Would you survive in the wild? (Quiz)

[BlueStarLizzard]

Maybe we need an asshat of the day award?

He's already got the asshat of the decade award. Giving him an asshat of the day award would be redundant.

[K Frame]

Eaten by a bear before I get out of my car.

[HeroHog]

LOL! Can't post image because name is ahole.jpg!   

[BlueStarLizzard]

Okay, between girl scouts, 4H Outdoor Adventure club and attendance of multiple 4H Hunter Safety Days (I know, I know, I don't hunt. For some reason, if you were in the shooting club, you went to Hunter Safety Day, regardless of actual shooting interests) this is my breakdown of the quiz.

- The one I got wrong was the boiling water question. I answered filtered. Like someone, (I think it was charby) mentioned earlier, I did not assume I had the means to boil water. Usually, you do have some way to filter (or at least sort of filter) water. Boiling means you've got fire and something to contain water that won't burn up. Acquiring clean water is dependent on what your resources are.

- Speaking of resources, the quiz didn't cover what resources you had when you got lost. There is a big difference between having a full backpack and having only the clothes on your back. Clothes in my back would suck, but I'd probably make it a few days, at least in forested areas (less confident in swamp or desert) Full pack? High possibility I'd tell the rescue team to just leave me some food and come back in a week or so.

- The question I had wording beef with was the moon question. It was a silly question. My first impulse was to hit east because I was thinking of what way I would be facing, not the way the moon's lit surface was facing. Seems dumb to ask about which way the moon was going when the point was knowing which way you are going.

- Shelter is always better than fire and it isn't hard in the woods. You stack some broken branches and then pile leaves and mast all over your structure and stuff yourself inside with more leaves (preferably dry, but damp will work too) and viola! Warm and toasty shelter.

- despite oodles and oodles of outdoor survival instruction, I didn't get the bug thing right because of any of that. You watch enough nature shows and you learn that brightly colored insects and whatnot evolve their colors as a defence mechanism. It's basically telling the world "Hey! You eat me and die, so look for dinner somewhere else!"

- they had a lot of questions that related to hypothermia being the real danger but failed to explain that hypothermia is the big danger. Also, no mentions of how to deal with injuries and variations in ecosystems.

Finally, I honestly don't think I'm being egotistical, but I could probably keep myself in one piece for a few days at least. I was pretty decent at starting a fire with flint and steel (it is one big reason I could manage to place every year in Sceneca Run. The other girls could run faster, but I could start a fire faster and hit the target with the muzzleloader. Ha-ha!)

[Perd Hapley]

- The one I got wrong was the boiling water question. I answered filtered. Like someone, (I think it was charby) mentioned earlier, I did not assume I had the means to boil water. Usually, you do have some way to filter (or at least sort of filter) water. Boiling means you've got fire and something to contain water that won't burn up. Acquiring clean water is dependent on what your resources are.

It asked "what is the best way," out of the choices presented, so it was agnostic as to the particular situation, or what you have with you.

- The question I had wording beef with was the moon question. It was a silly question. My first impulse was to hit east because I was thinking of what way I would be facing, not the way the moon's lit surface was facing. Seems dumb to ask about which way the moon was going when the point was knowing which way you are going.

It's not about which way the moon is moving. It gives you a rough indication of West.


Unless weather conditions are extreme, wouldn't most adults last a few days, at least? (Presuming they don't completely freak out.) I thought dehydration took about that long.

[RoadKingLarry]

At noon, using the sun to figure South is easy.  However, why would you need to use the moon to figure direction at the end of the day when the setting sun is still visible? 

And if the moon is rising I'm fairly certain it rises in the east, every freaking time.

As to boil or filter I still think a good filter would be a better choice. While boiling will kill most pathogens a good filter will also removed most dissolved solids that might not be healthy.

[charby]

LOL! Can't post image because name is *expletive deleted*hole.jpg!   

Needs more sock monkeys.

[brimic]

Unless weather conditions are extreme, wouldn't most adults last a few days, at least? (Presuming they don't completely freak out.) I thought dehydration took about that long.

I think people are good for about 2 days without water and 2 weeks without food before they get into trouble.

[KD5NRH]

I always shake my head when I watch "Naked and Afraid", because I don't know that I've ever once seen them cover themselves with leaves or anything. Whether they get a fire going or not, they're almost always in an exposed shelter complaining about how cold they are.

They're just making excuses for their...uh...conditions.

[Scout26]

What we teach in Hunter Ed (and what I tell Robert when he decides he doesn't like the meal I've made) is:

You can go 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food.

We also teach make a fire first, then shelter.   Fire gives you more then just heat, but also a "companion";  Second, it serves as a signal (especially once you get it going and can throw some green wood or leaves on it to make it smokey); and Third, gives you something to do to keep you busy which gives you time to think and plan.

Finally, never ever cover yourself (nor lay on) wet/damp leaves or ground.  That's a real quick way to hypothermia.  That's how I got it at Ft. Lewis, WA in the middle of August.

