Equipped To Survive Equipped To Survive® Presents
The Survival Forum
Where do you want to go on ETS?

Topic Options
#102947 - 08/19/07 03:36 AM Boy Scout Wilderness Survival
CBTENGR Offline
Member

Registered: 06/13/07
Posts: 99
I was just going through a box of my old Boy Scout stuff and found an old wilderness survial merit badge book. As I was flipping through it I recalled the six things repeated during the course:

Shelter
Fire
Rest
Water
Signal
Food

I was thinking that I have used this list in order, while in military schools and civilian practice (fun when the wife let's me go out in the woods with friends). If you look at the time it takes for someone to be found this in my opinion is pretty good. Just wanted to see other ideas....


Edited by CBTENGR (08/19/07 03:38 AM)
_________________________
Spemque metumque inter dubiis - Hover between hope and fear. (Vergil)

Top
#102952 - 08/19/07 05:58 AM Re: Boy Scout Wilderness Survival [Re: CBTENGR]
Leigh_Ratcliffe Offline
Veteran

Registered: 03/31/06
Posts: 1355
Loc: United Kingdom.
Just to remind our readers:

The list is not a fixed you-must-do-it-in-this-order list of prioritys.

The one you need first on that list is No1.
_________________________
I don't do dumb & helpless.

Top
#102975 - 08/19/07 02:05 PM Re: Boy Scout Wilderness Survival [Re: CBTENGR]
KenK Offline
"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2208
Loc: NE Wisconsin
I honestly don't know if I found this list somewhere or its something I came up with, but I wrote it down years back:

1. health (psychological stress, traumatic and environmental injuries)
2. personal protection (clothing, shelter, insects, fire)
3. signaling (fire, whistle, mirror)
4. sustenance (water and maybe food)
5. location & travel (using a map, compass, GPS)

and these are in order of typical importance.

Almost all the Scouts in my son's small (16 boys) troop have earned the Wilderness Survival merit badge. They see it as a challenge - a kind of rite of passage.

My son hasn't taken it yet as he's nervous about the overnight in a shelter. He's mostly worried about mosquittos, rain, and cold.

They are pretty strict about the limited list of items the Scouts are allowed to bring along during the summer camp overnight, though I myself have never seen that list.

Top
#103035 - 08/20/07 01:10 AM Re: Boy Scout Wilderness Survival [Re: KenK]
Be_Prepared Offline
Addict

Registered: 12/07/04
Posts: 530
Loc: Massachusetts
Originally Posted By: KenK

They are pretty strict about the limited list of items the Scouts are allowed to bring along during the summer camp overnight, though I myself have never seen that list.


I've gone as an advisor on the overnight, I'm also a WS MB counselor. You're right, they don't let them take very much. In fact, they won't let them take many of the Scout Essentials that they are taught to have with them whenever they are on a hike. They won't let them take things like any type of cord, wire, rope, (makes it too easy to build shelters.) They can't bring firestarting material, food, shelter...

I think they basically were allowed the clothes on their back, a poncho, water bottle, flashlight, and in our case they were allowed (required) insect repellant. (Risk of EEE from mosquitos and Lyme Disease from ticks is pretty high around us. Deet's a way of life.)

Now, we wouldn't suggest they ever go out like that, but, in this scenario, they are really encouraging improvising. I think the guys all come back pretty proud of themselves when they realize how well they have done with so little to work with. I included some pictures of shelters some of them built this summer in an earlier post in July:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=9256&Number=101036#Post101036
_________________________

- Ron

Top
#103084 - 08/20/07 06:09 PM Re: Boy Scout Wilderness Survival [Re: Be_Prepared]
Leigh_Ratcliffe Offline
Veteran

Registered: 03/31/06
Posts: 1355
Loc: United Kingdom.
Originally Posted By: Be_Prepared
Originally Posted By: KenK

They are pretty strict about the limited list of items the Scouts are allowed to bring along during the summer camp overnight, though I myself have never seen that list.


I've gone as an advisor on the overnight, I'm also a WS MB counselor. You're right, they don't let them take very much. In fact, they won't let them take many of the Scout Essentials that they are taught to have with them whenever they are on a hike. They won't let them take things like any type of cord, wire, rope, (makes it too easy to build shelters.) They can't bring firestarting material, food, shelter...

I think they basically were allowed the clothes on their back, a poncho, water bottle, flashlight, and in our case they were allowed (required) insect repellant. (Risk of EEE from mosquitos and Lyme Disease from ticks is pretty high around us. Deet's a way of life.)

Now, we wouldn't suggest they ever go out like that, but, in this scenario, they are really encouraging improvising. I think the guys all come back pretty proud of themselves when they realize how well they have done with so little to work with. I included some pictures of shelters some of them built this summer in an earlier post in July:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=9256&Number=101036#Post101036


Clothes on their backs?
Thinks...........
It might be a good idea to encourage a little lateral thinking by the participant's. Paracord lace's.
Pulltag compass.

Wonder if the DEET is flamable?

Good time to show them how to make a bowdrill.

_________________________
I don't do dumb & helpless.

Top
#103123 - 08/20/07 11:20 PM Re: Boy Scout Wilderness Survival [Re: Leigh_Ratcliffe]
Be_Prepared Offline
Addict

Registered: 12/07/04
Posts: 530
Loc: Massachusetts
Originally Posted By: Leigh_Ratcliffe
Clothes on their backs?
Thinks...........
It might be a good idea to encourage a little lateral thinking by the participant's. Paracord lace's.
Pulltag compass.

Wonder if the DEET is flamable?

Good time to show them how to make a bowdrill.


Out of a dozen or so, only one used their belt to lash things together (of course, for most teenagers, they don't know how to use a belt the way it was intended!)
Another 2 figured out that they had laces on their shoes. One of them was so frayed that they used it for dry tinder!

I don't know if Deet is flamable, but, the combination with spray propellant seems to make a nice torch of sorts. (At least until the flame gets back to the finger on the plastic tip of the spray can eek)

You're right though, the idea of only letting them take the bare minimum, is so they try to improvise. To a certain extent, it works. The next day, we do a "post-mortem" examination of what happened the night before, it's always interesting to see what they perceived, and learned, compared to what we saw.
_________________________

- Ron

Top



Moderator:  Alan_Romania, Blast, cliff, Hikin_Jim 
March
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online
0 registered (), 324 Guests and 6 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
GallenR, Jeebo, NicholasMarshall, Yadav, BenFoakes
5367 Registered Users
Newest Posts
What did you do today to prepare?
by dougwalkabout
Yesterday at 11:21 PM
Zippo Butane Inserts
by dougwalkabout
Yesterday at 11:11 PM
Question about a "Backyard Mutitool"
by Ren
03/17/24 01:00 AM
Problem in my WhatsApp configuration
by Chisel
03/09/24 01:55 PM
New Madrid Seismic Zone
by Jeanette_Isabelle
03/04/24 02:44 PM
EDC Reduction
by EchoingLaugh
03/02/24 04:12 PM
Using a Compass Without a Map
by KenK
02/28/24 12:22 AM
Newest Images
Tiny knife / wrench
Handmade knives
2"x2" Glass Signal Mirror, Retroreflective Mesh
Trade School Tool Kit
My Pocket Kit
Glossary
Test

WARNING & DISCLAIMER: SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Information posted on this forum is not reviewed for accuracy and may not be reliable, use at your own risk. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site.