5 Items Or Less.....

[addo]

Looks like a great trip out, did well without a blanket so your set up must have been warm and toasty.
How did those worms taste?

[zeBarOOn]

Blimey, that's hardcore! What did those woodlice taste of? I heard they taste a bit like prawns...!

[beenn]

Blimey, that's hardcore! What did those woodlice taste of? I heard they taste a bit like prawns...!

Looks like a great trip out, did well without a blanket so your set up must have been warm and toasty.
How did those worms taste?

Not actually as bad as they look! the woodlice are crispy if just fried but fried with a bit of nettle and almost a 'soup' nothing wrong with them atall!

[Native Nathan]

OK, My 5 Items are based on me spending a night in Brockwell woods (I take it getting fresh water from the Farm hose Tap is not allowed.

This is what I would take:

1. Ferro Rod - Ultimate Survival Technologies Strikeforce (It comes with a wetfire cube inside the lid: If this is not allowed, then just the Ferro Rod)
2. Metal Water bottle - Guyott Designs Metal water bottle
3. Tarp - DD Tarp (It comes with Paracord and Tent pegs: If they are not allowed, then just the tarp)
4. Knife - Mora
5. Saw - Bacho Laplander

Does my boot laces get a pass, I use 10 feet of Paracord in each Boot.


I Figure the things I would take are the things that are the Hardest and / or most time consuming to replicate in the wilderness

• Yep I could possibly start a fire from a bow drill, but realistically I have had limited success, However a Ferro rod has never failed me, Birch bark Thistledown Dried Grass, even a piece of my clothing all make good tinder and of cause there's good old Wetfire. This saves both Time and Calories.
• A Metal Water Bottle gives me a container to carry water in, a container to store safe drinking water in and a pot to boil water from the stream in to make it safe. Stops Dehydration, Waterborne Pathogens, Wards off Hypothermia, Aids Shock Recovery and most importantly lifts morale. hmmm Pine needle tea
• The Tarp, I can make a shelter, there are plenty of materials available but it is so time consuming to build a one that sheds water sufficiently.
• A Knife, well does this really need an explanation?
• A Folding saw, yes I could use a knife to chop wood for a fire or limbs to make a shelter etc... but its time consuming, Using a saw is way more easy Saves both Time and Calories.

Well there you have my entry.


If my Item 2. Metal Water bottle - Guyott Designs Metal water bottle gets a free pass then I'd go with a Headlamp, Makes seeing in the dark so much easier, and makes going for a leak during the dark hours much more safe.

Food is abundant in Brockwell, It is far from being the best 5 star meal you'll have but Thistle Dandilion Leaves & Root, Sorrel, Hawthorn Berries, Snails Mushrooms etc are there. oh and ofcasue it's covered with cute little bunnies

[toilet digger]

1 crutches
2 wheelchair
3 painkillers
4 flask of warm (non alcoholic) tea.

[Totumpole]

Nice entry beenn!
I'm gutted I missed my last opportunity before the end of the month, didn't finish work and get home till 6 - and it was sun down at 7, not enough time to get to the woods and build a shelter.

[andyBruce]

Given the time to try this, I'd be looking to take:

1. Laplander folding saw (sharp!)
2. A good sharp Knife
3. A Billy Can
4. A good length of cord, suitable for bow drill
5. Hmm, TBC i think, most likely some form of food!

I like this idea but i! I'd be looking at making shelter from the surroundings, natural cordage and where possible food for free!

However, I cant get out again for another two weeks! not amused, although I did manage an impromptue night out
last night, I managed to pack absolutely everything i could think of in the 5 mins i spent in the house after work before rushing to the woods!

however, in my haste, i left my sleepingbag in the car! oops!!!

[lannyman8]

nice work beenn, hmmmm i like woodlice too, my Mrs thinks im nuts to eat them though...

Right then, the comp is now FINISHED!!!!!!

i will start a new "vote" thread in the bushcraft chatter area, all comments welcome and of course who should win the blade..

sorry for the wait but my interweb has been off...

speek soon gents...

chris.

[ex-member Raikey]

sorry for the wait but my interweb has been off...

.

i,ve missed yooooooooooooooo

mate,...please PM me your new mob no,...

what you upto next fri / sat / sun ?

you allowed to play out?,..i,m goin to Wales if you want to jump in the car ......

