Survival/Bushcraft Discussion Thread

[Arctic Night 884]

General thread for one of my other interests: Survivalism. I believe that being able to cope in the wild is much more practical than it sounds, as you can almost never predict the next car malfunction, skiing accident, or natural disaster.

 

This thread applies to both "emergency" scenarios (earthquakes, hurricanes, getting lost, etc) and "SHTF" apocalyptic scenarios.

 

Some rules I'd like everyone to follow, if only out of courtesy:

• Keep "gun talk" to a minimum.
• No zombies. Zombies don't exist.
• No using over the top "prepper" language that no one will understand.

I doubt this thread will get much attention so I made it as vague and general as possible. You can post pretty much anything that is remotely relevant.

 

Here is an interesting acronym from the U.S. Military Survival Manual FM 21-76 to get us started.

 

S Size up the situation (Surroundings, equipment, and physical condition).

U Use all your senses.

R Remember where you are.

V Vanquish fear and panic.

I Improvise.

V Value living.

A Act like the natives.

L Live by your wits

 

 

[Scootalove 10,689]

I'm sure that I could survive in the wilderness, as long as I look around and make sure to remember where I am, also to avoid any animals.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

 

 

also to avoid any animals.

 What about edible varieties?

 

For me a big obstacle would be not knowing edibility and potential medicinal uses of local flora. Actually, where I live, in the dead of winter it's not unheard of for highways to be shutdown by the weather, leaving people stranded, so having some food, warm coats, gloves, etc. in the back of the car is a good idea, especially on highways.

 

Call me crazy, but I think it is most important to be ready not for the most extreme scenarios, but for the most likely emergencies (although severity is still an important factor), which changes with season and activity.

[Scootalove 10,689]

 What about edible varieties?

 

For me a big obstacle would be not knowing edibility and potential medicinal uses of local flora. Actually, where I live, in the dead of winter it's not unheard of for highways to be shutdown by the weather, leaving people stranded, so having some food, warm coats, gloves, etc. in the back of the car is a good idea, especially on highways.

 

Call me crazy, but I think it is most important to be ready not for the most extreme scenarios, but for the most likely emergencies (although severity is still an important factor), which changes with season and activity.

 

Ah yes, how could I forget about that. I should pack some supplies beforehand when I go into the wilderness: bandages, food, water, batteries and a flashlight, along with other materials.

[inactive lol get mem 123]

If it was a challenge like live in the woods for a few days I could do it. But if it was a sudden thing like a plane crash, I would freak the hell out. And would probably die within a couple of days. 

[Arctic Night 884]

What about edible varieties?

I don't trust most people to kill, clean, and gut their own animals. Throw in rabies and other potential diseases, and hunting seems to become a lower priority.

 

For me a big obstacle would be not knowing edibility and potential medicinal uses of local flora.

Luckily, there is a universal edibility test: http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/universal-edibility-test.htm

 

Actually, where I live, in the dead of winter it's not unheard of for highways to be shutdown by the weather, leaving people stranded, so having some food, warm coats, gloves, etc. in the back of the car is a good idea, especially on highways.

 Makes sense. It is not unheard of for some to have similar problems where I live.

Call me crazy, but I think it is most important to be ready not for the most extreme scenarios, but for the most likely emergencies (although severity is still an important factor), which changes with season and activity.

I completely agree. And it also important to tailor your preparations to climate, region, season,etc.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

 

 

I don't trust most people to kill, clean, and gut their own animals. Throw in rabies and other potential diseases, and hunting seems to become a lower priority.

 

Luckily, there is a universal edibility test: http://adventure.how...bility-test.htm  

 Both of these are excellent points, and both depend on the circumstances, such as what you have and how long the situation will last. Heck, if you're certain you can get somewhere within a reasonable period of time, you can forego food, but any prolonged scenario will make eating more important. Once again, call me crazy, but the less prepared and knowledgeable a person is, the less likely they are to put themself in a situation where they will need those skills, hence preparing for the most likely emergencies.

 

I should probably shut up, considering there are only so many ways to say "analyze your situation" without being redundant. 

[ZBTart 0]

 

S Size up the situation (Surroundings, equipment, and physical condition). U Use all your senses. R Remember where you are. V Vanquish fear and panic. I Improvise. V Value living. A Act like the natives. L Live by your wits

That's how i'd start (Minus the fear part, my pants would be pissed faster than sonic the hedgehog makes it through the green hill zones)

Then, all deer better have guns, because Imma go on a deer-killing-with-a-rock massacre. Venison is the best.

Then, Imma purify the hell outta some water.

Then I'd build me a pimp-ass survival shelter. Complete with indoor fire pit as standereds. (is that how it's spelled? I don't do English that well. Yet it's my native tongue).

[Invincible 2,091]

I'd probably last only long enough to be rescued. I'm rather stoic towards stressful scenarios and am resourceful and creative when supplies are scarce, but lack of practice would probably have me squandering more valuables than i need. I know some old herbal tricks for treating wounds and such, and could probably build a decent shelter.

[HungryTroll 137]

I lived in wildeness for some time, and in my country it not rare activity, usually people do it for 3-15 days. And by it I mean not with car and e.t.c but with only things you could take with you by foot.

So for the polle -

Depends from to main factors:

1. Wildeness (climate, weather, dangers, and what is even more important if there are source of drinkable water)

2. Equipment. 

Cause in European wildeness you even don't really need equipment, and in tropical forest during rain season not everyone even with good equipment would survive.  

 

So I voted for first, but in some cases i wouldnt hold even for 6-10 hours. 

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

In the environments I am used to (rural United Kingdom) I could probably manage for a while, but anywhere that differs to much I doubt I'd have much hope. This is largely because I know a few highly specific tricks (how to get fresh-ish water out of a water trough - not much use if there aren't any water troughs or if water supplies are out / polluted; following a buzzard and stealing its kill - not much use if local birds of prey are large enough to fly off with their kills) that wouldn't apply elsewhere or might not work as well.

 

Given that you can't go too far in the UK without finding signs of civilisation, this would only really be relevant in a disaster scenario where I was awaiting rescue as opposed to finding my way to safety. If I could salvage pretty much what I wanted from my (presumably ruined) house then I could survive on tinned food and ... actually, I'm not sure I do have a high-reliability way of cleaning water in the house. Maybe I should rectify that.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Once In A Blue Moon