Changing the rules a bit:

1. my company would provide a PLB ( besides the game is not fun if you get picked up on the 2nd day) AND I would have my extensive South Seas EDC.**

2. waterproof, floating backpack (~ 40 l) with reflective piping

3. metal 27 oz water bottle

4. 3-4 sharps ( assume hunting knife, multi tool, machete other)

5. gill net, fishing kit

6. solar panel for the following

- radio, 2 way, aviation and marine ( crank) possible add short wave
( instructions) antenna on reel

- headlight

-marine strobe light

7. 3x fire lighting ( lighter, flint, perm match)

8. cordage, unspecified, but to include fishing line

9. Sawyer mini filter

8. small bow making kit ( arrow heads, bowstring, glue plastic feathers)

9. waterproof survival book for area, noting edible foods and animals and methods of obtaining

10. mosquito netting

11. micro fiber towel

12. FAK

13. survival kit ( mirror whistle, compass, etc) including extra meds

14. lightweight jacket, sun hat

Other suggestions?


TRO



(** meds, spare glasses, full set of clothing, walking shoes, cell phone, etc)

I'm going to have to assume proper attire is a given, but no EDC. Hanks was on the island for around 4 years.

All prices found searching online or sourced locally, tax/shipping not included.

Tramontina Machete: $15
Stainless Steel Mora: $9
Sharpening Stone: $4

Bic Lighter x2: $2
Doan Firestarter: $7

Heavy Duty Ripstop Poly Tarp 10'x12': $12
Generic Hammock w/ Bug Net: $25
Wool Blanket: $20
Fleece Material, 2 yards $8
100ft Paracord or similar: $8

Canteen set (Canteen, Pouch, Cup): $7
Large Stainless Steel Pot w/ Lid: ~$5 at thrift shop
Copper Tubing, 5 feet: $6
Plastic Drop Cloth: $2
2 liter soda bottle with cheap swill in it (x2): $2
(Drink the cheap swill, use the bottles for storage. Might even find 3 liter bottles with no-name soda for this price at dollar store.)

Snorkel Set (Fins, Mask, Snorkel): $25
Gill Net: $7
.22 Rifle (Used) + 225 rnds ammo: $80 + $12

Multivitamin x500 (1 every 3 days): $19
1x Tube, Bacitracin Zinc Antibiotic Ointment: $2
1x Tube, Antifungal Cream: $3

$20 worth of rice and beans

Total: $300

Make a "pack" out of your wool blankets, tarp and cordage to hold your other items and meet the container requirement. If it gets chilly, use the wool blanket as an underquilt and cover up with the fleece, should cover reasonable south pacific temperature ranges.

The water setup above assumes there is a freshwater or at least brackish water source on the island. If there is not and you have to rely on rain and distillation of seawater, I would bring different stuff...

Pray you don't get sick... even if you get some fish antibiotics I doubt it will keep in the heat.

I'm not that smart, Russ. And my hand basket was overflowing with glowsticks and frozen treats, like Edwards Pie and pzza rolls. I went back that day and got a very pleasant surprise: they were really 3 for a dollar. So I bought three each of a hi visibility green and a dark blue. I filled one up with cast .59 bullets and submerged it for an hour with no leakage, so I'll be building another kit on the sly. The little woman has put her foot down on me buying any more survival gear until I get lost and actually need to use some of it. She has threatened to drive me out into the country and abandon me like an unwanted dog. And without a cell phone to call for pickup or pizza. I'll be starting a thread looking for suggestions since I have no desire to hijack this one.

I notice at least two people have mentioned taking material, sheets and fleece, and on this I respectfully disagree. Do you have the scissors, soft pencil, needles, pins and entire spools of thread you need to properly make clothing etc?
I would rather have the clothing, bags, shelter items, etc pre-made and waiting for use in my pack. Instead af two yards of fleece a set of fleece including socks, gloves and beane neatly vacuum packed so they stay dry and dust free.
This is JMHO on the matter.

Well, in my case the fleece was just to use as a blanket in the hammock. It can get chilly at night if it drops much below ~75. The tarp can be configured to block the wind and the wool blanket suspended as an underquilt which would make it pretty toasty.

I realize a lot of these items might not survive 4 years, and originally I had duplicates of critical ones, but it got to the point where I could barely afford to cover the span of everything I was looking to bring.

Tarps, especially heavy duty ones, don't like sunlight for long periods. Bug netting is an absolute must but it can easily tear if you stretch your hammock too taught and you sit on it wrong (I did just that with my Skeeter Beater Pro). The gill net would almost certainly require repair at some point. Shoes / boots that I assumed our hero has at the beginning would wear out. Clothes of course. But skimping on some things (like food gathering, shelter, etc) is just something you can't do, so you make sacrifices!

I agree spare clothes are cheap enough (other than boots) that pre-made makes sense. You can go to any thrift store and buy a shirt for $1-3, and pants only a few dollars more.

My thoughts exactly on the thrift shops. You can also find other gear there, and even boots. While making clothing and other items will fill the time it will take energy and moisture from your system. If it really is like Tom Hanks who says there will be water or any food sources or even shade on the proposed island?
Did anyone ever see the fed ex commercial based on that movie? It was hilarious.
And ironic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COTnAYQ2nbs

I looked at that Youtube video and I agree that it was hilarious. He must have been thinking, nooooooooooo....

after i bought a PLB i took a lot of stuff out of my PFD survival kit.a good foil sleeping bag and a big foil blanket and some cord and tape to make a shelter.
my Orange Box stove and a small Gaz cart for heat but no cook gear just MRE "power bars"
having said that if i was going to make a BOB survival kit i would spend my $300 on the best gear i could find and stay away from used or dollar store stuff.
the "break down" bag i carry in my car this winter has my used but still very good down parka and felt lined boots.elbow length mitts and a knit wool cap/face mask will keep me warm until the tow arrives.i got rid of the plastic snow shovel and put a metal one with a sharp square blade in the trunk.
over the years i have come to think that a few really good items rather that a bunch of little gizmos is the way to go.

I respectfully disagree with CANOEDOGS. There are some very good items at the dollar stores/ Yesterday I purchased a very nice aluminum nano flashlight, the lanyard portion of which I will be grinding off to save space in a PSK. I also bought some packets of glow sticks. At four sticks for a dollar they gave off a surprising amount of light. I tested one last night about 8:30 PM and it was still going strong at 5 AM. There are also medications, first aid supplies etc. I notice they even have Clif bars. And oven bags which is my choice for water bags in PSK's, at four for a buck as opposed to the only slightly heavies and five times more expensive Reynolds bags. JMHO.

i'll have to admit that dollar stores are sort of off my path so i have not been at one in years.
there is a big one at the Mall Of America so with Xmas closing in on us when i'm over there looking for gifts i'll check it out.
LL Bean has a new store at the Mall i want to see so thats a good time to check out the $place.
i did buy some dollar foil sheets from the PX at the Vets hospital years ago and they were see thru junk so maybe i just got a bad start of cheap stuff.