View Full Version : Only four items to take into the woods
If you could take only four items with you into the woods, what would they be?
Saw this thread on another forum, thought it was a good on, so starting it here also.
In that forum they consider a knife and fire steel as one item. Most considered that to mean the knife and a flint.
Lets make them seperate and allow 4 individual items.
My choices would be
1. magnesium fire starter with the ferrocerium rod attached
2. small knife 3 to 4 inch blade, Buck or Cold Steel
3. 8 qt dutch oven
4. A Cold Steel Machette
See what you would come up with.
1. Ray Mears
2. Landie
3. Cooler
4. Beers
But seriously...
1. Bolo
2. Canteen
3. Poncho
4. 1-2kg of rice per person per day
Shambling Shaman
15-10-2008, 07:35
Small knife
Laplander Saw
Tarp
My Titanium Mug.
:D
- Fire steel
- Machete
- Pot for cooking/boiling
- Pillow (!)
I'd go for
1. Cegga axe
2. Pot
3. Tarp
4. I like the rice idea as my foraging is not great.
Based on Protection, Location, Water & Food:
Poncho
Firesteel
Knife
SA Trangia (just the twon pots, not incl the burner & stand)
Tor helge
15-10-2008, 10:14
I would take these 4 items:
My HI BAS kukhri.
A box of matches (waterproof).
Jerven tarp.
Sleeping bag.
Tor
big_swede
15-10-2008, 10:23
-axe
-pot
-sleeping bag (could get changed depending on location, climate)
-fire steel
spiritofold
15-10-2008, 11:33
Water bottle (filled)
Cooking pot,
Lighter,
Knife
crusader cup
tarp
fire steel
everlasting gobstopper
Knife (I don't have a hatchet; my axe is too big, and my billhook a little unwieldy for fine work)
Lighter
Pot
Luxury item: pruning saw
Motorhome
Laptop with broadband
BBQ
Generator
:lmao:
Seriuosly though ......
Knife
Tarp
Firesteel
Reference books (I mix up loads of stuff, that's why i stay away from fungi)
sparksfly
15-10-2008, 13:16
A blade (knife or axe) and a pot probably feature on everyone's list. For me, I then have to weigh up the relative efforts of constructing a shelter, making fire by friction, and foraging. Noting also the risk that appropriate materials may be unavailable for any of those. If I knew what terrain to expect my priorities might change but taking a punt i'd have to go with:
knife
pot
tarp
kilo of rice.
Probably:
My Leuku
A decent sized pot - probably want one that is capable of boiling 2 litres.
A box of matches - good ones!
A large woolen blanket - at least 2m square.
Sorry changed my mind:
Bedroll - mine is bivvy/doss bag/mat rolled in one
Sharp knife
Crusader cup
Fire steel
That is until i change my mind again.
John Fenna
15-10-2008, 13:49
Phone
3x£50.00 notes.....
Nah...
Axe (SFA) or a firesteel
Leatherman
Poncho
Billy can
until I change my mind again at least....
4.5m x 4.5m Tatonka polycotton tarp
Stu M knife & firesteel (on sheath)
Hobo stove (& all its contents! Millbank bag, basic food supplies, etc)
Bed roll (Bivvy bag, sleeping bag, thermarest)
Simon
Ray Mears
Mors Kochanski
Halle Berry
A good cook
Makes it all easy and fun at the same time :)
Knife & steel
Tarp
Bedroll
Wood burning stove (http://www.kalamazoogourmet.com/k900hs.php) :D
I would not go in the woods with only four items ;)
One item for sure in the UK is a mobile phone. The bushmoot site has no signal, sorry, I made calls in 06 no problem from near the shower block :)
Diligence
15-10-2008, 18:28
Right now, if I had to leave with only 4 items (assuming I have clothes with me) to head out in the Rocky Mountains, I would take with me:
firesteel
axe or hatchet
synthetic fill sleeping bag
a couple of hundred feet of strong cord.
why? Well, I need fire to cook food and stay warm. Friction methods are good, but firesteel is better.
