I was having a conversation yesterday online elsewhere with a guy who served in the forces, now he said they did an experiment in different conditions and different climates, to see how long someone would survive after their supplies ran out, they called it their 12 day rule that being the average, he said it would be 7 days in the UK in winter and 9 days in a warmer climate. this surprised me, I don't disbelieve him, but I have always gone on the rule of 3, you know, 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food, but if this guy's experiments were correct it seems we can halve the time at the very least??
The 12 day rule.
- Thread starter lonewolf
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I think you need to know more about the conditions, for example in some places the weather will get you but there's plenty of water. In my area water is scarce but I could live 356 days of the year in my jocks with only mind discomfort in winter (sorry if that's too much information 
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)well he did say it was in different conditions and different climates, and the AVERAGE was 12 days which is why they called it the "12 day rule", 7 days in the UK in a typical winter. he didn't give a lot of specifics but I gathered it was not moving around too much, no doing anything really physical.
And it must include them gathering and purifying their own water. Supplies don't include access to a river, I gather. If we're talking UK then there's plenty of rainwater to go around as well.
I don't like absolutes, but I think it's safe to say that NO ONE SURVIVES 3 days without water. Straight up, no buts about it.
Also despite how much Bear Gryllis likes it, drinking your own urine does not rehydrate you, as it is a waste fluid. The more you recycle it, the less hydrating it actually is, and it gets saltier with every pass through the body. People don't survive because they drank their own piss, they survive despite it.
Also, I highly doubt they ran this experiment until someone died... 12 days is probably where they stopped. I feel it's possible (but obviously not pleasant) to go longer than 12 days without food, but not nearly that long without water.
I know it seems like we're all bashing your post but we just want people to make informed decisions when it comes to survival and safety. Never take someone else's word for anything when your life is on the line. It's always best to continue doing research on your own until you feel confident in your knowledge. The same goes for survival skills, but you must supplement your research with practice as well. Don't practice starving but don't just take one conversation with an "expert" as law. Or one thread on a message board, for that matter...
I don't like absolutes, but I think it's safe to say that NO ONE SURVIVES 3 days without water. Straight up, no buts about it.
Also despite how much Bear Gryllis likes it, drinking your own urine does not rehydrate you, as it is a waste fluid. The more you recycle it, the less hydrating it actually is, and it gets saltier with every pass through the body. People don't survive because they drank their own piss, they survive despite it.
Also, I highly doubt they ran this experiment until someone died... 12 days is probably where they stopped. I feel it's possible (but obviously not pleasant) to go longer than 12 days without food, but not nearly that long without water.
I know it seems like we're all bashing your post but we just want people to make informed decisions when it comes to survival and safety. Never take someone else's word for anything when your life is on the line. It's always best to continue doing research on your own until you feel confident in your knowledge. The same goes for survival skills, but you must supplement your research with practice as well. Don't practice starving but don't just take one conversation with an "expert" as law. Or one thread on a message board, for that matter...
OK then, lets think about this, we have been watching "Alone in the wild" on TV, yes ok its only a tv programme, but they drop people off alone in the wild(hence the title), 1 on a desert island, 2 in the rainforest, 2 in the African bush, they have to find their own food and water and build their own shelter. its only for 7 days but without exception they find little or no food, by the end of the week they are weak, losing weight, very disorientated, tired...............and starving. ok maybe they aren't dying on their feet but they are part way there.
Thing is, while you could technically go 3 weeks without food, after just a week (completely without), you'd wish you were dead.
That said though, other than the middle of the desert (no rocks, trees, etc. around) or the middle of the ocean with no supplies at all, I can't imagine anywhere where one can't find food and water of some sort.
That said though, other than the middle of the desert (no rocks, trees, etc. around) or the middle of the ocean with no supplies at all, I can't imagine anywhere where one can't find food and water of some sort.
yes, in a nice warm summer anyone could survive more or less, but in a typical cold wet UK winter most people would be dead long before spring. if you even tried going "off road" around here in the present conditions you wouldnt get 5 yards before you'd be up to your crotch in thick gooey mud.
i dont see anyone lasting past 2 or 3 days without water. especially in the desert..pluss a person is gonna burn lots of calories doing daily task.so anything that dont contain poisons and has the needed nutrients will be needed on a day to day basses..
In a desert, you'll lose more water due to sweat, so yeah, nasty bit there. Whenever we went out into the desert, we always took plenty of water, and notified the compound security of our planned coordinates and route.
