Searching through gear lists online I came across gear that doesn’t really belong in a long term wilderness survival pack. Hopefully you can reduce the weight of your pack, or better, swap those items for better survival aids.
Space Blanket
My arch nemesis. I still have many space blankets laying around, but I never carry any. They are almost useless. They might work in space ;), but in the field, among rocks, brushes and sticks, they last five minutes. Another big flaw is that it is very hard to make them work in conjunction with an improvised shelter.
In theory space blankets are a genius idea due to their radiation reflectance, low bulk and low weight. A durable and more practical alternative is a silnylon poncho tarp or a heavy duty “space blanket”.
Camo Face Paint
I know where you are coming from. But if the situation is as you think it could be, then the proper thing to do is to be far far away from where someone could spot your face.
Also for hunting purposes, ashes and mud are locally found alternatives to face paint.
Tent Stakes
It takes extra time to find or cut suitable sticks to act as tent pegs, but it also takes time to remove your pegs. It’s something more to lose. At least swap them for light aluminum stakes if you aren’t willing to ditch them.
Stove
I’m talking fossil fuel stoves. There is no place for them in a long term pack. Any amount of fuel you bring won’t last more than a couple of weeks, so what’s the point? Ditch it!
Having a biolite stove that consumes small sticks while charging your electronics doesn’t seem like a bad idea at first, but they are heavy, bulky, and not very practical. You are better off packing extra hooks and line.
Toilet Paper
Eventually someone will point out that hygiene is super important and that one must bring toilet paper. If you are one of those people don’t take it personally: but toilet paper is definitely just a luxury, not a need. This reminds me of the phrase: speak not of revolution unless you are willing to eat rats.
There are many locally found alternatives to toilet paper that you don’t have to pack in. Yeah it’s nice to have toilet paper, but you know what is nicer? Sphagnum moss
“The more you know the less you carry” Mors Kochanski
Chart via ultralightbackpackintips
Water Filter
Probably the most pushed product in the survival niche. Water filters/purifiers only have a limited amount of uses. That’s why boiling water in a pot is the way to go for long term water treatment. Not treating water is also a possibility in remote wilderness areas. (In our risk averse-allergic to liability society, everyone in a position of authority will say this is a no-no)
Water filters need to be handled in a particular way otherwise treated water can be polluted by a single drop. If you are drinking water from an urban area or downstream from agricultural runoff it is a good idea to have a good filter.
A lightweight option is to pack aquamira water tablets to use on the move until you reach a remote place where water won’t be polluted by industrial chemicals or sewage water. Keep in mind that neither tablets nor most filters work against industrial chemicals.
Bug Spray
This item is really prevalent in most lists. But you would have to bring a lot of it if you’ll be using it daily for the whole bug season. Swap it for a loose long sleeve shirt, loose pants, and a bug head net. Having high cut shoes also helps preventing bites around the ankles (tuck the pants in the shoes, or wear gaiters). You might want to use gloves if the mosquitos won’t stop biting your hands. I did this only once during my 6 month survival expedition.
Chapstick and Vaseline
If you have delicate skin then it’s a good idea to learn how to moisturize it with natural materials. I can’t give you good advice on this. But I really think you don’t need them. Come on!
Sun Block
Same as with bug spray, you would need a lot of it. Unless you just use it for your face. But still, it’s more appropriate to pack a wide brim hat, a long sleeve shirt, and pants. There are natural substitutes, in my bioregion, poplar white powder is one of them.
Towel
Seriously? Why do you need a towel?.
Cathole Trowel
Also very common among backpackers. A small trowell is not very useful anyway. Just use a stick, or poop below a rock, or just cover it with rocks and sticks. If you are camping in the same spot for a long time it is a good idea to dig a big hole, and use it for the duration of your stay anyway. And a small cathole trowel won’t be of much help for that.
Signal Flares
Too bulky. If you want them for signaling, you can substitute them for a pen sized flare or a signal fire. If you want them as an animal deterrent, a bear banger is lighter and can also shoot flares. It’s not clear to me why someone would pack signal flares in a long term survival bag
Tinder and Kindling.
