Many thanks to Frannie for finding this! This scenario is meant to be hashed out in small groups, and it’s a blast to sit there and argue with people about why you made your decisions.
Follow the instructions and explain your decisions.
Here’s what I think.
The blanket. If you’re in shorts in 40 degree weather, this is damn near essential. You can wrap it around you while you walk, and sleep in it.
The box of matches. You’re going to have to spend a night out there, and it’s cold.
The boots. Sure, people might not rank them that high, but YOU try walking 50 miles in sandals.
The map. This has a caveat, of course. If you have no idea what direction you’ve been heading the whole time, the map’s value drops exponentially, except for use as fire kindling.
The Hershey Bars. Nothing like walking 50 miles on an empty stomach.
The Lantern Useful if you want to walk at night, or for flare purposes if you know someone’s looking for you.
The first-aid kit. Doubtful that anything in there will help for actual SURVIVAL, but the aspirin and bandages will help you walk faster.
The Tang. Probably more useful for the jar than the contents–if need be, you can drink your own urine more easily that way. Gross, yes, but you have to cover all the bases.
The part of the car. If there’s anywhere in the car where pure water can be found (doubtful, these days), pour it in the Tang jar. More likely, take the mirror. Direct sunlight off of a mirror can be seen for miles, which might help if people are looking for you.
The slingshot. I’d be more worried about rattlesnakes and scorpions than about large carnivorous beasts, but the slingshot might be useful to scare off the latter. Unless you take a particularly sharp part of the car, it won’t help with getting food. Plus, you’re only out there for a couple of days, tops, so the Hershey bars should suffice.
The scarf. Too lightweight to offer any real warmth.
The rope. If you could drive all the way out there without a problem, then there probably won’t be any real reason to use the rope. Plus, even though it’s nylon rope (not heavy) it’s still cumbersome because of the length.
The sunglasses. Because everyone wants to look cool while trekking through the desert. Seriously, I can’t see any use for them, unless it’s overly bright outside.
The radio. If you can’t use it to communicate, what’s the point? Walking tunes? Weather reports? News flash: It’s cold.
The lipstick. If anyone can come up with any good reason to have it around, please let me know. I can’t think of a one.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Drain Bead *
1 - blanket variety of uses. Protection from the elements, fan smoke from a fire, cover someone up when they go into shock should there be an accident, etc.
2 - box of matches um, duh. Start a fire, cook food if you happen to catch any.
3 - first-aid kit it’s better to have this and not need it than need it and not have it.
4 - Coleman lantern something to see and be seen with at night
5 - the map provided, as stated earlier, you knew how to use it and where you were to begin with
6 - any part of the car definitely would have to agree with taking the mirror for signaling purposes.
7 - jar of Tang same reasons as stated above
8 - ten metres of nylon rope IIRC, there’s not a lot of wood available for building fires in the desert. Burn this and maybe generate enough smoke for someone to notice you
9 - four Hershey bars you can go for weeks without eating, and a Hershey bar offers nothing for nutritional value, so not very important, unless you want to use it as bait to attract a rabbit or some other small animal that you can kill with the . . .
10 - slingshot this is useless against large carnivores, as it would probably only piss them off. Snakes will for the most part leave you alone if you’re too big for them to eat. However, you can kill small mammals and snakes for food with the slingshot and there should be plenty of rocks for ammo in the dessert.
11 - AM-FM radio if you start to lose the signal, you know you’re heading away from people, hearing the station identifier may help you find where you’re close to on the map
12 - silk scarf - too lightweight for warmth, but may be wrapped around your face to keep sand out of your nose and mouth if wind picks up.
13 - lipstick if only for mattk’s suggestion of writing on the blanket with it. Of course you can do that before you walk away from the car and not bring it with you
14 - pair of boots if I’m walking through sand I’d rather be barefoot than getting sand all down my boots. With 40 degrees in the shade, it doesn’t sound like the sand will be burning the soles of my feet as I walk
15 - sunglasses can’t think of a use for these other than the sun being bright.
Of course, before I set off walking, I would recommend setting the car on fire and hanging out by it for a day, in case anyone sees the smoke.
OK, the above post was not posted by Drain Bead. It is mine. I quoted the OP , so I could reference it while I did my answers and just forgot to get rid of the quote at the beginning.
The boots are probably the most important. Simply to avoid a sprained ankle if you’re stumbling throught the desert, if the is an ace bandage in the kit, it wrap that oround the ankels as well, for extra protection.
