Went out on a woods trip this weekend and brought a guy that wants to learn some woods skills. My only suggestion was to be ready for a three day survival scenario. Hes had no training but i hoped this would be an eye opener and it was for both of us. His gear was a dull knife, gun, two bottles of water, some gloves, a ziploc bag, rain gear. Not a bad list for a day hike around the neighborhood. Dont get me wrong this is not about showing superiority but rather a humble wake up call for all of us that have outdoors friends. Teach them the good stuff. Save their lives and their families lives. This is a guy that takes his kids to far to reach areas and camps. By the end of the day we had a plan to go to walmart for a few things that will get him up to par. It doesnt take much. Its a matter of setting their minds to what is important and letting them go. We all have started somewhere and there has been more than one trip that i SHOULD HAVE DIED on. We have the good stuff. Help your buddies. I may run a take a newb to the woods challenge if this hits home for folks. It was a huge eye opener for me.
Newb packing list: 20 oz Mt Dew Jumbo Snickers 5 hr energy Extra pair cotton jeans Extra pair cotton socks Large box of kitchen matches Can of lighter fluid Walmart button compass Plastic spork
Suppose I'm one notch above newb... what would the list look like? P.S. I'm more of a Gatorade / wool sock guy
There was a TV show I thought that paired an experience woodsmen with a newbie? Never watched it but seemed like a good concept. This idea works with any type of training. Every so often we will get a student that does a particular skillset for the first time in their life and it sticks with them. They go home and study, practice and keep pushing. We see them again a year or so later and they're operating at expert level with a skillset they knew nothing about before showing up here. That kind of stuff makes me very proud. I love to see people succeed at this type of stuff.
Thank you Jeff. You, Patrick, Shane, James and Hugh have been a huge part of my growth in woods skills etc. I owe you all a lot.
Creek Stewart has a great show called "Fat Guys in the Woods"....and while the name of his show is almost as corny as HIS name the guy has legitimate skill and he takes a group of 3 inexperienced guys into the woods and teaches them to survive.....it's a cool show. We've all been there and there is something about being around those folks as they gain knowledge that helps fill our sails as well....very cool of you to do @Strigidae !!
Newb jokes aside, we run several events each year training people from the age of 10 through college grads. Different events bring different ages. Most buy their gear at Walmart. Nothing wrong with WM, but most have never used any such gear. Untrained purchasing buys the flashy, eye level, this is what Walmart sporting goods thinks will sell well products. The price point is cheap, and most of the product is cheap. (Product need not to be expensive to be good. Moraknives is an example.) An example of a cheap product is the ferro rods sold at WM, and other local chain outdoors places. It gives a false sense of security. The first day we teach fire building Most students wear their WM in two pieces before getting their first fire going. We allow this to process to show the importance of properly investing in the things we are trusting our lives to. (Shame on us for not teaching a better tinder bundle...shame on WM for selling a crappy ferro rod.) After the student burn through their rod, we gift them a rod from firesteel.com. Long post to say, guidance from someone who has used the gear is probably more valuable than the gear itself. Otherwise the newb has a false sense of survival skill. Good on you for teaching what you have learned. “Patience, young Jedi.”
