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15 Comments

1. Great info here. It’s gives us old folks something to think about.
   Very Good Thanks

   1. Real glad to hear that the SofMW is operating again!

2. Great report on Pickle Meadows Winter Warfare Training Center. I lived not far south for over fourty years and worked on the base in the nineties on the new PX and theater, medical dental and motor pool buildings. What an incredible facility. I met many trainees and instructors while skiing at the nearby ski area. I recently relocated to the Redoubt.

   I actually got to shoot my bow on the Base Commander’s personal archery range with his son. If we ever have operations in winter environments the training at that facility will give our guys great advantage.

3. Very much appreciate this article. Semper Fi

4. Thanks for this article. I appreciated it, and enjoyed your military way of writing. Glad to see someone who did an honest appraisal of the Tanto blade. From Alaska to Montana to Colorado I used knives daily and refuse to carry a Tanto- they are promoted for ninja wannebees IMO, but survival means you need to do lots of carving and cleaning of game.
   Tantos may be great for slicing but not for butchering. Curved tip full-tang blades are the only sure bet, and if you can afford carbon steel instead of stainless, thats the best. Thanks again and thanks for your service. I did 34 years in Army myself.

5. This is one of the best articles I’ve read in years. Its my pick for first place. nobody else stands a chance. Sounds like an awesome exercise. And thank you for your service to our great country

6. In your article you stated “We also had our watches. Mine was a pretty typical military pick– a Casio G-Shock. But mine was in analog. You can’t find North with a digital.”

   I’d like to pass on that all you need to do is take the time from the digital watch and draw a face in the dirt with the clock/watch hands in the appropriate place and you can find North that way.

   1. Kolt, you taught me something there. I appreciate that.

7. What about adding salt to the kit? and a small 5 oz bottle of Tabasco sauce?

8. Certainly agree with Wheatley’s and your comments regarding Tanto. What would you recommend instead of the Fisker folder? Which of the multi-tools would you now select after the course? Did you also have to carry an M4 and a pistol? What was the total pack weight? Any special tips on practicing with a bow and drill? Or is that for Part 2?

9. Thank you all for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the humor I tried to sprinkle through the article. I tend to take things seriously and yet I never manage to sound like I do. 🙂

   In regards to the Fisker Folder, I would suggest anything that does not -fold-. That is where many of ours broke, the cheap plastic handle didn’t do any favors either. I would have preferred a small axe or hatchet. Easy to resharpen and only the handle to worry about.

   For a multi-tool, I think anything with a good reputation would suffice. Leatherman is what I use now.

   We did not carry any weapons. At the time I was a Team Leader so my issued weapon was an M16A4 with a 203 grenade launcher underneath. I would NOT have enjoyed lugging that around. But that would have added an interesting spin on the course, especially if we were given ammo.

   Total pack weight I’m uncertain of, not much. The weight of the water we carried was the heaviest portion of our load and doing the math… two 28 oz Nalgene Bottles, plus the 16 oz collapsible bladder from our survival kit.. That’s slightly over half a gallon. About 5lbs for water.

   I would guess probably 15lbs and certainly not over 20lbs.

   Salt – Absolutely. Both for flavor and more importantly – fluid retention. I really regret not going more in depth on that in this article. Since we didn’t have any, I suppose drinking blood or using it in a broth would have certainly helped. I know towards the end we all struggled with keeping our bodies hydrated, even though we had plenty of water. It simply passed through us.

   For learning how to use a Bow and Drill – I highly recommend carrying Lighters. 🙂

   It was not an easy task to achieve and not one I would wish to attempt to teach. I touch briefly on it at the end of the article, but I would say having someone instruct you in person would be of immense help. YouTube videos won’t be of much help.

   Kolt – Thank you very much for the tip. I had never considered that. 🙂

10. So if you really want a knife to bet your life on, my choice would be a Busse made of INFI. Buy once, cry once use and abuse it, then pass it on to your descendants so they may do the same. If you somehow damage it, the warranty covers that too. Cheap isn’t always cheap whereas quality is always quality. You will thank yourself later.
    http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/proof-of-busse-and-kin-superiority.772715/

11. Great article! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

    E.T., I have to disagree with you on one point. If you want to learn how to make and use the bow and drill, check out the YouTube channel of Arizona Bushman. He has several videos on the subject, including what materials work best. The one where he tries to teach his wife to do it is a classic. It does take strength – I was crying for her!

12. Just finished the series. Brought back several flashbacks.
    This is a fantastic entry for the contest, I hope you win

13. Bow and drill for fire. Try this. Besides the board, spindle, and bow with string, get a piece of wood that will fit in your mouth when bitten down in. Carve a hole in it so the spindle fits in. Bite down on it and use BOTH HANDS to move the bow back and forth. Much faster than one handed bow methods using a handhold.

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