The floor opens up, and you are dropped into…wherever you are, but 3000 years ago (or however long it takes to get pre-human habitation in your area.) You have only what you are wearing right now and whatever is within say 10 feet of you when you transport. How long could you survive?
Right now I am not dressed for winter survival, even in Southern California. Jeans, t-shirt, socks and knitted wool slippers. Luckily, I have a couch next to me that has three blankets on it. That takes care of bedding and warmth. The coffee table and computer desk will yield firewood, and there are books and printer paper for kindling. Is there…yes, there is a lighter in the drawer of the computer desk! I have fire! Looking around, I see that the coffee table also has a load of laundry on it. I have clothing. Unfortunately, it’s all my wife’s clothes. Still, they can be torn apart and made into some form of clothing. I can break apart the shelves holding the stereo system and use the throw rug to make some crude shelter. The battle axes on the wall and .44 Special in the drawer will give me the means of chopping firewood and for a limited time taking down good-sized game. I also have the cats for warmth. All in all, I think I could survive for several months if I had to. No food within reach, but my personalized modular food containment unit (beer gut) should be good for awhile. There is a creek not too far away, so water isn’t a problem either.
Just call me Silenus Crusoe.
What about you? Are you the Master of the New World, or wolf bait?
I have my wife, who could be snuck up behind, killed, and eaten. Then I’d have a sweatshirt. That is to say, er, I could cuddle up to her for warmth? Also a Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Two blankets, a 10’ hemisphere of leopard-spotted rug (good for warmth and impersonating a predator). A shelf of field guides to birds, plants, mammals (including tracks), insects, spiders–good. Probably one of those books on organic soil amendment would help. The rest can be tinder. Several small candles and a pack of matches. Some furniture to break up and probably leather to use for clothing. I’m wearing long pajama bottoms, a tee shirt, and a pair of lambswool-lined slippers. There are a few cushions and a mighty felis domesticus, who already brings me mice. Also, she would be a good snack of fat and protein and make a warm hat. A jar of peanut butter, a bag of coffee beans, and a jar of calcium. A small container of hand sanitizer. A backpack and sturdy shoulder bag. Kindling. A bellows and some fireplace tools (=weapon for attack on wife). Rather a lot of bottles of scotch. Binoculars. A bunch of bananas and an onion. Swiss Army Knife (basic). Any number of useless hunks of electronic equipment. There’s glass in some small picture frames–good for focusing the sun to start a fire. Oh, wait. There isn’t any sunshine in Oregon until months from now. I’m out.
Heh. It’s 0 degrees out right now. Snow is waist deep.
I’m in sweat pants and shirt up in our loft/office/atic.
I would have 2 computers, a printer, all my past taxes and current bills.
A down comforter that is in the atic storage, along with a small back pack and a couple of suitcases.
No fire, no knife (though my target bow and a few arrows would come along). I’d be history.
Even if I could pack all I might need to survive the weather, I’m not sure I would be able to make it this time of year. There would be no way to survive for long where I am unless I had a shelter first. Most time would be concentrated on hunting, and water collection.
So, I would need to go downhill by ski and snow shoe to somewhere that isn’t ass deep in snow balls.
HA! Your first mistake was allowing me a full 10 feet! I’m within 10 feet of the fridge and directly above my gun safe. In addition to a good supply of food, guns, ammo, and hunting knives - I have several warm jackets, a couch, two comfy chairs, a heavy throw rug, and a couple of blankets. Pretty sure that I could stay nice and warm with my living room stuff. The Fresnel lens in my TV would make an excellent fire-starter, and there is plenty of paper and wood within easy reach to get things started.
Hmm, my biggest concern is staying dry. I don’t have any large sheets of waterproof material handy, might have to sacrifice the fridge if the weather turns bad enough. No ax nor even hatchet anywhere near me, dagnabbit!
Two guinea pigs and two dogs. Not sure the guinea pigs would help much, but the dogs might be.
There’s a Boy Scout book right there - might have tips on building snares for rabbits.
