the longest you could

[Man of Tanith]

i have thought about it a lot but at the moment it is hypothetical and going with what Drew posted originally

allowing for a bland but wholesome diet (bannock, porridge,cous cous, rice, dried meats, few seasonings, tea(a lot of tea) sugar coffee) supplemented with the few wilder foods i recognise (more for variation than anything else rather)

kit in seriousness most the stuff i pack for an overnighter isn't going to self destruct if i use it for a fortnight
i would need to add a few bits but nothing major
season well i would prefer late summer autumn if i had to choose a season i suppose more chance of it being dry and warm
keeping it together mentally well some might say i am not all together already however i would probably prefer to do it in the more traditional group known as family or tribe, someone to talk to would definately be a plus and also half the work load.
in this hypothetical scenario i assume i would be stationary so once i have my pitch set i would be quite content exploring the locality i reckon. and also when stationary i would practice/improve skills i have a basic knowledge of to keep stimulated
moving every day whilst more work physically i think would possibly be easier to keep together mentally as it would give a mental focus each day

***i dont want to sound smug or mr clever d*** with the above statements i just reckon it is doable i don't mean to upset anyone or knock those who have done it in the real world rather than the safety of my sofa ***

 

[Ivan...]

Wasn't knocking you Sam , and don't think you are being a cever dick , you have actally brought more to the scenario table than most , like some of your reasoning and approach .

I tried it because circumstances , sort of forced me (not ideal and wrong time of year ) and if i am honest if i had not been foolish enough to state it on here , and the support i got (from total strangers ) i would not have lasted 9 days , given a choice of venue .season etc and being in the right space , i think i could do a fortnight too, but to have a like minded soul with me would be a massive advantage , it is very easy to talk hypothetically but actually doing it is a million miles from anywhere .

 

[Man of Tanith]

Didn't think you were knocking me ivan mate
one day when the kids are older and work isn't as vital as it is at the moment i will hopefully get to test the theory out
course this does mean i can develop the skills more until such time as i get to go out to do it.
i think it is like most things you build on past experience. if i think about what i used to take for one night in comparison to what i take now for longer it shows what isn't really vital despite people thinking it is.
as we both agree it would be much easier with like minded associates rather than alone.
Being able to choose the season and location would definitely be a boon too.
time wise as well i think the main thing is to keep occupied, depending as i say on if fixed base camp or mobile you can find stuff to keep the mind and/or hands busy.
if i was doing it fixed camp i think i would take a small library of field guides etc to give me ideas, also spend time making the ultimate campsite so proper clay oven, decent woodpile proper fireplace etc to fill the days
mobile i reckon definitely easier as you automatically have a daily goal

 

[lannyman8]

Aha not so glum my friend, we would just resort to our natural life cycle

how do you mean Dave, as in the older weaker members would die out first????

 

[Retired Member southey]

Yeah kind of, we over extend our lives past what our bodies should take via great modern medical care, comfy living and easy food, IMO to get to fifty is a good innings, of course I want to be old, drunk and grumpy, but I think its luck rather than design.

 

[Samon]

If the badgers don't end up killing me and I don't end up dieing from fear of the badgers killing me then about 2 days..

I have enough meat on my bones to last longer but my mental state would cut the experiement very short.

If I had a companion who knew mroe than me and didn't freak out like a massive girl then it would be easier.

 

[rik_uk3]

no rules apply i mean in genuine wilderness and no rick your homestead doesnt count

What wilderness, there is none in the UK so where are you thinking, Canada, USA, Australia etc

 

[Wolfmanuk]

As a group probably a few weeks but alone I'd be lucky to get through the week!

 

[Bushwhacker]

Is there any point in talking about this unless someone is actually going to do it?
If not, then this is just another "Room 101" thread.

 

[Ivan...]

My dear Paul, i only joined in as i had a go last year and failed miserably , as you know and had every intention of trying again , with the right preparation, seaon of course and with someone else ! lack of company was my biggest problem , and as i said in an earlier post , i was waiting to see if anyone was going to come forward and beat my 9 miserable days , so in one respect i am not feeling so bad about my failure .

Also it may have given the chance for someone to announce that they were going to give it a go , but as yet no (feeling better by the minute )

Anyway , i don't think i will be trying it again anytime soon , but do see your point my friend.

Ivan...

