[seahorse]

Sinisterblue cat and PMS,

I don't think surviving peak oil is anything close to having a simple "survival kit" you carry around. In my view, peak oil means economic depression, mass poverty, but not necessarily a die-off (however, the last great depression lead to a world war, which killed many millions). Therefore, I don't think that peak oil means we will all be running around through the woods. We will still have cities, some form of government, maybe long bread lines. In the end, I think a good attitude, knowledge, and physical health are the most important things a person can have. They costs nothing to aquire except time and discipline.

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', 'F')YI-If I were some sort of bad-ass I'd change my handle to 9mmDeathmule or 5thMuleoftheapocalypse.

[Schweinshaxe]

About 40.000 people die every year in car accidents in the USA. How many people die in survival situations? How many people have been saved by a survival kit? How many people would have been saved by using the safety belt? (Or the "coward string" as we call it in Sweden...)

Wouldn't it be better to discuss Ralph "Unsafe At Any Speed" Nader teachings than Mears/Wiseman survivalism if we are interested in saving lives?

We have learned in this thread that there are people like seahorse who can master a simulated survival situation without problems. We also know now that playing survivalism in front of a camera could make you rich.

The question is what will happen to us average subhumans if the shit hits the fan and we have to fight our way through in a post-PO zombie world. Will we make it if we have a survival kit and know 58 different ways to cook Cat-tail roots? I don't think so...

The principle of the Liberator pistol* is my way. A nice smile and an axe stuck in my pants is how I'll survive.

* See Hall of Flames - Schwein doesn't know his shit.

[TheTurtle]

Hey Schweinshaxe,

Is it OK if we simply like backpacking out in the wilderness? I tend to carry a few tools with me whenever I go out, but I'm trying to pare back on what I carry each time I go out. My ultimate goal is to reach the point where I can go naked into the woods (metaphorically speaking, of course) and just enjoy being out there for its own sake.

Thrive, rather than survive, is my motto when I'm in the woods.

But I do own a bushcraft book by Ray Mears and I do have an emergency space blanket hidden away in one of the pockets of my backpack, so now you have me worried that I am hiking down the wrong path (again metaphorically).

Thank you for any advice you can provide.

[Schweinshaxe]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheTurtle', 'H')ey Schweinshaxe,

Is it OK if we simply like backpacking out in the wilderness? I tend to carry a few tools with me whenever I go out, but I'm trying to pare back on what I carry each time I go out. My ultimate goal is to reach the point where I can go naked into the woods (metaphorically speaking, of course) and just enjoy being out there for its own sake.

Thrive, rather than survive, is my motto when I'm in the woods.

But I do own a bushcraft book by Ray Mears and I do have an emergency space blanket hidden away in one of the pockets of my backpack, so now you have me worried that I am hiking down the wrong path (again metaphorically).

Thank you for any advice you can provide.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schweinshaxe', 'I') like tweaking my outdoor gear and testing different equipment. It's like a hobby. I like testing fire steels, sleeping bags, tents and stuff like that.

[Schweinshaxe]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schweinshaxe', 'I') like tweaking my outdoor gear and testing different equipment. It's like a hobby. I like testing fire steels, sleeping bags, tents and stuff like that.

[spear]

Yeah we do it every summer here for four or five weeks.Its called vacation.
We go 14kms in to a mountain which on the back side is the sea and the a couple of the last virgin beaches in northern Greece.
Water from the mountain and fish from the sea.
But my survival kit is a little big.
You should see my kids eyes after four weeks in the mountain and he gets to have an ice cream.
Ive met people up in the mountain lost in the midsummer heat and brought them down to the camp to cool off.They thought I was an angel sent by God.lol
But we do this every year for as long as I can remember.
We been caught in sudden storms down there for days.Like tornadoes.
I dont give a shit because Im always in a wetsuit.
Like I said,for the most part its a summer break.

[seahorse]

Schweinshaxe,

If you are saying the best survival kit for a peak oil world is a good weapon, I agree.

However, learning to live more on less - which is the point of being in the great outdoors - goes a long way to developing a happy outlook in life, despite not having all the creature comforts that we've been so accustomed to. And that attitude is important today or in a post peak world.

Spear - I'm sure you don't wear a wetsuit. You're just not wanting to brag. With your background, you're probably cutting ice holes in some glacier melt and skinny dippin for fun.

[spear]

Yeah thats about the time Im pissing in the suit to stay warm.lol

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schweinshaxe', 'S')o the right part of Oregon is the place to be?

[PrairieMule]

Gore-Tex is good in moderation. I myself have a Pair of Merril Gore-tex Boots and a Gore Tex hat. I have found that $5 plastic poncho is more water repelant than a $300 North Face Parka. A $10 polythenelyne tarp from Home Depot will repell water better than any tent if strung properly. On the flip side, silicone coated nylon is good stuff.

