A suitable spear might get you a fish. A gig might get you a frog or crayfish. A walking stick is always a good idea. Three legs are better than two. And if threatened by a large animal I might lash a knife onto m walking stick.

A recommendation from the Air Force survival school was to carry a long aluminum gutter nail. These were usually about 8" long and tough but light and they have lots of uses. Most seem to have short barbs or protrusions that might help keep a fish on.

All that said I keep thinking that everyone has to keep in mind the difference between homesteading and survival. Living off the land indefinitely enjoying the Grizzly Adams experience is homesteading. Survival is usually more about walking out or getting found and rescued.

Time taken to gather food or prepare more than minimal shelter is time taken away from getting found or walking out. That isn't to say you might not snatch up a fish or rabbit or plant foods that present themselves but I wouldn't count on living on what I could gather and I wouldn't be spending a whole lot of time foraging.

I just remembered that I carry several aluminum tent pegs in my bag at all times as part of my 'shelter kit'. Thin and strong. They would be easy to lash to a pole, are cheap and plentiful enough that losing one or two wouldn't be a big deal and they could be sharpened or barbed in no time with the file on my multi-tool.

I like the gutter nail idea...very good multi-tasker.

Absolutely.

That's why the one thing that needs to be prepared more than anything else is the brain. A prepared brain can improvise.

Raspy prepared mine some with his post, as have most of those who post on this forum. My next step is of course getting to the long list of things others have told me how to do, but I have yet to try myself.

As for spikes, garden staples are plentiful in some areas. If you know someone has used something that requries them, you might look for some. I use them for weed blocking cloth.

This is going to sound so Canadian but when I was a kid I would make fake weapons out of hockey sticks. Cut the blade off and you've got a VERY strong shaft that's designed to stand up to wet, cold, flexing, and smashing...very hard to break. I've been tempted to keep a couple pre-cut in my Jeep for a rainy day emergency (tarp poles, digging, prying, etc). My dad keeps about 60 pre cut in his garage. Uses them in the garden, and to build stuff out of on the fly.

They make a pretty good walking stick too although heavier than the latest fancy carbon fiber telescopic poles...though I don't think I would turn a $100+ walking stick into a weapon or hunting tool...nor do I think it would make a good one.

In Alberta I think there are more hockey sticks than actual trees of the same diameter!

It does not sound too Canadian. I'm one of the few guys in know of over 40 who still has a street hockey stick. The shaft on it is from a hockey stick I bought over 25 years ago. A laminated hockey stick is one strong stick.

Hacksaw, I completely agree on the hockey stick idea ..... eh!

I also use hockey stick shafts anytime I need a strong piece of wood. For example if I am building a snowmobile sleigh the corners are re-enforced with hockey stick. I think every Canadian who has an old pickup truck with a rear cap keeps a cutdown stick in the box to hold up the rear window because the pistons are shot.

I have seen them used many times as; fish spear shafts, ice fishing tip-ups, gaff handles, net float hooks and fish bonkers.

I check out the local rinks (one in every community, village, township here) and have no problem picking up all the broken sticks I need.

Mike

Hmm, all this talk about hockey sticks has me worried, where am I gonna find me one down here in Florida?

I believe in a broader sense of what might be available regardless of where you might find yourself geographically would be hickory axe or shovel handles, or maybe baseball bats. If you can think of ways to use those for whatever you might consider for a hockey stick, you will be a lot more apt to find one of them available should the hockey stick you keep at home be out of reach.

If hockey sticks happen to be the most common wood based walloping device in your neck of the woods, then by all means use them, just remember that most of the rest of the world probably won't have such a readily available supply of them. Adaptation solves most proliferation shortcomings.

Easy answer to that... you have two NHL teams!!!!

;-)

Most of the FL ones (from the NHL teams) are likely to be the composite variety. Tough on the wallet, don't make you a better hockey player!