Rifle, Fire Starter, knife...all good quality and of a style you prefer....your post makes some good points but not enough to override the basics, no matter how many "what if's" you throw in

 

+1
My thoughts exactly!

 

A knife. Anything else is a luxury.

 

I just use my teeth.

 

Shotgun, fire starter and a 4-5 inch knife. I can hunt most any game with a shotgun. I would carry a variety of different shot and a few slugs. Now, if I had to survive in the mountains, then a rifle would certainly be the best option.

 

Everything I need is pictured here.

 

Do you have the link, i would like to order one just like that !!

 

I guess it would heavily depend on what exactly are you surviving. Though, for the most of not earth-wide disasters cash would be a tool #1

 

But you can only carry so many shells. Don't get me wrong I love a good firearm as much as the next guy and I own a bunch and have them ready for bug out. But for true grit survival, like for when ammo is very short and gas is no where to be found, this is my opinion on the best way to go about surviving.

 

Porkchop....I'll trade you my rifle for what's in that white dress. That's everything I need.

Seriously though....when the SHTF gas will be the most valuable commodity so I'm going to build a crazy bug out vehicle, change my name to Max and get real mad.

 

Stainless 22lr revolver, knife, fire starter

 

I like the idea of the axe and while my dream would be my ar sidearm knife axe and 50 other things the realist in me says the bow has to win in the long run a knife is a given and the axe is about the next handiest thing because with the knife and axe you can make a bow.

 

I would agree with VikingfWarrior as far as weapons are concerned
Ax
Bow
Medium knife
Can't in reality see myself with such a limited kit though

 

I prefer the crossbow to a bow. I currently carry a hatchet, but I am considering moving up to an axe. A good knife goes without saying. I would hope that after all my prepping I would have more than just those three things.

 

Unless you're Robin Hood or a Comanche warrior, the bow will be neither the best survival weapon or tool. You miss once with an arrow, the guy with an AK will own you, same as the bear you just grazed.

If you're making a fantasy "best" list, the bow can be as deadly as you want it to be. If you're making a realistic "best" list, a stout knife, firearm, khukri, axe, or spear are far better choices for weaponry.

 

On weekends I make my own bow and arrows and hunt brown bear for sport. I use the metal from my can of beans for the arrow heads.

 

That's funny right there. I'd like to observe from a safe distance when you shoot a brown bear with a homemade bow and an arrow with a tin can broadhead. Just don't run in my direction when the annoyed bear decides to put that arrow where the sun doesn't shine.

 

survival items are like lays potato chips

you cant stop at 1 or 3

even 10 isnt enough

 

I know I am a contrarian here, but I think a knife sucks as a top survival tool - unless you are transportation driven. Being guided by survival priorities, cable TV, beer, a couch to lie upon and an unlimited bank account. :

No seriously, shelter, water and fire guides me to first have:
1. Water filter,
2. Fire starter, and
3. Sleeping bag/tent.

Next would be personal shelter
4. Foot wear and
5. Leather gloves.
6. protective clothes after that (rain, warm or sun protection).

Getting lower on the priority list:
7. Pot
8. Transportable Container (beginning to go on the move)
9. Fishing Rod/Net or other hunting tool (traps, .22, shot gun, bow)

Finally,
10. Axe (assuming I need to eat before running out of fallen branches for fire)
11. SAK (for a great variety of tasks)
12. Fixed Blade Knife (like Mora for longer term survival)

Clearly, I do not think the 3 best survival tools are weapons. Again, I'd put a knife as very low on the best weapons list. Of course, the odds of me being in a survival situation without all the above is slim to none. :taped: I recently killed an 8 lb carp with a mallet and a woodchuck with a sword.

 

With the knife you can make everything else... A knife is not a weapon, it is a tool, for making anything you need to survive (shelter, clothing, fishing rod, snares etc)

 

Better be pretty good with a bow if your going to feed yourself with it. I'd take my chances with a shotgun instead.

 

Again, I prefer a crossbow but I have already taken 2 wild hogs with it and I am looking forward to deer season. :thumb:

 

Why can you get a good axe for less than a good knife? I'm looking at a husqvarna.

