What would your 10 items be??

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WKR
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I have very little experience in the PNW region. I do think that I would almost certainly go with a synthetic bag. I don't even currently own one and haven't in years, but I see no reason to use down in a hunker down contest in a uber wet environment.

I think the bivy sack would be redundant but I saw at least 1 of them brought one. Sleeping pad would be tempting, but you'd have plenty of time to build with natural insulation.

It would seem that since they all had so much time to prepare for this that they would each have mastered at least one type of shelter. I think I would have built 100 tarp tepees before going and just dived right into making one on the first day. Move it later if I had to. They got dropped off in the mid morning so plenty of time to get something well underway for most of them. Some of them just had crappy spots for camping.

I expect that the Alaskan lady is toast. She can talk her mental game from being a hot shot all she wants (the Army guy talked the same game), but that's obviously well in her past, she made critical mistakes and, in the end, her first obligation are her very young children. Not that I'm dismissing the mental aspect of anything, it's critically important, but your mental game, much like your physical game, has to be exercised and applied in order to stay in shape. There is something to be said for having faced challenges and pushed through them in the past, but just because you did that 10 years ago in the military or being a wildlands firefighter doesn't mean that you still have anywhere close to the same level of fortitude. You also had a social network to rely on in those experiences.

I do think I would have a very difficult with the challenge, as presented, in this show. If you were on the move, it would be different, but hunkering down for 50-60+ days is a different game entirely. Oh plus sized girl may have enough reserves to get through this, though
 
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Mike7

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Northern Idaho
I just watched the first two shows last night. Some of the people on the show this year are very interesting. I would suspect that the Spanish guy who lives in the Yukon with his wife will do well with his attitude, knowledge, and skill set? I am sure that I have no where near the skills of some of these people, but just having spent quite a bit of time in the woods and dealing with heavy rain/storms, animals, etc., and having some common sense would seem to go a long way for this endeavor. Yeah, the hotshot lady has done just about everything wrong so far, and seems unlikely to recover. I really don't understand the down sleeping bags for this show or the thin breathable raingear.

It is fun to think about the 10 items a person would choose:
I think that I would go with an extra tarp, duct tape, a large crosscut saw, a full handled ax, a big synthetic sleeping bag, a good thick pot, hooks & fishing line of various sizes to use for cordage/fishing/sewing/dental floss/etc., trapping wire (a homemade spear or two could be used to dispatch any animals caught with the wire and my local garbage dump could be a good place to set snares), pemmican, and a hunting knife. The paracord and metal canteen just barely didn't make the the cut since I figured that I have cordage with the wire and fishing line, and I could make a canteen out of a portion of the extra tarp.
 

LiquidGib

FNG
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Wonder how it would have been if they go by weight. Like you can take 20lbs of stuff..
 

Poser

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I noticed the Army guy was wearing Scent Lok Savannah series outter wear. I can't imagine that choice of clothing was in any way an informed decision.
 
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Joined
Sep 22, 2013
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6,389
I have very little experience in the PNW region. I do think that I would almost certainly go with a synthetic bag. I don't even currently own one and haven't in years, but I see no reason to use down in a hunker down contest in a uber wet environment.

I think the bivy sack would be redundant but I saw at least 1 of them brought one. Sleeping pad would be tempting, but you'd have plenty of time to build with natural insulation.

It would seem that since they all had so much time to prepare for this that they would each have mastered at least one type of shelter. I think I would have built 100 tarp tepees before going and just dived right into making one on the first day. Move it later if I had to. They got dropped off in the mid morning so plenty of time to get something well underway for most of them. Some of them just had crappy spots for camping.

I expect that the Alaskan lady is toast. She can talk her mental game from being a hot shot all she wants (the Army guy talked the same game), but that's obviously well in her past, she made critical mistakes and, in the end, her first obligation are her very young children. Not that I'm dismissing the mental aspect of anything, it's critically important, but your mental game, much like your physical game, has to be exercised and applied in order to stay in shape. There is something to be said for having faced challenges and pushed through them in the past, but just because you did that 10 years ago in the military or being a wildlands firefighter doesn't mean that you still have anywhere close to the same level of fortitude. You also had a social network to rely on in those experiences.

I do think I would have a very difficult with the challenge, as presented, in this show. If you were on the move, it would be different, but hunkering down for 50-60+ days is a different game entirely. Oh plus sized girl may have enough reserves to get through this, though


www.GoCarnivore.com

I agree with you completely. I think the person that ultimately ends up winning will do so because their goal is different...not to win but to be thriving in the woods. To always be improving your position, basically make a life for yourself in the woods rather than endure. Be a Tarzan!

I selected the Wiggys Freedom bag (which i have) for this reason:

WiggysFreedomShelterUltraliteponcho_zpsaad9423b.jpg


I like gear that serves double duty. If I needed a get across water my EXPED UL9LW mat would work...fishing might become a lifesaver. Never know. But it would seem to me that creating activities to occupy the time would be key to lasting long term (min 6 mos goal) in the woods. That would be my goal anyway. I would not make a daily notch, I'd make quarter, half and full moon notches on my log. Barring injury or illness I think it's very doable but illness comes from exposure and depletion of the body so your ability to remain, warm, dry, get sound sleep and stay fed would be top priorities. My heavily insulated pad would be an essential item. Gotta be ready to spend a week or two trapped in your shelter during the winter storms. I'd be building myself a chair during those...maybe a fake TV for the camera. LOL

Can you imagine? All the other people on the island pissing and moaning about this and that and one guy pretending to watch television in this toast warm shelter. Mine would have rabbit ears cuz that's how old I am. That's good TV!
 
