Alone Season 8

[Aerindel]

I do t care for the full serrated blade Wonder how hard it’d be to swap it for a straight edge

And for me, I use the serrated blades on my leathermen 90% of the time.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

I don’t have access to TV, netflix, or whatever it is that is showing this season’s Alone, but I have watched bits and pieces of old footage on Youtube and can get a general idea of the deal…

(I REALLY wish I could watch this with all y’all, but I will have to watch it vicariously through you by reading your comments, lol.)

If I had to choose ten items over and above what is normally allowed (clothing, boots, etc.), I would take:

1) fixed blade knife (My nearly indestructible Cold Steel knife has a hollow handle which can be quickly converted into an expedient spear for defense, etc. The end of a walking stick can be shaved and modified to fit into the hollow handle before the end of the first day.)

2) ferro rod

3) paracord

4) ax (actually, a tomahawk because that is the size I am most proficient in throwing with deadly accuracy. Can hunt with or without bait with this.)

5) saw - Silky brand, for sure.

6) bag of extra rations (which will also include a goodly amount of jerky and peanut butter, along with the ingredients for a basic rehydration formula (in case of severe diarrhea), plus a number of different herbs that have important multi purpose healing properties and some that have mosquito repellent properties. (Yes I have spent nights in the woods without mosquito repellants and know that it would quickly drive me mad and wear me down). I am good at foraging for foods and medicine but the best of the best may not be readily available in my location at that time of year, etc.

7) 4-quart lightweight cook pot with concave lid that can serve as a second cooking utensil (This pot/lid has many uses including fetching, carrying, boiling water, boiling foodstuffs for maximum nutrition extraction, etc. I know it is twice the size of what most Alone contestants choose, but I can use this larger size for other things too numerous for this list. The size is not a detriment because other things can fit inside of it.

8) fishing line and hooks

9 )sleeping bag - rated for the climate

10) tarp (if this is already provided, then I would take a Leatherman multitool)

But, I would not want to sacrifice the tarp over something like bow/arrows because I am also a good shot with an atlatl which can be quickly made in a couple of hours or less, on the first day out. If a bear is charging me by surprise, I know that neither a bow/atlatl will be of little use. By the time I draw either one I would be toast. (See item #1. I certainly would not throw it in defense but hang on to it so that I can repeatedly inflict as much pain / blood loss as possible and hopefully convince my attacker that I am not worth the trouble. I hope.)


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[Aerindel]

I don’t have access to TV, netflix, or whatever it is that is showing this season’s Alone, but I have watched bits and pieces of old footage on Youtube and can get a general idea of the deal…

(I REALLY wish I could watch this with all y’all, but I will have to watch it vicariously through you by reading your comments, lol.)



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All you need is a computer....click the link in the OP.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

All you need is a computer....click the link in the OP.

Thank you! I had mistakenly thought it was just the trailers in the video. Went back and saw differently!

Ohboyohboyohboy!

 

[Aerindel]

But, I would not want to sacrifice the tarp over something like bow/arrows because I am also a good shot with an atlatl which can be quickly made in a couple of hours or less,

That I would LOVE to see. I've never seen anyone who was a good shot with an atlatl. I've made a few myself....and am fascinated with them. But never figured out how to hit anything smaller than the literally broadside of a barn.

 

[elkhound]

Really? I’ve carried mine for the past ten years recently just bought a new surge Where did you find the extra blades and tools??

warning lots of pics ahead. to be clear i am not a craftsman or a tool maker by any stretch of anyone imagination. i am a redneck with a few tools and a bunch of ideas. this is what i came up several years ago. i like the surge but i found out something real quick the edges sticking out wear on your hands. if you use it any length of time without glove you going to have troubles. so i switched real fast as a base the old leatherman core.its smooth edges are a dream and it fits my large hand well. my second one will be much better if i get time and some money to have a few things done i am not able to do. i wish leatherman would work with some real folks to get a true survival or bushcraft type tool out. woniya that was on season 6 had access to extra tools and leatherman corp and they helped modify hers for tv show. its been a great hope they come up with a model based on hers and her input.i will show hers later.

