Which Kit would you choose?

[Doctor Amadeus]

Option 1: A Rusty Shot gun with 2 rounds and a Compass

Option 2: A Package of 90 Slim Jims and a Water Canteen

Option 3: A Buck Knife and Steel Wool

If you had to survive in the woods for 30 days and you could only choose one of the options above which would you choose and why?

I am going with Option 2 Calories and staying Hydrated are going to be the most important thing for doing just about everything else.

[Rozz]

Option 2

The knife is the most useful weapon imo, but there are plenty of ways to survive without weapons in the woods. In contrast there are very few ways to survive without food and water. A lot of people have died in the woods despite having full gear, weapons, and phones. I'll bet on resources first, especially since the water canteen is by far the most valuable item listed.

[Eveningforest]

Option 2

It's a no brainer, OP. Having access to water is always the number one priority.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Option 2

The knife is the most useful weapon imo, but there are plenty of ways to survive without weapons in the woods. In contrast there are very few ways to survive without food and water. A lot of people have died in the woods despite having full gear, weapons, and phones. I'll bet on resources first, especially since the water canteen is by far the most valuable item listed.

Co Workers and what not had this discussion because some watch that Naked and Afraid, it's pretty interesting what people pick and why. At work Option 1 is neck and neck with Option 2.

Although personally I am not exactly sure how useful a rusty Shotgun is going to be if it works. If you use it for hunting you have to be a great shot, and if you are going to use it better be earlier rather than later otherwise you will burn calories just lugging it around.

I think the Buck Knife would be a Close second Option, not really because if you get in trouble like some think with the Shot Gun, but because the Knife can be used to make other tools as you go.

I think honestly the best way to be safe from predators is to keep your eye out for them and steer clear. Human is generally not on the menu, but if they sniff you out in their territory not sure a Shot gun with only 2 rounds is going to be much help

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Option 2

It's a no brainer, OP. Having access to water is always the number one priority.

Yep Calories and Water, leaves you with energy to get some other things done.

I think it will be really interesting to see what most peoples survival instincts tell them.

[Yadryonych]

What's use of steel wool alone with no battery to light it up? Might be as well replaced with any random item such as favorite teddy bear or grandpop's letter from WW2 warfront. The knife is extremely useful though so it trumps it all.

The slimjim is so dry and, the most important, SALTY, so that your water canteen will be gone in a hour. Not to say it consists mostly of meat which is protein, not calories.

The rusty shotgun will only be usefull if you are hunting the other two guys who picked slimjim and knife.

It's definitely a 3

[TEHPALLYTANK]

What's use of steel wool alone with no battery to light it up? Might be as well replaced with any random item such as favorite teddy bear or grandpop's letter from WW2 warfront. The knife is extremely useful though so it trumps it all.

The slimjim is so dry and, the most important, SALTY, so that your water canteen will be gone in a hour. Not to say it consists mostly of meat which is protein, not calories.

The rusty shotgun will only be usefull if you are hunting the other two guys who picked slimjim and knife.

It's definitely a 3

Assuming you've got an average amount of body fat (15% of your weight or more), you've got calories in your body that it can already burn. The salt isn't going to dehydrate you, it will serve to improve your body's ability to retain water.

The canteen itself is more important than the water it may contain at the outset, you need some way to ensure the water you're drinking is clean. Without a container you can boil it in, you're gambling each time you drink. If you don't have clean water, and wind up getting dysentery, you're pretty much as good as dead.

The knife is definitely useful, but it is much easier to find sharp objects in the wilderness than finding a proper container in which you can boil water.

[Rozz]

OP should've specified where this trial is to take place. Around where I live I can drink straight from any natural body of water and be okay.

I think the point is that you don't have a choice where you're lost. Certain locations would make specific options obsolete. If you were to be randomly stranded anywhere, what would you pick for your best chances? For instance, where I live there is nothing worth shooting so a gun would make no sense to choose.

[Kellhound]

Option 1: A Rusty Shot gun with 2 rounds and a Compass

Option 2: A Package of 90 Slim Jims and a Water Canteen

Option 3: A Buck Knife and Steel Wool

If you had to survive in the woods for 30 days and you could only choose one of the options above which would you choose and why?

I am going with Option 2 Calories and staying Hydrated are going to be the most important thing for doing just about everything else.