 

I think it is demand. Husqvarna is a good product. I have a Condor hatchet and Estwing axe. Both would blow away any knife for wood processing.

 

With those 3 things I have listed you can make just about everything you will need! Some of us hunt and practice with our bows just as much as our firearms! Most of the stuff y'all have listed are just luxury items that humanity has survived with out for thousands of years! In a perfect world it would be great to have all that but in reality you honesty don't need it! We have become to depended on technology to save us we have forgotten how to save ourself! If you practice with a bow you can be just as good with it as a firearm but you will have unlimited ammo. With a knife you can build a fishing pole, a game snare, a bow , ect. With an axe you can build shelter, a fire, a wall for defense, a boat or just about anything else you need. Camping close to fresh running water like a stream will provide your water you just have to boil it! Now ask yourself can you really survive, because most likely your luxury items will break , get lost or fail

 

Think multi-fuel vehicles. Gas if you have too,(with oil added) but waste motor oil, tranny fluid, even jet fuel might very well be the most prevalent combustibles when society breaks down.

 

Those who mention luxury items are not far off, however, we than need to ask ourselves where we draw the line between effectiveness and luxury. How many here will reach for good 4 to 6 inch blade with nice scales, and custom sheath (kydex or leather) of your choice? I would, but than I realize that it is better than a cheap Chinese knock off from Harbor Freight. It is better but its not essential. We could make due with a good Swiss army knife or even a single bladed boy scout knife.

Reaching for an axe? Do you pick the nice Gerber or East-wing? The size, weight, and sheaths are nice, but not essential are they. i have an old double sided 6 lb "felling" axe head I bought for six dollars at a garage sale. Took an old piece of hickory I had in the shop and whittled down a fairly decent handle. Total cost...under $ 10.00. It is heavy and I would not load it into a 72-hour bug out bag, but in a vehicle, sure. Any tool we have is the best tool at that moment, yet "luxury" items are well deserved for those who work for a living and can afford them when they are intelligently pre-disaster prepping.

 

PorkChop Samich, does the gun come with that?
ill take two please

 

Remember those naked and afraid episodes? Most practical thing to carry is a knife and a vessel to boil water and cook with. How about one of those stainless steel corn boilers and a stout 7 or 8 inch knife and a light weight single bit axe with a good pounding head on the other side. Make the bow and arrows later while you stay hydrated.

 

Personally, I would probably choose a knife, a stainless steel cup, and a firesteel. While I don't consider the firesteel 100% necessary for survival, it will make the venture much easier and help preserve calories vs a bow drill. If you were skilled enough, you could manage to make a makeshift bow and arrow although as of right now, I do not possess the skill set for that yet personally, it may still be in the realm of possibility for some. Remember, the skills to use the tools are just as important as the tools themselves!

 

As to tools as weapons and weapons as tools I would go with a set of three hunting javelins and a thrusting spear instead of a bow and arrows, a Cold Steel Rifleman's Tomahawk instead of an axe, and a Leatherman Surge Multi-tool rather than a simple knife.

Just my opinion.

 

You are right because ammo is going to run out eventually.

The advantage of bow and arrows is that you can recover your arrows.

You cannot recover bullets.

But for the opening stages of Armageddon you will need a minimum of a carbine, pistol, knife, and ammo supply. These will eventually run out, at which time you can use your knife to cut a spear and tomahawk same as the Native Americans (aka Amer-Indians). Then if you are really good like they were you can make your own bow and arrows too.

They lived their lives in ideal equilibrium with nature.

Their only fault was they never entered the iron age, and were then unfortunate enough to be invaded by over-crowded Europeans hungry and thirst for free land -- who had guns.

 

I always like the primitive weapon guys who say the things like "run out of ammo" or "guns break". All the what ifs...

Well here's a what if...

What if you break an arm? How handy is that bow now?

 

Survival is all about effectively dealing with whatever "what if's" come around.

 

Without a specified SHTF situation I would have to say number 1 would be a survival attitude, number 2 would be your skills and 3 would be a companion you can trust and rely on in that situation.