One of the questions I'm asked most often about carrying weapons for defense of self and others, is about reloads and backups. Do you carry a reload, do you carry two, do you carry a backup gun...
This question is often followed by "doesn't that make you a paranoid or something?"
One of my favorite sayings, and one that I live by is "It's not whether you're paranoid, it's whether you're paranoid enough".
Yes, I carry a reload, in fact I sometimes carry two. I also carry a backup gun, and a reload for it.
I carry minimum of 10 rounds (5 shot revolver and 1 reload) to a maximum of 50 (BHP with two 18rd magazines, Keltec P3AT with spare mag). I suppose I could carry a third mag (one in the gun and two spares) for the BHP, to bring it up to 68; but I don’t really bother... I mean I have carried that much when I'm open carrying, but I rarely do.
Does that make me paranoid? Maybe. I just hope it makes me paranoid enough.
Oh and I also always carry a knife; a way to deal with screws, small nuts and bolts, and wire (either a multitool, or a keychain tool); a flashlight (actually I usually have two); some cording (550 cord); and a way of making fire. DOes that mkae me paranoid? Again I say I hope it makes me paranoid enough.
Often the question is then asked (usually by old revolver men), "If you can't do it with six, you're in more trouble than you can handle with a handgun anyway, so why bother?"
Well, they're right about one thing, if you can't stop a single threat with six rounds, you've got big problems; but I don't carry all that so I'll have more lead to send downrange at one target. The first threat is always that of multiple assailants; especially in an urban environment. More ammo gives you more flexibility in your response here; and that's important.
But that's not primarily why I carry reloads and a backup.
When it comes to defending my life, and the lives of others, I follow the dictum “two is one, one is none”. As far as I’m concerned, when I've got my Colt Defender (7+1 and 7) and my P3AT (6+1 and 6) with reloads (which is my most frequent carry rig); the total round count may be 28, but I’ve only got 15 rounds there that I can count on.
My biggest concerns are malfunctions and environmental loss.
I carry a backup magazine because the smartest way to clear a malfunction is with a fresh mag. Most automatic pistol malfunctions are caused by either bad ammunition or bad magazines. When you have a serious stoppage malfunction, the best thing you can do to resolve it is clear the weapon of any potentially defective ammunition and magazine, and reload with a fresh, known good mag and ammo.
I carry a backup gun because clearing malfunctions is slower than grabbing another gun; and also because it isn’t hard to end up with a gun lost to the environment in the exigencies of a fight.
If you end up having to clear a vehicle or a door frame quickly, or if you god forbid fall down some stairs or the median or embankment of a road (and I’ve had all of the above happen while in potentially threatening situations), it isn’t hard to end up without your sidearm, or with it out of the action (I’ve never had the first happen, but I have had the second happen).
If you're out in the woods, it's very easy to end up slipping in the creek, or sliding down the hillside; and suddenly you are without your most effective external self defense tool (actually, the only time I like pistol lanyards is when you're out hiking or boating).
I also carry a backup gun, because it is important to establish the unbreakable routine of carrying. You can't win a gun fight if you don't have a gun, so make sure you have a gun.
My backup gun goes into my pocket the minute I pick out my pants in the morning, and doesn’t come out until those pants go into the laundry.
My backup guns are generally a Kel-Tec P3AT or a KelTec PF9; but I sometimes use an SP101 (I’d use a 340pd if I had one. I keep meaning to buy one). 6+1 rounds each for the first two, 5 for the third, and I ALWAYS have a reload for my backup guns.
The reloads are small and light; and by rule of karma and Murphy, if not necessarily engineering (though often backup guns ARE somewhat less reliable than larger carry pieces), backup guns are the ones most likely to malfunction when you desperately need them. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
My primary carry guns are a Yost custom Colt Defender in .45, a Yost custom Springfield Champion, or the Hank Fleming full custom 10mm full size govt that was a gift from the Nation of Riflemen. Those 1911s hold 7+1, 8+1, and 9+1 rounds respectively, with the magazines I carry. I usually carry a reload for each of those as well; but with the backup, I don’t always bother. If I’m feeling froggy I may have two reloads, but I usually don’t bother; unless I'm heading out into the woods (where I'm likely to be carrying a large revolver instead by the way).
So a typical load for me is as I said above 6+1 and 6 for the P3AT, and 7+1 plus 7 for the Defender. That’s 28rds.
Less commonly I’ll carry an HK USP compact (8+1 and 8) or the FM Detective (cut down BHP) with KRD extended mags (which actually work great, at 18+1 and 18).
Of those, the only gun with more than 10 rounds capacity in it is the BHP; and I chose the KRD mags not because they offer more capacity, but because they are completely reliable, and they are easier to grab and seat (because they have an integral bumper pad base plate) quickly. Standard BHP mags are harder to handle quickly; and are especially difficult to strip if they jam in the magwell.
As to how much it weighs and how bulky it is? Honestly I don’t even notice it… ‘cept the 10mm, since it’s about 44oz loaded; but it’s an open carry only gun for me anyway, I’m not worried about concealing it. The rest I’m so used to, they aren’t even there anymore.
Because honestly, when it comes to defending your life, do those few ounces bother you all that much?
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Monday, August 13, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Don't give them what they want
An acquaintance of mine recently renewed his concealed carry permit, and his instructors (both veteran cops), gave a very common piece of advice "the best thing you can do in a robbery is sit tight, give them what they want, and be a good witness".
That can be good advice to a point (I don't totally agree with it, but OK); but that's where most police officers stop.They never qualify their point. Fortunately, these ones did, by following up with "unless things start to get violent, in which case the only thing you can do is try and stop the threat".
What most cops won't tell you, because they don't want you "trying to be a hero"; is that once there has been an escalation of violence in the commission of a crime, the chances of somebody not being killed or seriously injured are very poor.
If you're dealing with what cops call an ODC (ordinary decent criminal), then most likely nobody is going to get hurt; but once things tip over that edge (and it can happen at any time, with no warning), you are effectively a dead man already, unless you act to prevent that from happening.
You should NEVER comply with a rapist, or a criminal who is intent on violence; and ALL rape is violence of the worst sort.
You should NEVER comply with a criminal who is clearly mentally unstable, or grossly impaired mentally by drugs or alcohol.
It should go without saying, that you should NEVER comply with a criminal who has invaded your home, private office, or car; as these are automatically at an escalated level of violence (because they are emotionally violent and risky acts as well as physically).
In fact, if you have effective means of resisting, and are not risking others unduly in the process, I believe you should never comply with a criminal period.