 

[elkhound]

i used what i could find since leatherman wont sell extra blades. ebay has a few sellers that do this. also theres a guy in russia that makes the special tool/wrench to take these apart easy. i bought a full set of his tools to take all leathermans apart that have been made. he sells out real fast and he sells on ebay. some of these tools are just actual tools in them i sharpened etc. myself.

 

[elkhound]

notice i cut a slim notch so tip of fillet blade could seat well. i didnt want to lose any length of blade.

 

[elkhound]

 

[Bluetick21]

notice i cut a slim notch so tip of fillet blade could seat well. i didnt want to lose any length of blade.

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That look fairly simple to do. I love the core that was my first. The only thing I did t like was not having replaceable wire cutters. I really like what ya did with the rapala blade. Gives me a few ideas we may even have to start a new thread for leatherman mods ?

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

That I would LOVE to see. I've never seen anyone who was a good shot with an atlatl. I've made a few myself....and am fascinated with them. But never figured out how to hit anything smaller than the literally broadside of a barn.

This post puzzles me... When my grandson was 9 years old, I taught him how to throw an atlatl, and he nailed his target on the 4th or 5th throw he ever made. No accident because he played with that thing for hours and got better with every shot.

Maybe it's not you, but the atlatl itself? Maybe a design flaw?

Or throwing technique? Look here:





Survival Lilly’s throwing technique is well illustrated here:




Matt Graham is using a fancy schmancy thrower (that I would love to have!), but the technique is pretty much the same for any style atlatl.

Atlatl Basics with Matt Graham


Quick and dirty atlatl construction by a newbie: Matt Graham Bushcraft Challenge.

Lost your knife in the river? Making atlatls with primitive tools (this is Part One in a series that I have not seen before, but it looks like solid info from what I have seen here):
Atlatl Spear Competition (Part 1) - Making the Spears

I have never made any atlatls without feather fletching but I wondered what I would do if I couldn't readily source any (on the spot). I found some ideas here:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/pal...-feathers-in-a-primitive-situatio-t16016.html

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[Aerindel]

Perhaps. But of all launched primitive weapons, I have found the atlatl the most challenging.

Also, can we get a separate post on modded lethermen? I'm really interested as I use my leatherman for everything, way more than any of my other tools even though I have an entire metal shop attached to my house.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Perhaps. But of all launched primitive weapons, I have found the atlatl the most challenging.

[snipped]

So sorry this has been your experience. Most people that I have talked with about their atlatl experiences say that it is much easier to learn and master than a bow, etc.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

In the video in the OP, I got as far as Clay's mountain lion before an error message popped up saying that my "signature expired." Whatever does that mean?

I'm off to try to pick up where I was left hanging (off a cliff)!

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[Aerindel]

In the video in the OP, I got as far as Clay's mountain lion before an error message popped up saying that my "signature expired." Whatever does that mean?

I'm off to try to pick up where I was left hanging (off a cliff)!

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No idea. Probably just a glitch. I had to reload the page three times myself to get through it because the ads would glitch out.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Finally got to it, after many hits and misses...

Geeze, some of these people!!! ----> inserting incredulous expletives here, lol <-----

Is it too soon to comment? I don't want to start putting out spoilers...

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[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Well. I am hooked now. When is the next episode?


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[Aerindel]

Well. I am hooked now. When is the next episode?


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Is this the first of the show you've seen?

You should really sign up on your computer for a month of netflix or hulu just to see the other seasons. Its worth a few bucks and they actually stream smoothly without the BS of the history channel.

And yeah, I also want to know if we can comment.

For the record, I called the first guy to tap out. The first to go is ALWAYS the guy who comes on with the most confidence. Sometimes hilariously so. (A matter of a couple hours one season). Anyone with that kind of attitude is trouble in a survival situation.

Right now of the people who where introduced, my money is on Biko. He is fat and crazy and from watching past seasons, those are the two most important factors.

The chick who ate Kinnikinnick berries may be next. We will see if she recovers or not.

I learned when I was ten years old not to eat that stuff. (Grows locally here) She should have known better. I really question her experience if she immediately saw them and starting eating them. EVERYONE here knows that they may be medicinal, and recreational, but are not food.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Yes, my very first Alone show!! Loved it. (Before now, I have only seen trailers...)