[Perd Hapley]

Still depends on the circumstances; I spent a few days in the mountains one spring when daytime temps were in the 70s, and it was easy to break a sweat hiking in the sun, but several deep shade spots still had 18-24" piles of snow.  I was hiking hard enough to just not quite break a sweat, and grabbing a mouthful of snow whenever I passed a perfectly clean looking pile.

Of course, in that case, I was on an established trail, never more than a couple miles from a road that would have moderate traffic, and had supplies with me, but it does show that eating snow isn't always a bad idea.

That's eating snow as a frozen snack, not shoveling in mouthfuls to stave off dehydration.

I belatedly realize there's a misconception that I advise just picking up snow off the ground, and shoving it one's mouth. I actually said that eating snow is helpful if you melt it first.

We also teach make a fire first, then shelter.   Fire gives you more then just heat, but also a "companion";  Second, it serves as a signal (especially once you get it going and can throw some green wood or leaves on it to make it smokey); and Third, gives you something to do to keep you busy which gives you time to think and plan.

I'm sure the correct answer will depend on the situation, but I think shelter is usually going to be more of a priority. Partly because of wind and precipitation, but having a shelter can also be a psychological comfort, and keep one busy. Also, our heat has been out the last few days, and nighttime temperatures are getting down into the 40s and 50s. The coldest temp we've seen in the house is about 70 degrees.

[KD5NRH]

That's eating snow as a frozen snack, not shoveling in mouthfuls to stave off dehydration.

Actually, more of a combination of countering the exercise-induced increase in core temp and maintenance-rate hydration.  In a survival situation, it would have been plenty of water to keep me going all day.  I could see it being a problem after dark, though, when ambient temp went down far enough that I'd want the water heated anyway.

I'm sure the correct answer will depend on the situation, but I think shelter is usually going to be more of a priority.

Depends on the situation; 8-9 months out of the year here, unless rain is a possibility, making it through the night in whatever clothing you'd wear for a day hike is easy, (and if rain is a possibility, then at least a disposable poncho should already be in your day hike gear) especially with a small fire.  (Which also provides light, some bug protection, and the ability to boil water or cook any available food.  Even the foods that don't need to be cooked can benefit a lot from fire, like burning the spines off prickly pear fruit and pads.)  If anything, finding a tree for shade during the day is more critical than a nighttime shelter in good weather.

[Ben]

I'm sure the correct answer will depend on the situation, but I think shelter is usually going to be more of a priority. Partly because of wind and precipitation, but having a shelter can also be a psychological comfort, and keep one busy. Also, our heat has been out the last few days, and nighttime temperatures are getting down into the 40s and 50s. The coldest temp we've seen in the house is about 70 degrees.

I think it also has to do with how you're going to make fire. If I've got one of those blowtorch lighters and fairly dry kindling and wood handy, sure, I'll absolutely make a quick fire before I start on a shelter. If I'm rubbing two sticks together, or have scarce or wet wood, with my mediocre primitive skillset, I'm not going to spend five hours trying to make fire and then give up and make a half-assed shelter in the middle of the night. I'll build a good shelter, even if it's a debris shelter, straight away, and work on fire the next day when (if) the sun is out and I'm not as worried about speed vs hypothermia.

[Perd Hapley]

I think it also has to do with how you're going to make fire. If I've got one of those blowtorch lighters and fairly dry kindling and wood handy, sure, I'll absolutely make a quick fire before I start on a shelter. If I'm rubbing two sticks together, or have scarce or wet wood, with my mediocre primitive skillset, I'm not going to spend five hours trying to make fire and then give up and make a half-assed shelter in the middle of the night. I'll build a good shelter, even if it's a debris shelter, straight away, and work on fire the next day when (if) the sun is out and I'm not as worried about speed vs hypothermia.

Fair enough. Personally, though I've made and used a bow drill to start a fire, I've failed often enough with a box full of kitchen matches that I wouldn't waste my time trying to make a fire. :rolleyes:

[KD5NRH]

I think it also has to do with how you're going to make fire. If I've got one of those blowtorch lighters and fairly dry kindling and wood handy, sure, I'll absolutely make a quick fire before I start on a shelter. If I'm rubbing two sticks together, or have scarce or wet wood, with my mediocre primitive skillset, I'm not going to spend five hours trying to make fire and then give up and make a half-assed shelter in the middle of the night.

The small emergency kit (day pack) has a couple of lighters, 6 days worth of kerosene-and-paper-pulp-based "BBQ starters" that are good for about 10 minutes of fire by themselves, matches, firesteel, enough charcloth for a dozen fires, extra cotton and mini-Altoid tin for making more charcloth, cotton pads coated in paraffin, and a fresnel lens.  If I'm having to resort to anything other than Bic and fuel block to get a fire going, I've most likely already been in the wild for a week.

As for shelter, there are a couple of cheap plastic drop cloths and a 6x8 poly tarp, a few trash bags, ~100' of 550 cord, a pound of strong twine, 50' of 60lb test braided fishing line, some snare wire, shoe goo, (for fixing holes in drop cloths, tarp or shoes) and Gorilla tape.

Basically, for the first few days, the only way I'd get a proper camp set up faster is to carry a tent and a grill.

[Firethorn]

12/12 for me.  Wasn't hard.