On the move as a nomad in a survival situation

a reply to: incoserv

Sure thing! Dave Canterbury from Self Reliance Outfitters and Pathfinder school has a great channel with many different episodes including, trapping, cooking what kinda gear he carries, general woodsman skills and much much more. Check it out if you get a chance

a reply to: Liquidiron

lot of people don’t really understand how remote Montana can get with zero cell coverage. Hell, take a ride around hungry horse reservoir 120 miles round trip. With endless roads to go down and disappear. Hell, if something happened most people would still go about their daily business because they probably wouldn’t have gotten the news that something went wrong.

People who haven't lived here don't understand that our entire state has a smaller population then a lot of major cities do.

We have more cattle in Montana than we do people... LOL

I've spoken to local ranchers here that went through the "Great Depression."

They read about it in the newspapers and heard of it from family members, but nothing actually changed for them.

At all.

You and I moved here for the same reason.

And as for cell phone coverage, I don't have that on my own property... I have a landline.

If I may, a small suggestion, cotton kills. Hypothermia from cold wet jeans would be a terrible end.

Being mobile requires a different mindset and gear list from hoofing it to a bunker. So you are looking at a 30 to 40 liter pack which is roughly the holding capacity of a pillowcase (standard to queen sized). All gear is what you carry to save time and energy from making your own substitutes. And that is a hard rule because it says a few things. Like a TOPS Anaconda 9 is highly mentioned in the survival business. It is a very nice knife and $216 is a whole lot less than I have seen other high end knives (one Winkler was like $650)...a good old Opinel No 8 will cut every last drop of blood out of you for under $20. You can’t (or shouldn’t) baton logs with an Opinel but if lost, broken or dulled beyond ever having an edge again you wouldn’t cry. Good news is that you can flake up a new blade by knapping. And if your first dozen or so are not so great you can keep trying because it is free. But that is the hard part about that rule...you will have to replace that gear as you use it, lose it or wear it out.

I guess 550 paracord is the best example because the specs say it weighs .071 ounces per foot. So a mile of paracord would weigh about 23.5 pounds not counting the spools. But that is only 5280 feet or five 1000 spools and an extra three 100 foot hanks. Which would be most (probably all) of your pillowcase sized bag. Best to just take the 3 100 footers, recycle as much as possible and make cordage as needed. Because in the outdoors 5280 feet is only going to last maybe five years maybe ten at best.

So what is a good clothing material? Organic would be wool or silk. Polyester and nylon for synthetic fibers. All of them can have their insulation rating increased by sandwiching cattail fluff. Keep it fluffy and not overstuffed. But one of the handiest things is a cotton bandana, take several. On a day hike, you should have two. Which brings up another harsh rule: Two is one and one is none. meaning if is important to you like a knife or axe, having two means you still have one if dull or damaged, like breaking the axe handle, you are done with that task until repaired or replaced. As for bandanas, you kinda need two to set up a filtering system. Definitely need two to make a sling because a 22” x 22” is only 30” diagonally which would put your wrist just under your chin at best.

a reply to: Liquidiron

Out of curiosity, I’ve actually tried living outdoors for 2 months.. nomadic in the US.

You may imagine in some parts that you can be away from society In the woods/nature but that is next to impossible. To move around you will need to access roads. Sometimes it is hard to even get around on local roads and you will find yourself walking along a highway or something like that. There are very few places left in the US with vast nature except certain areas NW. You have some patches of nature but they are not continuous and plenty of roads and neighborhoods mixed in there. You may imagine yourself living off the land but how practical is that? America is not a place where a lot of food grows wild. I think that is intentional by our keepers. How many trees do you find with food growing on it? While there are plenty of trees that bear food the ones growing in the US mostly are not. That goes for other plants as well. You may find blueberries and mushrooms and a few other things but not sure how practical it would be. You may imagine yourself hinting but honestly - do you want to hunt and dress an animal on a regular basis. The work is tremendous. It’s easier to walk into a market or go to a restaurant.