The 3 week food rule is under ideal conditions with a person in very good health, in the winter the 3 week rule wouldn't apply since food gives energy to produce heat, you would freeze to death before starving even with a fire, in the winter one take's a piss more often then in the summer (for the majority) thus as the bladder is emptied the core body temperature begins to decline requiring food to regain what was loss. Even in good conditions going a week without food would be challenging if you had to negotiate adverse terrain, climb a tree etc... If one was just laying in bed exerting no energy for 3 weeks then you may survive in the 'summer', imagine trying to build a signal fire 2 weeks without food. If the ambient air temp is below body heat you are going to know it in one week without food, in two weeks you will feel it to the core.
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I remember many years ago a bloke survived for (I think) 40 days in the Himalayas with a single Mars bar. IIRC he pretty much hibernated in a snow cave....OK, found a link
http://www.medicaltranslation.com.a...articles/1992/3/8/james-scott-how-i-survived/
It's VERY long-winded, but an interesting read for the most part. He says "two chocolate bars", no mention of Mars but I think there was an issue with specifying the brand.
When his Nepalise rescuers found him...
http://www.medicaltranslation.com.a...articles/1992/3/8/james-scott-how-i-survived/
It's VERY long-winded, but an interesting read for the most part. He says "two chocolate bars", no mention of Mars but I think there was an issue with specifying the brand.
When his Nepalise rescuers found him...
I agree that there are just too many variables to come up with a magic number, but realistically 12 days isn't too bad of an estimate/average. I have heard three weeks for ages, but have always thought that was really optimistic. Even after 4 or 5 days your judgement would be impaired, your energy would be gone, and it would exponentially get worse daily. Yes, you may not take your last breath before three weeks, but you couldn't defend yourself or forage or try to improve your situation after much less time.
yes, we have been watching "Alone in the wild" on tv, where they drop people alone in the wild(hence the title) to survive for 7 days without any outside help, they have to find their own food and water and build their own shelter. 1 was on a desert island, 2 in the rain forest and 2 in the African bush. without exception they found little or no food, nobody trapped or snared although they did throw out a fishing line. by day 3 or 4 they were getting weak, very disorientated and tired. so it just goes to show how quickly it will start.
Related to Graynomad's post, a short read on the impossible.
"But even the experts confess to a point beyond which science fails to explain the endurance of some survivors.
"We have patients who live and die unexpectedly, and the only thing you can attribute it to is their will to live," says McMahon. "It is impossible to quantify the will to live."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/science/clinging-to-life/2004/03/01/1078117362499.html
The 3 min, 3 day, 3 week rules only work in excellent conditions and are the maximum for any untrained person.
If you live in the tropics like we do, the without water time is 2 days max, after that you get disoriented, if you have to do any physical work like looking for food, its 7 to 10 days going without food that is the maximum, the best way to find out for yourself is to just DO IT , and you find out very fast hoe good your condition is?? I have tested it myself and I'm in fairly good condition, but that were my limits before getting sick, but as long as you can drink water the longer the food time becomes to at least 10 days (for me that is ?)
If you live in the tropics like we do, the without water time is 2 days max, after that you get disoriented, if you have to do any physical work like looking for food, its 7 to 10 days going without food that is the maximum, the best way to find out for yourself is to just DO IT , and you find out very fast hoe good your condition is?? I have tested it myself and I'm in fairly good condition, but that were my limits before getting sick, but as long as you can drink water the longer the food time becomes to at least 10 days (for me that is ?)
Even with just 10 day testing these begin to take place; cognitive malfunction, immune system degradation, gastrointestinal issues, heart muscle damage, the organs begin to reduce function/shut down. So even testing for a ten day period can cause permanent damage to the body that may not show up a year or years later, if we are prepping to sustain our lives and remain healthy to the best we can do I would refrain from going to that extreme in testing one's endurance, 2 to 3 days should be max providing one is healthy though feeling healthy doesn't guarantee that one is
Yes I agree but I like to test things on myself, just have to stop in time when you realize the decline in functions? But I traveled a lot at sea, single handed and then you sometimes have to know your limits, like in bad weather on a yacht going 3 days and nights without sleep will teach you what to eat, how often, what quantities, ect.
All this was done when I was much younger, now that I'm retired and have a family with kids I don't take those risks anymore, but it gave me a good basis in my prepping now ? But many times at sea, commercial or single handed you have to be more selfsufficient the living in a town with a grocery store around the corner?
All this was done when I was much younger, now that I'm retired and have a family with kids I don't take those risks anymore, but it gave me a good basis in my prepping now ? But many times at sea, commercial or single handed you have to be more selfsufficient the living in a town with a grocery store around the corner?
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