Survival is all about a good cup of tea.

Hi all,

I wanted to share with you an article that i read a couple of years ago on a bushcraft forum.

It is a very handy piece of info regarding keeping yourself calm and together in a survival situation, whether it be that you have just lost your way, or something worse.

I particularly found the part about "male pride when lost" interesting, something you totaly have to get over if you need help and want to survive a difficult scenario.

This is an idea which I suppose was born from a conversation I had with Mors about a year ago. we were sitting by the fire discussing Mors favourite beverage coffee, when we came to the conclusion that as long as you had what you needed to make a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate you could make yourself very comfortable in the wilderness.

I thought back to this conversation recently whilst in Brunei trying to form a lesson plan for teaching civilians (not survival/bushcraft enthusiasts) preparation and initial action plans for becoming lost in the jungle.

Source: Full article....Survival is all about a good cup of tea

I hope you enjoyed it, as with all survival info, take from it what you will.

I know myself how much of a moral booster a hot cuppa can be when times get rough out in the sticks, so i think people could do a lot worse than use the advice given here.

It is quite easy to get lost on a trek through the woods if you don't know the area, and even if you do know it. Several times i have gone exploring different parts of our local forests, only to find myself not having a clue where to go.

Couple that with the fact that if you are lost for more than a few hours, nightfall will set in, and you could seriously find yourself disorientated.

I'm quite lucky here as i know that if i come to a river, which ever way i follow it, it will bring me out at a main road which i will recognise.

In other more remote areas though, i may not be so lucky.

CX.

[edit on 19/3/09 by CX]

I'll take a cup of Earl Grey please.

What you said about being lost is fixable by one little piece of common sense. You said if you find a river you'll just follow it. In 90% of rural areas all you have to do is go downhill. You will eventually find a road or stream bed. In the case of stream beds, regardless of whether they have water in them or not, just follow them down and you will come to a river eventually. Knowing where rivers are located will help get your berings and find your way out.

Ahhhh...tea!

The one thing in life that makes the savage, civilised


At least when the world goes to hell in a handbasket and Yorkshire finally becomes an independant republic, we'll still have our tea plantations in Harrogate



[edit on 20-3-2009 by citizen smith]

Darjeeling for me, I leave Cawfee for the lesser civilised nations, y'now the ones who dont have a cricket team and are not part of the commonwealth

I agree. Earl grey...hot.

How I like it too.

In fact I worry sometimes in sit X that I won't have enough earl grey.

I always think of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where all he wants is a cup of tea.

Nothing like a good cup of tea to soothe the nerves. Think I will have another.

reply to post by Northern Raider

So i'm less civilized? We don't have a cricket team as far as i know.
And we're not part of the commonwealth.


And i hate coffee!

[edit on 20-3-2009 by Anuubis]

Teas nice but what about some Southern Comfort or something like that? Sure... Might not help your odds of beinfg found, but you'll be peachy keen none the less!

And if you get trashed and decide to set your cloths on firse... THAT might help you get found...

All jokes aside... Great thread OP!

Teas nice but what about some Southern Comfort or something like that? Sure... Might not help your odds of beinfg found, but you'll be peachy keen none the less!

And if you get trashed and decide to set your cloths on firse... THAT might help you get found...

All jokes aside... Great thread OP!

I am a caffine addict. And if I do not have some form of caffine in my system, I get migranes that incapacitate me.

So, I keep teabags, instant coffee saschets, and a bottle of no-doze in my bag.

I definatly agree that in the bush there is nothing better then a nice hot cuppa.

Originally posted by Northern Raider
Darjeeling for me, I leave Cawfee for the lesser civilised nations, y'now the ones who dont have a cricket team and are not part of the commonwealth

I daresay there'll be fistcuffs at the pavilion for such a remark..

..clean over the boundary for six, sir

I like this thread a lot.

The right ingredients for a brew are essential on any hiking/climbing trip.

I remember one time i went hiking in Cumbria with a some good pals, we ended up getting caught out in some astonishing rainfall, REALLY heavy.... and we were out in a valley with very little cover.
Caught without shelter, we did what we had to do and set up canvas using the outer layers of our tents, a few sticks and poles and bit of jiggery-pokery gave us a crude but dry shelter...

Then my mate tim stuck the kettle on, and i swear that was the best cup of tea i've ever tasted in my life.

Speaking from experience, try and stuff a few mars bars and cereal bars in the bottom of your rucksack and ALWAYS carry spare water. Appropriate footwear and clothing (remember to pack spare clothes) and waterproofs will go a long way.
Spare batteries for your torch is also a must.

Oh and take a map and let people know were you are headed.

Happy hiking.