Alone (UK) TV series. What ten items would you choose?

[Woody girl]

Hawthorns make a nice little hook, whittled bits of wood and thorns tied with split spruce roots are another. It was only a few hours tuition, and I've not kept up the practice, I would have to practice a lot more to be sure of having a totaly secure and workable hook. They can be tricky with my butterfingers!
Then there are the simple sharpened stick type.... i think they are called gorge hooks?

Haven't tested them , as I don't have a fishing licence.


Caveman Cody on YT does a good video tutorial. I used split spruce roots, but I guess you could use a fine nettle cordage or parracord inner, depending on the size of hook you were making.

 

[Nic Le Becheur]

I just watched the UK version of alone. I didn't really find it that enjoyable and it just seemed to me like a desperate struggle for all the competitors many of whom lacked the necessary skills and mindset. One of the competitors had an extremely anti nature profanity outburst when he missed a duck with an arrow. Whilst others repeatedly complained and longed to be elsewhere. I also found the overcoming issues, mental health slant a bit much. I think it unlikely, given the reviews, there will be a second series but I decided to have a go and filled in the application for a potential second series. I live in a tent full time and never see anyone anyway so I'd be off to a flyer I reckon lol. As ever I would love to hear your views on it and what would be your ten items and why? Here is a link to what you can have.

Alone UK Gear List I Desert Island Survival

Contestants who took part in the survival TV show "Alone UK" on Channel 4 could choose 10 items from a pre-defined list of 56 items listed below.

www.desertislandsurvival.com

Not seen the series but it would depend on geography, climate and time of year. Where did they put the contestants? "Tropical" doesn't help much. And what use is a bear pepper spray going to be, or ice spikes, on a small tropical island? Weird... anyway at an uniformed guess I'd probably go for tarp, paracord, hammock, pocket knife, saw, shovel, pot, canteen, snare wire, ferro rod set. Happy to explain why.

 

[Broch]

Not seen the series but it would depend on geography, climate and time of year. Where did they put the contestants? "Tropical" doesn't help much. And what use is a bear pepper spray going to be, or ice spikes, on a small tropical island? Weird... anyway at an uniformed guess I'd probably go for tarp, paracord, hammock, pocket knife, saw, shovel, pot, canteen, snare wire, ferro rod set. Happy to explain why.

Where did you get the 'tropical' from? They were in Northern Canada.

 

[Jared]

Even the US seasons are generally in Canada.

Though had one in Patagonia and another in Mongolia. But they seem to always pick a time and location so you will run into winter weather if you last a few months.

 

[demented dale]

That's something that I thought about to. I like predator fishing. I'm not a carp man.....

I once got my small finesse lure, single size 8? hook bumped by a pike, but he kept spitting it out. So I rigged up an East-coast treble with 3 separate hooks and fed one of the hooks through the same small lure. The pile took it on the drop and I nailed him. Had him on the bank within minutes.

If I knew there were pike in the water I'd deffo be rigging improvised trebles, no messing about.

Even the US seasons are generally in Canada.

Though had one in Patagonia and another in Mongolia. But they seem to always pick a time and location so you will run into winter weather if you last a few months.

the near winter thing is to save them money. make it really hard so you have to go home

 

[Nic Le Becheur]

Where did you get the 'tropical' from? They were in Northern Canada.

I looked at the homepage on the web link. Maybe I misread.

 

[demented dale]

Hawthorns make a nice little hook, whittled bits of wood and thorns tied with split spruce roots are another. It was only a few hours tuition, and I've not kept up the practice, I would have to practice a lot more to be sure of having a totaly secure and workable hook. They can be tricky with my butterfingers!
Then there are the simple sharpened stick type.... i think they are called gorge hooks?

Haven't tested them , as I don't have a fishing licence.


Caveman Cody on YT does a good video tutorial. I used split spruce roots, but I guess you could use a fine nettle cordage or parracord inner, depending on the size of hook you were making.

