New TV Survival Show - Alone

alan wasnt done testing himself,i got the feeling he was torn about leaving.
he was part of the land.
 
My wife and I watched every episode and both thought Alan was the most likely one to win from the beginning. As the show progressed I found myself more and more wanting Sam to win. The maturity he showed was far beyond his years and there is no doubt in my mind that his is one hell of a tough individual. I was impressed with the final four and watching the show has made me more aware of the items I keep on hand for emergencies.
 
fishiker said:
My wife and I watched every episode and both thought Alan was the most likely one to win from the beginning. As the show progressed I found myself more and more wanting Sam to win. The maturity he showed was far beyond his years and there is no doubt in my mind that his is one hell of a tough individual. I was impressed with the final four and watching the show has made me more aware of the items I keep on hand for emergencies.
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Feel the same way. I believe Sam works at Cabelas. Bet he is a popular guy now at the store with the customers.

I bought a 3 qt stainless camping pot this week to add to my camping equipment. The show did in fact impact my thinking. Three qt seems to be a good fit for me. I seldom cook anything on the trail since I am mostly doing day hikes. But I keep a 20oz stainless GSI cup in my pack for just in case stuff. I always just used old pots from home at a car camping site which is dominantly what I do anyway.
 
Alan was the most rounded individual among them all (especially 'in the head') and rightfully claimed the prize with elegance.
Props to all participants and to the producers for steering the 'survival show' genre in a good direction again.
 
fz1boxer said:
alan wasnt done testing himself,i got the feeling he was torn about leaving.
he was part of the land.
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I got the same feeling. It didn't really seem like he was that excited about having to go home. I believe I even heard him say something like "So soon?". I think he could have possibly made it out there for another 56 days.

Hey, maybe there's some truth to something I mentioned a little while ago in this thread, lol.....
jonnyt16 said:
Nobody has said it yet but I will. I think Alan will win for the simple fact that he's the only one there who's been married long enough to actually NOT miss being at home, ha ha!
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gadgetgeek said:
Makes you really think how realistic the head-for-the-hills BOB/ INCH plan really is. After watching that show I would put the average lifespan of such a plan at 30 days. Yep some of those guys lasted a long time, but the average gets skewed by the opening moves. The first few days will really thin the herd, but even then they had a motivator, and an exit plan. If you really thought you were the last man standing, why keep going? Maybe its just me, but it proves that INCH planning is pointless. Its just not feasible to go that long alone. Yes the old frontiersmen and trappers would do long stretches solo, gold-panners and the like as well. But there was always the chance of human contact, and there was a task to be completed, and a place to come home to. Many didn't survive, either through illness, starvation, or simply giving up. I think you take the hope away, and its all over for most. Joe copped some bad luck, and he might have held out with the final 4, no telling really. They all did a fantastic job, but having seen what they had to do to get by, and just survive, not thrive, I think any solo long term wilderness plan is doomed from the start.
As far as cash for the last few guys, if they are able to leverage this experience and exposure, they should do alright. Speaking tours might not seem fun (probably less fun than starving in the cold on the BC coast) but can be profitable. besides that, books and endorsements are other ways. I think Lucas has the best chance at that, he seems pretty eloquent. Mitch will likely be able to use this for his training, and Sam seems like he would make a good interview. I've had to sit through plenty of BS motivational speeches with my old job, and I'd listen to these guys talk about what got them through the tough parts. Lots of companies pay to have little appearances by all kinds of folks, its the main income for most Olympians.

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/articles/full-gear-list-and-prohibited-items
the gear list is up, there is some insane things on it! Who wouldn't want to use a survival item slot for a travel sized toothpaste?
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This is exactly why Mors Kochanski focuses survival on building your camp and fasting until you get rescued. You can survive up to 45 days without food, but it is possible to die in just a few weeks if you spend energy looking for food that you don't have the skills to obtain. And most people do not have these skills. You would need several years experience dedicated to hunting, trapping, and gathering. You would also need a surplus much of the time as any sickness could mean up to a week without food and there may be no recovery.

It is really hard to compare in some places though as many forests have been ruined, either through harvesting and spraying or total disuse. 100 years ago there were plenty of places you could survive on fishing alone, even with a meagre skillset, but that has been ruined along with the forests. Some places are making a comeback though, so you would have to be in one of these locations to increase your chances. So I don't think it's completely unrealistic, just way beyond the skills that most people have as individuals today. Working in teams would allow you to gather and hunt more food and to do so with much less risk.

