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1. My EDC- one of the small Bic lighters, large handkerchief , pocket knife, good penlight, Leatherman and a Galco magnifying glass. This does not include the pack stowed in the vehicle.

2. One of the takeaways from watching shows like “Naked and Afraid” or movies like “The Grey” is to be able to imagine survival in a rather hostile environment with very limited resources, and various levels of skills. While these shows can be quite derivative, there is still a lot we can learn from them if we can simply place ourselves theoretically into some similar scenario. The we can ask ourselves “What would I need to know, what tools are most important to me fundamentally, what sort of people would be complementary partners for me?” etc.

   Pared down to the bare minimums, it’s really an exercise of “how far back in time can you go technically and still get live?” If you can make it back to the stone age and still get by, then maybe you have a chance??? Might be hard to do given today’s modern limitations on resourcing from the wild. Get caught and you may find yourself learning a whole new set of survival skills inside the concrete jungle.

3. I once pitched a tent in the dark on a rocky mountaintop. I decided to gather some pine needles to put under the tent to insulate me from the cold, rocky terrain. I felt around in the dark and found a pile of pine needles to use. In the morning my forearms and hands were covered in poison ivy blisters from the small plants that were growing among the pine needles. So be careful if building a debris shelter.

4. BTW, to check your fluid amount in your Bic lighter, take a small flashlight and place the lens up under the white plastic bottom and turn it (lighter) on. It will illuminate the contents level to show you how much there is left.

   1. Thanks Harry, I spend lots of time in wilderness areas and my EDC is a multi tool a side arm, and a pocket knife and I always carry a Bic lighter. But some simple things are over looked, I’m always wondering how to check the fluid level in my lighter, and with your advice I just checked, and the fluid level is very low. Thanks again. Trekker Out

5. I have been requested to teach my nephews basic scouting skills. As an old school Eagle Scout from a very active backpacking troop it makes me smile that my sisters boys want to learn something about living well in the outdoors. I looked around and decided on the Canterbury’s Bushcraft books as their manual. Bushcraft 101, Advanced Bushcraft, Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering & Cooking, and Bushcraft First Aid contain all the necessary skills one needs to got along comfortably in the woods. Of course reading words in a book is not going to get you where you want to be until you PRACTICE each skill set several times until you can do it while wet, cold, hungry and hurting! And too, practice does NOT make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect. Doing the wrong thing over and over only makes you great at doing it wrong, not to mention, confident in skills you do not possess. Get help to guide you along.

6. I would add that knowing where you are, including the knowledge of the surrounding area, can be very instrumental in helping you to survive. I never go anywhere without knowing both of those things. The other thing I would add is to let those who are friendly to you, family, friends, etc, know your whereabouts, and your basic schedule, as far as time, and changing locations. Other wise you could wind up like one unfortunate fellow, chopping his trapped arm off, mostly because he was a little too independent.

7. I like this article very much and hope to see more of the same. Like your old format used to have with so much information, recipes and how to cook outside, etc. Thanks

8. Good reminder! Thank you!

9. Survival for an overnight in the wilderness, survival for a week or two and survival for longer than two weeks. Very different situations. Finding enough food and potable water is the long term problem. So much of your other needs can be met with knowledge and preparation/practice. But in the wilderness food doesn’t grow on trees and one drink of bad water can kill you in a day or two. Most of the vegetative food you might be able to scrounge up won’t add up to enough calories to sustain you.

   On that note; there was a documentary where an American went to Africa and with a couple of natives tried to hike a one week journey in the wild. They carried corn meal which they cooked into a porridge and ate. The American literally could not eat 2400-3000 calories of this food a day. His stomach would not allow him to consume it. The natives ate more than enough but within days the American was on his last leg trying to just keep going on insufficient calories. Point being even if you find enough vegetative food in the wild you might need to consume 10 lbs of it just to get 2000 calories. Food in a survival situation is very problematic.

10. Navigation isn’t just for daytime but celestial navigation can be much more precise(long distance/smaller deviation) and easier. Orions’ lucky star and the big and little dipper(point to Polaris) can get you almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere(Southern hemisphere a little more challanging)

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