Camping Survival

Me and my friends are doing a survival thing, going out in the woods for two nights to test our survival skills. We need to know the basic survival needs to bring with. We don't want to go back to the house for anything. We want it to seem like survival. Not a ton of items that are unnecessary.
Thanks to all.

This is backyard or nearby camping, right?

Put some 'emergency supplies' on the back porch or a shed- just in case. A change of clothes, some warm clothes and blankets, some matches or fire starting supplies, snack food, more water, etc.

Bring a few basics:
1. Dress and sleep warm and dry. Warm bag and/or blankets, a good sleeping pad (many layers of newspaper works nicely), a decent tent or tarp, etc.

2. Fire. Bring a lighter and practice making fires. When you have the basic skills down, learn to light one with other techniques- flint and steel, battery and steel wool, magnifying glass, etc.

3. Food and water basics. Bring about a gallon of water per person per day. (If your house is nearby, this is not a big deal). Learn to cook simple foods over a real fire- first with a fry pan and stuff to get the basics down, then in foil, then with no special utensils. Then, try boiling water to treat it, then learn to boil it in 'other things', like a hanging plastic bottle.

Use trips like this to get the basic skills built up, then start to learn about finding your own food- finding edible plants (BE CAREFUL!), fishing, hunting, etc. Learn to build shelters from stuff around you, making your own rope, etc.

Shows like Survivorman can show you some things to try- but skills like this should be practiced in safe places first.

2009-10-11 09:53:08 by Jade

This is a great demonstration of a really amazing all terrain survival system. There is some brief footage here from Moab Utah and also from the ...

I'm planning a back-packing hike into the Rio Grande region. What equipment would be best to take for this trip? I plan on being out there with my camera for two weeks. I need quality camping items that will not rip, shred, tear, or break. If you can provide a website link to a camping store, that would be wonderful!

I used to hike and camp quite alot, for me i found milets and black rock to be good stores however army surplus stores were the best for durable and reliable kit.

Imo it isnt possible to one day go out and buy everything you need, it takes time to put together the perfect set of kit for yourself and your needs and takes even more time to become proficient at using that kit.

What i would suggest is putting together a survival tin and always keep that on you at all times, my tin consists of:

Needle and thread.
Fishing hooks/ weights and line.
A flint + steel.
A knife.
Iodine tablets.
Potasium permanganate (spl?)
Plasters.
Bandage.
Small candle.
Matches covered in wax.
Money (local currency or us dollar)
Snare wire.
Safety pins.
String.
Button compass.

I dont have my tin handy so cant list everything but thats what i remember. With my survival tin i can survive in about 80-85% anywhere in the world (on land), more importantly than whats in your tin is knowing how to use it, just like with your main camping gear.

Personally i used to go minimalistic, a solid backpack (berghauss, karimor), small hammock, a poncho for a coat that doubled as a roof, a solid pair of boots(regular british army issue), plenty of thin waterproof layers, lots of socks, a twin set of british army mess tins to cook in and eat from, zippo lighter+gas lighter+fire rod, solid nylon climbing rope and a damn good knife (opinel 4inch and a 7 inch)+small diamond sharpening stone, compass(or two)+map. Oh and dont forget a knife, fork and spoon.

Aswell as that as many creature comforts as your willing to drag around with you. I alwaysed carried foot powder and some extra bandages for the inevitable blisters, pop them, drain them and bandage them whilst leaving as much skin as possible.

The most important thing you can have though is knowledge, read and experiment with all your kit, learn to use your kit for a variety of tasks, if one thing breaks be ready to use something else for the task. You will always forget something so be prepared to accomodate.

If the terrain is particularly unfamiliar take a gps positioning system and consider a satelite phone.

As for food i used to eat what i caught, snares and a small fishing set will allow you to set up traps and night lines ensuring a plentifull breakfast :P

I find the more minimalistic you go the more you learn to relly on yourself leading to a more enjoyable trip.

Hope that helped,

Don

2009-10-20 15:12:01 by fudge_berry666

Price: $19.99

Made in the USA, built to last.
Carbon steel teeth
Gather fire wood fast.

