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I think the biggest "lie" that is said or sold by anyone regarding survival is :
That by using this one technique or by using this one item is the key to survival.
Limiting yourself to one technique or one item , is limiting yourself to surviving in one limited set of circumstances.
Life just doesn't play by your rules.

Also if you don't happen to have the "Ten Essentials" on you when disaster strikes , don't give up.
Just 'cause you don't happen to have a knife or a super cool start a fire anywhere kit, etc... is no reason to curl up and die.

Andy
 
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IMO - a can do attitude, willingness/ability to adapt, and the ability to persist is key to "survival" in any endeavor.



I had a "discussion" with someone on my team (at work) a while back about an approach to a technical issue. With this person it seemed everything - even technical issues - were a "religious" issue and he was adamant about how the issue should be solved and how it should not be solved - wanting to stick with a particular approach mostly because that is how it had been done in the past.

In short, this person was unwilling to adapt and look at doing it a different way, despite the advantages. If there is any problem domain where you must be willing to adapt and evolve, it is hi-tech.

That person is no longer on the team.

As is said, there is usually more than one way to skin a cat.
 
Hone your skills, validate your gear, expand your knowledge: bug out for a week in the [Jefferson | Pinchot | Siuslaw | ....] wilderness.
My gear, what I wear, food I bring, and my first aid kit have changed a lot over the last 10 years (i.e. carry much less).
 
Consider a very unpleasant impromptu overnight stay in the woods. This time of year would be ideal. Just what you have in your pockets. Our grandkids are getting sorta OK with the idea of having to stay outside in the cold rain. Until morning.

But then again old Grandpa, (me) is right there alongside them. I hate this stuff. But, it is necessary to educate the coming generation that the woods, (forests of SW OR USA) is your friend. Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Staying warm and dry.

Definitely not fun but necessary training and education. Summer time is actually fun. Winter time sucks.
 
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I watched that vid a month ago. Thought it was kinda silly.
All this is common sense. If you can't figure out what the internet BS is then you haven't a chance anyway
 
I think the biggest "lie" that is said or sold by anyone regarding survival is :
That by using this one technique or by using this one item is the key to survival.
Limiting yourself to one technique or one item , is limiting yourself to surviving in one limited set of circumstances.
Life just doesn't play by your rules.

Also if you don't happen to have the "Ten Essentials" on you when disaster strikes , don't give up.
Just 'cause you don't happen to have a knife or a super cool start a fire anywhere kit, etc... is no reason to curl up and die.

Andy
The key to my survival is me, not my gear.
 
Having a Positive, Can do attitude is the very best "Tool" you can have. Setting realistic goals when building your kit and actually getting out several times and trying it all out is going to make sure you know what you have works ( or not) and how to use what you have to the best advantage. Being able to adapt and over come any challenge is also as much a mind set as a skill set. Knowing your own limitations in what you can and cannot do is also a key to surviving challenges! Then there is the gear, getting out and using it all in several "test runs" will show you what works and what doesn't, what complements what, and what can be deleted, and it shows what can be left out in order to loose weight/spaxe for other things that prove there worth.
 
If dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I will have a compass, matches, multitool and handgun.

They won't guarantee survival.
But it's better than just having a smartphone and a pair of skinny jeans! :s0140:
I've had the experience of a real (but not extended) wilderness survival situation (unbelievably scary at the time, but invaluable to me now) when I was a young buck. My greatest challenge was also my greatest strength: my mind. I panicked for half a day and wore myself plumb out until I ended up passed out from exhaustion. I had a jar of peanut butter and a few bananas with which I ate when I woke up. 12 hours later I was back at my camp because I regained my mind and could problem solve my situation. I learned more about myself in those 24 hours than probably a college degree could ever offer. Years of reading Tom Brown's wilderness survival books, which I had the prescience to have had practiced, not just read, kicked in and I became my own hero. Not something I would wish on a teenager, but I am so much the better for it.
 
The other aspect that is missing from most prepping lists is physical ability.

Obviously some people cant be as active as others... but I see a lot of guys talk about their gear as the be all end all of survival.

Most of these guys couldnt run a mile or walk 15 miles without having a stroke... and thats not even carrying all of that gear. Being in shape (relatively, at least) is the biggest asset and the biggest challenge.

Strapping on that AR500 vest and carrying 40 pounds of crap is going to kill you.

Also, go out and buy the 30 day supply of freeze dried food... and then live off of it for 30 days and see how you do.


I see a whole lot of prep, but not a lot of practice
 
The other aspect that is missing from most prepping lists is physical ability.

Obviously some people cant be as active as others... but I see a lot of guys talk about their gear as the be all end all of survival.

Most of these guys couldnt run a mile or walk 15 miles without having a stroke... and thats not even carrying all of that gear. Being in shape (relatively, at least) is the biggest asset and the biggest challenge.

Strapping on that AR500 vest and carrying 40 pounds of crap is going to kill you.

Also, go out and buy the 30 day supply of freeze dried food... and then live off of it for 30 days and see how you do.


I see a whole lot of prep, but not a lot of practice

This is me - I literally can't run more than a few hundred yards. If my back didn't go out, I would be out of breath. It sucks getting old - especially with a bad back.

This is why I got for the lightest most minimal gear I can find and afford. Even if I was in shape and didn't have a bad back, lighter gear would still get em farther faster.
 
If dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I will have a compass, matches, multitool and handgun.

They won't guarantee survival.
But it's better than just having a smartphone and a pair of skinny jeans! :s0140:


Might want to bring a map with that compass. I hear of lots of people packing a compass which will help you go in a straight line to be sure but without a map to work with its not going to get you where you want to go.
 
If dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I will have a compass, matches, multitool and handgun.

They won't guarantee survival.
But it's better than just having a smartphone and a pair of skinny jeans! :s0140:

Even if they're tactical skinny jeans, in OD green....for the sexy survivalist :s0002:

Fashion-Brand-Designer-Boots-Cut-Skinny-font-b-Jeans-b-font-font-b-Men-b-font.jpg
 
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I see a whole lot of prep, but not a lot of practice

This is one of the big things in my mind. How many folks have fancy "survival" gear but never use it? Might not even know how to use it?

Spending a LOT of time outdoors will help in a big way, and even spending some nights outside with minimal equipment will help prepare you. I've gotten pretty dang used to sleeping on the ground over the years.
 
even having some 'no electricity nights' at home can be an eye opener.

considering most shtf scenarios will find you at home suddenly without power and running water.

prepping should mean more than just buying stuff
 

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