The most important thing for survival
 

Don't post anything right now, just answer the poll. I have a method to my madness.:elefant:

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Does spending all day outside in my yard count? Be careful....people read this stuff...you better be giving correct information.:smokin:

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

OK, ACTUALLY the RULE OF THREES GOES LIKE THIS:

The Rule of 3's

A person can live for
3 seconds without thinking
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
3 months without hope

BUT you were close - this was printed in an article in the old "American Survival Guide" magazine six or seven years ago

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I believe this would be in a survival situation, not riding around in a golf cart with a beer.:beer:

But hey I'm hardly an expert so take my advice with a grain of salt.:tongue:

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

It's thristy work building shelters....:beer:

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Unable to vote because the first thing that you need in order to survive is your mind :beer:

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Gosilat that's what I mean when I say "your mind" and after that your health........ without those two you are dead no matter how well prepared you are :beer: live long and prosper.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I still say water is more important than shelter. Because when they say shelter they mean anything. You can survive with shelter of low quality but you can't survive with bad water.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

"Shelter" is many things. Clothes and shoes is the first level of "shelter". And a lot depend on the season...

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

What is the one most important survival item?

Your choices here are rather limited.

Yes, your brain.

But more specifically, your ability to cooperate with others. Knowing when to trust another and when not to, and being able to have others trust you.

No man is an island. ( not even Ponce )

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Congratulations on an awesome post. Exactly what I have concluded, after much thought.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

That is a biggy LG. The value of trust can't be measured in gold or silver.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Air is a moot point since you can't really store enough to live very long in a poisonous atmosphere.

Shelter is ambiguous and can be found.

Give me water first, then a food source. Then I'll find what shelter I need.

I took the poll as a bit of a tongue in cheek.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Guard? I am not an island but a continent........don't know anyone here and don't care to do so, when TSHTF anyone across my outer fence is a target.

Will have a Dr., trauma nurse, attorney and a couple more from GIM here with me ...... will do.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I voted Shelter based on the poll alone without any other criteria.

It really would depend on your circumstances to some extent. I live in an area that has water flowing all around me. Food is plentiful so SHelter would be first on my list. I can always procure the rest if need be.

Maybe Water would be more important in an arid climate where H2O was hard to find? I think that the Rule of 3s uses the worst case scenario in each category. 3 hours without shelter means on top of the Andes, Not necessarily in, Indiana on a Spring day...

THere should never be hard fast rules when dealing with Survival. Survivors will be the ones that think outside the rules and can be quicker/better/faster than the masses around him or her.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I vote for a waterproof tarp and a sleeping bag. Staying dry and warm. Synthetic if you live in a damp climate, down if you can keep the bag dry. And a heavy ensolite type pad. The tarp can wrap your sleeping bag in wind and rain, or get you off the damp dirt, or make a tube tent if you have a rope.

I have thought about buying the Army 4 piece sleeping bags with the gore-tex outercovers. I have one old North Face nylong cover. Any way you can keep your sleeping bag clean, dry and clean will extend its life. Nice to also have a sheet or liner, to keep the inside clean.

Important to buy your sleeping bag long enough to keep boots or clothes dry and warm in the bottom. A good stuff sack that is waterproof or lined to repel water is a great idea.


Being able to get a good rest is critical. Maybe you will sleep during the day? I would rather have a green or dark color than a bright orange or red. Black will heat up more in direct sun and thus air out (evaporate absorbed body moisture) than light or bright colors.

I am more afraid of hypothermia and exhaustion that giardia or cysts, although every member of my family has a personal water filter, and we have a portable gravity filter with ceramic candles as well. Staying dry and warm is more critical than access to water where we live. Yet, if you are in the Rockies and get doused in the afternoon shower, when the temps drop at night, you could die from hypothermia if you could not get dry and warm. In places where wind is also very fierce, it is a critical factor. If your core body temp drops even 5 degrees you can die.


Just my thoughts.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Most important tool?

A big bowie knife with quality carbon or stainless steel and a good diamond hone or arkansas stone.

You can make small "knives" by chipping flint and breaking rocks, but only a big heavy knife can take the place of an axe or do heavy work. I think a selection of Knives is the most critical tool for wilderness living; if that is what you mean by survival.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

:coolbeer:
I'm with Ponce !
I am going to assume we are talking Lord Of The Flies here:Correct me if I misunderstood the exact survival scenario.
Pick 10 people at random and drop them naked on a tropical island so big they can't find each other.
All conditions and intelligence levels being equal,I bet only 2 are alive after 3 weeks.
I don't care if it's 80 degrees and there is enough fresh water to float 10 battleships available everywhere and natural food enough to feed hundreds, the odds are 2 will survive and get off the island alive.The others will perish.

Those 2 don't have to be the strongest,they just have to be the smartest.
Equipment is of no value if you don't have the brains to think outside the box when your life depends on it.
The social aspect of trust among survivors if they find each other will probably be the first thing that gets one of them killed.
Social contact would be very dangerous to your health under survival conditions.