I am an experienced back packer and hiker, and am looking to send my nephew to a camping skills school as a gift, I find it very frustrating when looking into schools or training camps that they don't give an equipment list up front, as not only wpould it help to get ready, but also give a clue as to what the focus of there teachings will be. Any one have a clue as to why they don't list things to bring?

I don't know where you've looked but BOSS - The Boulder Outdoor Survival School offers a general gear list here, and under each link is a little more information: http://www.boss-inc.com/08faq.html#Two17 , but Tom Brown Jr's tracking school says there are gear lists under each class section but I certainly can't find them: http://www.trackerschool.com/faq_equipme nt.asp

I imagine if you called them they could give you a list and I would also suspect the reason they aren't more specific is because to learn survival you'll want as few pieces of gear as humanly possible, and one of the sites said they wanted to dissuade people from purchasing unnecessary and fancy gear for their classes, which is my answer to your question.

2008-10-17 18:25:03 by bumppo

Price: $35.71 $20.19

Start campfires and camp stoves
Knowledge is survival
Be seen and heard

i am willing to pay up to 70-85 dollars for it.

Hello,
This question is very personal in nature, as each person has a differet expectation for a knife, a different view of style ......etc.

I own close to 50 knives! not all fixed blade, not all are for everyday use, but I do know what I like and what I look for when I add a new one to the collection.

I do not have much spare cash for blades. I do carry one or two with me at all times though and I expect them to be functional. I carry a vitorinox pioneer model (swiss army knife) with me at all times, (when I'm camping and when I'm not) and then a few various fixed blades.

I expect my knives to be strong, hold an edge well and be reasonably easy to sharpen (trade offs are the rule....holds edge or easy to sharpen...I opt for holds edge). For camping and survival I'll carry a knife that can be used to split wood, prepare meals....basically do everything. I like a length of 3 5/8" to 5" with a good sheath.

High carbon or hand forged blades tend to be very sharp, and can be exceptionally strong if tempered/treated right.
But they also can stain and riust if not cared for right.


Army knives are great, Ka-Bar is a good knife and I have a great one in my stash, but the blade is just a bit too akward and long for me to use as a general camping/survival knife.

Before you buy one, check out Helle. A Norwegian knife company. They are sold by many dealers and the prices all tend to be low, whereas the quality is high. I own a good half dozen of their knives. They have a triple laminated blade (like a metal sandwich). They get wickedly sharp and do hold an edge very well. I had one old "scout" model given to me as a gag by a norweigen friend (because I was an eagle Scout). It became an almost daily use knife and ended up as a utility blade until I lost it. When I was looking for a replacement the very next day, I knew that I had found a good knife! This was their least expensive model too!
Hella is also known for selling kits. This way you can get the best blade you can afford and save a few bucks by putting it together yourself.

look here. They sell Helle, as well as other great blades,and have great prices.

http://www.ragweedforge.com (I have purchased from them)

check out this dealer (I have not purchased from them)
http://www.helleknives.com/CATALOG2.HTML
look at all the models but be sure to look at:
Hunting knife
Hovding
Helle Eggen
Pan

Good luck!
Oh, make sure to get a sharpening stone, sharpening sticks or whatever it is you are more familiar with. See If the dealer has any discounts on a sharpening system with the purchase of a knife. Some knives have space for a stone in the sheath.

2007-11-16 15:09:01 by duhtorrey105

We want to go somewhere like the Yukon, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest or anywhere else where we can hunt, fish, trap and survive for two weeks without any other human interaction. Obviously Alaska would be more expensive, but any advice or leads would be great. I can't seem to find a good site on the internet for a company that will help get you set up and maybe offer some training regarding the specific area's edible flora and fauna.

since I left alaska I cant remember the out fitters, but you can check on line. twin lakes area is a good spot , big lake is too crowed, but you can also look around talkeetna there will be some good connections there.

check out the smaller cities, anything that is based out of anchorage is probably over rated and over priced.

seward and homer are good jump off points.

and anywhere in the panhandle is gonna be good.

2009-07-28 16:25:46 by myka_82