Alone - Techniques to maximize limited tools

For some reason the tv show Alone tends to occupy my thoughts following each episode. Each participant is allowed a limited number of tools/pieces of equipment. The choices they make are based on their skills and the perceived usefulness of each item.

I am curious as to your ideas of how they could better use the limited items they have for shelter building, food collection, fire building and maintenance, etc.

Right now I am pondering the fishing techniques I see them use. One rigged up a pole while another tried a weir and trap. Most seem to bait a hook and throw a line out.

Some questions:
Why we haven't seen a trot line setup?
How could they get the lines farther out into the water?
What to do about tangles in the water that their fish get caught in?

 

I have not watched the show but....
1. I want an axe. If you are going to fling me anywhere there are trees I want an axe. You can prepare a meal and a fire with just an axe. Ask a real boy scout 30 years ago.
2. As far as getting line out. Make a pole out of a stick. Make it thick enough so you can drill a hole in the end to run line. Hold it in the dominant hand. Coil up the remaining line at feet. Making sure the other end is secured to the handle of the "pole". Pinch the line between fingers and work it. Like flyfishing.

Edit. You have to carve one of the pole flat and knife drill the hole.

 

One guy made a small paddle boat to take his fishing line out farther than he could cast. Pretty inventive.

 

Too far past my rational capacity tonight -- Friday night, 9 pm, after a hard walk on frozen snow in a strong wind (gusts to 45) in 20F with lower wind chill. Bed is coming soon.

But it's an interesting topic. I'll be back.

 

Since fishing is such a large aspect of food gathering, I was thinking about taking paracord. They can choose to take 20M of paracord as one of their items. We all know that paracord can be gutted to get more out of it. Seven strands and one shell would yield 160M of cordage. Using the 300 yards of fishing line and 25 hooks combined with some of the seven strands and you could make one really nice trot line.

I don't know what level of preparation the average participant goes through, but after watching a little bit of America Ninja Warrior, you see the Ninja people setting up courses similar to what they will be facing to prepare for their event. It would be interesting to know just how much prep the Alone people do to see what they can do with, say, gutted paracord, trapping wire, various tarps and shelters, etc. See if you can get along with only 60 feet of paracord or do you need more. How long will 25 hooks and 300 yards of fishing line last you?

Would it be possible to take something that is approved and turn it into something more useful? Could you take a saw that you could then break down and turn into tools. For example: score the saw across the blade about 12 inches down the blade, then break it off. Next score along the spine and then heat and quench to make it hard but brittle and then break it down the scoring line to give you a piece of steel that could be used as a drill for help in making various other tools. Temper the piece to make it tough. Things like that.

 

I'd opt for making fish traps myself as long as you can find suitable materials.

 

This is another show to add to my "want to watch" list. If given the option I'm for sure taking the paracord, that would give me 6 fishing lines, 1 inner strand to re-braid into a bowstring plus the original 20 meters of outer husk for shelter building or trap cordage.

 

I have to say the shelter building has vastly improved, more on the level of thriving and not just surviving, very innovative and well thought out.

 

I would disagree on the paracord since it makes building your initial shelter so much easier, plus it has the advantage of being a better snare material than natural cordage especially for larger creatures like wild boar. Gutting the paracord gives you more line to work with as well. But your point is good one, too. If you are not going to try to snare things, then you have a good point and your way would probably work out ok.

 

Certainly need some rigid stuff when snaring hogs. Had some spare time on my hands during a field exercise when stationed in Germany years ago so rigged up a large ground snare for boar using some DR-8 wire baited with some T-rations. Had to hog snared for about 15 minutes until it was able to get its jaws on the wire and snapped it pretty cleanly. Certainly long enough to have speared it if need be but would have certainly required some explaining to the chain of command and the Observer/Controllers of the exercise (lol).

 

Would this experience lead you to use a spring pole so as to keep enough tension on the wire so the boar could not get it into it's mouth? I think you would be hard pressed to have a spring pole strong enough to actually lift the boar off the ground, but maybe enough to keep it so there was no slack.

Then again, maybe some kind of counter weight that would drop when the trap was sprung. Still don't know if it would be enough to lift it off the ground, but it could be a 50lb log that would put a lot of pull on the snare.

 

Now that the season is over and we know that Fowler was the winner after 87 days, it is obvious that the tools he chose worked for him. I am thinking about his choice of saw and the Cold Steel shovel instead of an axe.

I like the one-man saw for it's ability to handle larger logs and trees along with it's apparent durability. I have considered the Silky Big Boy or Katana Boy as good choices, but for almost three months he had to process wood nearly every day. For that type of longevity, would the Silkys hold up to that level of use? I am sure that they could if you were careful and didn't absentmindedly start trying to cut on the push and so snap the blade. That would be a very bad problem. The saw that Fowler chose is bigger and heavier than the Silky saws, but appears to be much more durable. Plus he is pretty much in one location and not trying to ultralight backpack on the AP.

As to the shovel, it seemed to work well and added a capability that an axe would not have and that was digging. He didn't seem to chop much and was able to keep the edge of the shovel sharp enough for those times when he wanted to chop.

 

I actually used a smaller tree that had good flex and was around 3-3.5" in circumference and anchored it to a ground trigger.
The snare (loop) itself sat on the ground so when release/sprung it caught the back half of its body. Plenty strong but didn't realize I'd snag one that probably pushed well over 200lbs.

 

I carried a CS Spetsnaz strapped to a messenger type bag for a couple of seasons, it did work as a decent machete. As long as you don't/didn't need heavy solid woods, like cords of firewood. Saplings, even oak or other springy stuff up to 2" is no problem. The forward weight and a file edge mows down grass or briars....I haven't tried it as a food processor, but I might be convinced to see what it can do.

 

I was intrigued by Fowler's use of the shovel. He did bring an axe though. He used it to pound in the poles for his dock.
Here's his complete list:

Very interesting that he chose to not bring food.

 

The cold steel shovel is GREAT around a campsite. I don't know that it would be on my list of items to take if I only got to choose 10 though.

 

Do the participants know where they are going in advance? That might change what a person would choose as well as climate, season, ect. Knowing in advance that you have to outlast other "survivors "....hmmmm....