 

[Retired Member southey]

If you were foraging then cool, if you had food then I should think there are many here who have gone longer Ivan, I myself have spent 13days walking around Caithness with out seeing a soul,stopped in for a resup an back out for another week. It really isn't hard at all. Self control and planning your food( dry = light) makes long trips simple.

 

[bushwacker bob]

IMO to get to fifty is a good innings, of course I want to be old, drunk and grumpy, but I think its luck rather than design.

I managed it.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I managed it.

The benefits pickling!

 

[Ivan...]

Hi Southey , do you think it made a difference because it was a well prepared and planned trip ? i mean an aim a goal and destination , not stuck in one base camp as it were .

And well done Bob , i for one am keeping quiet , only being 49 !!

 

[Retired Member southey]

Its probably more to do with being an unsociable bugger! ?. But yes of course planning will make a hard trip easier, if you staying in one spot then you will have more psycolgical issues to deal with. Familiarity breeds contempt, this works for seeing the same trees every day, or that spot you didn't catch that crab. More to come, potty to empty NOT MINE!

 

[para106]

I think it all depends on the person & not just whatever 'skills' people think they know. Farting about in the woods for a few nights does not a survivor make. As Ivan has alluded to, some people need people & if the prospect is not to have people then that quickly becomes intolerable. I spent some VERY long stretches in ditches etc over the water - as much as 72hrs!! It was a long time because I knew what I was missing. If I hadn't have been missing anything I doubt it would have seemed quite so long. For me it would be get head right, get organised, get on with it for as long as I could - however long that would be barring injury or illness. A few zombies would be very useful incentive too

 

[Retired Member southey]

Its probably more to do with being an unsociable bugger! ?. But yes of course planning will make a hard trip easier, if you staying in one spot then you will have more psycolgical issues to deal with. Familiarity breeds contempt, this works for seeing the same trees every day, or that spot you didn't catch that crab. More to come, potty to empty NOT MINE!

Potty done! sorry about that, so the failures (which are easier to dwell on than the successes) start to mount up,if you haven't got someone to unload onto it can have a very bad effect on your state of mind over a much shorter time than you would imagine,

BUT if you have the inclination or the reason to stay(either wanting to stay or having no choice) then you may switch to seeing things differently (the "I hit rock bottom so it could only get better" moment) and you would start to make a genuine effort to see the good in a situation, to celebrate the small victories, like getting al your tinder in the night before because it save time in the morning and makes getting warm and fed in the morning easier, or finding that one bit of food, or packing away neatly and quickly, instead of being an admin cluts,

Staying in one place can be a comfort to though, IF your able to exploit the resources around you( i don't just mean foraging food, I mean if you cant get warm because the land is constantly battered by the elements, or the ground to rocky to get comfy),

If not then move on, find your HAPPY PLACE! as Para said your head is the biggest barrier to getting on with what your doing, whether like me you get a little agoraphobic some times or you just don't fancy getting that last faggot of wood, GET A GRIP AND MAKE THE EFFORT ! its all a step closer to being able to be comfy where ever you are,

Hope that makes sense

 

[Sappy]

Those who say they could last more than a month, have you ever tried? Even with all the supplies need, camp bed, wood stove and all how long have you actually stayed out?

Have you ever been in a situation for longer than a week where you had no warm home to go to?

Have you tried living of the land? Its okay saying youd be fine till running out of food but thats more likely when you run out of caffiene or nicotine.

Even the mountain men, who had all the kit and more knowledge than most of us could dream of died young, even indegenous peoples died pretty young.

Have you ever been hungry? ( more than 3 days without food?) Have you ever been thirsty? ( More than a day and half without water)

Not to mention things outwith your control( freak injury, inclement weather, loniliness, fear, midges, season, availability of game, water and other edibles.

 

[Retired Member southey]

If your hungry and thirsty on a planned trip, your doing it wrong!

 

[Ivan...]

Wise words Southey (or may i call you Hilts) I think a lot of us on here would love the chance to have a go , obviously it's not possible for most , work family etc , But safe in the knowledge that , if you fell ill, just couldn,t take it anymore etc etc , knowing a phone call or short walk , would mean safety and comfort etc.

Because as a previous poster pointed out we don't exactly have the luxury of jungle , dessert and so on ,so it would be more of a head thing , although as you know the highlands ,dartmoor etc can be formidable and dangerous places .

With all the reasons for it not being a "proper" survival challenge , i think most would still find it very difficult after a few days , or maybe i am just a bit weak !