Simply by committing a crime they have demonstrated that they have no respect for the rules of civilized behavior. Why should you expect them to behave otherwise once they have what they want?
That said, perhaps local laws don't allow for effective self defense, or require a "proportionality of response". Or perhaps resisting WOULD unduly risk others, or your means of resisting may not be the most effective (empty handed for example).
Perhaps then you should comply; but sometimes, even then, you must still resist; because of the likelihood that violence will escalate to homicide, or grievous harm.
There are seven “danger signs” for homicidal escalation in the commission of a crime
1. If the subjects use of violence escalates beyond a slap or punch; even if by accident
2. If the subject is extremely nervous, out of control, has violent mood swings or is frantic, etc…
3. If the subject appears to be eager, having fun, or high/tweaked/stoned/drunk
4. If the subject singles out, isolates, personalizes, or sexualizes their interaction with an individual
5. If the subject makes specific threats on a particular individuals life to force compliance from another
6. If the subject physically restrains an individual or group (rope, tape, handcuffs etc...)
7. If the subject attempts to move individuals to an area away from public view, or isolated from others
If any of these conditions is a factor, the probability that the situation can be resolved without death or serious injury is very low. If any two of them are factors, then serious violence is almost a certainty. Any three, and you are a dead man waiting to happen.
Now, a couple of hard and fast rules for dealing with violent crime:
1. Never give up your weapon in a violent crime. If someone says drop your weapon, they are going to kill you as soon as you do. If they say it while holding a gun to the head of someone else, they’re going to shoot the other person after you drop your weapon, THEN they are going to shoot you. If a subject orders you to drop your weapon, before they finish their sentence you should already have shot them in the head.
2. Never allow yourself or others to be cut out and isolated from a group, or from the main area of the location where the crime is occurring. Do NOT be led into the back room or some such; if you are, then you are almost certainly going to be killed.
3. Do not be passive in the face of escalated violence. Once violence has escalated beyond the point of simple assault, you are a dead man waiting for the bullet. Realize that and fight back in any way you can, whether you are armed or not. Remember, ANYTHING can be a weapon.
4. Do not, under any circumstances, allow yourself to be physically restrained in any way
5. Do not attempt to establish any personal or humanizing connection with a subject, unless you are unarmed and in a hostage situation
6. If violence does escalate, respond immediately and decisively. Shoot to stop, use your knife to stop, use your fists, your feet, your teeth, use whatever it takes to end the threat as fast as possible. This isn’t Hollywood, this is your life, and the lives of those around you. You don’t give warning shots and you don’t tell someone to drop their weapon; you shoot them in the head or center chest (or both). If you are unarmed, you must also respond decisively and immediately, but your options are much more limited. Remember though, at this point there is already a high likelihood that you are a dead man if you DON’T do something, so sitting tight and waiting to die isn’t a great idea.
7. The rules change dramatically in a hostage situation, because the power dynamics are radically different; but if you are armed or capable of resisting, DO NOT ALLOW a hostage situation to develop.If one does, expend all possible efforts on either disabling the subject or escaping. The most likely way for you or others to die in the robbery of a public place is if a hostage situation develops.
Let me state absolutely unequivocally one more time, DO NOT COMPLY WITH VIOLENT CRIMINALS; they are likely to kill you whether you comply or not, and compliance only makes that job easier.
That can be good advice to a point (I don't totally agree with it, but OK); but that's where most police officers stop.They never qualify their point. Fortunately, these ones did, by following up with "unless things start to get violent, in which case the only thing you can do is try and stop the threat".
What most cops won't tell you, because they don't want you "trying to be a hero"; is that once there has been an escalation of violence in the commission of a crime, the chances of somebody not being killed or seriously injured are very poor.
If you're dealing with what cops call an ODC (ordinary decent criminal), then most likely nobody is going to get hurt; but once things tip over that edge (and it can happen at any time, with no warning), you are effectively a dead man already, unless you act to prevent that from happening.
You should NEVER comply with a rapist, or a criminal who is intent on violence; and ALL rape is violence of the worst sort.
You should NEVER comply with a criminal who is clearly mentally unstable, or grossly impaired mentally by drugs or alcohol.
It should go without saying, that you should NEVER comply with a criminal who has invaded your home, private office, or car; as these are automatically at an escalated level of violence (because they are emotionally violent and risky acts as well as physically).
In fact, if you have effective means of resisting, and are not risking others unduly in the process, I believe you should never comply with a criminal period.
Simply by committing a crime they have demonstrated that they have no respect for the rules of civilized behavior. Why should you expect them to behave otherwise once they have what they want?
That said, perhaps local laws don't allow for effective self defense, or require a "proportionality of response". Or perhaps resisting WOULD unduly risk others, or your means of resisting may not be the most effective (empty handed for example).
Perhaps then you should comply; but sometimes, even then, you must still resist; because of the likelihood that violence will escalate to homicide, or grievous harm.
There are seven “danger signs” for homicidal escalation in the commission of a crime
1. If the subjects use of violence escalates beyond a slap or punch; even if by accident
2. If the subject is extremely nervous, out of control, has violent mood swings or is frantic, etc…
3. If the subject appears to be eager, having fun, or high/tweaked/stoned/drunk
4. If the subject singles out, isolates, personalizes, or sexualizes their interaction with an individual
5. If the subject makes specific threats on a particular individuals life to force compliance from another
6. If the subject physically restrains an individual or group (rope, tape, handcuffs etc...)
7. If the subject attempts to move individuals to an area away from public view, or isolated from others
If any of these conditions is a factor, the probability that the situation can be resolved without death or serious injury is very low. If any two of them are factors, then serious violence is almost a certainty. Any three, and you are a dead man waiting to happen.
Now, a couple of hard and fast rules for dealing with violent crime:
1. Never give up your weapon in a violent crime. If someone says drop your weapon, they are going to kill you as soon as you do. If they say it while holding a gun to the head of someone else, they’re going to shoot the other person after you drop your weapon, THEN they are going to shoot you. If a subject orders you to drop your weapon, before they finish their sentence you should already have shot them in the head.
2. Never allow yourself or others to be cut out and isolated from a group, or from the main area of the location where the crime is occurring. Do NOT be led into the back room or some such; if you are, then you are almost certainly going to be killed.
3. Do not be passive in the face of escalated violence. Once violence has escalated beyond the point of simple assault, you are a dead man waiting for the bullet. Realize that and fight back in any way you can, whether you are armed or not. Remember, ANYTHING can be a weapon.