DO you have washer fluidleft in the car?, before I left the car I’d distill any fluid left that had a high water content(including the flesh of the nearby cactuses).I’d start by draining the washer fluid into the hubcap, burning a car seat to heat the fluid, and hang the scarf over it to collect the condensation, letting it drain into the jar.
The tang might be usefull to attract whatever beetles and scopions are around for dinner.
If you’re a goth the lipstick would be usefull as eyeblack to help prevent glare blindness, same as the sunglasses, but personally Id hide under the blanket at day and travel only at night. during the night id use the rope to tie up the blanket as a backpack to carr the rest of the crap.
I’d say the radio would be more weight than usefull, unless your are the panicing type and it would give you something to distract you from the current situation.
Maybe they meant 40 degrees C…around 110 F. while I know the desert can get cold at night, I think the heat is mre what they were shooting for. Just a guess though–I could be off-my-ass wrong (wouldn’t be the first time).
Any part of the car–assuming there’s something in there that can be fashioned into a useable knife. As mentioned in previous thread, knife is always #1 piece of gear. Also, metal has a variety of other uses. Same w/ mirrors.
Boots. You’re going to be walking a long way. You’re gonna need em
Blanket. Heat for the night, prtection from the sun for the day.
Rope. In any survival situation, rope is a godsend.
Matches. Always a good thing to have.
Scarf. it’s lightweight breathable sun protection.
Map. It may not be too much help depending on thelocal terrain. But if there’s anything identifyable around you, it’s sure as heck going to come in handy. paper is also good for starting fires.
Hershey’s bars. They’ll melt quickly, but they provide some limited nourrishment, and they don’t make you as thirsty as straight Tang does.
First Aid kit. For all those nasty cuts and stuff.
Lipstick. It can also provide some limited sun protection.
Lantern. You’re better off relying on night-vision. May have some use for signalling though
AM-FM radio. Helpful for info–you may hear that you’re being searched for, or something of that nature. Also, music’s good company.
Slingshot. Unless you * really * are good with one, you’ll never injure/kill anything with it. And you’re not likely to run across too much to shoot at anyway.
Tang. It’s pure sugar. It makes you thirsty.
Sunglasses. you’re a fool if you try and travel during the day anyway.
Well, if we are talking 40 C and not 40 F (which makes much more sense when you put it that way) the boots become much more immportant tahn walking on the hot sand. Move that up to 7 on my list and everything else down a notch.
I was one of those kids who argued against the entire scenario in school. We did the “Lost at sea, toss people out” one. I was one who didn’t argue logic, I argued that they’d kill you when they found out on land. Teacher had to tell me to shut up, I was ruining her lesson.
Anyway. if this is 40c desert, forget the hershey bars, they won’t last. And I don’t like chocolate.
Map of the Area. Anyone can find east west, and North is just as easy to find from there.
Boots.
Sunglasses. If this is desert, it gets dark. I’ll walk whenever I can.
Blanket. for shade
First Aid Kit
Radio
Matches.
Rope.
Not sure how much else I’d want to take. Unless I’ve got a pack mule in the car, I don’t wanna carry too much.
any part of the car - The Naugahyde from the back seat. I need to make water and I need this to act as the “catch”. Dig a hole, place Tang jar at bottom, cover with the Naugahyde, using rocks to hold it in place, place small rock in center over the jar.
silk scarf - use this if Naugahyde doesn’t work. Good sunscreen, otherwise.
jar of Tang - need someplace to store the water. Get rid of the Tang.
pair of boots - If I gotta walk myself out, I better have a decent pair of boots.
map of the area - See 4.
box of matches - it gets cold in the desert at night.
blanket - it can get really cold, compared to daytime temperatures. I’d probably try to do most of my walking in early morning and evening, and hunker down during the hottest part of the day to make water.
ten metres of nylon rope - what wolfman said.
Coleman lantern
lipstick - good sunscreen.
sunglasses
first-aid kit
slingshot
AM-FM radio
four Hershey bars - I can last a lot longer without food than I can without water. Besides, I prefer Sees.
1-8 are absolutes. The slingshot might go farther up on my list if I thought I could use it properly. Good question, Drain Bead!