Crazy Biko is funny without meaning to be. I laughed way harder than I should when he explained (and demonstrated) why he was wearing overalls...lololol.

I predict that he will draw half the bears in the land to him with his loud singing and yelling antics (and the ringing sound of forging metal!). I suspect that will have to deal with the consequences. Or not. There is even a possibility that the bears may think he is a force to reckon with, if he plays his cards right.


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[Aerindel]

Yes, my very first Alone show!! Loved it.

Crazy Biko is funny without meaning to be. I laughed way harder than I should when he explained (and demonstrated) why he was wearing overalls...lololol. I predict that he will draw half the Grizzlys in the land to him and will have to deal with the consequences. Or not. There is a possibility that the bears may think he is a force to reckon with, if he plays his cards right.

So as someone who has watched very season at least twice...I will give you a little hint about how the show usually works...

The biggest challenge towards the end is always maintaining sanity. The winner is almost always not a matter of who catches the most fish etc...but who can keep from going nuts first. And crazier they start, the less they have to lose. The nice, fit, 'normal' types usually are the first to go. One season there is this guy who comes across as this big, tough combat veteran and he loses it about two hours after the drop and taps out before he even unpacks his gear. And of course there was the author of the "Going home books" people like so much, he made it about 48 hours before getting freaked out and leaving.

It's the 'weirdos' that usually seem to do good.

Random accidents etc aside. There is always one or two that do something carless and hurt themselves too badly to go on. Break an ankle, stab themselves with a knife,etc. I feel really bad for them sometimes. Some of my favorites have been doing great and then in a split second they do something that is not life threatening in itself, but impossible to treat in their situation and they have to make the call.

The mental breakdowns are hard to watch, especially towards the end when they are basically all starving to death, sick and miserable.

The worst are the people who get medically pulled against their will. It's kind of cheesy, but the show has a rule that if you lose too much of your body weight and your vital signs get too bad, they will pull you even if you want to go on.

FYI, Hulu is the best deal right now for streaming previous seasons.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

Thanks for the Hulu tip... I might look into that, when I have more time to make it worthwhile.

About the loneliness factor... This is a bit hard for me to grasp because I have been a hermit-ty recluse for decades and absolutely thrive on being alone.

Almost as bad (or good) as Sourdough, even.

Speaking of him, and in keeping with the opening preamble of this season of Alone about how the effects of loneliness can be devastating, I would like to repost something that Sourdough wrote and shared on several forums.

It is also something that I fully relate to and it fits here as well.

Note for those who don't "know" Sourdough, since the time period he wrote about in the piece posted below, he has gone on to thrive alone in the wilderness of Alaska for 50+ years.

(Hattip to @Sourdough )

The wilderness can change a man.

There is a real transformation that can metamorphose within a man who is alone in the wilderness. He can exit the wilderness fragile, very fragile, he is no longer sure where that which is himself ends and that which is not himself starts.

Everything is kind of fuzzy, and has a softness about it, all things appear slightly blurred to the eye, like after one has been crying, and it can be hard to distinguish where one object stops and another object starts.

He feels weak and vulnerable, but centered. In fact he is stronger, but the feeling of weakness, and vulnerability comes from the loss of arrogance.

There is a clarity about the perfection of everything. Sounds are crisper, colors are different, there are so many more (new) colors now.

He feels as if he is looking through things and through people, this is a very uncomfortable experience, he tries to focus, but he just looks through everything.

Part of him wants to go back to the way it was, before being alone in the wilderness. But he also enjoys the bliss of how it is now. He wants to weep for no reason, but for the perfection of everything.

He has change, and can not change back to that which he was before, being alone in the wilderness.

I know not of drugs, but being alone in the wilderness, for long periods will change your perception of the universe. The universe is the same, but you have shifted to a place where you can see, with new eyes, a new heart, and a new empathy for all life. You have been born a second time, and are a child of the wilderness.

There was a time long ago, that a man was encouraged to go into the wilderness alone for a extended period, so that he might find wisdom about life. Sad it is discouraged today. Welcome home....welcome home. Home from the wilderness, for he is free to return at any time to your true nature.

NOTE: I wrote this based on my six months alone in the Alaska wilderness, in the early 70's. I was proving up on my federal homestead land grant.