4. Do not, under any circumstances, allow yourself to be physically restrained in any way
5. Do not attempt to establish any personal or humanizing connection with a subject, unless you are unarmed and in a hostage situation
6. If violence does escalate, respond immediately and decisively. Shoot to stop, use your knife to stop, use your fists, your feet, your teeth, use whatever it takes to end the threat as fast as possible. This isn’t Hollywood, this is your life, and the lives of those around you. You don’t give warning shots and you don’t tell someone to drop their weapon; you shoot them in the head or center chest (or both). If you are unarmed, you must also respond decisively and immediately, but your options are much more limited. Remember though, at this point there is already a high likelihood that you are a dead man if you DON’T do something, so sitting tight and waiting to die isn’t a great idea.
7. The rules change dramatically in a hostage situation, because the power dynamics are radically different; but if you are armed or capable of resisting, DO NOT ALLOW a hostage situation to develop.If one does, expend all possible efforts on either disabling the subject or escaping. The most likely way for you or others to die in the robbery of a public place is if a hostage situation develops.
Let me state absolutely unequivocally one more time, DO NOT COMPLY WITH VIOLENT CRIMINALS; they are likely to kill you whether you comply or not, and compliance only makes that job easier.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
What are Your Useful Skills
Today sems to be just chock full of posts inspired by the Nation of Riflemen (as many of my posts often are), where reader 1991a1 asks "Any other tradesmen or experts out there willing to offer their tricks of the trade".
Basically he was aksing folks whet their useful skills and experience amounted to, and I thought it was an interesting topic, because my interests and experience are all over the damn map. When people ask me what I'm into, I usually say "everything".
As a 12 year old my first job was as a professional office cleaner for one of my uncles (I have 16 aunts and uncles; Irish family). There are actually a lot of things to learn to do the job well, and a lot of basic tricks to do the job quickly without injuring your knees and back.
Next I worked in an antique furniture restoration and refinishing shop where I learned carpentry, cabinetmaking, and finishing. I also learned some luthiery, and shipwright skills (I built or repaired, and finished or refinished a couple of guitars. I helped build a 32 foot wooden ocean sloop with my uncle, and I built and restored a few small wooden boats, a small aluminum boat, and small fiberglass boat), and of course I had to move a lot of expensive furniture.
Then I worked in a small custom bicycle factory where I learned to weld and fabricate metal. This would also be the first time I deliberately violated ATF regulations (gee, it's really amazing what you can do with the materials in a bicycle factory, and some manuals from palladin press).
I've been flying since I was 13, and I got my private pilots license on my 17th birthday. I'm also a licensed amateur radio operator (KB1DXJ), an International Radiotelephone Operator (all pilots are), and a High Frequency Radiotelephone Operator (all pilots who fly trans oceanic flights have to be).
My mother was not enthusiastic about my flying... not in the least actually (she's deathly afraid of airplanes, she flys, but she gets... mental). I'd been cooking since I was a little kid (during one of her bouts with cancer I tought myself how to cook, at around age seven), and I was pretty damend good at it. Well I wanted to be a pilot, and she wanted me to be a chef, so we compromised. She would help pay for my flying lessons, if I would take professional cooking classes, so I did both.
I headed into the Air force, and went to college for aerospace engineering.
I also had side jobs as a nursing assistant in a nursing home, an oil change and brake job mechanic, a security and audio installer, a convenience store and gas station clerk, and an autoparts store manager.
Since the Air force and college I have worked as a body guard, a driver, various physical security work, a self defense instructor, and I also played semi-pro football (not a useful skil that, but fun). Unfortunately I aggravated a training injury a few years ago, and I can't really do that work anymore.
My primary job since the re-injury of my knees has been as a security consultant, for both physical security, and electronic and information security (computers, networks, and communication systems, policy and procedure, and investigation and forensics). In connection with that, I design and implement high performance and/or large scale networked computing architectures.
I also develop training and educational materials for security (both kinds), and during the dot com boom I used to write for some technology and internet magazines and websites (the only one still around that I was a regular contributor to is techrepublic)
I've used all of these skills in my hobbies.
I have always built lots of stuff out of wood, metal, and leather as a hobby.
I've been into the martial arts since I was 5, and I've collected swords and knives since I was 13. I have other hobbies like the SCA, shooting, and R/C cars, boats, and aircraft.
I build some of my own furniture, I do chess sets, I've made bondage and fetish gear, I've made LOTS of armor.
I've done some gunsmithing, and made some siege weapons, bows, crossbows, catapaults (and other weapons of the type, ballista, mangonel etc...). I've also done some amateur bladesmithy (a blacksmith trained me on the forge while I was in college after some creative begging), and some bladecrafting with premade blanks.
I'm a transportation nut, and I've built or co-built boats, cars, airplanes, motorcycles, and Karts. I've done a LOT of tuning stuff on cars and bikes.
I also make little electronic gadgets and I've built a couple of robots.
I play guitar (badly), and I sing, (pretty damned well), mostly classic rock, blues, and soul; also some folk and Irish, and of course filk (an SCA pre-requisite). I was in a showband varying in size from 8-16 members depending on the week, and the gig, and we had some fun. I was the lead singer, and we did a lot of blues and soul classics, a couple of classic rock hits, and even a few hard rock and metal tunes, rearranged for our guys to have fun with (I do a mean set of AC/DC).
This is why I say my interests are pretty much everything. A lot of these things Im barely a journeyman at, but I'm an odd sort of fellah. When I get interested or involved in something, theres jsut some drive in me that forces me to gecome an expert at it or to absorb as much info I can, or to be the best I can. It's amazing how much of that crap is still floating around.
Of all the things I've done, the only one I wouldnt feel confident doing again without retraining is the medical work. You jsut dont mess around with peoples lives. That said, I still remember a hell of a lot of it, which helps when I'm dealing with my mothers illness, and especially in dealing with doctors, nuses, and recalcitrant peristaltic IV pumps thatmy mother keeps fouling and that the nurses dont have time to fix.
I should also mention that I'm an insomniac with eidetic memory, which is NOT photographic memory. True photographic memory is total retention with total instant recall. I have the total retention part, but I have something called highly associative recall. Its not instant or total, but it's still pretty damned useful.
I also read like a maniac, and obsessively watch history, science, and trivia shows (I love the 70, 80s, 90s etc..), and the hitler channels (history, discovery, military, biography etc...), so I have a truly vast store of useless knowledge in my head.
Fun stuff eh? How about you post your lsit on your own blog, trackback to me, and/or leave the permalink in comments, and spread the meme.
Basically he was aksing folks whet their useful skills and experience amounted to, and I thought it was an interesting topic, because my interests and experience are all over the damn map. When people ask me what I'm into, I usually say "everything".