Axe is needed to cut wood for shelter, traps, and firewood -- I can live without a knife if I have to....but without an axe in these woods, that would be tough in the winter.
Sleeping bag is so that I don't have to cut two cords of wood to stay alive in the winter
Cord, need that for shelter, snares, snowshoes,etc....sure beats making my own.
good question.
D
1. SFA
2. Zebra billy (12cm)
3. DPM Bivvy bag
4. NATO fishing kit
-Axe
-Firesteel
-Wool blanket
-Bow and arrows /Gun and ammo
Ray Mears
Mors Kochanski
Halle Berry
A good cook
Makes it all easy and fun at the same time :)
Stuff Mears & Kochanski
just Halle Berry:naughty:
Angelina Jolie (don't know why but.............):naughty: :naughty:
Kate Humble:p :naughty: :naughty: :naughty:
and for a laugh
Jo Brand!:rolleyes:
Amber Leaf
Rizlas
Lighter
Flask
or
Tarp
Hammock
Billy
Knife
Bit Boring but again....
Knife
Firesteel
Tarp
Billy can
ridge rover
15-10-2008, 22:33
Swiss Army Knife with saw
Big Platypus plastic water container
Cholorine Dioxine water treatment
Magnesium Flint stick
Gotta admit, you guys make me think. Would a hand axe be better than a good knife, if you had to choose between the two?
Graham_S
16-10-2008, 01:10
1. Khukri
2. blanket
3. Billy can
4. Firesteel.
Everything else I can make or improvise.
I'm intrested...
...a few people have given lists that have no pot in it. (insert drugs joke/retort here)
Without one, how would you go about boiling water, cooking food and so on? I know metal cups can be used for that purpose, but for those who've listed things like Fire making, shelter, sleeping and a knife... how do you cook, boil and store things?
chris7273
16-10-2008, 10:42
4 items more than the "normal clothing"
protection : poncho (stay dry while walking or sleeping=> tarp)
Warmth and Cook : magnesium + ferrocerium rod attached
Water and Cook : a stainless steel cup
and a knife : easy to sharpen common carbon steel and decent length (4-5 inches)
I'm intrested...
...a few people have given lists that have no pot in it. (insert drugs joke/retort here)
Without one, how would you go about boiling water, cooking food and so on? I know metal cups can be used for that purpose, but for those who've listed things like Fire making, shelter, sleeping and a knife... how do you cook, boil and store things?
One item on my list was reference books, simple tear out a page, 2 mins of origami later, one cooking pot.
Mobile phone
water
lighter
survival tin
One item on my list was reference books, simple tear out a page, 2 mins of origami later, one cooking pot.
Haha - I hope you've got a good memory.
I guess you'd start off tearing out the introduction and foreword. Maybe then move onto the ones you're sure about - sooner or later you'd need to have memorised the lot though. :p
... how do you cook, boil and store things?
You burn holes in your nice ventile jacket by using it to line a hole into which you drop heated rocks. And if you don't burn holes, at least you'll get plenty of attention from the bears because your clothing smells of stew.
chris7273
16-10-2008, 14:28
Mobile phone
water
lighter
survival tin
OK, if you take your survival tin, I take my backpack (full of food, camping things, and stuff)
;-)...
what ? I can't ? come on : a backpack full of big things is one item, just like a survival tin (full of tiny things)...
Diligence
16-10-2008, 17:25
Bigshot, I omitted a pot as I feel that I can fashion one from birchbark with roots for binding. Storage containers can be made with cattail leaves, willows and other shoots. If I got very creative, I'm certain I could find some clay for rudimentary pots.
Sure, cooking with hot stones dipped into the water is tiresome, but I think it would simply just be an inconvenience. With birch bark pots, you can cook with them over the open flame - they do have a "useable" life, but it is possible.