And these people were in unfamiliar territory with forests experiencing the problems of disuse/recovery from poor harvesting practises.

It would be interesting to know how much weight Alan lost. He seemed to be doing the best with food and still lost a tonne of weight. His point about rite of passage was very important, I think. That whole process of giving meaning to our lives has been lost.
 
Chignecto, Its not the food I'm worried about. I think the mental aspects would cave most folks in that time. From my watching the hunger wasn't the factor that caved anyone in. I think had Sam been able to sleep in his shelter, not been beaten by those winds, he would have been able to keep on going.

The BOB and INCH plans all rely on food and skills that's covered. How long before all that goes out the window and a guy opens a vein? I would say it wouldn't take long.
 
One thing with the food though is that they had provisions, I don't know how much exactly but it may have been the same amount as what was allowed to be taken as an extra. Sam took extra, 3-4 days worth of calories. Not a lot but allows for two weeks extra in the woods. I wonder if these rations were ongoing as well. I suspect that they are, maybe the 5 pounds every two weeks or a month.

You are right though, the mental aspect is the toughest and the show's setting did a good job illustrating that. Good to think about ways to combat that.
 
The emergency food ration was one of the choices as part of the 10 items. It was not provided to all.

Added: I see the full list was published. The emergency food ration was a safety item and provided. That is news to me.

I had thought the tarp(s) seemed pretty large. I see a 20x20 was provided along with a 10x10 to protect the camera gear.
 
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My guess is that the safety food was a ration pack like an MRE or a lifeboat pack so that if they called in for evac but the team was delayed due to weather, they'd be able to eat and keep themselves alive in a serious starvation/dehydration situation. But I would bet that opening it would end your run.

The extra 5lbs of food probably wouldn't be replenished, if it was, I bet more would have taken it. I wonder which pack Sam decided to take? and I wonder how much that changed the game for him?
 
gadgetgeek said:
My guess is that the safety food was a ration pack like an MRE or a lifeboat pack
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[video=youtube;iz1Ve-5UQQY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz1Ve-5UQQY[/video]

Go to about 12 minutes in; Joe brought 5 pounds of legumes (lentils and stuff like that).

He was thinking of it giving an extra week or two of woods time...hence, using it obviously would not end the contest.
 
I think the thinking was using the emergency food ration might end your visit not food that you chose as part of your 10 items. Anyway, I have no idea one way or the other.
 
Sam took pemmican, about 3-4 days of 2000-2500 calories. Probably the best choice in my opinion due to the fat and berries mixed (short and long-term energy). And I don't think the other choices would add up to the same calories, they were all 5 pounds apart from rice, sugar, and salt.

It seemed like they unpacked a lot of the other stuff, flare, headlamp etc. So I think the rations were useable.
 
22-rimfire said:
I think the thinking was using the emergency food ration might end your visit not food that you chose as part of your 10 items. Anyway, I have no idea one way or the other.
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Oh yeah, I see the emergency rations in the full list of what they could choose from, and what was given to all.

Using that would probably be a contest ender, most likely.
 
I think some of the safety stuff would have been trip enders, maybe not the flare, but the spray would be. after using pepper spray you need to fully decontaminate all your gear, or that pepper fragrance will bring more in. besides, after getting close enough to a bear to need the spray, I'd call it regardless.
 
Don't know about the "close enough to need spray" comment. That would depend on whether they came back perhaps. You just have to be there and what your mental state is at the time would be tough to guess when you're comfortably sitting behind a computer.
 
