I take with me the very smallest I can get away with safely and still be self reliant.

Shelter, fire, water, food. Any thing else is a none essential or a nice 'snivel gear' add on.

I will say though that a SAS survival guide book is a good buy, especially if you get out into the wilds and practise some of the shelter building ideas / food catching i.e. snares and fishing ect.

Unlike Dan, I carry everything. My bob/vest weighs a ton, however, I can and have hiked over 10 miles through Alpine tundra with it, so I know its not overwhelming. I can go minimal, and do so a few times a year, just to test myself. However, my bob/vest is set up if I had to be out for a year or more. I believe that after being out of "society" for that long, eventually I would want to get away from surviving and merly existing, and get into living and enjoying the my world.

But to each his own in this regard, we all know what we need and what we can carry.

Great Pictures and Ideas! I keep on seeing members write to bring a SAS guide book, or survival book.

These are great tools, but when in a hurry, or your survival is at stake, I'm not not sure you want to be breaking out that book.

In my experiences, and experiences of fellow campers and outdoors men, we have found that there are 5 priority steps that if followed, can save you and take control of the situation:

1. PMA
2. First Aid
3. Water
4. Shelter
5. Food

1. PMA
Positive Mental Attitude! You cannot survive a situation if cannot beleive that you are going to survive. Its PMA that is going to get you through the dark, cold, rainy nights. PMA can be as simple too as building a fire to keep you company, trust me it helps.

2. First Aid.

Once you have your PMA down, you must treat you injuries if you have any. Any injuries will inhibit you to survive.

3. Water
Once you have your PMA and have treated you injuries, you must establish a clean drinking water. A human can only go for about 3 days without water. It is important though you find SAFE drinking water, some diseases can be caught through tainted water and will make you even more
dehydrated.

4. Shelter

Once you have established the above, you must find shelter, my bet is night is closing fast, and you need shelter. It can be as easy as a fallen tree with some branches and leaves over it. You can establish a more permanent shelter if necessary later. Shelters will keep you warm, and most importantly dry. I know people that have contracted hypothermia in June and August because it was wet and cool outside.

5. Food

Last but not least, food. Food may seem high on your list, but you would be amazed how long you can go without food. An average human can go almost 3 weeks with any food consumption! Natural resources are great for finding food. Refrain though from eating natural plants and berries unless you are an expert at identifying these, because poisonous ones can kill you if your in a survival situation.

Originally posted by salchanra
Unlike Dan, I carry everything. My bob/vest weighs a ton, however, I can and have hiked over 10 miles through Alpine tundra with it, so I know its not overwhelming. I can go minimal, and do so a few times a year, just to test myself. However, my bob/vest is set up if I had to be out for a year or more. I believe that after being out of "society" for that long, eventually I would want to get away from surviving and merly existing, and get into living and enjoying the my world.

But to each his own in this regard, we all know what we need and what we can carry.

Fast and light.

Break those two rules and you are a burden on your fellow survivors. If you carrying over 30lb your going to lose alot of speed and flexibility.

Originally posted by Dan Tanna
Fast and light.

Break those two rules and you are a burden on your fellow survivors. If you carrying over 30lb your going to lose alot of speed and flexibility.

Exactly! If it gets too heavy, endurance and alertness will suffer, and your calorie and water intake requirements will go way up.

Double agreed! I'm on about 30 lbs exactly and I think that's pushing it a bit.

For food get yourself some MREs or boil-in-the-bag type rations, they keep for eons. Failing that just a pack of rice and a can of beans.

Stay fast stay low when TSHTF and see whats next!

30lb's???

Currently heading North of that.. Still looking for a pack that'll fit my Steinway in it..
Gotta have music after the lights go out.

edit..
PLAN A..


[edit on 7-8-2008 by AGENT_T]

Originally posted by AGENT_T
30lb's???

Currently heading North of that.. Still looking for a pack that'll fit my Steinway in it..
Gotta have music after the lights go out.

You just crack me a the fnck up. Your sarcasm and wit alone would make SITX a pleasure to go through - I can see it now.
" Any one for musical chairs?"

35 lb is my max out. That is enough to get me to a stash even in mid winter.

On a survival exercise we were all sent out to forage for dinner. A few of us went of to the river as our task, others got sent for fungi and berries.

We came back three brown trout up, to find the biggest heap of Cortinarius rubellus you had ever seen. Armfuls of it. Some already chopped into pieces.

In the dark they had mistaken it.

moral of the story? don't pick or eat fungi in the dark!

One cannot truly be prepared for SITX. It can contain many variables, which we cannot control.

Dan Tanna,

You said 30-35 lbs max. I can totally understand that. After having backpacked in Idaho with a weighted 50 lb pack, at 5-6 thousand feet. Thirty lbs is a very viable option.

Picking fungi and other berries is sometimes a great option, and sometimes is not. From some backpacking I did in Wyoming and Idaho, picking Huckleberries off the trail was a good meal, but we have to remember to watch out for poisonous berries. Over here in Minnesota, I have personally gotten sick from eating the wrong types of berries, that is why I am emphasizing that. It is NOT fun to clear out your bladder after that....

Agent_T, I think it was you that mentioned carrying a fungi id book. If I were to bring a book, that's what it would be+ berry and wild plant id book.

Also, another idea... if you had time, you can remove food from cans, and vacuum seal them. It may be decreasing the age of the food slightly because of the contact with air, but if its vacuum sealed, it should keep up its life-span, and since the can is removed it reduces weight and space it takes up.

Just buy pre-sealed food dude. Saves on the mess and possible bacteria contamination after exposure to air.

Other than that, dude, you ate wild berries without knowing what they are? wow - thats a steep learning curve. LOL.

Some good ideas in here. AGENT_T, fungi book or skills are a MUST in my opinion.

That link is AWESOME!

In all seriousness, start a thread. Wild fungi needs its own dedicated stuff and that book link would be awesome if you said 'I got this, its good' and did a little review of what you found using it!.

Daniel.