:D RiverRat

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Note the list of threes. THE FIRST THING ON THE LIST IS :

The Rule of 3's

A person can live for
3 seconds without thinking


THAT pretty much says it all, if you ask me

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Rule of 3's.

Earth
Wind
Water

Spirit
Mind
Body

The list goes on.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

...a strong family unit.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

preferably weight lifters who can shoot straight.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

A good attitude:D

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Well said! When I was a mischivious kid I would sometimes pull the legs off of bugs just to watch their reactions. (No nietendo back then) Then I'd watch those friggen bugs FIGHT HARD just to survive. Survive for what? To be a one legged insect in a world full of predators??? Just amazed me. Life still does...

Without some kind of spiritual connection to the world around you, you might 'survive' but I am not sure if you would really LIVE.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

BULLSEYE Ponce.....:thumbs up :thumbs up

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

What do you mean I can't live 3 seconds without thinking.

I'm a married man, I am not allowed to think.

Ah...11 blissful years without thinking.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

The shelter thing is directly proportional to what climate you are living in... Find water, then you find the rest.

Water = Animals/Plants for food

Water = Abundance of young tree saplings (great shelter material)

Water = Some of the best mountain air (even at high altitudes)

Water = Well... water.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I voted water.

I've lived without shelter for months unless you count a sleeping bag and clothes. And I've slep without a sleeping bag before. # hours without shelter must be talking about in a pretty harsh climate. Hell, how many people get lost in the woods for days without shelter and still get found alive?

You can get plenty of water frome streams (or rain) if you're in the right place, if you don't have water prepared.

Although you can find food in the woods having a good supply of it like water would be more difficult.

If you were to go camping for a month somewhere where you'll have access to good water, I say food is something that should be on the top of your list of things to pack.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Regarding the rule of 3's

Ask any married man....what does he live 3 years without?

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I didn't vote in the poll, but I'd say water, too. Given no other information, one has no reason to assume that the question is referring to survival in the most extreme environments. In many places on earth, one could survive without shelter longer than one could survive without water. Water, on the other hand, is a necessity to anyone, anywhere. I've certainly survived longer than 3 hours without shelter, as have probably all of us.

"American Survival Guide" can be a fun read, but it's not exactly the ultimate authority on survival, and there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to tools for survival. Even using one's mind isn't a guarantee, and there are a lot of people out there who have survived on "dumb luck" rather than wits.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

QWAK,Maddie,Your statment is well thought out and phraised BUT if your mind is not properly trained and focused it is unlikely that you will survive and even a minor emergency can go real bad real fast and kill you.:beer:

the DUCK

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I agree, but it's still not a guarantee that you'll make it. It certainly increases your odds significantly, though. Plain old luck plays its role, too, and the ones who survive are not always the ones we probably think "deserve" to survive. Given a choice between preparing one's mind and relying on luck, however, I definitely favor training and focus!

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

QWAK,Maddie,When I was born an my Mom checked me out to see if I had all my fingers and toes, she then fliped me over and there on my BUTT was what she was REALY looking for, "the FAMILY BIRTH MARK":confused: :yippee: :cheerful: :hahaha: HE HE HE she said I got one but I never seen it and there was NO guarantee that came with ME either, just HOPES that I would survive! At 6 mo. I almost died from a bowel obstruction that 3 diferent doctors misdiegnosed!:dontknow: :confused:

Point of my story being there are NO GARANTEES for no body in life! All you can do is learn as much as you can and try to preposition your self so you avoid geting hurt and most important you don't do somthing STUPID that causes all your efforts to be waisted! :albertein

Also IT shure can improve your odds IF you got some SMART, HELPFULL people around who share their knolage and advise you befor you do somthing DUMB!:cheerful: If they happen to live near and can give you a hand now and then,THAT is even BETTER! :getdown: :wavey:

LOL Have a GOOD one! Each day is a GIFT and tomarrow a promiss that may not be recieved! Do a little each day to make your life and others just a little better and you make the world a better place! That is the best any one can do!:proud: :beer:

the DUCK

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

I agree, the shelter thing is dependent upon what you are wearing at the time you were thrown into the situation.


My take here.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Not in my climate zone. Water before shelter here unless you are caught in the 5 or so cold wet days.

And that applies to lots of people. Folks in open lifeboats can hardly be condidered sheltered, but lack of water kills most often.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

QWAK,I went to the vet suply store today but could not get any "Doxycycline" for the emergency suplies kit. Any one know ware I can order it on line from a Vet supply company??:confused:

the DUCK

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

Gold Duck, try Lambriar Vet Supply. Look under bird medications (to get it without a prescription). Foster's Vet Supply also carries it sometimes.

Re: The most important thing for survival
 

QWAK,Maddie,I did and ordered some but their prices are high about 4x what I payed for the Terramycin localy. Just the same I'm shure a lot cheeper than going to a people pharmacy. Hopfully I will never have to use the stuff.

Thanks for the help! :smile:

the DUCK