[PrairieMule]

[quote="smallpoxgirl]

Yes. Link If you look at this map, the Cascade mountains run up and down through the state. The part on left is full of liberals and other fungi. The part on the right is dry and desert like. Some areas out there have a population density of less than 5 liberals per square mile. (That would be about 1 liberal per square kilometer for you.)

[quote]

SPG and Peak Oil associates,

I ask myself Mule, is there correlation between liberals and Subaru dealership Density? Here are the results. I went to Autotrader and searched 2 areas, first Plano Texas and Bellview Washington. Second I requested all Subaru Dealerships listed with in 25 miles of their respected zip codes 75024 and 98007 . Here are the results:

PLANO: 3 Subaru of Dallas, Teape Subaru of Arlington, Huffines,
Pop:220,030 (2000 Census)
Subaru Dealership Density: 1 dealership within 25 miles for every 73,343 plano Residents

BELLVIEW: 6 eastside, Carter, Walker, Subaru of Puyallup, Peninsula, and Champlin
Pop:56,474(2000 Census)
Subaru Dealership Density:1 dealership within 25 miles for every 9,412 Bellview residents

Conclusion: Bellview Washington has 7.79 times the amount of Subaru dealerships that of a resident in Plano Texas. I find this "Red vs Blue State" discrimination by the Marketing Divison of Subaru disturbing...I guess there is a greater need for front wheel drive import due to their greater average rainfall. Or could it be something else?

I'm to scared to do the math on the Volvo X90 density of that area.

[seahorse2]

Mule,

What are you driving? Are you a closet liberal driving a subaru? Inquiring minds want to know. But, therein lies the problem, Americans assume the car they drive is a sign of who they are, thus, we have a car culture. We could get by on much less if we didn't see the cars we drive as a reflection of ourselves, or make judgments about others based on what they drive. As Smallpox points out, we are a culture of "gortex" commandos. We spend, and by spending we define who we are, or think we are. Thus, even you Senor Mule, have fallen victim to defining liberals versus conservatives based on what they drive.

There is an old Indian saying that a person will never know who they are unti l they lose their ego through exhaustion. So, until the oil is literally exhausted out the last tailpipe, we as Americans will never know who we are.

We as people and as Americans came from a world without oil, only a scant 100 years ago, and until we cut the oil umbilical cord, we will not be able to find ourselves again. Until that time, we will still be defining ourselves by the car we are driving to go camping wearing our new gortex top.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('seahorse2', 'M')ule,

What are you driving? Are you a closet liberal driving a subaru? Inquiring minds want to know. But, therein lies the problem, Americans assume the car they drive is a sign of who they are, thus, we have a car culture. We could get by on much less if we didn't see the cars we drive as a reflection of ourselves, or make judgments about others based on what they drive. As Smallpox points out, we are a culture of "gortex" commandos. We spend, and by spending we define who we are, or think we are. Thus, even you Senor Mule, have fallen victim to defining liberals versus conservatives based on what they drive.

There is an old Indian saying that a person will never know who they are unti l they lose their ego through exhaustion. So, until the oil is literally exhausted out the last tailpipe, we as Americans will never know who we are.

We as people and as Americans came from a world without oil, only a scant 100 years ago, and until we cut the oil umbilical cord, we will not be able to find ourselves again. Until that time, we will still be defining ourselves by the car we are driving to go camping wearing our new gortex top.

[seahorse2]

Prairie Mule,

You haven't stepped on my toes. Like you, I was being satirical and trying to point out a little irony in this whole situation. You and I both agree that its not important what someone drives - and what's in a wallet is no measure of the person. I don't like labels, but most would probably call me a liberal, even though, for the most part, I share your beliefs in god, guns, and family.

Being from Arkansas, I'm familiar with the Quachitas, but I don't drive a subaru through them. However, I'm a fan of Lance Armstrong, and seeing Lance Armstrong behind the wheel of a subaru makes me like them, and Crocodile Dundee too.

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schweinshaxe', ' ')I have studied, practiced and taught survival skills. It's a lot of fun and it could be usefull too but I honestly don't think that it would save me in a life-long post-PO zombie survival situation. I'd probably give up after a couple of weeks or so.

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', ' ')I have however driven my Accord all over the logging trails of the Ouachitas of SW Arkansas.

[Aaron]

I did 2 weeks in the deep woods of Colorado with a group.

Got separated from the group at one point and spent the next 3 days lookin for em.

I only had my belt pack, which had emergency supplies.

They had all the food.

Caught a fish... nailed a grouse with a rock... lost 5 pounds.

My map & my compass proved the lifesaver... I reached base camp before the group and was showered & shaved and full when everyone arrived.

Plenty of water available in streams though... or I would not have made it.

[seahorse]

Aaron,

Great story, good thing it worked out okay and that you knew how to work a compass and had one with you.

Turtle, you mentioned NW Arkansas, which is where I live. Have you been here before?