Hi,

I'm new here, and cannot help but make the observation that there are a lot of posts regarding various tools and other equipment dependencies.

I hope that many of you are prepared to survive without ANY equipement - only what is available in your environment. I'm confident that the administator of this site is well aware of this, and feels the same way - so this is not a judgement call - merely an observation and perhaps a (repeated) reminder.

What are your favorite books or information sources (specifically) for surviving solely with those items found in the environment that you find yourself in need to survive?

Thanks a lot...

Raeba

Welcome to the forums Raeba,

Your observations regarding equipment dependencies are astute and have been discussed in several threads, with much discourse. I would be willing to stick out my neck and say most if not all of the participants on the forum would say our mind is our most useful survival tool. The ability to overcome and adapt with any given survival scenario always comes down to how the person or persons were able to take what limited resources they had with them at the time, supplemented them with what natural items/materials were available from the particular environment they were in and survived the situation.

We are a diverse international community, with many levels of experience, financial resources and environments. Many here practice “primitive” technology survival techniques, some prefer to concentrate on “tools of the trade” not having the time or educational opportunities to learn or be taught certain skills. Many are just starting the journey to be prepared; some have been at it for a long time. All are welcome and all have something to offer. Pete

The ability to fabricate tools from native materials is always a good skill to possess. The worldview that such an individual is somehow superior to another using metal and plastic is not. I never met any 'native- traditional' who arbitrarily wandered naked into the California brush and as an afterthought wove a set of bluejeans and flip flops from chewed yucca stalks. Most of the traditional peoples I know think steel knives and bic lighters are pretty nice things to possess. Metallurgy is a very ancient, traditional skill. Oetsi didn't seem to have any qualms packing a copper axe. I am sure if he saw a contemporary Wetterling or Granfors Bruk it would be at the local full moon swap meet next to grandfather's polished stone axe. Tool assemblies are a preconceived concept in anticipation of a future event. This is called abstract thinking, one of the marks of human intelligence.

it seems like a lot of this equipment is a luxury rather than a dependency. i know a lot of people might say that they can depend on their PSKs (personal survival kits) because they always have them on their person, but would also be prepared in the event that the PSK wasnt available, or equipment failure occured. i think you are right though, and learning other skills is important, not just for survival purposes, but for general knowledge. i would much rather be the person who can start a fire without any tools, rather than a guy with a bic lighter and some cotton balls. granted, tools can mean the difference between survival and failure, but much is lost if there isnt an educated foundation of basic skills.

that being said, i am new to the board also. ive been having a bit of a hard time figuring out all of the acronyms used on the board... EDC? anyways, lots of good information here. i am interested in outdoor activites, toyota off-roading, and now, learning survival skills and techniques.

danny

EDC = Everyday Carry; i.e. the stuff that you normally have on your person when you leave the house.

PSK = Personal Survival Kit

FAK = First Aid Kit

AFAIK, these are the main acronyms used around here. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

In the spirit of friendship, I would be interested to learn how to start a fire without any tools.

Brain power, man, brain power.

To Macgyver or to Maxwell Smart, that is the question eh? Well I'd say that the smart person will gadget up just in case, and develop the intelligence and wisdom to learn how to do without just about everything they've got and still get by. You see, the mentality of this thing is a two edged sword really. On the one edge, we think about what would make survival easier if we had the thing with us, on the other, we think about what we are actually going to do when we get into the situation that requires us to survive. Most of us here are constantly sharpening both sides, both on our own and in these daily discussions. Ultimately, all this talk about gadgets really gets us thinking about the inevitable situation and how we are going to deal with it.

The play's the thing, man.

I appreciate your philosophies and such, but I was just interested in learning how to start a fire "...without any tools..." as the person stated, so that I may be better prepared.

BTW MacGyver and Agent 86 both use tools to get the job done - whether it be a stick, a rock, a piece of string or a shoe phone.

If you stare at it long enough it will light. <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Thats a lot of TLAs, Aardwolfe

(Three Letter Acronyms <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />)