Need your help planning an expedition!

Originally posted by wWizard
reply to post by Frontkjemper

 

Thank you

I'm taking this very seriously and am not planning to leave probably until summer rolls around again, which should give me plenty of time to plan and prepare for my first trip. Thanks for the tip on recording video, I did not think of that one. As for running out of food or water, I thought about water purification tablets and hunting, although I know little about either.

(with the questions you are asking) I have to totally agree : An open ended "expedition to deep Northern forests you've never been to is not a a first trip!.

"water purification tablets and hunting(?)You've never been"hunting"or "dressed out" small game have you?:backpacking Filters by MSR or similar backpack equipment companies. are the way to go in the forest where finding water is not usually a major issue..
Even if you purchase a complete shopping list of gear: You are nowhere prepared (knowledge wise) for any unexpected situations. Go hire a guide.I don't understand the importance of"video" over having the proper gear and the knowledge not to end up a statistic.

reply to post by clintdelicious


Thanks for the documentary, I'm going to begin watching now. I already thought about the solitude thing which is why I'm thinking of bringing one or two other skilled persons with me.

Also one small tip is instead of or as well as cereal sort of bars take protein bars like flapjack ones or fudge/chocolate kinda ones. They have a lot of calories and provide a great balance of carbs with that good chunk of protein which is hard to come by in the wild. They are really like having a full blown small meal in a bar. Pound for Pound they are a very good choice.

reply to post by 46ACE


Well like I said, I'm not planning on going for close to a year, in which time I'm going to plan and prepare for my trip. Prepare being my main focal point, such as learning to hunt etc. I probably should have specified that point. I'm using this next year to learn what I need. Sorry for the confusion but thanks for the concern

reply to post by clintdelicious


Hahaha I feel like my sweet tooth would overcome me and I would pack ONLY those bars for food

sounds FUN! to bad i have to work for a living

reply to post by wWizard


Kool mate, tell me what you think, I loved watching it and feeling like I was there. I'm also joining either the regular army or the reserves as well (depending on what in accepted into) so good on you mate, The reserves usually get a lot of stick from regulars, but they fight all the same and when your out there you're not going to be regulars and reservists your just soldiers.

I couldn't deal with being alone so I liked to watch this and get a small feel of what its like. I'm suprised despite his fishing and foraging how hard he finds it, he definately has too much gear to travel to other better areas.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of it, watch some of these docs to get an idea of how best to film your trip as well. Nothing would be worse than a great trip where the footage is really bad. I'm being a bit bias about this though coz I really wana see how it goes!

reply to post by camaro68ss


Sucks you can't take a holiday. On another thread the other day I saw in France you get 37 paid holiday days a year! Then you could do this and a family holiday and a few weekends away! Made me soooo jealous!

Originally posted by Frontkjemper
reply to post by 46ACE

 

Lol, reading is a very important part of it all. Don't want to make some idiotic mistake like eating something you **think** is eatable only to die from it. Some things you can't get from first hand experience, especially if you're new.

It's also a good idea to read up on the basics before heading out. From what I understand, the OP is totally green. So a basic understanding of what you need to know and expect is vital. Everyone can survive for a few days out in the wilderness. But if you're truly up craps creek without a paddle, a little more knowledge and know how is required. I'm no super survivalist myself, although I do run a small (but growing) survivalist forum. One of the reasons for making the forum is so I could learn more.

I do agree with learning as much as you can: in fact I usually carry my favorite worn paperback book on "primitive survival skills".It's loaded with knowledge; makes dandy emergency fire starter and "last resort"toilet paper.

The issue is too many people read or watch bear gryll's and gety intotrouble when they find out things are not exactly as the book said. Then you are instantly enrolled in the "school of hard knocks". If the car is only an hour hike out it's no biggie a day or two and people can die.

O.P Find the movie or book:"into the wild"( the Chris Mcandless story) AnotherTRUE story of a rugged highly intelligent individualist marching into the Alaskan bush with a fishing rod a bag of rice; an edible wild plants book and a.22.

spoiler alert:
He dies....


Alone..
him and his camera are found by moose hunters;

reply to post by 46ACE


sounds like a good yet sad story, thanks for posting this story!

Survival tip # 1: IF you know you're going somewhere that many people have perished...DON'T GO!