As a 12 year old my first job was as a professional office cleaner for one of my uncles (I have 16 aunts and uncles; Irish family). There are actually a lot of things to learn to do the job well, and a lot of basic tricks to do the job quickly without injuring your knees and back.
Next I worked in an antique furniture restoration and refinishing shop where I learned carpentry, cabinetmaking, and finishing. I also learned some luthiery, and shipwright skills (I built or repaired, and finished or refinished a couple of guitars. I helped build a 32 foot wooden ocean sloop with my uncle, and I built and restored a few small wooden boats, a small aluminum boat, and small fiberglass boat), and of course I had to move a lot of expensive furniture.
Then I worked in a small custom bicycle factory where I learned to weld and fabricate metal. This would also be the first time I deliberately violated ATF regulations (gee, it's really amazing what you can do with the materials in a bicycle factory, and some manuals from palladin press).
I've been flying since I was 13, and I got my private pilots license on my 17th birthday. I'm also a licensed amateur radio operator (KB1DXJ), an International Radiotelephone Operator (all pilots are), and a High Frequency Radiotelephone Operator (all pilots who fly trans oceanic flights have to be).
My mother was not enthusiastic about my flying... not in the least actually (she's deathly afraid of airplanes, she flys, but she gets... mental). I'd been cooking since I was a little kid (during one of her bouts with cancer I tought myself how to cook, at around age seven), and I was pretty damend good at it. Well I wanted to be a pilot, and she wanted me to be a chef, so we compromised. She would help pay for my flying lessons, if I would take professional cooking classes, so I did both.
I headed into the Air force, and went to college for aerospace engineering.
I also had side jobs as a nursing assistant in a nursing home, an oil change and brake job mechanic, a security and audio installer, a convenience store and gas station clerk, and an autoparts store manager.
Since the Air force and college I have worked as a body guard, a driver, various physical security work, a self defense instructor, and I also played semi-pro football (not a useful skil that, but fun). Unfortunately I aggravated a training injury a few years ago, and I can't really do that work anymore.
My primary job since the re-injury of my knees has been as a security consultant, for both physical security, and electronic and information security (computers, networks, and communication systems, policy and procedure, and investigation and forensics). In connection with that, I design and implement high performance and/or large scale networked computing architectures.
I also develop training and educational materials for security (both kinds), and during the dot com boom I used to write for some technology and internet magazines and websites (the only one still around that I was a regular contributor to is techrepublic)
I've used all of these skills in my hobbies.
I have always built lots of stuff out of wood, metal, and leather as a hobby.
I've been into the martial arts since I was 5, and I've collected swords and knives since I was 13. I have other hobbies like the SCA, shooting, and R/C cars, boats, and aircraft.
I build some of my own furniture, I do chess sets, I've made bondage and fetish gear, I've made LOTS of armor.
I've done some gunsmithing, and made some siege weapons, bows, crossbows, catapaults (and other weapons of the type, ballista, mangonel etc...). I've also done some amateur bladesmithy (a blacksmith trained me on the forge while I was in college after some creative begging), and some bladecrafting with premade blanks.
I'm a transportation nut, and I've built or co-built boats, cars, airplanes, motorcycles, and Karts. I've done a LOT of tuning stuff on cars and bikes.
I also make little electronic gadgets and I've built a couple of robots.
I play guitar (badly), and I sing, (pretty damned well), mostly classic rock, blues, and soul; also some folk and Irish, and of course filk (an SCA pre-requisite). I was in a showband varying in size from 8-16 members depending on the week, and the gig, and we had some fun. I was the lead singer, and we did a lot of blues and soul classics, a couple of classic rock hits, and even a few hard rock and metal tunes, rearranged for our guys to have fun with (I do a mean set of AC/DC).
This is why I say my interests are pretty much everything. A lot of these things Im barely a journeyman at, but I'm an odd sort of fellah. When I get interested or involved in something, theres jsut some drive in me that forces me to gecome an expert at it or to absorb as much info I can, or to be the best I can. It's amazing how much of that crap is still floating around.
Of all the things I've done, the only one I wouldnt feel confident doing again without retraining is the medical work. You jsut dont mess around with peoples lives. That said, I still remember a hell of a lot of it, which helps when I'm dealing with my mothers illness, and especially in dealing with doctors, nuses, and recalcitrant peristaltic IV pumps thatmy mother keeps fouling and that the nurses dont have time to fix.
I should also mention that I'm an insomniac with eidetic memory, which is NOT photographic memory. True photographic memory is total retention with total instant recall. I have the total retention part, but I have something called highly associative recall. Its not instant or total, but it's still pretty damned useful.
I also read like a maniac, and obsessively watch history, science, and trivia shows (I love the 70, 80s, 90s etc..), and the hitler channels (history, discovery, military, biography etc...), so I have a truly vast store of useless knowledge in my head.
Fun stuff eh? How about you post your lsit on your own blog, trackback to me, and/or leave the permalink in comments, and spread the meme.
The Ultimate Road Trip - Part 1
So, the Imperial Firearms Advisor, Kim Du Toit, has put up the "Crossing America" challenge again (he did it last year as well).
The basic premise is this:
The basic premise is this:
You have the opportunity to go back in time, arriving on the east coast of North America circa 1650, and your goal is to cross the North American continent, taking as much time as you need. When/if you reach the Pacific coastline, you’ll be transported back to the present day.
Your equipment for this journey will be as follows (taken back in the time capsule with you):
-- enough gold to buy provisions for the first five days’ travel
-- a small backpack containing some clothing essentials
-- a winter coat, raincoat and boots
-- waterproof sleeping bag
-- an axe
-- a box of 1,000 “strike anywhere” waterproof matches
-- a modern topological map of North America, binoculars and a compass
-- and a U.S. Army First Aid kit.
Weapons:
-- ONE long gun (and 800 rounds, but no scope)
-- ONE handgun (and 1,000 rounds)
-- TWO knives.
Once there, you’ll be given a horse, a mule and a dog—and apart from that, you’re on your own. Remember you’ll be traveling through deep woods, open prairie, desert and mountains. You may encounter hostile Indian tribes and dangerous animals en route, which should be considered when you answer the following questions (and only these):
1. What long gun would you take back in time with you?
2. What handgun?
3. Which two knives?
So heres my answer:
Long gun: Marlin 1894ss in .44mag with a gold inlay outlined tritium front dot, a reciever mounted tritium outlined ghost ring, and a tang mounted fold down peep site (the first for defense at close range, the second for hunting and long ranges. I believe the 1894 has an all coil spring action. If not I'd find one with an all coil spring action made of stainless.
