Elements Of Survival.

i have seen all kinds of lists all over the internet about what to carry in a 72 hr bag or even an edc, but can anyone tell me what would be considered the absolute most necessary items to carry? dave canternury has his 10 c's of survival, which can be broken down to just five, but i'm thinking a person can go just a little leaner than that. i'm thinking maybe three items: knife, cord, combust. what do you all think?

 

Why would you want to go so lean? The three you listed are very useful and would be vary valuable but why limit? Are you thinking these three are an absolute necessity?

 

my thought was that an individual could build off just these three items. i also thought i heard or read someplace that a special forces member could in fact survive with just these three items.

 

Try it.
Go camping for a weekend with just those 3 items.

 

i am wadering if anyone else in here has heard of this or even tried it.

 

no..........i carry more that i use....flashlight...combo screwdriver....Bandanas


i carry more that i hope to not need.....gun and spare mags

 

My BOB weighs 40 Lbs and you would never believe how much Crap I have in there! That's only 20% of my total Body weight.
I don't think If I have to abandon my home I will only be gone for 72 hours. It may take as long as a month or I might never get to return. My first thought would be to retake whats mine but that may not be possible!

 

i guess my ultimate goal is to be able to do as much as possible with as little as possible. minimalist mentality.

 

I think that is basically what he had in his post but instead of water, I think a mylar blanket if you wanted to go light. If you were really just to have the bare minimum the mylar could be used for multiple purposes and could be used in assisting to obtain water. That's my opinion.

@lonewolf89

They maybe able to but civilians may need a few more things.

 

In my AO? Knife and Firestarter. And preferably a Stainless Steel Canteen/Waterbottle/Something I can collect and Boil Water in. Do I WANT to get stuck with just that? HELL no. But I have done it on a limited basis. Heck, for years I thought a survival kit was a roll of bank line, a wool blanket, matches, a water container, a sword, a rifle, ammo, and three knives with a whetrock. Not so much these days, but I plan for I.N.C.H., and Living History has taught me a lot. Namely, to bring my Living History kit with a few modern items to round it out. It expands the kit a lot, but I plan on immediately dumping most of what I am carrying to replace it with what I am carrying...

 

Gadgets, take the place of skills you may not have, or time you don't want to waste.
I can tell the compass or time by watching shadows and sticks. But who wants to wait around for hours for what a compass will tell me at a glance?
I could build and light torches and bake pots for water and food, but why bother? Bring a flashlight and a hydration pack, or water bottle. Save those life or death skills for when you HAVE no other choice. Learn 'em, but use them for backups, not mainline tools.
Why burn all your calories building a hut by hand, when you can string up a hammock and tarp in a few minutes, and no fuss? Why spend the full day building shelter when you may be moving on in the morning? And have to do it all again after a couple hours of walking? Save your energy for the things that matter.

 

The three most important things about Minimalistic Survival are location, location, and location.

In the Arctic, a hammock won't do you much good. In the Namib, an axe is a useless weight.

In a nice temperate climate like Central Florida the three things you absolutely MUST carry to survive in the bush are nothing, nothing, and nothing.

A person with a modicum of knowledge and a hint of skill could walk into the Everglades stark naked and make out just fine.

Day One would be fire by friction and turtle soup in the half shell while wearing a comfy coat of mud and fire-hardening a spear.

And life could only get better from there.

By the end of the week a person could be eating poachers and dressing like a gentleman.

 

Yep you probably could but the skeeters might fly off with you...

 

Do y'all have rocks in Florida? There is a reason I said a knife. No rocks here.

 

I what to be able to carry as much as possible as easily as possible. One may not get to return home. Our backpacks are always ready to go.

 

As "Survival" means different things to different people, survival kits are extremely personal items.
Everyone has differing needs so it would be best to include what works best for you.

 

Cover. Namely appropriate clothing and footwear for the temperature extremes you expect to experience. If size and weight constraints prohibit you from carrying the right amount of clothing you might also want or need a tarp, poncho or reusable emergency blanket. (Clothing Examples: Sunglasses, Hat, Scarf, Rain Jacket, Gloves, Boots, Socks, Gloves)

Water. A container appropriate to carry enough before your expected resupply. This is usually 1-3L for most people in a temperate climate, might be as much as 4L where water is scarce. At the very least have a way to chemically purify and/or filter water if size or weight constraints limit your container choice. (Container Examples: 1 Quart Canteen, Nalgene Oasis, 2 Quart Canteen, 1L Survival Water Bag, 3L Hydration Bladder, MSR Dromlite, SADF 2L Canteen)

Food. Mainstay emergency food rations are very compact for a three day food supply. For shorter terms lighter, more palatable shelf-stable, ready to eat food may be preferred. (Food Examples: Mainstay Rations, Clif Bars, Nuts, Trail Mix, Jerky, MREs)

Provided you are wearing appropriate clothing and carrying enough snacks to get you through a day, a 'STOVE KIT' (for lack of a better term) will provide you with everything you need to survive a day hike whether intentional or not.

