The End Is Near
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Question........
You can only have 10 items for survival. We will take in a count that you already have a small back pack, small pocket knife(like a Swiss Army or Small Case) and clothes appropriate to the area you are in. You were in your car or truck you have a small first-aid kit, 8'X8' tarp and a mag light with you so the rest you have to come up with. The event is TEOTWAWKI, no power, people running crazy and you are alone and 50-100 miles from your home or retreat. What 10 items would you want to have, and lets keep this down to earth don't say you want a M1A1 Tank. Lets keep it to items you can carry with you. And give reasons why you would have the 10 items you have picked. The best comment will win a new Double Slinky Jr. Shortwave Antenna I have only made one of them so far and I tried it out and think is works great but I would like outside input so I can decide if I want to keep making them. So lets see what we all would do.
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Do the pistol and the mags. count as one item?
ReplyDelete#1. My .45 pistol and at least 4 mags, for protection.
ReplyDelete#2.Leatherman Wave, for camping or overnighting
#3. (2) French canteens/ with cups, for getting water and cooking if required, Frengh because they hold more water than American(46/32),along with some idion tablets or a small steri-pen.
#4. Toilet paper
#5. A good pair of boots. 50 to 100 miles is a long way for an old man.
#6.(2) Camoflaged ponchos with 100 feet of parachute cord., for camping and staying semi dry during the day.
#7.Extra clothing, a minimal amount, socks sweeter depending on weather.
#8. A belt pack, to carry it all in.
#9.Fire starting materials, to dry out if needed, cook food if any found and just a companion or comfort, only in use if tactical is not a concern.
#10. A small amount of food and water, necessary for survival.
You may consider this as more than 10 items considering the extras, but I think these things necessarily belong because I have walked more than 50-100 miles on more than one occasion and have needed all the above and more.
Simple -- what's in my travel kit to begin with (I've used it overseas before when things got dicey):
ReplyDelete1. Shortwave receiver (information is your most powerful weapon). Grundig makes some good ones that also pick up 10 meter/11 meter (CB bands) and the 2 meter bands. I want the widest coverage at the lowest weight. A week or two after the grid goes down you are still going to have some places running on generator and/or batteries. CB (truckers) and 2 meter (ham) tend to be the best sources of information. IF I had to I would choose 2 meter over CB bands as the repeaters run off of solar in lots of places and you can pick up chatter.
2. Good boots and socks (merino wool regardless of the weather/time of year/temperature -- wore them in the ME all the time). Extra socks (two pairs).
3. Poncho with liner (Ranger Rick sells a neat little kit that will turn your poncho/liner combo into a lightweight sleeping bag). Why not a heavy sleeping bag? Because I only want to cat nap in case the goblins come out after dark.
4. I'd want the Crusader canteen with canteen cup (Teflon lined so I can cook lots of stuff in it) and cooker kit. Plus the shoulder bag allows me to stuff extra things in it.
5. A space blanket (not the cheap "survival" kind, the one that is a space blanket laminated to a tarp). This is for two reasons -- first to add to my poncho/liner combo and second it acts as a way to defeat thermal sensors.
6. A way to purify water. Katadyn makes a great hiker model .... giardia sucks and iodine tablets don't do a good job on the giardia spores.
7. Firestarter kit -- waterproof matches, flint and steel (the type on the magnesium bar), lighter, small pieces of fatwood or similar.
8. 50 to 100 miles in these conditions means two weeks of travel at least. I'd want some of the lifeboat blocks for carbs/calories as I've always been able to scrounge protein (here dogie dogie) and veggies. Came back from my week long boy scout wilderness survival test (my scoutmaster was hard core) and had put on weight with wild onions, nuts, and one dumb deer that got in the way of my spear.
9. You've already indicated a backpack of some sort -- I always use the 5.11 Rush 24 (laptop fits in it) with a Camelback bladder ... and a pocket knife or folding knife. I'd want a good fixed blade knife to round out that kit -- a K-Bar would work but I like my Mad Dog Warlock. Both are in the 8" range and both are combat knives vs. fighting knives.
10. My M14 and 300 rounds or so. Or I'd take an AK-47 and a similar amount of ammo. Point is a semi-automatic long gun in .30 so it can be used on deer/elk and humans. I've just not had good luck with .223 on deer even back when I was poaching them in Utah (unemployed) and taking head shots under 100 yards (bullets would deflect off of the skull on more than one occasion).
11. A good compact first aid kit.
12. A compass ...
Yes two extra items. But a heel blister will slow you down enough to run out of food and while I can figure out my direction etc. without a compass its a lot easier with one.
1. 100 yards of paracord.
ReplyDelete2. Camp axe
3. Waterproof sleeping bag
4. My Henry Survival rifle and ammo
5. My Glock 19 and ammo
6. Survival rations (Mainstay, etc)
7. Katadyn Camp Water filter
8. Wet wipes
9. Good boots
10. Fire kit (lighter, matches, firesteel)
Sorry just noticed a first aid kit and a tarp ... so if you ditch #11 (first aid kit) and the poncho/liner combo I am down to 10 items. And yes, I'd take the space blanket over the poncho because its lighter and you can wear the tarp or the space blanket as a poncho if you need to.
ReplyDeleteThen again a nice wool blanket with the tarp will do about the same thing and is warmer to boot.
Back up to 11 items. I'd use one of the Woolrich blankets that comes in its own carrier (leather straps). I've spent more than one night under one of those in the back of my truck.
#1 compass
ReplyDelete#2 Gazateer (detailed atlas) for my state.
#3 Water filter (I have a cheap one for my get home kit - good for 100 gallons.)
#4 Blast Match or Doan bar.
#5 Machete
#6 Rossi w/ .22 barrel/.243/20 gauge with my pouch of ammo that goes with. About 500 rounds .22HP 100 rounds 22 CBs, 60 rounds .243 and 50 rounds 20 gauge and 10 slugs.
#7 1911 w/ 6 spare mags.
#8 Roll of TP
#9 Camo poncho
#10 Folding saw for cutting wood for fires, shelter making.
Well, since we're not allowed to suggest tanks:
ReplyDelete1-Boots
2-Cast iron pan- cook in it, boil water in it, use it for self-defense :)
3-ax/hatchet
4-Matches/lighter
5-Toilet Paper- do I need to elaborate?
6-Either wet wipes, soap or a santizing solution of some sort
7- 2 sleeping bags...zip them together to make a double and smoosh everyone in for extra body heat. I'm basing this on the assumption that my husband and children will be there too as I rarely go anywhere without them. I know you say we're alone, but it just wouldn't happen unless TEOTWAWKI happens while I'm at Walmart.
8- Protein bars/cereal bars/Mainstay bars plus the 'real' food that I keep in our vehicles all the time.
9- Rope/cord of some sort- too many reasons to list.
10-Mess kit (at least 2)- the fact that it's the end of the world doesn't mean that we should eat with our hands and use attrocious table manners, right? Plus my youngest tends to use a fork like a weapon, so it's self-defense too.
1. 10/22 with 10 50 rnd mags. lightweight and quiet.
ReplyDelete2. freeze dry meals with 2 gallons water
3. fire making kit
4. leatherman. I never leave home without this.
5. TP
6. Water purification.
7. Poncho
8. Small Radio, ham, sw, cb capable.
9. First Aid
10. Backpack to carry it all.
Note, clothes-Boots-hat are a given.
cause I always have that wherever I go..