Handgun: Ruger Redhawk 5.5" in .44mag. Tough, stainless, and no leaf springs. I'd need a custom grip on it though. I hate the stock redhawk grip.
Obviously the advantage of the two weapons sharing caliber is too big to give up, because it's pretty much 100% that one will break or be lost before the trip is over.
The biggest problem here is maintaing the firearms without tools. The fact is, if you expect the weapons to live, you'll need at least one phillips and one slot screwdriver. You will also need a brass brush and a soft bristle brush. If you are allowed a small cleaning, spares (one of each screw, extractor, firing pin, roll pins or retnetion pins, clips and springs), and maintenance kit for your weapons and your pack you may make it all the way with all three intact and fuctional. If you aren't, count on all three to fail during your trip (probably the lever gun first).
Actually if I could, before I left I would take all the screws in all my gear and replace them with square drive screws, then use the weakest loctite on them, and safety wire or cotter pin any that could be. I figure I could get away with 3 screw sizes total, and if necessary manufacture the screwdrivers locally.
Knife one: Swamp Rat Camp Tramp. I originally chose the Cold steel Recon Scout, because t's big enough without being too big, but the Camp Tramp is about the same size, about the same quality, and has tougher handle material. I'd actually prefer to have a Busse Combat, but they are semi-out of business (only doing a few hundred knives a year), and focusing on Swamp Rat.
Knife Two: Gerber multipro with toolkit. I had originally not wanted to go with a toolkit knife, instead choosing a Dozier professional skinner in D2, but as I pointed out, the problem of maintenance is going to be one of the biggest issues you will have to deal with, and the toolkit is too big an advantage to discard.
Kim also mentioned an axe specifically, and any one of the finnish or swedish medium axes would be good. Something larger than a hatchet but smaller than a felling axe. An axe like this is good for small trees and hand work, as well as light woodworking and manufacturing field expedient structures.
For a dog, personally I'd go for either a rottie or a german shepherd, trained as a working dog (track, kill, attack, and defend). There are hardier breeds, but I get along well with both of those, they train well, and they are tough and smart enough to survive, and to hunt on their own (the only thing I'd worry about was adequate diet for them).
But... But... this is nowhere NEAR enough detail for geeks like me...
You knew I wasn't going to stop there didnt you? I mean this is me, the guy who can turn just about any subject into 5000 words; theres only 760 words up there, I'll have to do better than that.
There's a hell of a lot of stuff you will absolutely need to purchase or build once you get back to 1650 to get across the country successfully, while still keeping it to one horse and one mule.
What you buy, and how you store it, are HIGHLY dependent on your load carrying capacity, which means your horses and wagons.
Remember you'll need to winter at least once and likely twice, and you'll need to build at least one boat (barge or raft really) large enough to carry everything you are bringing with you (when you cross the mississippi), unless you want to head into northern Iowa or Minnesota in the middle of your first winter (which is where the river becomes fordable, or easily bridgeable). I personally would take the southern route, and just build a boat. I've done it before, and it's not actually all that hard, especially since you're only going a mile with it.
Assuming I could do so, the first thing I'd buy or build would be a mule cart with two very large, wide rawhide bound wheels (possibly solid, non spoke wheels for strength) with iron over rawhide rims. This would increase my mules capacity from around 350lbs to around 1000 lbs (including the cart which weighs about 250lbs), and it can go almost anywhere a mule can. Personally I'd go for one of the floatable designs. Oh and those wheels are important. Straight Iron over wood will have a tendency to brake in rough terrain. If the wheels are rawhide bound, and theres a rawhide buffer between the Iron rim and the wooden wheel, the wheel is a bit more flexible, and a LOT more resilient.
If instead of a mule and a horse I could get either two good mules, or two good sized work horses that were both saddle and harness broken, I'd go for a floatable 4 wheeled wagon, which would give me up to about ton of carrying capacity (for long distances without injury to the horses. Over shorter distances a horse cart can carry a surprisingly huge weight).
Assuming wagons or carts aren't allowed or available, all of the supplies I list here except for maybe all the the water I'd want to take, maybe all the alcohol I'd want, and the portable forge (more on that below), can easily be squeezed in at around 450lbs. This is really the max long distance load for a single mule (for shorter distances mules have been known to carry up to 700lbs).
Rmember, 1 gallon of water is 8 lbs, and I want to have at least two growlers (5 gallon barrels), or better, two frikins (9 or 10 gallon barrels depending on whether you are using U.S. or U.K. measurement). Raw alcohol weighs around 7lbs per gallon, and I'd also like at least a firkin, and preferably two available.
I would of course carry myself, and my personal gear and whatever else could be comfortably carried on my horse, but I'm a pretty big guy. Even after a few months of living in the wilderness I'll still be 265 (at 265 I'm positively skinny), so the horse isn't going to carry much more than myself +50-75lbs, and I'll be walking as much as possible to save the horse.
Combine the items we get rid of if we have no wagons, and the capacity of the horse, and this will give us the extra capacity for 5-10 gallons of water, a couple weeks worth of food, and our ammo and modern gear.
Some might say that wagons are unrealistic because there isnt enough cleared area for them to roll through, but this sitn actually true. There are actually enough rivers, valleys, and clear areas that I can get narrow wagons or carts with large wheels through all the way to the plains states. The wagons would definitely have to go by the board by the time you reach the western mountains, but by then your suplies are going do be pretty low anyway.
On the subejct of horse and mules; as I said, if I were stuck with the horse and mule, I'd load them down with supplies and mostly walk, but I'd only lightly load the horse. The fact is horses just aren't all that hardy, and if I don't have a vet and a farrier handy I don't want to depend on the horse that much. At that point it'd be even better if it were two mules since a mule is much tougher, and can carry more for a long distance than most horses.
Of course if I could get something like a Shire, or Percheron or two it would be a different story. In that case, bring it on baby. A single shire averages 16-17 hands at the withers, weighs well over 2000lbs, can pull a 5000 lb wagon, and can carry around 1000 lbs on it's back for short ditsances, and at least 6-700 over distance. I've seen one carry three normal sized adults without breaking a sweat. They are also one of the oldest draft breeds, so it may be possible to find them, or horses like them, though probably not as large as today. A pair of them would be very nice thank you.
Of course they also eat an AMAZING amount, and drink even more, but there are always trade offs to these things.
If as I suggest above, two of us could pair up, that would give us four animals. I would still choose four draft horses, if I could get them, or mules if I couldnt. I'd use two of them at a time to pull the wagon, and keep the other two walking, and lightly laden. Primarlily I'd just use them to carry more food and water, and of course to rotate out the teams to keep them fresh.
