If you and your children were dropped in the middle of a remote area with just a knife would you be able to survive?

[LizaRadleywasonthespectrum]

Following on from an early morning conversation with DP. Obviously this is an unlikely scenario but not beyond the realms of possibility. Can you build a shelter, make a fire, find food and water? Can your (say 8yrs and older) children make a fire or set a snare and skin a rabbit.

No. But obv what is the area and how long are you there for. The plane crash passengers in Bolivia were there for 36 hours

Depends on the weather. This time of year, probably. Winter, no.

Yes I had a country childhood in the 60s so I could do it but Id hate every minute of it and run away screaming at the first spider.

Yes we would seek out all the competent families out here, send in the cutest member of the family and start our fire from their one!

Happy do water runs!

It really depends where and the time of year. Also to a large extent whether I can be bothered. I
honestly think in a nuclear holocaust or zombie apocalypse I’d rather be dead.

Depends which kid I was dropped with... My eldest is British Army so he'd keep us ok, no problem, lol.

No not in the UK without a tarpaulin. It rains too much. Yes we could build a shelter but I'd need need days to get it wind and waterproof with just twigs.

Yes could kill something to eat if it was between my kids dieing or a rabbit - but I'd rather not. I could live off mushrooms but that's all I know how to forage in the UK. Wild garlic.

I think without a tarp we would be dead within 24 hours unless it's rare glorious dry hot day. Plus I'd need a map of where the sewage plants are if collecting water from a river after studying waterway pollution at degree level.

No, I'd probably kill then after all the whinging.

Well we'd give it a damn good go 😅. I could skin a rabbit, used to watch my dad doing it, it would be the catching it that would be the hardest.

Not a chance. Where I live is very suburban too so in some sort of zombie apocalypse scenario where everyone is fighting for survival, I don't think I'd even make it to the countryside. I'd probably be the first to die in a combat scenario

We need medication, but assuming I had my pills and ds’s pills in my pocket, then I think we’d survive. Skinning and cooking a rabbit would be easier than catching it or finding something to keep water in.

No. There will never be a need for this though in my life

Doubt it. We’re definitely House People.

We’d probably manage for a few days if it was warm and dry, but a bit of drizzle would have the kids moaning and a cold night would see me off, so we’d probably just lie down and wait to be eaten by badgers.

I might have been a bit more bullish had I not watched Outlast. It’s sooo much more difficult and debilitating than you think, and even people with genuine skills and decent kit struggle to stay warm and feed themselves.

@DyslexicPosterbraken and brash are natures tarp. Followed by sods of earth for longer term.

😀

Dry warm conditions, I reckon I'd get by for a while. I have no discernable skills, but a reasonable amount of delusion and will to live. I've seen Castaway 😄 I'd work out fire on a nice day, but not in the driving drizzle. Water in the UK would be easy enough. I have half baked ideas on what to forage, and if I got it wrong then at least I tried, YOLO. I'm not bad at navigating but I could be better - I'm not sure this matters though, where am I going post apocalypse anyway? Rabbits seem tricky little buggers I don't fancy my chances, I'd try fish and eggs first - do you reckon I could catch a duck...?!

I reckon DC1 would be just useful enough to make their presence a help rather than hindrance. With DC2 in tow our chances would plummet - younger, highly strung, fussy eater, frequently unreasonable, physically small, wouldn't be able to keep quiet while I sneak up on the duck.

We could build a shelter, but I seriously doubt we would be able to forage and hunt enough food between us. I struggle to supply enough food with a supermarket on tap according to them.

Nope. DDs and I all vegetarian so we’d starve. Carnivorous dgc might be ok tho can’t see them killing bunnies. 😁

Being eaten by badgers is a real concern 😆

Has anyone here actually managed to set a fire with just sticks? We tried relentlessly as children and never managed to 😂

I have a good idea how to do things but lighting a fire from scratch could be difficult in the UK. I wear glasses though so could hopefully find a way of using them to heat up dry wood shavings, dried moss etc. once lit I have an idea how to maintain coals.

I know wild plants in the UK so could probably manage. Nettle and rabbit stew would give you a fair few nutrients. You can eat insects and worms (dry the worms and powder them and add them to the stew).

I know how to make a shelter and hot rocks around the fire make good water bottle substitutes.

Pine roots and nettles for string or snares.

I would struggle more if abroad in an unfamiliar landscape though.

Lol no. Shelter yes, but we're vegetarian 😂 Doomed!

Yes but key would be to have DP and eldest DC as both army types !

Even on Alone they have a tarpaulin. I think most people overestimate their skills and what it would be like. At least they have the option of tapping out on Alone. And good shoes and sleeping bag.

Realistically we could get through a few weeks but that’s it and only if we could find a clean water source and it’s not too cold.

None of us could start a fire without matches or catch a rabbit without a snare. I’d happily skin and gut one but have to catch it first…

I think this is the same for most people if they are honest