Option 1 gives you your easiest means to start a fire, twice.
Option 2 gives you your easiest means to contain water. (I know people have mentioned using it to boil water, but most canteens these days are plastic!)
Option 3 gives you the best tool needed to do everything in the woods needed to survive for 30 days.

Looking at it practically, you can live ~3 days without water and ~30 days without food. Environment has an impact on this to an extent. Shelter can either be of minimal importance or more vital than water depending on the climate.

So overall, the knife is the best choice for an undetermined forest environment.

[Cerilis]

While I dont have asthma, I still require daily medication, so I will go with 4.
...I also have no stamina or physical strength to speak of. So I'd be screwed either way.

[Ghostpanther]

The catcher is having to survive for 30 days. So Option 2. If you drop me off in any woods and no min time to stay there, then Option 1. Option 3 if shelter ( location of the woods ) is a vital part of surviving and the 30 days min you would be there applies.

[Templar 331]

Option 4 was way to relevant to me. Option 2 would be my second choice.

[Typhon DeLeon]

In the wise words of Christian Slater in the 1991 film "Mobsters"... I don't accept the question.

[muto]

Option 3. You can drink straight from a stream. Ideally it's better to boil the water first, but you should be okay. The knife is too good a tool to pass up, plus you could just carve a cup out of wood.

[avitush]

I'd probably go with option 2 (the 90 Slim Jims and canteen of water). You could probably hole up somewhere and live off that for 30 days if you rationed things carefully (depending on how big the canteen is, I guess).

That would be a very unpleasant 30 days, but I think it's doable, and it requires the least effort/risk/survival skills of the three choices. The knife and steel wool would be a good choice if you know what to do with them. I feel like the gun/compass would be the least useful of the three options because only two shots.

[ParanoiD84]

Option 3 for sure I can hunt and make other tools with the knife and make fires with the wool.

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Probably easier to attach the knife to a long stick making a spear, think hunting with a knife would be pretty hard or of course making a spear with the knife so knife would be good indeed.

[ghotihook]

100% option 3.
A lot of people are saying option 2 because of the canteen. He doesn't even say if the canteen has water in it. Just "water canteen" and once the water is out, what do you do?
Also a canteen is just a container. You can find those anywhere or make out out of many things.

Knife is definitely the best option by itself. If you need to survive for 30 days you will probably need to make a shelter. I cannot imagine making one without a knife. Not sure what you're going to do with steel wool unless you can find a battery.

[ParanoiD84]

100% option 3.
A lot of people are saying option 2 because of the canteen. He doesn't even say if the canteen has water in it. Just "water canteen" and once the water is out, what do you do?
Also a canteen is just a container. You can find those anywhere or make out out of many things.

Knife is definitely the best option by itself. If you need to survive for 30 days you will probably need to make a shelter. I cannot imagine making one without a knife. Not sure what you're going to do with steel wool unless you can find a battery.

Think working a stick long enough for traction and sparks could make fire with the wool not sure though but I would try. Or use the knife to peel of wood from sticks could work the same way not sure what's faster or better.

[avitush]

Think working a stick long enough for traction and sparks could make fire with the wool not sure though but I would try. Or use the knife to peel of wood from sticks could work the same way not sure what's faster or better.

You could also use the steel wool to clean and maybe sharpen your knife, but I'm probably stretching a bit there.

[ghotihook]

Think working a stick long enough for traction and sparks could make fire with the wool not sure though but I would try. Or use the knife to peel of wood from sticks could work the same way not sure what's faster or better.

You're right it might be possible to light steel wool with a spark. I've never seen it in practice, but since there is a reasonable amount of oil in steel wool, I believe it's possible.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

100% option 3.
A lot of people are saying option 2 because of the canteen. He doesn't even say if the canteen has water in it. Just "water canteen" and once the water is out, what do you do?
Also a canteen is just a container. You can find those anywhere or make out out of many things.

Knife is definitely the best option by itself. If you need to survive for 30 days you will probably need to make a shelter. I cannot imagine making one without a knife. Not sure what you're going to do with steel wool unless you can find a battery.

What things out in the wild can you turn into a container for boiling your water so you don't die of dysentery? You said "many things", but didn't provide a single example.

A knife is definitely useful, but once again I'll point out that sharp objects aren't exactly rare or difficult to make. Anywhere that has rocks can give you enough material to create a crude cutting edge.