CLOTHING/APPAREL/PERSONAL EFFECTS (Maximum allowed baseline gear)
1. 1 pair high leg Hunting boots
2. 2 pairs of Outdoor Pants (can unzip into shorts)
3. 1 t-shirt
4. 2 fleece or wool shirts (a hooded fleece is approved)
5. 3 pairs wool socks
6. 1 hat (brimmed, wool or baseball)
7. 1 bandana or shemagh
8. 1 pair gloves
9. 1 light outdoor jacket
10. 2 pairs underwear
11. 1 rain jacket and rain trousers
12. 1 thermal underwear (long)
13. 1 pair of gaiters
14. 1 pair of Crocs, Teva sandals or Keen sandals
15. 1 toothbrush
16. 1 pair of prescription eye glasses
17. 1 personal photograph

TRACKING/SAFETY (Provided to Each Participant)
1. 1 canister wild animal repellant
2. 1 air horn
3. 1 backpack
4. 1 camera pack
5. Camera equipment
6. 1 emergency flare
7. 1 satellite phone
8. 1 emergency personal flotation device
9. 1 first aid kit (military type – tourniquet, wadding, ace bandage, alcohol, plastic bag, etc)
10. 1 small mirror
11. 1 20×20 canvas tarp
12. 1 10×10 canvas tarp for camera gear
13. 1 head lamp
14. 1 gps tracking device
15. 1 emergency rations pack to include water and food

WINTER PACKS (Provided to Each Participant)
1. 1 woolen sweater
2. 1 pair of gloves
3. 1 trapper’s hat with ear protection or toboggan

SPECIAL ITEMS (Pick 10)
Shelter
1. 12×12 ground cloth/tarp (grommets approved)
2. 8 mm climbing rope
3. 550 parachord – 20m
4. 1 hatchet
5. 1 saw
6. 1 axe

Bedding
1. 1 multi-seasonal sleeping bag that fits within provided back-pack
2. 1 bivi bag (gortex sleeping bag cover)
3. 1 sleeping Pad
4. 1 hammock

Cooking
1. 1 large (no more than 2 quart) Pot, includes lid
2. 1 steel frying pan
3. 1 flint or ferro rod set
4. 1 enamel bowl for eating from
5. 1 spoon
6. 1 disposable lighter
7. 1 canteen or water bottle
8. 1 bear canister

Hygiene
1. 1 bar soap
2. 1 8 oz tube of toothpaste
3. 1 face flannel
4. 1 40 m. roll dental floss
5. 1 small bottle bio shower soap
6. 1 shaving razor (and 1 blade)
7. 1 towel (30” x 60”)
8. 1 comb

Hunting
1. 1 300 yard roll of nylon single filament fishing line and 25 assorted hooks (No lures)
2. 1 primitive bow with 6 Arrows (must be predominately made of wood)
3. 1 small gauge gill net (1.5 m deep x 6 m long and 2 inch [50 mm] mesh)
4. 1 slingshot/Catapult
5. 1 net foraging bag
6. 3.5 lb roll of trapping wire

Food
1. 5 lbs of beef jerky (protein)
2. 5 lbs of dried pulses/legumes/lentils mix (starch and carbs)
3. 5 lbs of biltong (protein)
4. 5 lbs of hard tack military biscuits (carbs/sugars)
5. 5 lbs of chocolate (Simple/complex sugars)
6. 5 lbs of pemmican (traditional trail food made from fat and proteins)
7. 5 lbs of gorp (raisins, m&m’s and peanuts)
8. 5 lbs of flour. (starch/carbs)
9. 2 lbs of rice or sugar and 1 lb of salt

Tools
1. 1 pocket knife
2. 1 hunting knife
3. 1 leatherman multi-tool
4. 1 sharpening stone
5. 1 roll of duct tape or 1 roll of electrical tape
6. 1 small shovel
7. 1 small sewing kit
8. 1 carabineer
9. 1 LED flashlight
10. 1 pair of ice spikes

PROHIBITED ITEMS
1. Fuel or matches
2. bug spray/mosquito repellant.
3. sunscreen/Chap stick
4. sunglasses
5. beauty products
6. map (detailed topographical)
7. compass
8. unapproved technology (anything with a battery or an engine, eg. cell phones, computers, watches, etc.)
9. professional snares
10. firearms of any kind
11. ammunition
12. explosives or gunpowder
13. animal poison
14. professional fishing rods
15. fishing lures, flies, bait kits
16. fishing traps
17. food or beverage (except the options from the selection list)
18. decoys
19. animal calls
20. tree stands
21. professional bows or crossbows
22. scopes of any kind
23. tents or shelters
24. stoves, pressure cookers or other cooking appliances
25. hydration packs
26. fire pits
27. electric or propane lanterns
28. inflatable boats
29. filtration, purification devices, iodine tablets
30. coolers or food storage boxes (except optional bear canister)
 
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