I could probably survive until injury or disease killed me. Maybe I could hook up with a tribe of Native Americans - I think they were nomadic around these parts. With my sparkling personality, they’d probably kill me.
I think I’d be ok. The 12 gauge shotgun and box of shells sitting right next to me will help in the short term. The bookshelf will be most valuable, filled with mostly trash novels (could be used to start a fire if absolutely necessary) but a few books that would be very valuable. One is a large hardback entitled “Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs”, another is “Herbal Remedies” and yet another; “The Everyday Reference Library”. That last book is very interesting. It was printed in 1948 and it covers everything from how to knit, first aid, food preparation and storage, simple construction, farming, parlimentary procedure, book keeping, simple chemical formulas and preparations… just, a ton of stuff that is absolutely obsolete today in many ways but would be useful and cutting edge 3000 years ago. There is also a stack of magazines including issues of “Backwoods Home” and “National Geographic” that might have useful information. I also have the majority of clothes I own less than 10 feet away in my bedroom closet, including some outerwear and shoes. There is also my antique percussion cap rifle that could with some time and effort be converted into a flintlock or even matchlock. There’s also a few knives, a couple of large wicker baskets, some yarn and knitting needles and a variety of junk that would be about useless (CDs, printer, cell phone, power strip etc). The first thing I would do, after I regained my wits and figured out approximately what happened, would be to look for water. If there was water close by I would try to make a simple shelter to protect the valuable items I have and provide me some relief from the elements. This would be difficult without an ax, saw or any strong cordage but I think I could use one of my knives to cut light poles and braid some of the yarn into passable rope in order to construct a 3 sided shelter. An old sheet or even the rug I have under my feet right now would serve as a curtain to close it in and provide a doorway. Fire could be provided with a bow and drill, pity I don’t smoke, but I’ve used a bow and drill before. So, with water, shelter and a shotgun to provide game (for a little while untill I could read up on snares and deadfalls as well as edible wild plants), I would go about planning how to travel in order to contact other people.
Well, if I have whatever’s 10 feet above me, as well as around me, I don’t have to worry about survival. I’m already dead, and my upstairs neighbor is very startled.
Right now, where I am? I’m dead anyway. I don’t think the dining room table and chairs, nor the filing cabinet or craft supplies are going to help me much. I have a few candles, but the lighters are in another room. No blankets or warm winter clothes - although there is some fabric in the craft cabinet. It would be weeks of walking to get to warmer weather. I’d probably use the scissors in the drawer to open up my gut and shove my daughter inside, in hopes that my dying body heat might keep her warmer for a few more minutes so someone else can find her. Might be kinder to just cut her throat and make it quick, but I just don’t think I could do it.
Summertime? Totally different story. Several pairs of scissors will make knives for a while - there are plenty of squirrels and birds here to eat, and I think I know enough about edible and medicinal plants to get along.
If I could get to people, I might try to convince them that my desktop calculator is a magical tool, and get a job as shaman. It’s solar powered, so I don’t have to worry about batteries. There are also quite a few moving singing toys in here that would probably serve to strike fear into the hearts of primitives, including a Tigger that does cartwheels unassisted. I’d have to work quickly to establish myself, though, 'cause once his batteries die out, I’m toast.
Besides my 2 computers, I’d have my iPod, digital camera and phone. With no electricity all that stuff would be worthless. My back pack and camping gear are close by, in the window seat (I’m leaving for a ten day trip Thurs.), so I’d have shelter and sleeping/cooking gear. I have a headlamp and flashlight, but all the batteries are outside of my 10’ area. The closet with all my winter gear (and my SOs winter gear - boots/gloves/hats/down) is within 10’. Cool. My dog would come with; he’s about 6’ from me. Too bad he’s very old and scared of everything. There’s a paper cutter close - I could use the blade for a weapon or something, and I have two Swiss army type knives in my guide bag.
