You and I agree.. I don't even think that if there was just one tree there would even be coconuts, thats why I didn't include them in my thoughts when I was comeing up with my list. My thoughts were more along the line of, if it was true, and it was produceing, then if you limited your use of them to supplement your other food, you would be able to have one (perhaps) a day.

Coconut trees produce "up to" 75 fruits per year, according to the wikipedia article.

A "cartoon" island with a single palm and about the same square footage as an average bedroom during high tide is better than a raft in some ways I suppose... but not much. You won't get seasick and probably won't have salt sores from staying in one spot too long immersed in salt water... but it also means you're not going anywhere! You'd still need to live off the sea, not so much off the island.

Depending on where the island is located, you could get plenty of fresh water from rain, or it may not rain for weeks....

Lets all just hope/pray/whatever that if we become stranded on some desert island that it is a Caruso/treasure Island type. I for one want some meat and construction material.

Even Gilligans Island would be ok by me. Much smaller but look at all they did, and I can't remember ever seeing the 'other side' of the island.

By the way, if you want to be silly with the contest you might ask for The Worlds Largest Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Okay then, for short term, I'd go with:

Enough potable drinking water to last me the whole stay
a decent tent/tarp arrangment for shelter
enough MREs or equivalent to last me the duration
enough toilet paper to last the duration
something to occupy my time with (a big book of Sudoku, a good knife and a pile of whittlin' sticks, or some such)

For an indefinite stay:

A self flushing triple pass reverse osmosis water purifier
a hardened shelter (metal walls, but open so it don't become a sweat box)
a darned good fishing net
a solar cooker
an SAK or Leatherman
a wind up radio/flashlight

Hmmm ... would a satellite phone help rescuers find the user's location?

I'm thinking only in a round-about way. I wonder if the typical rescue team's gear can locate satellite phone signals (or cell phone signals for that matter).

I'd rather have the PLB with a GPS (internal or external).

A PLB. done.

I think they could do the same thing with the satphone that they do with cell phones couldn't they? Get your location off the sats or a triangulation (or something similar), but with the satphone you would hear someone say 'ok, your in trouble, we are rescueing you, but there is a storm on the way so you're going to have to sit tight for a few days 'til it passes by...'

I'd take a Hilton--the hotel, not Paris.
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Hummm. I did see her car-wash video. I'm torn.

(Sorry Honey, just kidding,)

1. Knife w/ saw blade
2. Fire Starter
3. Hennessey Hamock
4. Pot with Lid and Copper tubbing
5. Fishing Net
6. Para Cord