At a sustainable walking rate, I figure 7-10 miles a day is an average for when you arent actually climbing a mountain or stting out the weather (counting the plains states which are almost half the total distance, that should be doable). The total walking distance is probably 3500-4500 miles including detours etc... and at the projected pace, it's a 2 year trip (winters).
So now that we know how we're going to carry the supplies, what are those supplies going to be?
Like I said, there are a HELL of a lot of supplies necessary to get yourself, two draft animals, and a dog across the continent.
Expendables (non food):
First, you WILL die without salt. You must have large amounts of salt on a long journey both as a nutrient, and for preservation. In that same vein, good luck trying to find pepper, but if you can, buy as much as you can get.
You should also buy as much raw high proof alcohol as you can conveniently carry. Use it for tradegoods, as an antiseptic, as fuel, as a cleaning agent and solvent, really for everything.
Some fuel oil would be VERY useful. Whale oil would be common, white oil (kind of like kerosene) is also available but hideously expesive. Naptha might also be available depending on where you start, but it is both rare, and expensive. You should also grab some refined mineral oil, and some turpentine if you can get them (again, they are around, but they are rare and very expensive).
Soap would be useful but it's pretty easy to make once you kill some game (ground limestone, ash, and rendered fat).
Candles are the same as soap, once you have some animals killed you can render tallow. Was will be very rare (bee keeping wasnt that big yet) and you can probably collect small amounts of wax and pitch locally for sealing and the like.
Speaking of beekeeping, try and get as much sugar as you can, and believe me it won't be much. You MAY be able to find some honey, but as I said, beekeeping doesnt become a major proposition in north america for another 150 years.
At this time most sugar is from apples, beets, and other fruit or vegetable sources, or from molasses, which had started to be imported from Barbados.
Oh, one interesting thing aboout molasses, it removes rust; No seriously, it does (unlike the urban semi-legend about Coke, which WILL remove rust, but not much more effectively scrubbing with water).
Kegs: You will need water tight carrying capability which means kegs. You'll be using them for oil, water, alcohol, smoke meat, jsut about anything that needs to be kept dry, or moist.
Horsehoes: Your horses aren't going to go very far in rough terrain shoeless. Or they will, but it will be very slow with frequent stops when they pull up lame. This of course creates additional requirements filled below in the tool section.
Tools and hardware: You will need hoops, nails, pegs, brass and iron (or steel if you can get it) wire, rope, tongs, pliers, nippers, a couple of different sized hammers, an awl, a few different files, a couple of chisels, a small saw and a large saw, a draw knife, an adze, a plane, a small and a large brass brush, a small and a large wire brush, a small and a large bristle brush, a felling axe, sharpening stones, some oil, and finally a portable forge with bellows and anvil.
Other than the forge and anvil, that's only about 75 lbs of tools, but the forge and anvil together are going to weigh about 100 lbs. Some of these could be eliminated if you had no wagon or cart, but I'd rather have them all.
Other Domestic supplies: For cooking you'll need at least two pots (one large, one small), I personally would want a seperate coffeepot, two frying pans (one large one small), and a dutch oven would be nice (it could serve as your large pot), along with a large wash tub (which everything is packed in), and two buckets. For prep and eating you'd need a pair of tongs, a spatula, a large and a small fork, a large and a small spoon, a plate, a cups, a mug, and a bowl, preferably all made from steel if you can get them.
You will want some candles as mentioned above, and if possible a lantern (and oil). Lighting is critical, especially during the winter when you will hole up in a location with as little natural light as possible (because light means drafts).
Continuing, you'll need some heavy needles, various thread, twine, rawhide lacing, leather strapping, some sheet leather, some heavy and some fine cloth. Basically you need enough supplies to make two large tents, two large tarps and ground cloths, some horse packs, and two suits of clothes, two sets of moccasins, and two sets of soft boots, for when your starting sets wear out.
Kim mentions a U.S. army first aid kit, bu that one it isn't very good. I'd take my rescue pack (which is a small backpack, not much bigger than a standard kit), and load it even more than it already is with various broad spectrum anti-biotics, sulfanilamide, disinfectants, ointments, maxi pads(take up less space than compression bandages), and painkillers... Lots and lots of painkillers
Finally I personally wouldnt do this without at least five honking big books (possibly in multiple volumes) that I would have to take from the future with me.
If it were possible to take one luxury item, it would be a PDA, with a few mem cards (the size of a postage stamp each) completely loaded with useful or entertaining ebooks (a 1 gig card can hold up to 2000 or so), a few mem cards loaded with music , and a solar charger for it (I actually have one and it works great).
Ok, but can it really be done?
First things first, I am in fact a bona fide U.S. Air Force certified expert on surviving in the wilderness with only the contents of a load bearing vest, and a knife. Really, this can be done, though it isn't fun and obviously you aren't getting far on just the vest alone.
Realistically, I think it would be impossible to do this alone. I figure that pairing up with other people and pooling your transportation and supplies is about the only way to make sure one of you lives.
These are just wild ass guesses, but they feel about right to me (I've been through a couple of modern wilderness survival courses, military and civilian), I'd say it's about a 10% shot of doing it on your own at worst, and 25% at best.
The odds are just too great against you as a single individual being able to travel, feed yourself and your animals, defend yourself, and not suffer an incapacitating injury or go mad.
For every Jim Bridger there had to have been at least 10 nobodies who got et.
The more folks you have, the more you can spread the workload, the more resources you have, and the less the felled game will go to waste.
I figure a 2 person team gives you a 50% shot, and 4 gives you a 75% shot, 85% if it's only one person who has to make it all the way and not everyone.
No matter what you do, I doubt it would ever go much above 85% because of four things: The rocky mountains, disease, hostile natives, and the fact that nature is a stone ass bitch.
I'd say that the odds of everyone surviving go up until you hit around 8, then they plateau til something like 15 and go down from there. In any group bigger than about 15 out in the woods for two years I figure at least one person has a major accident, at least one person gets a fatal disease, and at least one person gets et or shot.
And of course that assumes no-one in the party goes on a killing rampage of madness or anything like that (which is actually a big assumption).
I tell ya though, if I could, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Long gun: Marlin 1894ss in .44mag with a gold inlay outlined tritium front dot, a reciever mounted tritium outlined ghost ring, and a tang mounted fold down peep site (the first for defense at close range, the second for hunting and long ranges. I believe the 1894 has an all coil spring action. If not I'd find one with an all coil spring action made of stainless.
