tinder, but they put out a lot of spark, so it beats rubbing two sticks together.

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Have you tried it out yet? My friend got one recently and even though they throw off tons of sparks it's still tricky to get the tinder going. Oh and speaking of tinder, dryer lint has become an addition to my pack when we go out exploring the trails and want a fire for lunch. That stuff works great as a fire starter.

Also canister stoves are nice but I think in a survival situation you would want something basic but effective like a supercat stove:

As easy as drilling some holes in a cat food can. It works with everything from denatured alcohol to HEET antifreeze.

slims

Have you tried it out yet? I my friend got one recently and even though they throw off tons of sparks it's still tricky to get the tinder going. Oh and speaking of tinder, dryer lint has become an addition to my pack when we go out exploring the trails and want a fire for lunch. That stuff works great as a fire starter.

Also canister stoves are nice but I think in a survival situation you would want something basic but effective like a supercat stove:

As easy as drilling some holes in a cat food can. It works with everything from denatured alcohol to HEET antifreeze.

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I have seen HEET, and also dryer lint being used on youtube. In fact, we were just talking about HEET for this very purpose today.

I've yet to use the fire starter. I'd like to try that, and HEET stove sometime soon. 👍 HEET's on sale locally, and that's what started the discussion on this topic.

Have you guys seen this show?



It is so awesome. My buddy told me about this show just today. While I'm not a survivalist, I like reading & watching this stuff. This is really as good as it gets. These families, depending on your view, they are amazing, absolutely nuts, or both!

I've been watching The Walking Dead, anybody up for zombie apocalypse survival discussion? l know all I need is a Gerber Apocalypse Survival Kit

kennylmao

I've been watching The Walking Dead, anybody up for zombie apocalypse survival discussion? l know all I need is a Gerber Apocalypse Survival Kit

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Yes, but hold that thought because it's late here and I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow.

I have a kit for a zombie apocalypses; box of black (gun) powder, coke can ring pull chain mail is in the works and a knuckle duster for punching and an axe for severing heads. I also have full face and upper body protection I made from odd bits of car tyre and coat hangers. Looks crap, does the job.

Plus I have an escape plan, rendezvous point to meet with certain others and a safe place where I know I can go with my party to rest and gather resources.

There's not a lot I haven't thought about but you have to ask yourself this question: do you want to just survive zombies, or do you want to destroy every last single one of them.

I plan to fight, not to run.

This might help some people...

I don't think that chart is right. If The Walking Dead is the example, there will be no medical attention available in a zombie apocalypse. If somebody is bitten you might as well put them out of their misery. As for disposal, it's not really worth the trouble. There sure as hell won't be an "Disposal Units" available during an apocalypse, and no evidence on infection has been shown through burning of corpses. Even so, I would only recommend burning them when you need to clear an area.

W3HS

Yes, but hold that thought because it's late here and I'm going to bed. Maybe tomorrow.

I have a kit for a zombie apocalypses; box of black (gun) powder, coke can ring pull chain mail is in the works and a knuckle duster for punching and an axe for severing heads. I also have full face and upper body protection I made from odd bits of car tyre and coat hangers. Looks crap, does the job.

Plus I have an escape plan, rendezvous point to meet with certain others and a safe place where I know I can go with my party to rest and gather resources.

There's not a lot I haven't thought about but you have to ask yourself this question: do you want to just survive zombies, or do you want to destroy every last single one of them.

I plan to fight, not to run.

This might help some people...

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Reminds me of The Zombie Survival Handbook.

kennylmao

I've been watching The Walking Dead, anybody up for zombie apocalypse survival discussion? l know all I need is a Gerber Apocalypse Survival Kit

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Don't leave it there, you gotta share it with us!

Gerber Apocalypse Kit - $349




If there is Bear Grylls name on the thing, it's probably not one of their best works.

And it is missing nly the main ingredient:


I like Zombie stuff as much as the next guy/gal, but when you think about it, they are for noobs. In almost any apocalypse scenario, I would think that threat will be smarter, or faster, or more powerful than any zombie horde.

You can only wish that your threat walks at you at one mile an hour, while drooling & going "ahhhh.....".

Edit: I'd love to see your zombie survival tools, gears, or weapons. Post them up!

I'm not into the whole apocalypse/zombie hoards thing, but I do carry a simple 'SAS' survival tin in a sidepocket of my rucksack (which is small enough to fit into an Altoids tin) for when I go hiking/mountaineering.
I've not needed it yet, and (touch wood) hopefully never will - but I have had to use it to aid in rescuing others who weren't as well prepared as I was.

Keef

I don't think that chart is right. If The Walking Dead is the example, there will be no medical attention available in a zombie apocalypse. If somebody is bitten you might as well put them out of their misery. As for disposal, it's not really worth the trouble. There sure as hell won't be an "Disposal Units" available during an apocalypse, and no evidence on infection has been shown through burning of corpses. Even so, I would only recommend burning them when you need to clear an area.

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I was thinking of The Walking Dead the entire time while I was reading that chart also. I would agree that burning them would tend to waste too much energy.

Right now, I am woefully ill prepared for a zombie apocalypse.