If you don’t have the skill needed to find or make tinder from natural or synthetic materials in wet weather, you shouldn’t even contemplate a long term pack. Work on your skills first. If you feel the need to carry tinder, then you are probably not too confident on your bushcraft and survival skills. Take it as a sign. Skill>Gear
Ditch this Gear from your Long Term Survival Pack
There is a saying in the backpacking community: HYOH. Hike Your Own Hike, and I respect that. But experienced thru-hikers do gear shakedowns to reduce the gear beginners are packing on a long hike like the PCT, AT or CDT. For a long term survival pack weight is not the biggest concern. The focus is on clothing, shelter, and food procuring gear, but it helps to get rid of things you don’t need and to pack effective survival aids.
Okay, You quote Mors right after discrediting the most well known, tested and proven improvised shelter type of the modern age, that he himself designed?! Really? Hypocrite much?
Then you talk about wood fired stoves and the only one you mention is the Biolite, which is a fecken monster and truly worthless in a true “long term survival” situation. Are you really that narrow minded? Sorry to say, but there’s more out there than that and some only weigh a few ounzes. Hobo stoves can be made out of anything from a Progresso soup can to a 46 oz juice can and even a 40 oz stainless single wall water bottle.
The bum fodder replacement chart is a total laugh, and obviously written by someone who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. Seriously, snow? Wiping with a smooth stick? The one I had to laugh at the most was the sandstone. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Oh sure! A fecken rock is EXACTLY what I want to wipe my ass with.
Water. The fact that you, in all seriousness no less, actually suggested drinking untreated water shows how much of an ******[edited] you are. Especially since every single survivor instructor worth their salt says otherwise. Ever heard of taking water treatment tablets along? An entire months worth can be stashed away in a space the size of your palm and a tablespoon of potassium permanganate takes up even less space. A few grains to turn the water a pale pink renders it safe to drink in less than five minutes. It also doubles as a disinfectant if you add enough to turn the water a full red.
Vaseline. Sorry but it’s not just for chapped lips, even though it shouldn’t be used for THAT either. Here’s just a small list of what it’s useful for. Protect small wounds, scrapes, and cuts. Lubricate metal parts on tools and gear. Act as a rust preventative on tools and gear. Clean dirt and sticky stuff off of hands. Lubricate old and stuck zippers. Protect old, dried out leather. Protect extremities from frostbite. Make a cotton wool firestarter. Make a small candle with cotton.
You say a trowel is useless, and then give only one use for it? Even a Corona aluminium trowel only weighs around 6 oz and will outdo any digging stick durability wise; not to mention speed. But I guess 6 oz like a full pound to a gram counting through-hiker. There’s no reason to revert to the stone age with modern, lightweight, gear.
You also say to leave the diy firestarters at home, and come off with some self-righteous, passive aggressive slanderous remark to those who chose to carry them by saying “….you shouldn’t even contemplate a long term pack.” Then turn around at the bottom and come off with this “HYOH” bollocks? Again: HYPOCRITE!
If you truly “respect that,” then this entire article would not come off as being written by a pretentious south Californian who looks at themselves as some kind of woods master who has enough knowledge and clout to tell others, in no uncertain terms no less, what they should or should not take; in a voice that is meant to be taken as gospel. That “HYOH” business at the end is nothing more than a cowardly way for you to shut down any criticism by allowing you to say something to the effect of: “Well, I was only making suggestions. Do what you want.”
Sorry buddy, but hiking some established recreational trail does NOT constitute long term survival and your pack cannot be configured as if you were on some established trail. In fact, I’m shocked you didn’t say to leave the saw and hatchet! After all, since you’re so willing to quibble over tiny featherweight items like lip balm, face paint, man-made fire starters and sun block; you may as well have said to “ditch” something like a 1 1/4 lb hatchet or an 8 inch folding saw, which can mean life or death in the scope of long term survival.
It’s easy to see your ignorance here and alludes to the strong possibility that you’re just another candy-ass gram counter who won’t carry more than a #20 load out in a #1 pack. The whole thing about through-hiking only reinforces that. I almost forgot. DON’T FORGET YOUR TREKING POLES! You know through-hikers can’t survive without them.