Handgun: Ruger Redhawk 5.5" in .44mag. Tough, stainless, and no leaf springs. I'd need a custom grip on it though. I hate the stock redhawk grip.
Obviously the advantage of the two weapons sharing caliber is too big to give up, because it's pretty much 100% that one will break or be lost before the trip is over.
The biggest problem here is maintaing the firearms without tools. The fact is, if you expect the weapons to live, you'll need at least one phillips and one slot screwdriver. You will also need a brass brush and a soft bristle brush. If you are allowed a small cleaning, spares (one of each screw, extractor, firing pin, roll pins or retnetion pins, clips and springs), and maintenance kit for your weapons and your pack you may make it all the way with all three intact and fuctional. If you aren't, count on all three to fail during your trip (probably the lever gun first).
Actually if I could, before I left I would take all the screws in all my gear and replace them with square drive screws, then use the weakest loctite on them, and safety wire or cotter pin any that could be. I figure I could get away with 3 screw sizes total, and if necessary manufacture the screwdrivers locally.
Knife one: Swamp Rat Camp Tramp. I originally chose the Cold steel Recon Scout, because t's big enough without being too big, but the Camp Tramp is about the same size, about the same quality, and has tougher handle material. I'd actually prefer to have a Busse Combat, but they are semi-out of business (only doing a few hundred knives a year), and focusing on Swamp Rat.
Knife Two: Gerber multipro with toolkit. I had originally not wanted to go with a toolkit knife, instead choosing a Dozier professional skinner in D2, but as I pointed out, the problem of maintenance is going to be one of the biggest issues you will have to deal with, and the toolkit is too big an advantage to discard.
Kim also mentioned an axe specifically, and any one of the finnish or swedish medium axes would be good. Something larger than a hatchet but smaller than a felling axe. An axe like this is good for small trees and hand work, as well as light woodworking and manufacturing field expedient structures.
For a dog, personally I'd go for either a rottie or a german shepherd, trained as a working dog (track, kill, attack, and defend). There are hardier breeds, but I get along well with both of those, they train well, and they are tough and smart enough to survive, and to hunt on their own (the only thing I'd worry about was adequate diet for them).
But... But... this is nowhere NEAR enough detail for geeks like me...
You knew I wasn't going to stop there didnt you? I mean this is me, the guy who can turn just about any subject into 5000 words; theres only 760 words up there, I'll have to do better than that.
There's a hell of a lot of stuff you will absolutely need to purchase or build once you get back to 1650 to get across the country successfully, while still keeping it to one horse and one mule.
What you buy, and how you store it, are HIGHLY dependent on your load carrying capacity, which means your horses and wagons.
Remember you'll need to winter at least once and likely twice, and you'll need to build at least one boat (barge or raft really) large enough to carry everything you are bringing with you (when you cross the mississippi), unless you want to head into northern Iowa or Minnesota in the middle of your first winter (which is where the river becomes fordable, or easily bridgeable). I personally would take the southern route, and just build a boat. I've done it before, and it's not actually all that hard, especially since you're only going a mile with it.
Assuming I could do so, the first thing I'd buy or build would be a mule cart with two very large, wide rawhide bound wheels (possibly solid, non spoke wheels for strength) with iron over rawhide rims. This would increase my mules capacity from around 350lbs to around 1000 lbs (including the cart which weighs about 250lbs), and it can go almost anywhere a mule can. Personally I'd go for one of the floatable designs. Oh and those wheels are important. Straight Iron over wood will have a tendency to brake in rough terrain. If the wheels are rawhide bound, and theres a rawhide buffer between the Iron rim and the wooden wheel, the wheel is a bit more flexible, and a LOT more resilient.
If instead of a mule and a horse I could get either two good mules, or two good sized work horses that were both saddle and harness broken, I'd go for a floatable 4 wheeled wagon, which would give me up to about ton of carrying capacity (for long distances without injury to the horses. Over shorter distances a horse cart can carry a surprisingly huge weight).
Assuming wagons or carts aren't allowed or available, all of the supplies I list here except for maybe all the the water I'd want to take, maybe all the alcohol I'd want, and the portable forge (more on that below), can easily be squeezed in at around 450lbs. This is really the max long distance load for a single mule (for shorter distances mules have been known to carry up to 700lbs).
Rmember, 1 gallon of water is 8 lbs, and I want to have at least two growlers (5 gallon barrels), or better, two frikins (9 or 10 gallon barrels depending on whether you are using U.S. or U.K. measurement). Raw alcohol weighs around 7lbs per gallon, and I'd also like at least a firkin, and preferably two available.
I would of course carry myself, and my personal gear and whatever else could be comfortably carried on my horse, but I'm a pretty big guy. Even after a few months of living in the wilderness I'll still be 265 (at 265 I'm positively skinny), so the horse isn't going to carry much more than myself +50-75lbs, and I'll be walking as much as possible to save the horse.
Combine the items we get rid of if we have no wagons, and the capacity of the horse, and this will give us the extra capacity for 5-10 gallons of water, a couple weeks worth of food, and our ammo and modern gear.
Some might say that wagons are unrealistic because there isnt enough cleared area for them to roll through, but this sitn actually true. There are actually enough rivers, valleys, and clear areas that I can get narrow wagons or carts with large wheels through all the way to the plains states. The wagons would definitely have to go by the board by the time you reach the western mountains, but by then your suplies are going do be pretty low anyway.
On the subejct of horse and mules; as I said, if I were stuck with the horse and mule, I'd load them down with supplies and mostly walk, but I'd only lightly load the horse. The fact is horses just aren't all that hardy, and if I don't have a vet and a farrier handy I don't want to depend on the horse that much. At that point it'd be even better if it were two mules since a mule is much tougher, and can carry more for a long distance than most horses.
Of course if I could get something like a Shire, or Percheron or two it would be a different story. In that case, bring it on baby. A single shire averages 16-17 hands at the withers, weighs well over 2000lbs, can pull a 5000 lb wagon, and can carry around 1000 lbs on it's back for short ditsances, and at least 6-700 over distance. I've seen one carry three normal sized adults without breaking a sweat. They are also one of the oldest draft breeds, so it may be possible to find them, or horses like them, though probably not as large as today. A pair of them would be very nice thank you.
Of course they also eat an AMAZING amount, and drink even more, but there are always trade offs to these things.
If as I suggest above, two of us could pair up, that would give us four animals. I would still choose four draft horses, if I could get them, or mules if I couldnt. I'd use two of them at a time to pull the wagon, and keep the other two walking, and lightly laden. Primarlily I'd just use them to carry more food and water, and of course to rotate out the teams to keep them fresh.