Survival tip # 2: Bring someone slower than you. You don't have to be faster than the natives....just faster than the slowest guy!!

Safe travels

I've been on long treks all over the world. Here is some advice.

1. Wear pants. Always. I know when it's warm or after walking several miles you may want shorts, but resist the urge. You are just going to end up with bug bites, cuts, poison ivy or who know what else.

2. If you don't know it, don't eat it. A big mistake I sometimes see people make is that they will see a mushroom or berry that looks good and end up poisoning themselves.

3. For long treks, the key is to pack light. But also to pack for the environment. It is very easy to get heat stroke or hypothermia.

4. Always have plenty of water. When you get where you are going, find a water source. The average human can only survive up to 3 days without it. If you are going on a long expedition, you are going to need to stay hydrated.

5. If you are going up into Canada, I recommend bringing a good rifle. There are about 500 grizzly bears in the Nahanni Reserve area. I'm not saying you should go out and shoot a bear. But it's good to be able to protect yourself if necessary.

6. If you are going to be looking for gold, I recommend bringing a large pan and folding shovel. If you can swing it, also some classifying screens. Gold was found in the Nahanni Valley in 1936.

Originally posted by wWizard
reply to post by clintdelicious

 

Hahaha I feel like my sweet tooth would overcome me and I would pack ONLY those bars for food

"dry dog food packets"for emergency backups
Caveat: I've never done this; but the logic is hard to beat):

They are "edible" but you won't eat them until you really need to.
Unlike a pouch full of snickers bars or tasty granola.
However: the oils in Fritos corn chips makes them a great fire starter!Always good to keep a few packets inthe pack...

Originally posted by clintdelicious
reply to post by 46ACE

 

sounds like a good yet sad story, thanks for posting this story!

Chris has a wanderlust and tramps around after graduating college with a disgust for "society",
The movie is very well done; very watchable and poignant; a little sad (incredibly) nicely directed by Sean Penn :

reply to post by wWizard


haha wouldn't be too bad! A lot of them also contain vitamins and minerals as well, check them out. I eat strawberry flapjack ones atm as a snack because I'm putting on as much muscle as I can. As a survival snack they would be better than eny other kind of quick snack to eat. Protein seems to be the hardest thing to come by in the wild as there are fruits and carb rich starchy plants around.

Just to warm you hunting can take a very long time to learn and a lifetime to master. I suggest finding like minded people who want to do this and choose guys that you can learn from. If you feel that they have all the expertise then make yourself the organiser/camera man coz that is an important job you could do .

Don't listen to people who are saying you can't do it if you're asking these questions, You have plenty of time, just make sure you learn as much as you can, actually do it you don't learn just by reading at all without doing it
Just make sure that you have a foolproof emergency plan incase anything goes long and a locator of some sort. Thus will allow you to be a lot more confident when you head out because you know that.

If you want help with the commercial side of things I'll be happy to spend some time planning how and what to film with you, Keep in touch as things progress.

reply to post by 46ACE


Thanks i'll check that out for sure. One of my favourite stories and films (I cant remember the name) Is about the Japanese pole expedition where they left their huskies tied up but couldn't reach them after a storm set in on the way back. Then a year later they went back and found two alive who had slipped their collars and learned to hunt seals. The rest were found dead, but thank God two managed to survive. I love dogs and huskies are one of the nicest most intelligent breeds. A heartwarming and sad story also/

Also nobody seems to have mentioned fitness yet. I'm sure you'll be fit being in the reserves, but for this you want to get in very good shape for hiking long distances, so don't worry about weightlifting too much etc. Make sure you have a good comfy pair of boots as well, definitely don't use your standard army boots at all. The wrong boots will make your trek hell on earth.

Also nobody seems to have mentioned fitness yet. I'm sure you'll be fit being in the reserves, but for this you want to get in very good shape for hiking long distances, so don't worry about weightlifting too much etc. Make sure you have a good comfy pair of boots as well, definitely don't use your standard army boots at all. The wrong boots will make your trek hell on earth.

Also nobody seems to have mentioned fitness yet. I'm sure you'll be fit being in the reserves, but for this you want to get in very good shape for hiking long distances, so don't worry about weightlifting too much etc. Make sure you have a good comfy pair of boots as well, definitely don't use your standard army boots at all. The wrong boots will make your trek hell on earth.