I tried to watch caveman cody. He knows his stuff but is sooooo boring. I found another guy called greg ovens who made some interesting ones that all worked. wood, bone and rose thorn which was a suprise to both me and him as he was testing it for the first time on the video.

 

[Jared]

Ovens was in season 3 of Alone US. Got hypothermia after 51 days.

 

[Woody girl]

I tried to watch caveman cody. He knows his stuff but is sooooo boring. I found another guy called greg ovens who made some interesting ones that all worked. wood, bone and rose thorn which was a suprise to both me and him as he was testing it for the first time on the video.

Yes, Greg is a great teacher, and someone I'd be happy to be stuck in the wild with.
I've made minni hooks with hawthorns, they are ready formed, so very little work needed just trim and attach to line...preferably nettle or some other home made cordage!
The ones I was shown how to make had horsehair leaders, but attachment to line wasn't gone into. Something I'll have to research. I've never realy fished...despite owning several different rods! I had planned some pier fishing this year, but it didn't happen. Maybe next year.

 

[Erbswurst]

Not so easy, really!​

I think I would take the following:

• Sleeping bag
• Bivvy bag (Gore-Tex)
• Axe
• Ferro rod set
• Pot, including the lid (2 qt)
• 550 Paracord (70m)
• 3.5 lb roll of snare wire
• Small gauge gill net (8m x 2m, 4-inch gauge)
• 300-yard roll of nylon single filament fishing line and 25 assorted hooks (Only barbless hooks, no lures, maximum hook size 7/0)
• Recurve bow with 9 arrows

The last item that I kicked off the list was the hunting knife, but I decided to keep the Goretex bivvy bag.

 

[TeeDee]

I'm surprised by how many people choose to take a Bow and Arrow as an option.
This seems to infer to me everyone doing so is a practiced and accurate archer to justify spending time and energy 'hunting'

or delusions of ability. How many of the contestants taking bows and arrows with them have successfully and repeatably taking game by doing so? Genuine question - ive not watched many of the shows or maybe I have and can't remember.


I think I would be tempted to take more trapline equipment or something to else to reduce calorie burn expenditure.

 

[stonepark]

I'm surprised by how many people choose to take a Bow and Arrow as an option.
This seems to infer to me everyone doing so is a practiced and accurate archer to justify spending time and energy 'hunting'

or delusions of ability. How many of the contestants taking bows and arrows with them have successfully and repeatably taking game by doing so? Genuine question - ive not watched many of the shows or maybe I have and can't remember.


I think I would be tempted to take more trapline equipment or something to else to reduce calorie burn expenditure.

In the American version the "dream" is to hunt and kill a black bear, and only the bow and arrow are remotely capable but most of the contestants are archers having previous experience.

 

[TeeDee]

In the American version the "dream" is to hunt and kill a black bear, and only the bow and arrow are remotely capable but most of the contestants are archers having previous experience.

So - respectfully , my question still kinda stands - have they? Killed a Bear ? in which case high risk/high reward but if not a Bear , what have they managed to harvest?

 

[Erbswurst]

I would rather try to hunt smaller and less dangerous animals and even they might attack you.

I often meet in Germany animals of all kind that I nearly could catch by hand, foxes, racoons, deer, birds of all sizes.
But traps are surely more efficient.

I think before you start such an adventure you should train with bow and arrow of course. With the equipment I listed above every idiot could survive everywhere if the pizza service comes along twice a day.
The difference will be the hunting, trapping and fishing skills. You simply need to become an Ötzi before you join the contest.
Ötzis equipment contained some things that could be used to attach smaller birds to the belt or pack frame, so far I know.

I think that's the point.

 

[Jared]

So - respectfully , my question still kinda stands - have they? Killed a Bear ? in which case high risk/high reward but if not a Bear , what have they managed to harvest?

Roland Weland took down a Bull Musk Ox, which has been the largest kill. Let it became weak from bleeding out from bow & arrow, and finished it off with a belt knife.

