What Would You Want

[Stargazer]

You get stranded unexpectedly in the wilderness with just what you can carry on your person, no back pack to hold supplies. What is the one most important thing you would want to have on you at that time (besides a cell phone)?

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Besides being dressed for the weather, a GOOD knife can be a lifesaver.

However...based upon the many posts written about same on OBC...I feel that the more experienced responders won't go afield without at least a minimum of survival gear.

Also, water could be an alternate answer.

 

[offtrail]

Sorry but I just have a hard time understand these types of questions. If a person is that stupid to be in a wilderness setting and not have but one item on his person. Best thing to do is find a comfy place to lay down and wait for the inevitable. There is no good answer for the situation that you present. A person has two hands so a person can at the very least carry two items.

 

[Hikenhunter]

I have a fanny pack that goes with me all the time. It has everything I need to spent a night out in the wilderness. The one thing I want to have, ( and always do.), is that fanny pack.

 

[offtrail]

I have a fanny pack that goes with me all the time. It has everything I need to spent a night out in the wilderness. The one thing I want to have, ( and always do.), is that fanny pack.

Always one in the group lol. My EDC is always on my side it contains
Leathermen Wave
Firesteel
Fatwood
Cotton
Jute Twine
Bic Lighter
Flashlight
It hooks to my belt, so if I have my pants on then my EDC is with me.

 

[ppine]

I would make a pack out of willow branches and bring everything.
For day hikes in the summer I don't bring much. I could be out there with a knife, a matchsafe, a water bottle and little else.

I would never be out there with one item, unless it was a plane crash or something similar.

 

[offtrail]

I would make a pack out of willow branches and bring everything.
For day hikes in the summer I don't bring much. I could be out there with a knife, a matchsafe, a water bottle and little else.

That's a heap better then one item.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Sorry but I just have a hard time understand these types of questions. If a person is that stupid to be in a wilderness setting and not have but one item on his person. Best thing to do is find a comfy place to lay down and wait for the inevitable. There is no good answer for the situation that you present. A person has two hands so a person can at the very least carry two items.

Hi...


How true. Unfortunately, some people DO fall into the catagory of a) stupid, b) ignorant, or c) stupid AND ignorant...!! And, they are among us...!! :tinysmile_hmm_t:

However, I certainly hope that they're in the minority...!!

Me? I just leave everything to my sherpa...!! :tinysmile_grin_t:

 

[Gunny Webb]

I would never be in a wilderness without adequate equipment. But I have met people in the Smokies headed 6 miles in with nothing more than a swig of water in a Dasani bottle. When you tell them it will be dark on them if they don't turn around they think you are trying to keep them from seeing something. I saw a hiker tell a woman with 2 small kids she was on the wrong trail and she needs to head back. She got pissed. We walked on and my buddy commented "Your car is that way, your date with Darwin is the way you're going."

FWIW, my general day hiking gear is
1.5 liter Nalgene
2 Platy bags
Sawyer squeeze filter
Knife
First aid kit
snacks
ground cloth
small tarp
cordage
rain gear or jacket
fire kit
map and compass
titanium kettle

 

[Hikenhunter]

I would never be in a wilderness without adequate equipment. But I have met people in the Smokies headed 6 miles in with nothing more than a swig of water in a Dasani bottle. When you tell them it will be dark on them if they don't turn around they think you are trying to keep them from seeing something. I saw a hiker tell a woman with 2 small kids she was on the wrong trail and she needs to head back. She got pissed. We walked on and my buddy commented "Your car is that way, your date with Darwin is the way you're going."

FWIW, my general day hiking gear is
1.5 liter Nalgene
2 Platy bags
Sawyer squeeze filter
Knife
First aid kit
snacks
ground cloth
small tarp
cordage
rain gear or jacket
fire kit
map and compass
titanium kettle

:tinysmile_grin_t: What? No TP?

 

[Gunny Webb]

That's parts of the first aid AND fire kit. Truly versatile stuff!

 

[CozInCowtown]

A double headed axe.

 

[NatureGal]

Well, I would definitely want food and water to be with me. Also, some sort of weapon for protection would be nice. And of course, a flashlight.

 

[Barney]

Knife and firesteel is what I would want. With knife you can make almost anything, even fire. It would be hard to start a fire with it though.

 

[ppine]

Some people bring everything on a day hike that would bring for overnight backpacking except a tent and sleeping bag. I think that is overdoing it in warmer weather. It is very useful be a minimalist even for a day.

 

[ppine]

Lots of things can be used instead of bum wads. Ferns, spruce cones, etc.

 

[briansnat]

Some people bring everything on a day hike that would bring for overnight backpacking except a tent and sleeping bag. I think that is overdoing it in warmer weather. It is very useful be a minimalist even for a day.

I even keep a tube tent and a mylar bivy bag in my day pack. Some people pick up my day pack and ask me what the heck is in it. It probably runs about 12 lbs before I add water and food.

Even in warmer weather, you can be in serious trouble if you find yourself needing to spend a night or two out and are unprepared.

I may hike my entire life not needing any of the survival supplies in my daypack, but I'm willing to carry the extra weight just in case.

 

[dinosaur]

This question has been asked before and somewhere in the archives I am certain you can find the ultimate answer to this question. One item that you should have in a situation that is all bad;-a knife.

I prefer one that is large, about a foot in blade length. It's easy to sharpen on a rock, can cut wood and vines, properly sharpened can even perform minor surgery. It serves as a spearhead for defense and it kills things you can eat. Properly applied it can carve fish hooks, prepare cordage, help make traps, make a striking plate for flint, and cut wood for that fire you desperately need.

I have one made thirty years ago by United Cutlery. I never leave home without it. I did rework it so it would perform to my specifications. I reground it (top and bottom), resealed it because it is a survival knife with a few goodies inside the hilt. It's attached to a belt filled with shotgun shells. I never go anywhere without my shotgun. But, if I lose the shotgun, I can still cause some effects to my dilemma.

 

[pauldude000]

Pathfinder1 said it the best... a good knife.

A cutting edge is the basic tool needed to construct many of the other necessary things, yet can be the hardest thing to acquire depending upon the circumstances.