the Nalgene 32 Oz challenge

I had this I idea while replying to another part of the Survival Forum, it goes like this:

1. Take one wide mouthed 32 Oz (1 Liter) Nalgene water bottle and fill it full of the most useful survival gear you have (you must be able to screw the lid back on properly).

2. Take another 32 Oz Nalgene bottle and fill it with water.

3. Put an emergency signaling device (eg Phone) in your pocket.

4. with just the two Nalgene bottles, the phone and the clothes you are wearing, go out and survive for 48 hours.

5. write about your experience, a list of what was in your bottle, how you would change that list in the future, what gear worked well ect.

6. Enjoy comparing notes and swapping stories with others who did the same!


Obviously for some people it would be hard to get 48 hrs alone to do this so just a 24 hrs might suit some people better. Regardless of the duration, it would still be great to hear about it!

And for those who don’t have time but enjoy a mental exercise, It would be very interesting to see a list of gear that people would choose to take, and have been able to fit into a 32 Oz “survival kit bottle”.

I’m just throwing this out there, anyone besides me think it would be a cool idea?

Surviving 48 hours is easy enough. You won't starve to death in 48 hours, so food is a luxury rather than a necessity. Depending on the temperature, you won't die of thirst or heat stroke either. Actually, all you would have to do is find some kind of shelter and stay put for two days. Would you be feeling good? Hell no. But you would be alive.

While certainly an interesting challenge, unless you typically EDC two Nalgenes I'm not sure that it is very realistic. Wouldn't it be more practical to simply set out with the EDC items that you generally carry?

I've always felt that camping is a more practical (and enjoyable) means of testing your skills and validating your equipment. While heading into the woods for two days with nothing but your EDC items may be a realistic test, it isn't very enjoyable, and is kind of like practicing bleeding.

The problem with a two day challenge is that unless you are completely unprepared or the weather conditions are extreme, most anyone could survive without food or any water, and only the most basic of shelter (ie and improvised lean-to fashioned from available materials).

Although I haven't done it for awhile, one of the more insightful challenges I have done in the past is to impromptly set off into the woods with nothing but my EDC items during a steady and prolonged period of rain or snow.

I don't typically spend more than a few hours in the woods, but this is generally long enough for me to determine if I'm able to successfully start a fire using damp materials, create an improvised shelter to get out of the rain, and begin to dry out my clothes.

Without being able to do these three tasks I'd likely be toast over an extended period of time, and conversely if I am able to complete these three things, then "surviving" for an extended period of time would really only additionally require that I find a source of water.

Jim

I think it could be very useful as a sort of standardized adventure, a baseline of gear and experience that we all could share. I agree it may not be the most life-threatening, macho challenge but that is not the point.

My biggest problem: finding anywhere in a reasonable distance where I could legally take part! California does not welcome open fire or harvesting of even deadfall on its public lands. Even a debris shelter in a discrete location would be viewed as a major transgression if discovered.

Going to be hard to get much gear through the neck opening of my stainless Klean Kanteens. Going to be harder to get it out.

yeah, Dweste I have the same problem in So-Cal. I feel like we, as scouts can't do some of the "scout-like" things that I want to do. And believe me, If I want to do someething in the troop, it gets done (family friends with the scoutmaster, and one of the Ass. Scoutmasters, and my dad is an Ass. Scoutmaster, ih yeah, i'm ASPL)

Just looking through the book "The Boy Mechanic" published by Popular mechanics, there is a chapter on camping. We can't do very much of the stuff in there at all. Also, when I started working on my wagle scout project, they said "now that you are life you have camped in both good and bad weather"-NO! I have never camped when it was raining.

/soapbox

I think they sell nalgene survival kits, but they all look really really not so nice. I would also like to see some hypothetical lists.

Qusetion: Can I have one of those cups that go on the outside of my nalgene??

Wouldn't it be fun to hold an ETS group campout somewhere, say on BLM land in Nevada where the restrictions are fewer, to try out some of our ideas and gear, practice techniques, socialize and do some hands-on training?

Jeff

Oh, man.... I think it would cause the security staff of the nearest airport to have a collective stroke. *laughs* I'm not sure if we could do something that big, but maybe regional meets. Gas prices being what they are, though...

...Nevada..."

Great choice, I think that Blast can blow stuff up in Nevada! I know for sure that you can shoot machine guns there. Anyone got one to bring???

oooh if blast goes, I am soooo going, too bad theres no way my parents would go for it