Everything we need in a survival bag

[AndyDufresne]

All that water makes me want to go back to the Boundary Waters in MN / Canada. It was tough, but still pretty nice, portaging from lake to lake for a week or so.


--Andy

[PLAYER57832]

http://www.foyeins.com/mccormicktract/

Glad this thread is still alive.
I'm going camping here, it's 17,000 acres of wilderness in Michigan. I'll be spending at least a week in 2013 0r 14. You have to navigate your own way with a compass or a GPS, so this is going to be awesome.
Do you think that it's better to build a greenhouse tent or to actually bring a tent?

What time of year are you going? Chances are you can skip the tent and just take a basic lightweight "tarp"/groundcover... or skip it all.

Tents have 2 basic purposes.. privacy and to keep rain/snow off. Privacy should not be an issue there. Not sure about the weather, but if you need shelter, relying on making it out of what is there is not a great idea unless you must.

In Michigan, you might want some no seum netting. It can be worth its weight, but don't expect perfection. Also, this might have been mentioned earlier, but don't put DEET anywhere near anything plastic or nylon.. it melts most plastics.

[Juan_Bottom]

It depends what day works for all of you guys!

We're going in either the spring or the fall, to avoid the deerflys and mosquitos. At least, that's the hope. I've been in the wilderness when the deerflys were thick, and there's nothing worse. But it'll prolly be a little bit chilly at night. The lakes don't warm up much at all, and I do believe they'll also hold the temperature lower.

I've only got 3 others confirmed for this trip right now, but it's also at least a year off, so there will be time for other people to ask to come. It's not like it'll cost anything. But it will be serious; much of our food will come from what we find/kill, and we will be navigating by compass. Although, if the group grows too much, I wont take any chances and I'll get a GPS. I just want everyone to stay safe and realize what they're getting into. Because the last time that I did something like this, a couple of people were disappointed to find that their limits weren't as far as they imagined them to be. They broke, and they let everyone down. =(
I'm in favor of ditching the tents, and just bringing some plastic and gorilla tape in case of foul weather. It'll be a lot easier to travel without a tent, but I'm the only one thinking this way. Greenhouse tents are very warm if you can keep a fire lit outside.
Or maybe just one of those hammocks with rainflys.....

I'm super-duper excited though.

[Funkyterrance]

It depends what day works for all of you guys!

We're going in either the spring or the fall, to avoid the deerflys and mosquitos. At least, that's the hope. I've been in the wilderness when the deerflys were thick, and there's nothing worse. But it'll prolly be a little bit chilly at night. The lakes don't warm up much at all, and I do believe they'll also hold the temperature lower.

I've only got 3 others confirmed for this trip right now, but it's also at least a year off, so there will be time for other people to ask to come. It's not like it'll cost anything. But it will be serious; much of our food will come from what we find/kill, and we will be navigating by compass. Although, if the group grows too much, I wont take any chances and I'll get a GPS. I just want everyone to stay safe and realize what they're getting into. Because the last time that I did something like this, a couple of people were disappointed to find that their limits weren't as far as they imagined them to be. They broke, and they let everyone down. =(
I'm in favor of ditching the tents, and just bringing some plastic and gorilla tape in case of foul weather. It'll be a lot easier to travel without a tent, but I'm the only one thinking this way. Greenhouse tents are very warm if you can keep a fire lit outside.
Or maybe just one of those hammocks with rainflys.....

I'm super-duper excited though.

Sounds pretty awesome, JB. I'm envious because I tend to be very hardcore in my camping. I myself find fall camping more enjoyable than spring as it tends to be (but not necessarily) drier.

[2dimes]

I've wanted to talk about Juan's knife but am doing a bunch of other unimportant things so I have not got around to it.

My thought is to get a decent but kind of cheap to totally cheap one. Then it doesn't hurt/suck if you lose or break it. I can't remember the brand I have but the thing is from the nineties and it's still great though admittedly has not seen much use. Thing is it was like $15. If it was dull I wouldn't even have to sharpen it I could give it away and buy a new one. (I'm way too cheap but even I could afford that if I weren't.)

Though I don't see a problem with treating yourself to a really great one either.

I'd like to get in on one of your hard core camping trips, sounds cool. Can't see it since half the time I'm crabby about being married, it is because the collar hurts my neck when I hit the end of my short leash. I might have to take my daughter out on a weekend with my buddy who hunts with his kids.

[Army of GOD]

double-ender

[2dimes]

Latex pants!

