Just brainstorming here but.....

A couple of 'biners

1) holds things on to your belt, pack, keychain

2) Improvised toggle to replace button (A little large but better than dropping trou.... <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

3) compined could make a compound pully arrangement to increase your pulling power


A couple - 4 nails + improvised hammer / multitool, stone, brick, handy piece of metal from wreck of downed plane you are climbing out of etc.

1) attachment point for biners used as #3 above

2) Steady / reinforce damaged structures

3) Pot-stand for small stove

4) leather awl

5) Attachment point for snare wire

6) point for spear (hunting and self-defense)

7) Chisel for wood working in shelter building

8) Nail for shelter building.

9) pin replacement for grenade <img src="images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

If you are on the move you will need water and food. Water more than food but both would be nice. If you are truely in the wilderness and the local McDonalds or Grocery dumpster or neighbor's freezer is not available then you may want to attempt to gather some food. Animals are edible without question. Plants can kill you if you eat the wrong one or the wrong part of an edible one. When setting up camp at the end of a day it is little difficulty to set your tarp to collect the maximum amount of dew or rain in-case there is any. Similarly if you have some snare wire you could have a hiking staff or find a similarly sized branch and fashion some snares (4 to 6) squirrel sized along it ar 2 foot intervals and lean it against a tree a little ways away from your camp. Takes almost no time and you may find some nice fat squirrels hanging there next morning. Squirrels will take any short cut to and from the ground. Along a leaning branch is much easier for them than straight up the side of the tree. A 6 foot squirrel pole with 4 - 6 snares at 2 foot intervals is actually quite likely to produce if you are in a woods that has squirrels, chipmunks, or other tree-climbing rodents. In a jungle it may even bring in a monkey. In this case you aren't trying to find the animals natural pathways, instead you are providing a pathway that they will naturally prefer.


Likewise with a box-trap baited with yesterdays left-overs. A baited trap in an area where the local racoons, squirrels, skunks, possums etc have become habituated to table scraps may well produce overnight. I think of the number of sleepless nights at campgrounds kept awake by the music of the racoons foraging among others coolers, and the nearby dumpster. This works just about everywhere that there has ever been interaction between these nocturnal omnivores and humans.

In both these cases you simply set the trap after setting up camp for the evening and take it down (along with whatever produce) in the morning. It is nearly effortless to setup the squirrel pole or the box trap and the food value of a racoon will certainly be worth it, a couple of squirrels make a decent lunch if not a dinner.

If you are trying to harvest rabbits, beavers, dear or any of the more elusive, less human habituated game then you will certainly have to put more effort into it. OTOH, whilst moving along your way you may be able to recognize an animal track that goes your way. Following it to your camp and then placing your snare there and moving a ways to the side may be a decent, low effort way to snare the more elusive game. If you happen to camp near a beaver pond it would be wise to place your snares where the beaver is likely to be since the beaver will certainly be a larger meal than the more certain squirrel

Hello, everybody,
First I would like to give a few answers. I live in the UK and I find the population density is very high here that it would be difficult to find a real wilderness. The main danger here IMHO is from elements. Therefore my question was about survival situation when you are abroad.
I got a bit strange thought now: I do not know how to use snares, but I shoot quite well from handguns. It is illegal in many countries to have a compact firarm, however, most countries do not require a license to own air pistols. What you think if you put air pistol into the PSK? It can travel in luggage between different countries and very convenient. Something light, preferably not requiring CO2 gas. It won't shoots rabbits, but sparrows without any problems! I think I will put this question as a separate topic.

There was a very indepth and interesting thread on the use of air guns for hunting just a few months ago