On a cold snowy winter day I find myself stranded in the Canadian wilderness with a small survival kit I keep in my vehicle. I put my kit to the test to survive the night during a 20°C snowstorm.
Thank you to everyone who watches! God bless.
More info about the video and the gear I used:
First off, this is just a scenario depicting what I'd do in a situation where I was stranded in the outdoors. I spend a lot of time alone in the wilderness and there's been many times where my vehicle has broken down or gotten stuck and I've had to call for help. If I had been unable to get help in those situations this video is an accurate representation of what I would do.
Location: Alberta, Canada
Why not spend the night in my vehicle?
In this scenario my vehicle will not start. That means no heat. A winter night inside of a nonrunning vehicle would be very cold compared to the camp I had. If the vehicle had been running then perhaps staying in the vehicle would be an option. It mainly depends on how much fuel you have. It should also be noted that staying inside of an idling vehicle can be dangerous because of exhaust fumes. The correct choice of whether or not to stay in your vehicle is very situational. In the scenario shown in this video, I felt the correct choice was to sleep outside.
What was the temperature during this video?
It started off around 15°C (5°F) base temperature and 25°C (13°F) with the wind chill. During the night the coldest it got was 21°C (6°F) base temperature and 30°C (22°F) with the wind chill.
What about wildlife?
There's a variety of big game (moose, deer, grizzly bears, black bears, cougars, wolves) in this area. They tend to avoid humans for the most part and don't pose much of a threat. I figured due to the weather most animals would be bedded down and waiting out the storm but to my surprise in the morning when I hiked out there were fresh wolf tracks all over the place.
How much sleep did I get?
I got approximately 6 hours of sleep, getting up once throughout the night to tend to the fire.
What clothing was I wearing?
I was obviously at a huge advantage during this video since I was wearing proper footwear and clothing for the weather which is always the case whenever I'm in the backcountry.
Upper body clothing (4 layers):
Cotton base layer, Hooded cotton/wool blend sweater, Wool sweater, Waxed cotton jacket
Lower body clothing (3 layers):
Cotton base layer, Wool pants, Waxed cotton pants
Footwear:
Thick cotton socks, Sorel Pac Boots
A few links to videos showing the knots I used:
Simple Cinch Knot for lashing my wool blanket to my pack:
• Bushcraft Gear Tie Knot
Simple Tarp Ridgeline using One Knot:
• Keeping it Simple Tarp Ridgeline Us...
Attaching a Tarp to a Ridgeline:
• Keeping it Simple Attaching a Tarp ...
Gear List:
Backpack: Small Tactical Day Pack (link provided is not the exact model, but very close)
https://a.co/d/j3ZpceE
Hatchet: 1 3/4 lb Germanmade Hatchet
Saw: Norlund Folding Bowsaw
Tarp: Arcturus Heavy Duty Survival Blanket
https://a.co/d/2u67BWk
Wool Blanket: Arcturus Military Wool Blanket (Olive Green)
https://a.co/d/58SlHbE
Kettle: Woods Cypress Kettle (I think this model has been discontinued...here's a link to something very similar)
https://a.co/d/15Ezz6w
If you have any questions please let me know in the comments section, thanks!