But the guy was a big game hunting guide.

Spoiler: Season spoiler

He probably also built the most impressive shelter, and still holds the record for the longest time on alone, 100 days.

Jordan Jonas killed a moose.

Basically you have to be an experienced big game hunter going in, if not you are living off fish, squirrel, rabbit & grouse.

 

[demented dale]

Not so easy, really!​

I think I would take the following:

• Sleeping bag
• Bivvy bag (Gore-Tex)
• Axe
• Ferro rod set
• Pot, including the lid (2 qt)
• 550 Paracord (70m)
• 3.5 lb roll of snare wire
• Small gauge gill net (8m x 2m, 4-inch gauge)
• 300-yard roll of nylon single filament fishing line and 25 assorted hooks (Only barbless hooks, no lures, maximum hook size 7/0)
• Recurve bow with 9 arrows

The last item that I kicked off the list was the hunting knife, but I decided to keep the Goretex bivvy bag.

i reckon it wud be hard without a knife .

 

[TeeDee]

Roland Weland took down a Bull Musk Ox, which has been the largest kill. Let it became weak from bleeding out from bow & arrow, and finished it off with a belt knife.

But the guy was a big game hunting guide.

Spoiler: Season spoiler

He probably also built the most impressive shelter, and still holds the record for the longest time on alone, 100 days.

Jordan Jonas killed a moose.

Basically you have to be an experienced big game hunter going in, if not you are living off fish, squirrel, rabbit & grouse.

So did he win? I haven't watched them all but thats an impressive achievement I guess in terms of the show- did he win?

 

[demented dale]

I'm surprised by how many people choose to take a Bow and Arrow as an option.
This seems to infer to me everyone doing so is a practiced and accurate archer to justify spending time and energy 'hunting'

or delusions of ability. How many of the contestants taking bows and arrows with them have successfully and repeatably taking game by doing so? Genuine question - ive not watched many of the shows or maybe I have and can't remember.


I think I would be tempted to take more trapline equipment or something to else to reduce calorie burn expenditure.

quite a few consistant bow kills on the american series. with a pretty good successs rate but with the exception of a beaver everything they got could have been killed with a slingshot or a brick. I watched someone kill a grouse with his saw. It just got near and he took a swipe. bingo. I had bow and arrow on my list but after some thought I realised ime simply not good enough. i now think i would have a slingshot although after todays practice i might stick to bricks and saws

 

[demented dale]

So - respectfully , my question still kinda stands - have they? Killed a Bear ? in which case high risk/high reward but if not a Bear , what have they managed to harvest?

No. Nobody has killed a bear yet. They all go on about getting a bear thinking it will the golden ticket of food. It was explained on the series that to preserve that amount of meat successfully you must make the kill close to the time everything starts to freeze and since thats when bears are tucked up in bed its not that likely. if you could get a bear before then it said you had a huge amount of work to do quickly before the meat spoiled.

 

[Broch]

That has always been the guidance - consistent small game is far better, and usually less risky, than large game. Even a wounded red deer stag can kill you!

Most Mesolithic and Neolithic bow hunted carcasses that have been found had multiple arrows in them - they were typically shot from behind into the soft belly and up into the lungs as it takes a strong bow to penetrate deeply past the rib cage with stone arrow tips. The animal would run and bleed and the hunters would follow. In the Alone scenario you would only get one shot into the prey, it would run, and you could easily spend the rest of the day chasing it down and, maybe, never get to it because it wasn't bleeding enough.

No, for me (and bare in mind I do archery as a hobby), I would take the sling shot, use bait, and go for squirrel, grouse, duck, goose and, of course, fish but with modified hooks.

Having watched the whole of the UK series now, It's clear that technical skills alone are not a guarantee of success. It was interesting that the most successful forager (hunting and fishing) left relatively early. We are a social animal and, I think, it would be a fool that presumed they were immune to the mental issues.