You can build it around a military style canteen or a 1 liter bottle depending on your preference.

USGI
Canteen
Canteen Cup (Steel/Titanium)
Canteen Cup Stove Stand
Canteen Cover MOLLE II / Center Line Systems 'Mother' Canteen Cover
Water Purification Tablets
Altoids Tin Stove/Esbit Stove
Trioxane/Hexamine Fuel Tablets/Denatured Alcohol
Lighter and/or Ferrocerium Rod & Striker

OR

1L Bottle
32oz. Nalgene Bottle
750ml/850ml Pot
Maxpedition 12"x5" Bottle Holder (or similar)
Water Purification Tablets
Altoids Tin Stove/Esbit Stove
Trioxane/Hexamine Fuel Tablets/Denatured Alcohol
Lighter and/or Ferrocerium Rod & Striker

If you want to go with a slightly larger kit for two people and/or winter you can go with a 2000ml pot with a MSR MicroRocket (or similar) and isobutane fuel canister or Trangia type stove. The stove alone should allow you to light stubborn kindling/tinder in case you need to make a camp fire in an emergency or added comfort although I would plan your cover/shelter so that a campfire is not absolutely necessary to maintain your core temperature as there are situations and or places where you cannot or should not make a campfire. Small keychain size knife, saw blades, button compass or tools can be added if you like. If you have room - 'heat and eat' meals, boil-in-mylar bag, quick cook dehydrated, "freezer bag cooking" food can be substituted for taste.

 

I think of survival as a long term event.
As a Teen, I have gone days without food, water, and shelter, hitchhiking across country. (San Bernardino California to Lawrence Mass.)
Age is merciless.
The difficulties are age and stress and challenges that go beyond the simple and travel, weather, health, economics, aggression , social breakdown and personal obstacles .
Maintaining ones health now, the best you can, is probably the most significant portion of survival, because if your not in shape to face the challenges ahead your dead.
The guy with only one skill is not worth much.
Knowing how to do things is a secret to others that do not know you , so unless your able to prove your not a liability physically , say-so, isn't enough, and NO one will accept it , because every other person begging to survive will be claiming value due to their knowledge, and the luxury of time to prove it may not be available.
Most mechanics I've known can only swap parts , and though they went to school, can't rebuild an alternator, or a simple switch.
Point is , much like the muscle memory in defensive strategies, being able to think inside the machinery of a problem and know what it takes to keep things running even on inferior or less than identical parts, just to keep things alive.
If you know that you have an inferior knife, than you know better then to baton the blade if you expect to be using it indefinitely.
If you know that you need to deflate your tires to get across a sandy area you can't avoid, you know that you need a reliable air compressor to re inflate them .
Having your own stuff ,means there is no reason to be suspected a raider, and subsequently shot for same.
Many like me, don't plan on bugging out, but supplies are in place just in case it's necessary.
Nuclear events won't be easily run from, unless you've got an under ground shelter set up now.
if your waiting till the last minuet,,,, it takes more than a minuet to dig one.
If you've prepped for the event , then you've got time to refine the shelter, to be more comfortable in an especially tense event.
I am reminded of the Twilight zone episode "the shelter" people that know you've got it will want in, rather than having built their own.
Those willing to scoff at me for my investments can go with out them. likely to compete for preeminence if compromised with in the group, and stir trouble any way.
These likely to be raiders.
Let's weigh the value of the survivalist , versus one resistant to prep.
The one resistant to prep, hasn't the skills to use the equipment .
The properly prepared survivalist, Has the skills invested in the tools of survival.
The unprepared, did not value their life enough to prepare.( only after the threat to their own life is in the balances )
The survivalist values his life from the beginning .
The unprepared prefer to play and rely on government support for some of their needs .
The survivalist usually is a responsible disciplined person the regulates his life responsibly keeping his liabilities at a minimum.
Jesus told and story of 10 virgins called to a wedding feast , each responsible for the oil in their own lamps. 5 were wise an carried spare oil and 5 were foolish and brought no extra oil but demanded the wise share but the sharing would jeopardize them all, so the foolish had to run to town and try and find more oil ,but by the time they got back, the door had been opened and shut and locked for the night .
The foolish were disallowed because,
1. they did not come prepared to start with .
2. they attempted to compromise the wise from there own preparations.
3. Taking the chance to leave, and go shopping at the last minuet, was a poor strategy .