[Funkyterrance]

Another recommendation I have regarding knives is to stay away from stainless. Stainless is quite popular but IMHO junk as it doesn't hold an edge for shit. If you take care of your knife its not going to rust on you. SS is completely overrated.
Also, these commando survival knives are complete overkill. They're generally heavy, bulky and expensive for what a normal person is going to have to use them for. Even a halfway decent fillet knife is ten times more useful than some crazy ass tactical knife. Go for a nice quality narrower blade hunting knife with a belt sheath(you'll lose it less easily and it's much more handy). It may not impress anyone or be as quite as flashy in a knife fight but it's going to be a good friend. Spray paint it fluorescent orange and green if it makes you feel better.

[Funkyterrance]

This is the knife, the brightest one that they sell:


I lost my knife walking back to our campsite in the dark. I couldn't find it, because it was too dark. Someone else had found it by the next day, I know it. =(

Guess those colors are a duel edged sword then eh?

[2dimes]

I'm going to take a look for the knife thread with B.K. Barunt and some other guys discussing knives. Sounded legit.

I'm glad I can't see those funny coloured ones in person. I'm getting hypnotized and I might end up buying one.

I grabbed mine. It's a Mora brand, just says, K.J.ERIKSSON MORA-SWEDEN CARBON STEEL. on the blade. It has a really solid handle covered in rubber and a medium hard plastic case that covers the knife well up the handle. You could attach it to your belt but I don't.

I have attached a magnesium block and pretty chewed sparking insert to the case. I think I'll grab a second as a back up if they're still cheap and available. I would have to think there's some equivalent in an American made knife but maybe not.

[Funkyterrance]

I'm going to take a look for the knife thread with B.K. Barunt and some other guys discussing knives. Sounded legit.

I'm glad I can't see those funny coloured ones in person. I'm getting hypnotized and I might end up buying one.

I grabbed mine. It's a Mora brand, just says, K.J.ERIKSSON MORA-SWEDEN CARBON STEEL. on the blade. It has a really solid handle covered in rubber and a medium hard plastic case that covers the knife well up the handle. You could attach it to your belt but I don't.

I have attached a magnesium block and pretty chewed sparking insert to the case. I think I'll grab a second as a back up if they're still cheap and available. I would have to think there's some equivalent in an American made knife but maybe not.

I like the look of those Mora knives, I'll bet they're comfortable. Simple, tried but true design but you don't need anything more than that out of a knife unless you are planning hand-to-hand combat. The Swedes are not known for making junk, either.

[Juan_Bottom]

Though I don't see a problem with treating yourself to a really great one either.

I was just on ESEE's website, and they've re-introduced one of their knives that I didn't even know about. I prefer drop-point knives, and this is the only ESEE knife that has it.
I think that drop point knives are easier to work with, and better for skinning and cleaning animals. But that's just an opinion based on what feels most comfortable to me.



And if you take the handle apart, there's a ferro rod hidden inside of it.

I'm glad I can't see those funny coloured ones in person. I'm getting hypnotized and I might end up buying one.

They used to sell these knives in a lot of cool colors. You could buy a red blade, or an orange one. Now it's just the basic black, brown, green, desert, or SUPER BRIGHT LIME. I feel like I've missed out.

It may not impress anyone or be as quite as flashy in a knife fight but it's going to be a good friend. Spray paint it fluorescent orange and green if it makes you feel better.

The only stainless steel knife that I would ever buy is a Mora.
And I personally think that those RAMBO knives are just stupid. Both aesthetically and historically.

I'm going to take a look for the knife thread with B.K. Barunt and some other guys discussing knives. Sounded legit.

That was the "Knife nut" thread. I never forgot it because B.K. was yelling at everyone not to throw their goddamn knife in the dirt, or they'll have to do pushups. B.K. recommended KA-BAR, "killed bear." I like KA-BAR too, and they're probably the best value for the money. Their BECKER brand is basically just a pry bar that holds a sharp edge. It's impressive stuff. It's one of the other knives that I was looking at. I really dislike the handle though, and don't really want to have micarta scales separately. I dunno how I feel about the lack of a finger choil, but these knives are beastly. They usually sell this shorter model for only $80.

[Juan_Bottom]

MORA knives are really cool, even if they're usually stainless too.






You can get this for $15 on ebay, brand new. You cannot baton with it or anything, but they last forever and you can clean anything with it. It's the best $15 knife in the entire world. I've actually got one of these. I've read that there have been some quality problems lately though.

[Juan_Bottom]

Any opinions on hammocks?
This Hennessy comes with bug netting and a rainfly.


It looks like this would be really light and pack very easily. It also looks safe for the trees. But I've never owned one before.

[Army of GOD]

two double-enders?