I think in the future we will have military in the streets with checkpoints, so it will be hard to get around. If you want to travel state to state it will be difficult and certainly will have to use roads. Sometimes you only option to go certain routes/direction or get anywhere would be to hitchhike. If you have a gun where it is not legal to carry you might be taken in for questioning. One N@ &zi land takes hold you might be taken in for just walking around.

Your best bet at this point is this: If you gonna take your chances in South America - go now!

This is your last chance. Fly there.

As far as living in the mountains and nature - I would copy the local Indians. Also if you white they might not like you there in the mountains.

I thought along the same lines but there are so many unknowns. Like I’ve never even been to SA.

Who knows what to expect? You might go where there are Guerrilla/soldiers and they eat you for dinner.. who knows.

Point being you have to have a specific plan and know about the place you’re going.

OTOH if you don’t have that info does that mean you should not go?

We certainly seemed F’ed if we stay.

Anyway more power to you and keep us abreast w new ideas/discoveries.

——

As far as a living space outdoors maybe a tarp is a good bet. If it rains you can move around underneath and feel like you’re sitting outdoors as opposed to being cooped up in a small tent. Also they are lighter. Be prepared for rain too.

A stint on rain will make all your gear super heavy and just not practical to carry. Also you will feel miserable.

The most important thing I have discovered is to be as light as possible.

Like I carried this stupid big survival knife and never used it once.

A word on water filtration:

Go for a high flow filter - like carbon based but good enough to rid of most microorganisms, as opposed to rose ceramic low flow filters that filter every little thing. Those are just not practical to use every day. Katadyn makes a good one that is easy to pump but you will eventually need to change those filters. Best and easiest is to find good tap water or a spring that people actually use.

a reply to: Mandroid7

How about just use an oven lighter with those flexible extended heads and a Gerber fire starter for backup. Always carry dry tinder in case you need a fire when everything is wet.

Ultimately you realize building fires are a PIA and it’s easier to just go to sleep early. As for cooking - buy stuff you don’t need to cook and get rid of portable stove too.

a reply to: argentus

Ultimately after trying to live independent from society in the woods, you will come to the reality that you depend on society to live.

So the best you can do is say - come into a town every now and then for supplies and then hit the woods for a couple weeks. But then if you’re doing that, you don’t need half or more of the things you would need if you were isolated from society.

a reply to: nOraKat

You will attract more attention cooking a fish by a stream or lake than eating a pizza out of a box on a park bench in the afternoon.

A haversack, especially a messenger style, is the least suspicious looking pack you can use. Molle strapped bags, especially with pouches attached, are the most suspicious looking. Never tried walking around with a Hudson Bay styled bedroll but that seems it would be a neon sign that you need to be watched.

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: Liquidiron

A great first post, but I would like to offer an alternative to this....

I will be making my way south to a more stable climate. North America has bountiful food but it runs in yearly cycles. I think my best bet is gonna be to hit South America thought the journey is very dangerous it will pay off in the long run.

Just head to Clark Fork Valley to the west of you.

Zone 6 here, so you actually have a growing season.

A whole valley full of Veterans and "gun nuts" who live off of the land more than they do the grocery store.

I think you would fit right in.

I will add to what Lumenari has said
Central and south America .... Unless you can speak the language not my first choice.... also be aware there are people who will capture you and cut very important pieces of your body off for no other reason than they can. Of course that may be true no matter where you go in a true SHTF... Plenty of forest and wild life heading south in America to hunt and forage. Another thing to consider is heat ! I live in a tropical country and when the humidity is running 80+% and the temps are above 100 degrees F just about all activity shuts down.. Central and South America has many such days unless you are in the mountains of some place like Peru/Andes.