#1: The car. The whole thing, or at least the whole passenger compartment-- that’s what you’re going to be staying in. If you’re only 50 miles from the highway, you will be found… If you try to walk out, you’ll probably get yourself killed. Drape the blanket over the sunward side of the car, as a shade. You’re out of gas, I know, but if you’ve still got any oil, burn it as a signal. Ditto for anything else flammable in the car (seat cushions, maybe?). Also signal with the car mirror and lantern, and make a big X in the sand. Don’t just throw out the Tang, drink it. It’s got a lot of sugar, but it’s still mostly water. If you have the know-how, you can rig up the radio as a transmitter, otherwise you can use it to tell when folks are searching near you. The only use I can see for the map is to give you an idea where searchers will be coming from, and that only if you know where you are on it. I’d probably burn it. I can’t think of any use for the slingshot or boots. brachyrhynchos’ suggestion for gathering water sounds good, too. Of course, staying with the car, you don’t need to prioritize your list, since you can keep everything.
EVERYTHING depends on the temp, as many of the posters are pointing out.
But, given that Drain is here in the US, and that he ranked the blanket first on his list (good choice) I will assume he meant F and not C. That makes it COLD!
I’m not going to make a numeric list, just a few random comments and thoughts on what’s been said so far:
Fuck the mirror. That car is a gold mine, and I can always use the underside of the Tang lid for signalling. My thoughts about the car: 1. That wiper fluid may be drinkable, or certainly distillable. 2. Chronos is right about the oil; if it’s as cold as I think, I’ll burn it as fuel for the oil lamp/heater that I’ll fashion from the jar or lantern. 3. The stuffing/insulation/carpet might make a nice wrap. 4. Bottom line: I’d think long and hard about what to take from that car before I left it.
Those boots go HIGH on my list. Walking in a desert is not like walking on the beach. You’d be crazy to make them optional.
Radio – assuming it’s compact – goes right up there after bare survival essentials. I want somebody talking to me during this ordeal, even if it is Rush Limbaugh. (Note to Chronos: Turn it into a TRANSMITTER??? Yeah, right. Even the professor on Gilligan’s Island couldn’t do that!)
Gonna take that chocolate too… and I think anyone who doesn’t is nuts. Adrenalin (sp?) and the placebo effect will EASILY counteract any sideffects of caffiene or whatever. So, thumbs up for the Hershey bars.
Scarf, I think, goes higher on the list than most of you ranked it. I think warmth will be concern Numero Uno, so I’m loathe to leave it behind; but hey, I’ve never had a silk scarf – if it’s not warming, as some of you imply, I might put it at the bottom of the list, too.
I may have more comments as things develop. But before I go… keep thinking about what to take from the car.
I believe that the temperature is in C–because they say “40 degrees in the shade”. You never say that when talking about it being cold. That said, the desert does get ass-cold at night.; The only thing I’m thinking here is that most of this planning is being done too long-term. You don’t need to make water–you can make that distance in 2 days (assuming you read the map right). You can actually go without water for that long (though I wouldn’t recommend it). Srinking wiper fluid would just be asking for it (and I’d like to see you distill it). I say ditch that, and suck on a cactus or somethin while you make the walk.
Of course, as mentioned, your best bet is really to stay with the car, but it’s more fun this way–and we can ssume you pretty much know which general direction to head…just to make it more fun
Anyone seen (one of my all time fave flicks) “Flight of the Phoenix”? I say use the battery, the starter motor and two of the wheels to fashion a motorcycle! Peter Finch can design it, and Jimmy Stewart can drive it.
Damn, Stuy, you’re the first semi-regular poster who has ever managed to mistake me for a guy. That whole “engaged to Satan” thing usually clues people in to my gender.
As for the temperature, yeah, it’s probably Celsius, now that I think of it. Given that they mention the rope is ten metres long, it’s probably all metric and crap.
'Course, that makes my whole list pretty much invalid. I’ll have to get back to the hot-weather list when I get time.
And Matt, if you could post the one about the moon, I’d LOVE it. I had a thread in here earlier today asking for that one specifically!
Actually, you’re list is still pretty good–the blanket is very useful even in hot weather, and most since this will probably encompass more than one day, you’ll need it for night. Still, you might want to adjust it some.
A googleplex pardons, my dear, regarding the gender mishap and all. I know that I KNEW you were a gal, but my brain is slipping like a Yugo clutch lately. (If the truth be told, without the people pages I’d never know one poster’s gender from the next; many of the names are too ambiguous for me to get a fix on. Now as for MY name, on the other hand…)
Incidentally, is there a “right” – or at least “preferred” – solution to this Q? Not that there needs to be; I’m just curious.
Teacher had to tell me to shut up, I was ruining her lesson.