Well, I’d have plenty of books and two desks, but I’m in my nightgown with flipflops, but hubby’s work bag and extra shoes are here, so I’d have some clothes. The couch is more than ten feet away, so no comfy bed. Hubby is at his desk less than 10 feet away, so I’d have a protector and fire. I do have a cane-sword for a weapon, but I doubt I’d be very effective with it. I’d have a trunk full of Christmas decorations, lots of out dated software and !two blankets from the closet next to me. There’s a water pitcher a spoon and three glasses on the desk. I have scissors, and two magnifying glasses (fire for later.) In the desk drawer, I have batteries, a flashlight, pins, thread and needle. The lake is only a quarter mile away, but it’s down a steep hill. There is a creek not far away.
I think we might live. In this area, there would be some large predators, big cats, and bears, mostly. The bears would still be asleep, so the cats would be our main worry. I doubt if our own cats would be much protection.
Shit, I can barely cook Easy-Mac, so there’s no way in Hell I would survive. My only hope would be finding a band of hunter-gatherers and attempting to fit in to their society.
This thread puts real meaning into: “So easy even a caveman can do it.”
Ten feet in all directions covers most of my tiny flat.
I’m currently only wearing a pair of shorts, but I’ve got all my clothes within ten feet. I might just make it to the cutlery drawer too. I’ve got wet weather gear, a first aid kit, and I think there’s one of those el cheapo “survival knives” lying about here somewhere. Several cigarette lighters. Paper for kindling, furniture for firewood.
A problem is that since human habitation in my area is going to ensure I go back in time farther than many of you (up to 100+ k years), I’m going to be gambling on ice ages and such. My area could well be either underwater or under ice.
There might just be some carnivorous megafauna to contend with (I forget if the aborigines finished them off, or if they’d already gone), but if not, I’d be pretty sweet with regards to the potential of harm done to me by animals. Despite what people think, Australia is remarkable safe in most areas - the poisonous things are timid (and as a local I know the basics in how not to get caught out), and the larger mammals are herbivorous. They would have no little fear of me as a human, so that would counter the rustiness of any bushcraft I possess. I have no guns, but I know about very basic trapping. I’m within a day’s walk of the ocean and Sydney Harbour, and a morning’s walk from the Parramatta River, so I’d be able to fish so long as I could fashion the right gear out of bones, vines, etc. If I can’t find fresh water close handy, I at least know where the Tank Stream is (under downtown Sydney), so if it was good enough for the first white settlers, I’m up for it. I’d probably end up settling in that area myself.
Master of the world or wolf bait? Well, no wolves here, but I reckon I’d survive in the short to medium term. Of course, as with anybody in those times, what we think of as a basic illness or injury could knock me for six.
I’ve got a book called “Safe Outback Travel”, written by famous Australian painter Jack Absolom, who also happens to possess significant bushcraft. It’s designed for modern circumstances, and much of it involves motoring in remote areas, and how to jury rig makeshift repairs to your vehicle to get out of trouble. There’s the usual stuff like women’s hosiery for temporary fan and alternator belts, and advice on driving with a blown clutch, but there’s one thing he said that really stuck in my mind.
When you break down in a place where there might be one passer-by a week if you’re lucky, and you have limited food and water, and you are worried about whether or not you can fix the problem yourself, he said that THE VERY FIRST THING YOU DO is light a fire and make a cup of tea. By the time you’ve done this, and you’ve calmed down and had your tea, you’ll be in an infinitely better frame of mind to tackle the problems at hand. But in the first instance, those problems, no matter how serious, can wait. The tea comes first.
As I have lighters, kindling, wood, pots, and tea within ten feet, all I need is water. My toilet is within ten feet, so I can raid the clean water in the cistern. If I have water, the cup of tea advice is advice I would take. Get spat out of that time machine and: “Holy fuck! This is a rum deal. Better make a cuppa and think about it.”
My wife pointed out a plus that I had missed. If I project 10 feet through the wall behind the computer, it encompasses the closet we keep the earthquake supplies in. That gives me 2 cases of MREs, 2 cases of IMPs, a case of MRE Cold Weather Rations, and miscellaneous other dehydrated foods. Score! The closet also has several sweatshirts and my Snow Lion parka hanging in it. The major problem is that I have no shoes or boots within 10 feet. That is going to be an ongoing problem. I can fake something warm, but longterm foot protection will definitely be a priority.