And to go along with my feelings on living the hermit-on-the-mountain thug life is my signature banner that I use on some other sites:

So yeah, I think this particular eccentricity of mine would be an asset to me if I were ever on the Alone show.


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[Aerindel]

About the loneliness factor... This is a bit hard for me to grasp because I have been a hermit-ty recluse for decades and absolutely thrive on being alone.

Yep. I suspect a lot of us here feel that way.

But we generally aren't the people who sign up to be stars on a reality TV show either so I suspect there is a built in bias in the show for....how do you say it....people with more charisma perhaps than we have? And perhaps a side effect is they are not people who like to be alone with themselves as much.

Of course, keep in mind, these shows generally run for at least a couple months and I can't tell you what two months of starving and freezing all by myself would do to me either.

I've spent long times along...but also I always had books, games, etc with me. Alone with nothing.....could be different.

I can say I would do better than 50% of people on each season....but thats as far as I would go. I've never been tested to the degree the final five on these shows are.

 

[Grizzleyette___Adams]

I've spent long times along...but also I always had books, games, etc with me. Alone with nothing.....could be different.

I can say I would do better than 50% of people on each season....but thats as far as I would go. I've never been tested to the degree the final five on these shows are.

Yes, we never really know ourselves until pushed to the max for an extended period of time. Then we discover the stuff we are made of!

Alone with nothing for diversion...this would be me! I have racked up hundreds (thousands?) of hours over the years bowhunting from treestands all day long. I am never tired of Nature's company when I'm in my treestand: studying insects, birds, and even the different ways the forest smells at certain times of the day...picking out the tip of a deer's ear or antler in the thick woods...

Time flies when I am alone in the woods! Before I know it, it’s time to pack it in and call it a day...
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[elkhound]

i will say this..i have watched this show numerous times and talked with several of cast members. especially one years winner. this show has morphed from its original season of season 1. my big interest in this show was it was being done on vancouver island in the rain forest. i lived just south and just north of there so i was drawn to it because of my experience in that environment. the draw..RAIN and MORE RAIN. i know myself very well in that coastal setting.i seen the rain crack people.i watched as it was either not done or not shown things i know.in that setting i would pray for down pours..lol...let it rip..why? because i know myself and it doesnt bother me and i know other/most people..so it could beat them down mentally...alone and wet and overcast gloomy for them. i have the opposite effect on me. i love it ! the cool overcast drizzly rainy days are fine with me.then they changed locations on us..lol

the last few seasons 6 and 7 have been the change. on season 6 when i seen cast i started hunting for any info about these folks as many do.there was one guy when i seen who he lived with and for how long i knew baring injury he was/would be the winner. jordan jonas...he lived with evenki tribe for over 5 years in siberian russia. you dont do that without being mentally tough and gaining skills along with many many other adventures of life coupled with his families experience of being killed by genocide before being able to flee the situation. his grandfather was burnt alive in his wheelchair.season 7 i seen roland was on it who is a big game alaskan guide. i knew he would do everything in his power to win. you dont get the badges of life he has and not be tough on many levels. he is the 100 day king. him and jordan both got big game kills. jordan won at day 73 but had 100's of pounds of food left and wanted to stay longer and let his wife experience it but they wouldnt allow it. he said later he had come back from trips with evenki much more skinny and drained than the 73days he done. he said to be honest i was just getting started. him and roland would be fierce competition...along with several others in past.

this year they are holding back info of these people especially the 10 items choices short vids. i like to see their items and hear their words.so far this year 2 people stand out. one is clay...why experience in a wide range of things. he sees many projects through to finish that most dont do or wont do. second is his big game hunting. he has over 40 big game kills with primitive bow all self guided. hes got skill to get a kill. the trick is if he can keep it from the grizz.the second is colter..he lives in alaska has experience in wilds and homesteading skills.as of now i go with colter till i see more from these other folks to get a feel for them.

 

[elkhound]

 

[elkhound]

 

[elkhound]

my pick for winner colter.....him or clay..my 2cents.

 

[elkhound]

 

[elkhound]

 

[Bacpacker]

I was flipping thru the DVR and realized I never finished last season. Just watched next to last episode. Got the finally to go. Then I'll start on season 8.