I have traveled to and stayed in just about any country you can name south of the Texas border... When the locals are afraid to go out at certain times of the night, probably not a first choice destination for most non local people. They are gonna have problems of their own making ends meet .... Anyway just a thought on my part and like others have said, good luck and good post and thoughts. At least someplace in the states you might be able to make friends with like minded individuals. Lone Wolf Rambo only seems to work in the movies IMO as a group of ten to 12 individuals (think of the hunter gatherer tribes that have gone before) seems to optimize survive-ability. I did jungle survival school in the Philippines and I think I could survive for an extended period of time in most tropical jungles.....however ...insects, critters, and just the day to day grind if you can stay healthy is not something to look forward to IMO.

originally posted by: nOraKat
a reply to: argentus

Ultimately after trying to live independent from society in the woods, you will come to the reality that you depend on society to live.

So the best you can do is say - come into a town every now and then for supplies and then hit the woods for a couple weeks. But then if you’re doing that, you don’t need half or more of the things you would need if you were isolated from society.

False.

Most of us depend on society to live.

Which is why most of us will die without it.

That isn't all of us.



And ETA... what do you consider "society"?

A town of 50 people in the boondocks will survive far easier than a town of 2 million if TSHTF.

I think you mean "civilization."

Which I have never been a fan of... its negatives far outweigh its positives.

a reply to: Lumenari

Example: say you depend on hunting w your gun ... eventually you need more bullets. Water filter or whatever..

Everything you bring w you were made by other people..

a reply to: nOraKat

Some people can live very well off of what other people just throw away because they look at things a little differently. Like how about a video from a YouTube user that does knitting and macrame projects? And a crochet hook would take a person about two minutes to whittle even if they were not very skilled with holding a knife because it isn’t too different from a stick.

a reply to: nOraKat

You don’t need a firearm to hunt lol. What do you think the Indians did before the Europeans came to America? The Vikings ? Romans? Lol bow hunting is still very popular and you can make your own arrows. It’s labor intensive but it can be done. There are plenty of natural springs all across the country and it’s quite easy to find them and also to spot which water is gonna be the best to drink. Quick boil and you’re done.

originally posted by: nOraKat
a reply to: Lumenari

Example: say you depend on hunting w your gun ... eventually you need more bullets. Water filter or whatever..

Everything you bring w you were made by other people..

I don't hunt with a gun. I hunt with a bow or with snares. I can make my own bow and arrows... have for decades. I can make my own snares.

Where I live I will never need a water filter.

You can throw me into the wilderness buck naked and I will be just fine.

I don't NEED civilization.

It is more convenient to have say a steel bladed knife.

However, I am perfectly capable of making my own knife out of flint that is sharper than a steel one.

Civilization is for soft weak people.

a reply to: Liquidiron

I would say your pretty much dead. RIP. Its a matter of time. The most important factor you are missing is community. Indigenous communities expel members when they are to die. You would probably be no different. Budy up with people of mixed skill sets would be a start.

Happy moon day

a reply to: purplemer

Rules of three say three months without companionship...I don’t buy it. Just like I don’t buy the average person hitting the wall at three minute mark without air. Most people are closer to two minutes than three on holding their breath.

Cultures in which the chillun' watch elders make stuff learn how to make stuff. I am sorry that I haven't passed to any chillun how to make stuff. They, however, have passed on to me how to catch fish. Because their elders taught them how to do it, and the chillun felt sorry for me.

They don't know how to make fire, especially within context of this very humid environment. They may be right in thinking that BICs will be around forever.

They don't know how to make bird or lizard or agouti traps. They don't know how to make fish traps. They don't know how to make soap from the compounds locally available, nor gunpowder.

I think there is a genuine need to pass these things on much further than familial lines. Certainly a daughter or son absorbs the lessons of the parent, but what about way out in the community. There should still be bushcraft lessons in school. Just in case. I would vote for it.

Do you have a way to mask your heat signature?

Do you have a way to incapacitate a small armed drone?

a reply to: Liquidiron

If anyone hasn't said it..
the moment your spotted with gear your done.

a reply to: Buvvy

Pretty specific style of situation, isn’t it?