If all else fails, the closet has a case of mead in it as well. I’ll die smiling.
Let’s see. I have a roll of toilet paper right here! That’d last me a while (it’s jumbo). Various electronics that’d be worth nothing. Maybe my stapler could be made into a weapon? I have a nice long desk, so I’m sure that’d come in handy for shelter or support somehow. Look, a fork! And a plastic spoon (god, I’m messy!) so I could alternately spear and eat with a tool. A small screwdriver, various pens, and wires could be used to help build my shelter and secure stuff. Penty of papers and files and albums to burn, but I don’t see matches or a lighter anwhere…
A bag of Rice Chex, plenty of clothes and a small towel lay on the floor to my left. (Hey, I live alone!) My couch would be a supreme bed, complete with a blanket and two fluffy pillows. My bird wouldn’t be much help so I’d let him fend for himself. My purse has 2 hearing aid batteries, which would give me maybe a month. 2 tubes of lip gloss and nail clippers! Just found a pair of scissors on the floor behind me, so that’s a great tool/weapon.
I think that’s it. Without fire, I wouldn’t be able to cook anything, but I DO live in Florida, so cold weather wouldn’t be the death of me, although it’s be highly uncomfortable.
I’d probably do OK, but it would be touch and go. I skied in a few hours ago, so my winter survival survival pack and ski kit is beside me. Immediate survival would not be a problem.
A friend and I once forgot our food on a ski jaunt of over a week, and we made out OK snaring our dinners.
Without a community, though, I expect that sooner or later an accident would kill me off.
Well, I’m currently wearing a t-shirt, flannel pajama pants, no shoes, no socks. I have 2 large bath towels on the floor right behind me. An almost empty jar of peanuts on the table next to me. A basket containing mini-M & Ms, Dentyne gum and Halls cough drops is also on the table, along with a computer, monitor, non-working printer and about a week’s worth of mail. Three books. A heart-shaped box of Valentine candy. A tape measure.
gets up and measure out a 10 foot radius
Wow! 9 feet from here is the other side of the kitchen! I get a dishwasher (containing knives), a stove (electric), a refrigerator and freezer full of food. There’s more knives in the utensil drawer, a hand towel on one counter, paper towels on another. There’s two boxes of cereal left out on the counter, too. Not to mention lots of spices and A CAN OPENER. Which is good, because it’s only about 8 feet in the other direction to get shelves full of canned goods. I’m set for food, and weapons.
10 feet off to the side is the living room. My sister’s shoes are within 9 feet, so my feet are safe. Only the right sleeve of my winter coat is within the 10 feet, but there’s a cat-hair covered windbreaker right next to the shoes. I can line it with the bath towels and use it to help keep warm.
Oh, there’s also a cat under the table. Since his kibble is in the kitchen, he can live for now.
I am sitting in my Office. This provides me with computers, printers, monitors, etc. Lots of books and a day bed. Blankets, some phones, lots of scissors and some knives. A hundred VHS tapes the Tom Hanks showed us how to use for all sorts of good things. I have plenty of cables. A magnifying glass, some strong magnets, and my brief case. Several Yankee World Series Pennants. An 8" Floppy Disc.
I am sitting over my workshop. This provides me with a very large amount of tools, knives, files, sharpening stones, some useless Power Tools, 3 cordless drills with extra batteries. 2 cordless screwdrivers. Hand Saws, some lumber, most of it is out of reach. A very good well. I should be able to get this working. My attic has fiberglass insulation. This should be useful for something. I wish my bows were closer.
My yard always has deer in it, so I imagine there would have been far more 3000 years ago. This should be a good area to forage in, I think I could build a fishing net for the local creeks and river and I might be able to catch some fish. This and bugs would be my only source of animal protein. I just noticed there is a air of gloves in here, unfortunately I have no shoes on.
Maybe I could last long enough to impress the local Native Americans that I am worth keeping alive to act as Shaman with my strange powers. Of course I have no clue how to communicate with them.
