BRING A FIREARM! I guess I’m just an old fart to think this way, but damn people. You DO understand that you aren’t the only thing in the woods that can be dangerous, right? Not to mention dangers from two legged critters? And I’m not talking about birds…

For the most part, the primary list is fine, although with a few extras that could be left behind, but that’s preference. Also, I prefer more than one knife. A decent sized fixed blade, say 5″-7″ is ideal, and at least one other folder. More is better, as if you’re out for say a week or better, your odds of losing a knife are fair to middling.

Also, by “firearm”, I mean say a small .22LR revolver, 4″ barrel, unless the area you’re going into specifically has a predator problem, say you’re going to Kodiak Island up north, in which case you’re going to need a bigger firearm.

Flame me all you want, I’ll be the one alive and well fed.

it’ll work well enough, better if you can boil it too (I do that when I don’t/can’t bring enough water.)

Pull water from the fastest part of the stream if possible, do not use stagnant water unless a complete emergency — even though boiling and bleaching water will get rid of most anything alive, anything that’s in the water is likely still floating in the water. Anyway, stagnant water tastes nasty.

fast moving water (look for the narrowest place of the stream) will minimize organic matter. A quick search of how much bleach to use turned up this page:

http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oemergencypurifycalc.html

if you have any other questions post ‘em, I’m watching this thread should anyone have questions (you can try your luck with spamburrito*(at)*gmail.com, also, which I check religiously*)

*not a religious person, so about 3 times a year, good luck on that one)

thanks to you all for being so
helpful. does anyone out there know how to purify water using chlorine bleach i.e. what proportions/strength to use so you stay safe and don’t burn out your innards e.g. would 3 drops in a 500ml bottle of river water kill off the bugs – pure guesswork here – or is this method of rendering water safe to drink generally frowned upon?

I never thought of the chunk of tire.
My razor blade is in the first aid kit.
Knife and watch are always with me – even in the city…

Thank you.