Joined
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I think that black guy watched the movie Backcountry before his insertion. LOL

[video=youtube;X0AHvPpGrDU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0AHvPpGrDU[/video]
 

Dameon

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St. Louis, MO
This sounds like a fun show, does anyone know if it is available on Netflix or Hulu? I canceled cable years ago, so I miss cool shows like this.

The tarp, synthetic sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pot, ferro rod, bow, fishing line and hooks, hunting knife, hatchet, and water bottle would be my ten items. I carried these same ten items camping, backpacking, and hunting and fishing in the Carolinas and Alaska. Although, if I could customize the kit, I'd rather have the paracord and fish hooks rather than monofilament line.


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SpannerAK

Lil-Rokslider
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Jan 13, 2016
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Alaska
I noticed the Army guy was wearing Scent Lok Savannah series outter wear. I can't imagine that choice of clothing was in any way an informed decision.

I would think it would be nothing for any of the big technical outdoor clothing company to fully equip a contestant with gear for this competition.
 

SpannerAK

Lil-Rokslider
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Jan 13, 2016
Messages
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Location
Alaska
This sounds like a fun show, does anyone know if it is available on Netflix or Hulu? I canceled cable years ago, so I miss cool shows like this.

The tarp, synthetic sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pot, ferro rod, bow, fishing line and hooks, hunting knife, hatchet, and water bottle would be my ten items. I carried these same ten items camping, backpacking, and hunting and fishing in the Carolinas and Alaska. Although, if I could customize the kit, I'd rather have the paracord and fish hooks rather than monofilament line.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/season-1
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
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Location
Western NY (away from the city)
I would probably choose the following:
ground cloth/tarp
saw
sleeping bag
2 quart cooking pot
ferro rod set
canteen/water bottle
300 yards of fishing line and hooks
gill net
paracord
Leatherman or pocket knife (I'm torn)

I feel like the firestarter, sleeping bag (0° synthetic), and cooking pot are pretty much givens. You need some place to store water, so the canteen/water bottle makes sense. I'd probably go with a Nalgene bottle. They give you a 20x20 canvas tarp. So, I'd take the 12x12 ground cloth/tarp and probably cut it once I got there if needed. 4x8 is plenty to sleep on and you could do things with the rest like cover up firewood. Having the ability to cut logs/trees for shelter and firewood would be nice, so I'd bring a nice saw. Everyone has access to water, so the gill net and fishing line make sense. Plus, you could use the fishing line for other stuff. I'm torn on the Leatherman or pocket knife. It may be nice to have a full blown Leatherman. Their knives may not hold the edge like a really nice knife, but the other tools on it may make up for it.
 
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Messages
611
since there doesn't seem to be a restriction on down/synthetic for the sleeping bag (or a temp rating for that matter), just that it has to fit in the back pack provided, I can't see why anyone would bring down, that just doesn't seem like a good idea at all. I glanced at all their lists, and the big lady has a -40 degree bag (doesn't specify down or synthetic)...with all the insulation she already has on her, she's in for some toasty nights! Maybe she's planning to use the experience as an extreme diet and thinks she'll shed all that extra weight.

I think an item that a lot of them forgot (maybe cause they don't have it) is common sense, and some seemed to have left the right mentality at home as well. Maybe the guy from the army will try to negotiate to get flown back out once he can go home and stuff some mental toughness into his pack!
 
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Western OR.
3. 550 parachord – 20m
4. 1 hatchet
1. 1 large (no more than 2 quart) pot, includes lid
3. 1 flint or ferro rod set
1. 1 bar soap
1. 1 300-yard roll of nylon single filament fishing line and 25 assorted hooks (No lures)
3. 1 small gauge gill net (8 m x 2 m OR 1.5 m deep x 3.6 m long and 2” [50 mm] mesh)
7. 5 lbs of gorp (raisins, m&m’s and peanuts)
1 hunting knife
1 Leatherman multi-tool
 

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
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Location
Durango CO
since there doesn't seem to be a restriction on down/synthetic for the sleeping bag (or a temp rating for that matter), just that it has to fit in the back pack provided, I can't see why anyone would bring down, that just doesn't seem like a good idea at all. I glanced at all their lists, and the big lady has a -40 degree bag (doesn't specify down or synthetic)...with all the insulation she already has on her, she's in for some toasty nights! Maybe she's planning to use the experience as an extreme diet and thinks she'll shed all that extra weight.

I think an item that a lot of them forgot (maybe cause they don't have it) is common sense, and some seemed to have left the right mentality at home as well. Maybe the guy from the army will try to negotiate to get flown back out once he can go home and stuff some mental toughness into his pack!

I think that is where you get into making entertaining TV. If the producers picked 10 hardcore, pure and proven survivalists, the show would be pretty boring because they would all hunker down and endure without complaining. It would hours and hours of endless of footage of them eating, sleeping and making smart decisions while not complaining. Entertainment value is watching people make mistakes and mr. talks-a-big-game wimping out on the first day.
 
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