[Arizroughrider]

1. Roger C. Linger "Dog Leg" Wilderness Survival Knife.
2. Slumberjack "Denali Super Guide" 30 degree bag
3. USMC Field Tarp
4. Nalgene G.I. Style BPA free canteen
5. MSR "Titan" Large Titanium Pot.
* Pictured on a L.L. Bean Canvas/Leather Continental Rucksack

[Camper]

When do you get to vote till?? i cannot find the thread

[ex-member Raikey]

When do you get to vote till?? i cannot find the thread

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80479

[lannyman8]

here is the thread

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80479

the vote will be on untill 1st of november so every person has a chance to vote...

[Goosegog]

Could you run another for 2012...me and my son would love a go and would be willing to go 3 nights at least.... awe comon

[lannyman8]

Could you run another for 2012...me and my son would love a go and would be willing to go 3 nights at least.... awe comon

ha ha ha, im very very busy and im due to go away, there is another thread with more items, you could just do that and use less items, that would earn you more points too...

[Goosegog]

Will look it up friend...see ya when ya get back....

[Andy B]

HI,

This was done last weekend. Just for fun. I didnt know about this competition but I thought I would post it here in case anyone is interested.

Just back from a great experience with two friends, Donal and Paul. We decided many months ago to enter the woods on a Friday with nothing but a knife, a metal cup and the clothes on your back. For me this meant a Mora companion knife, a metal crusader cup. Clothes included a t-shirt, fleece and water proof jacket, trousers, socks and boots. In an emergency bag I had a first-aid kit but I intended to treat what i could with what nature could provide. I had further emergency kit in the car but it would be very stupid not too.

It went very well. All 3 people on the challenge were knowledgeable and had plenty of hands on experience of the skills we would need to survive. Lets be clear. A person in good health will not starve to death in 3 days but there are a number of concerns, the provision of good shelter and water being uppermost.

The weather on Friday was sunny but humid within the wood. Donal arrived before i did and put together an excellent lean to shelter with fire pit and reflector for warmth. All built with no tools.

When I arrived we got on with the task of making fire. First we went about gathering the materials for a hand drill set. I selected a straight piece of Elder and Donal prepared a hearth of Ivy.

We quickly set to work and produced plenty of heat and smoke but the humidity beat us the first few attempts. We then decided that it would be a better use of our energy to make a bow drill set to use mechanical advantage to overcome the issues with damp. We used Donal’s shoe lace as a string for the bow.

We gathered a number of different drills, Ivy, Sycamore and Lime and a few different boards too. Paul had arrived and we set about the task as a team, everyone playing a crucial role.

3 hours later we produced fire from a set of Lime drill and Ivy hearth. The final few attempts where made in pitch darkness which was a challenge in itself.

During breaks in the preparation myself and Paul set about improving or building our shelters. Again in the dark. This was by choice as I wanted to see what could be done with little light. You do not always arrive at your destination in the day light after all.

Myself and Paul decided to sleep in our shelters without fire due to limited space. We covered ourselves with bracken(not ideal) and debris.

The fire was now going well and we decided to turn in.

I awoke in the night just before first light and re-stoked our main fire. Then i went for a wonder. I was treated to the sight of young foxes practising pouncing in the adjacent field.

The morning brought rumbling stomachs and thirst.

First came water. I went out into the field with my jumper as a sponge and gathered about half a pint of dew from the fields. I then wrung it out into my cup and boiled it before drinking. It tasted quite fresh and was slightly flavoured by the grass.

We then went to the nearby river and using an old litre vodka bottle we found (with a teaspoon of vodka in it), and our cups collected about 2 litres of water. This we boiled in the bottle and the cups. We made tea from Doug Fir needles which was good and refreshing.

We went out and foraged for our breakfast. The land was surprisingly forthcoming and we managed to gather Burdock roots, Cat tails roots and stems, Wild Raspberries, cleavers, thistle hearts, Meadowsweet among other plants.

The roots were roasted and tasted great with a boost of energy soon following from the carbohydrates. The raspberries were small but delicious.

Donal put together a vegetable stew using everything he had found and it was surprisingly good indeed.

My feet were getting cold and damp due to a hole in my shoe somewhere. I dried my feet and socks by the fire, which was a good boost to the comfort rating.

The rest of the day was spent roaming around looking for food, tending the fire. We then decided to rebuild the shelter to incorporate a fire for warm and improve water proofing. The shelter is put together with Ivy and Doug Fir roots.

Donal did the same with his shelter too.