Whereas, the other items I listed (axe,sleeping bag,firesteel,rope) would be "must haves" for my environment. Winter is just around the corner, and temps can drop very cold here---cooking with stones, is better than freezing to death,
I had considered adding a single shot, reliable .22 r1f1e with about 1000 rounds of ammo....but decided I wanted my sleeping bag more - might regret that choice when I get hungry though.
My two cents (pence?)
D
Morning Fox
16-10-2008, 17:35
Catapult
Tarp
Firesteel
Machete
mortalmerlin
16-10-2008, 17:51
1. Ray Mears
2. Landie
3. Cooler
4. Beers
I tend to agree with you there.
Diligence...
I appreciate the problem with cold. I came close to having to sleep rough when I was living in the French Alps a few years back. It's not Canada-cold, but -5 to -20C will see you off easilly enough. While I was wandering around looking for places to stay (everywhere was full - I couldn't even find someone who'd let me sleep in a bath tub) I was making mental notes of all the dry bits of covered ground I came across. At that point I was incredibly happy with my choice to splash out and buy the best sleeping bag I could afford. Through the wildest coincidence I've seen to date I ended up with a place to stay and found a flat a day later - but that's another story.
I'd go for warmth I think. Once you're settled you can always make primitive bows, spears, traps, snares and the like - that would take care of your meat without needing a gun. They managed alright for a long time pre-gunpowder :p
Thanks for the answer about pots. That certainly answers my question. It's answers like yours that leave me realising just how little I know.
chris2737...
He can take a survival tin - that's no problem...
...but the contents will have to be left behind. Haha.
I think I'd have chosen a mess tin or something instead - that's a small cooking pot. :p
Chance...
...That makes sense. Of course once you know the bears are coming, you can fold an origami bowie knife to kill one and you'll be sorted for meat for a while too. Haha.
I'd fill my pockets with,
1) fags and lighter
2) cognac
3) Meduim size bowie
4) sleeping bag
Comfortable but hungry, never mind :D
ridge rover
16-10-2008, 22:01
There are challenges for one from another culture to converse here. You guys may be thinking of something different than others. A length of stay was not mentioned. Most here may have a shorter visit to the bush in mind. But if you throw in a longer length of stay, answers may be different.
Someone wisely stated the absense of a pot in the answers. For longer periods of time, a pot for boiling water is important for inferior water sources.
Anyway, its a refreshing question to the so called 10 essentials I hear in America.
Tor helge
17-10-2008, 14:45
I'm intrested...
...a few people have given lists that have no pot in it. (insert drugs joke/retort here)
Without one, how would you go about boiling water, cooking food and so on? I know metal cups can be used for that purpose, but for those who've listed things like Fire making, shelter, sleeping and a knife... how do you cook, boil and store things?
In my part of the woods it is quite simple. I don`t need to boil water to make it safe.
Food (from the seashore) could be cooked on coals. And we live in an environment full of garbage. Ropes (from fishingboats), containers (plastic and metal) and even plastic tarps could be found almost everywhere along the coastline.
Not very bushcrafty though, I know:) .
Tor
Mistwalker
17-10-2008, 23:39
My canteen kit has a cup in the case case that count as one item or two?
My canteen kit has a cup in the case case that count as one item or two?
That would be two.
I was interested in if anyone would include a shovel in their list, none has so far.
A mil e-tool with a sharpen edge works almost as good as a axe or machete and it will also dig, just a thought.
Mistwalker
18-10-2008, 02:59
That would be two.
I was interested in if anyone would include a shovel in their list, none has so far.
A mil e-tool with a sharpen edge works almost as good as a axe or machete and it will also dig, just a thought.
E tools are awsome, I have one for when I can take more than four things lol.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn283/mistwalker13/Knives/PICT0068.jpg
My four things would be
1. My Knife
2. My canteen
3. My canteen cup
4. My firesteel
Before I change my mind again:
- Small Forest Axe
- Swedish Army Trangia
- Sleeping bag
- Firesteel
I think
Angelina Jolie (don't know why but.............):naughty: :naughty:
Why? Probing for mines. :p