At a sustainable walking rate, I figure 7-10 miles a day is an average for when you arent actually climbing a mountain or stting out the weather (counting the plains states which are almost half the total distance, that should be doable). The total walking distance is probably 3500-4500 miles including detours etc... and at the projected pace, it's a 2 year trip (winters).
So now that we know how we're going to carry the supplies, what are those supplies going to be?
Like I said, there are a HELL of a lot of supplies necessary to get yourself, two draft animals, and a dog across the continent.
Expendables (non food):
First, you WILL die without salt. You must have large amounts of salt on a long journey both as a nutrient, and for preservation. In that same vein, good luck trying to find pepper, but if you can, buy as much as you can get.
You should also buy as much raw high proof alcohol as you can conveniently carry. Use it for tradegoods, as an antiseptic, as fuel, as a cleaning agent and solvent, really for everything.
Some fuel oil would be VERY useful. Whale oil would be common, white oil (kind of like kerosene) is also available but hideously expesive. Naptha might also be available depending on where you start, but it is both rare, and expensive. You should also grab some refined mineral oil, and some turpentine if you can get them (again, they are around, but they are rare and very expensive).
Soap would be useful but it's pretty easy to make once you kill some game (ground limestone, ash, and rendered fat).
Candles are the same as soap, once you have some animals killed you can render tallow. Was will be very rare (bee keeping wasnt that big yet) and you can probably collect small amounts of wax and pitch locally for sealing and the like.
Speaking of beekeeping, try and get as much sugar as you can, and believe me it won't be much. You MAY be able to find some honey, but as I said, beekeeping doesnt become a major proposition in north america for another 150 years.
At this time most sugar is from apples, beets, and other fruit or vegetable sources, or from molasses, which had started to be imported from Barbados.
Oh, one interesting thing aboout molasses, it removes rust; No seriously, it does (unlike the urban semi-legend about Coke, which WILL remove rust, but not much more effectively scrubbing with water).
Kegs: You will need water tight carrying capability which means kegs. You'll be using them for oil, water, alcohol, smoke meat, jsut about anything that needs to be kept dry, or moist.
Horsehoes: Your horses aren't going to go very far in rough terrain shoeless. Or they will, but it will be very slow with frequent stops when they pull up lame. This of course creates additional requirements filled below in the tool section.
Tools and hardware: You will need hoops, nails, pegs, brass and iron (or steel if you can get it) wire, rope, tongs, pliers, nippers, a couple of different sized hammers, an awl, a few different files, a couple of chisels, a small saw and a large saw, a draw knife, an adze, a plane, a small and a large brass brush, a small and a large wire brush, a small and a large bristle brush, a felling axe, sharpening stones, some oil, and finally a portable forge with bellows and anvil.
Other than the forge and anvil, that's only about 75 lbs of tools, but the forge and anvil together are going to weigh about 100 lbs. Some of these could be eliminated if you had no wagon or cart, but I'd rather have them all.
Other Domestic supplies: For cooking you'll need at least two pots (one large, one small), I personally would want a seperate coffeepot, two frying pans (one large one small), and a dutch oven would be nice (it could serve as your large pot), along with a large wash tub (which everything is packed in), and two buckets. For prep and eating you'd need a pair of tongs, a spatula, a large and a small fork, a large and a small spoon, a plate, a cups, a mug, and a bowl, preferably all made from steel if you can get them.
You will want some candles as mentioned above, and if possible a lantern (and oil). Lighting is critical, especially during the winter when you will hole up in a location with as little natural light as possible (because light means drafts).
Continuing, you'll need some heavy needles, various thread, twine, rawhide lacing, leather strapping, some sheet leather, some heavy and some fine cloth. Basically you need enough supplies to make two large tents, two large tarps and ground cloths, some horse packs, and two suits of clothes, two sets of moccasins, and two sets of soft boots, for when your starting sets wear out.
Kim mentions a U.S. army first aid kit, bu that one it isn't very good. I'd take my rescue pack (which is a small backpack, not much bigger than a standard kit), and load it even more than it already is with various broad spectrum anti-biotics, sulfanilamide, disinfectants, ointments, maxi pads(take up less space than compression bandages), and painkillers... Lots and lots of painkillers
Finally I personally wouldnt do this without at least five honking big books (possibly in multiple volumes) that I would have to take from the future with me.
- A guide to the edible, poisonous, dangerous, and useful plants and animals of North America
- A complete history, geography, and atlas of the united states with as much detail as possible
- A one volume complete unabridged works of William Shakespeare
- A one volume complete unabridged works of Mark Twain
- A one volume complete unabridged works of Robert Heinlein (yes, it exists, and it's huge)
If it were possible to take one luxury item, it would be a PDA, with a few mem cards (the size of a postage stamp each) completely loaded with useful or entertaining ebooks (a 1 gig card can hold up to 2000 or so), a few mem cards loaded with music , and a solar charger for it (I actually have one and it works great).
Ok, but can it really be done?
First things first, I am in fact a bona fide U.S. Air Force certified expert on surviving in the wilderness with only the contents of a load bearing vest, and a knife. Really, this can be done, though it isn't fun and obviously you aren't getting far on just the vest alone.
Realistically, I think it would be impossible to do this alone. I figure that pairing up with other people and pooling your transportation and supplies is about the only way to make sure one of you lives.
These are just wild ass guesses, but they feel about right to me (I've been through a couple of modern wilderness survival courses, military and civilian), I'd say it's about a 10% shot of doing it on your own at worst, and 25% at best.
The odds are just too great against you as a single individual being able to travel, feed yourself and your animals, defend yourself, and not suffer an incapacitating injury or go mad.
For every Jim Bridger there had to have been at least 10 nobodies who got et.
The more folks you have, the more you can spread the workload, the more resources you have, and the less the felled game will go to waste.
I figure a 2 person team gives you a 50% shot, and 4 gives you a 75% shot, 85% if it's only one person who has to make it all the way and not everyone.
No matter what you do, I doubt it would ever go much above 85% because of four things: The rocky mountains, disease, hostile natives, and the fact that nature is a stone ass bitch.
I'd say that the odds of everyone surviving go up until you hit around 8, then they plateau til something like 15 and go down from there. In any group bigger than about 15 out in the woods for two years I figure at least one person has a major accident, at least one person gets a fatal disease, and at least one person gets et or shot.
And of course that assumes no-one in the party goes on a killing rampage of madness or anything like that (which is actually a big assumption).
I tell ya though, if I could, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)