We then went out at dusk and attempted to hunt a few rabbits. Unfortunately there was very little cover and we could not get close enough to hurl throwing sticks. The rabbits in this area were constantly hunted and were wise. If we had more time we would have caught them I think.

That night we sat by the fire, drank tea and laughed until it was bed time.

In the night it rained very heavily and I awoke to the creeping cold. The fire had been extinguished in the last down pour.

We tried to get an ember to rekindle but there was nothing left after the rain storm. The crown of the tree overhangs well not the first time I have been a bit cold and wet. The sun would be soon up and we went out for a dander to see what was about.

An experience like this is not something a person has to do, it’s a challenge plain and simple. You like challenges or you don’t. Personaly I like to see what I can do under difficult conditions. I am lucky that I have two friends who feel the same way.

One thing that I did notice is that we had great moral through the whole adventure. There was no bickering. Fair enough as time went on we could feel our bodies start to metabolise fats and blood sugar was low but we were fine.

All 3 of us worked well as a team. We were all independent in our way and there was no leader. No one had to tell someone else to do something which helps a massive amount. If the fire needed wood you went and got it and you often found one of the other guys bringing some back too.
Anyway I look forward to part two which will be in the depths of our winter.

Donal is part of the Irish bushcraft Club IBC

Cheers

[capt.dunc]

that looks like a great trip out, and a fine write up. two thumbs up.

[lannyman8]

good work gents, looks like a fine weekend out....

i totally agree about testing your self, you either want to or not... i have just not had the time to get out this year, i had so meany plans and things i wanted to do, but what with my boy coming along its been hard....still in a few years i can do it with little bear in tow....

[baldscot]

I really need to pay better attention - just spent the last hour reading (and enjoying) all the posts, thinking about what kit i would take, where i would go etc - then realised the challenge was last year, DOH!!!!
Great idea and i'm gonna give it a try anyway.

[lannyman8]

I really need to pay better attention - just spent the last hour reading (and enjoying) all the posts, thinking about what kit i would take, where i would go etc - then realised the challenge was last year, DOH!!!!
Great idea and i'm gonna give it a try anyway.

Good on you Scot, its all for fun anyway, get out and see what you can do...

[scott - coates]

i have a question if two people go, do they both get the same 5 items? or just get one set of five or 10 between you?

[lannyman8]

when i went on one trip with a friend we each had our own 5 items, but we never used each others kit in any way, we did how ever pool our aims together, so we only had 1 shelter and both made it, we had 1 fire but both gathered fire wood......this in its self makes for a much easier time, saves food reserves and helps prevent dehydration...

go for it post up some pic's of how it goes, but most of all enjoy your self and be safe...

[Andy B]

The next major outing in this vein for me is a long distance walk over the antrim hills way (22 miles) with just a knife. I will do it over two or 3 days and take it easy. Probably do it in the coming spring so there will be plenty of greens to eat. How exciting!

[lannyman8]

The next major outing in this vein for me is a long distance walk over the antrim hills way (22 miles) with just a knife. I will do it over two or 3 days and take it easy. Probably do it in the coming spring so there will be plenty of greens to eat. How exciting!

very breve, i know how hard it is to do any major exercise with very little food, when my complex carbs drop it totally kills me, i find it hard to think and do any physical thing at all, and have a massive headache.....

just make sure you have a back up system just in case it all goes pear shaped.....

do you plan the trip alone Andy?????????

best of luck anyway dude.....

[Andy B]

Hi,

I am planning the trip alone. That’s part of the challenge for me. I will of course bring the essential emergency gear as I will be spending some of the trip up on the moors/ plateau which is a cold and barren place. However my intention is to use just my knife and what I find on the way to provide for myself. That includes glass bottles etc for boiling water.

I have a lot of experience of hard exercise with little food too, it is a killer. That’s why I intend on walking it over a few days. I won’t say I am used to it but I know what to expect.

I know the route very well having walked it many times before. I look forward to the adventure and all of the unexpected things that will happen.

By walking the route with just my knife I think I will see and experience something which I would not get to see when well fed and watered with all the gear. There is a magic to waking up with the animals at first light in a natural shelter instead of being cocooned inside a sleeping bag inside a tent.

[lannyman8]

totally agree Andy, and make sure you document it for us all, as im sure we would all learn from your experiences.

keep safe and best of luck mate....

[ex member pyrophil]

1-tent
2-sleeping bag
3-lighter
4-fags
5-£20
I will pop down the local take away with my £20 when i want something to eat lol
sorry left my camara at home.