Endurance is the final discipline of the seven the competitors face in the Total Outdoorsman Challenge Finals. While they need to be physically fit to complete the course in a competitive time, it’s more about testing the competitors’ ability to adapt and skill level in some uncommon tasks.

Throwing knives, blow guns, and slingshots are usually seen as novelties, but they are skills we all should have. Pretty sure if I had to make a slingshot or blow gun, I could, and probably learn to use them effectively and relatively quickly. But put into a situation where I HAD to use them to eat, I’d be fighting with doubt, as well as hunger. Never a good thing in a survival situation.

Knowing more than one way to light a fire and build that flame fast can be a life saver when the time comes.

Point being, the competitors have handled firearms, bows, rods, and ATV’s in the previous six disciplines. Let’s find out what which one(s) could keep their butt alive if they had to, so the theme of this year’s Mobil 1 Endurance course is survival.

Hunt with a primitive weapon. Have the mental toughness to think through tasks with physical fatigue. Get warm and dry without a tent or matches.

Scenario: You and a buddy fly in to Alaska for a 100-mile flyfishing float trip, self-guided. Not 5 miles downriver, you lose control of the raft, turn over, and your gear is gone. All that is left is what you had in your pockets: a 5-inch lock-blade, a small survival tin (steel wool, mirror, 9-volt battery, small pack of cheese, and a 2-foot section of paracord), and a clip-on LED headlamp. The outfitter is to meet you at the take-out point in 10 days, so no one will be expecting y’all for a while.

Quiz: What are your priorities for the first 72 hours? Where and how do you accomplish these “tasks”?

Swag: A Field & Stream prize pack.

Comments (3)

from hctapluos wrote 37 weeks 2 days ago

My first priority would be make it to dry ground and get a fire going, so that I can dry me and my clothes off. I would use the steel wool touching the battery terminals to get the spark to ignite the fluffed up tinder I have removed from the trees with my knife. My next concern would be shelter, so I would use the paracord (which I have taken apart to remove the inner strands for later) to strap two stick poles to some trees to make a lean to shelter. Next priority is to get to a large opening nearby and create a large SOS with rocks, logs, whatever. Also at this time, I'm going to use a little strand of paracord and hang the mirror up so that it will give constant refections to the sky and we can be occupied with other survival tasks. Food is the next priority and I would use some strands from the paracord to make springing snares for small mammals using the cheese as bait. I would also use the cheese baited on a hook which was made from the tin with the knife, that is tied to strands of paracord, and used to catch a fish. Water would be either found fresh from spring seeps, or boiled in a hat by putting rocks from the fire in it. Only use the LED when totally necessary, and mainly for signaling any aircraft during the night. BTW-should your buddy
die, you could always have a leg of Sam.

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from vttroller wrote 36 weeks 5 days ago

Once all 4 of us reached shore. Check to make sure there isn't no serious injuries. Gather what we all have and take invetory.
We all gather kindling and wood as well as shavings to start the fire.
Using the battery and steel wool to start the fire with the shavings and kindling nexxt to you..
When we dry out as we make shelter. Basic lean two facing east to catch the early sun. Using the 2' paracord to tie one end of the main ridge poll. As you don't usually find 2 perfet V branch pole holds the same hieght and width for a lean two. Make a fish trap out of branch's for more nurishment. Everyone can help push/carall the fish into the trap during the day if needed. Of course we made our own personalized spear with the lock blade as soon as we rotated time to do so. Meanwhile keeping the mirror handy for any over head planes. Have 2 search the area and along the bank to see if any gear floated to shore down stream. Keeping pairs together at all times. We have the home made spears for defense of wild animals and to spear fish as we head down stream.
In a day or so.
Once gathered oueselves, dried out, fed. We head dowm stream with the mirror handy in case of any planes flying near by. Camp where was going to till we reach the destination point and wait.

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from Davidkingsbury wrote 6 weeks 4 days ago

Your first task should be to assess the situation then make a shelter by using the knife as a hatchet and cut s,all limbs and make a lean to or a teepee then fire u use the knife to shave tinder off of a dry stick and u ignite that using the 9 volt battery and the steel wool by touching the two together and then water u need to find a source of fresh water and now that u have fire u can boil the water to kill all the bacteria and pathogens and u would boil the water in the survival tin can

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from hctapluos wrote 37 weeks 2 days ago

My first priority would be make it to dry ground and get a fire going, so that I can dry me and my clothes off. I would use the steel wool touching the battery terminals to get the spark to ignite the fluffed up tinder I have removed from the trees with my knife. My next concern would be shelter, so I would use the paracord (which I have taken apart to remove the inner strands for later) to strap two stick poles to some trees to make a lean to shelter. Next priority is to get to a large opening nearby and create a large SOS with rocks, logs, whatever. Also at this time, I'm going to use a little strand of paracord and hang the mirror up so that it will give constant refections to the sky and we can be occupied with other survival tasks. Food is the next priority and I would use some strands from the paracord to make springing snares for small mammals using the cheese as bait. I would also use the cheese baited on a hook which was made from the tin with the knife, that is tied to strands of paracord, and used to catch a fish. Water would be either found fresh from spring seeps, or boiled in a hat by putting rocks from the fire in it. Only use the LED when totally necessary, and mainly for signaling any aircraft during the night. BTW-should your buddy
die, you could always have a leg of Sam.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from vttroller wrote 36 weeks 5 days ago

Once all 4 of us reached shore. Check to make sure there isn't no serious injuries. Gather what we all have and take invetory.
We all gather kindling and wood as well as shavings to start the fire.
Using the battery and steel wool to start the fire with the shavings and kindling nexxt to you..
When we dry out as we make shelter. Basic lean two facing east to catch the early sun. Using the 2' paracord to tie one end of the main ridge poll. As you don't usually find 2 perfet V branch pole holds the same hieght and width for a lean two. Make a fish trap out of branch's for more nurishment. Everyone can help push/carall the fish into the trap during the day if needed. Of course we made our own personalized spear with the lock blade as soon as we rotated time to do so. Meanwhile keeping the mirror handy for any over head planes. Have 2 search the area and along the bank to see if any gear floated to shore down stream. Keeping pairs together at all times. We have the home made spears for defense of wild animals and to spear fish as we head down stream.
In a day or so.
Once gathered oueselves, dried out, fed. We head dowm stream with the mirror handy in case of any planes flying near by. Camp where was going to till we reach the destination point and wait.

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from Davidkingsbury wrote 6 weeks 4 days ago

Your first task should be to assess the situation then make a shelter by using the knife as a hatchet and cut s,all limbs and make a lean to or a teepee then fire u use the knife to shave tinder off of a dry stick and u ignite that using the 9 volt battery and the steel wool by touching the two together and then water u need to find a source of fresh water and now that u have fire u can boil the water to kill all the bacteria and pathogens and u would boil the water in the survival tin can

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Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.