Just wondering if anyone knows where to find any of those survival exercises.
The ones that start off 'You've crash landed in ___," state the climate, and weahter conditions and nearest settlement. Then give a list of items.
The person then rates the items in the order from most useful to least useful. Then the results are compared with a experts recommendations and you get a score?
If anybody knows what i'm talkign about and where i can find any of those it'd be great.
If not those, are there any other exercises anyone could recommend?
Thanks.
Looking for Survival Exercises
Moderators: North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, I WAS Birddog
-
mellow_pilot
- Rank 10
- Posts: 2119
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:04 am
- Location: Pilot Purgatory
I know the ones you're talking about. I think they were prodced by the military (mayhaps in conjunction with TC?). I would start by looking up your local SAR group. They can often help. I would caution you about the validity of those 'list in order of most useful' things, they are very subjective. We often thought of uses for things that the 'experts' never did. Survival is all about being creative.
Dyslexics of the world... UNTIE!
found one. Without hunting down the answers to this one yourself anyone want to have a go at it and post your rankings and why?
Lighter: need a spark to start a fire, here's a good source
gun with bullets: pull the slug out and spark into the gun powder with the lighter. Sould be enough to get some tinder going
Canvas: makes a great wind shelter and would also provide a high vis surface to see you from.
extra clothes: -40C at night is gonna require some extra clothes regardless of fire situation.
news papers: will allow you to easily restart fire incase it goes out.
axe: although i'd try not to waste energy chopping down dead tress, depending on how long you're there it may come in handy.
crisco: i'm sure it would smoke like hell if thrown onto the fire to signal
whiskey: flamable, and you might as well start the party out there (j/k)
map: burn it
chocolate bars: eat them
compass: seems somewhat more useful than steel wool
steel wool: wtf over?
what does everyone else think? I'm sure i've botched a few here. I'll post the answers in a few days and see how we all did.
With a quick glimpse over the list here's my ratings and whyou and your companions have just survived the crash of a small plane. Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash. It is mid-January , and you are in Northern Canada. The daily temperature is 25 below zero, and the night time temperature is 40 below zero. There is snow on the ground,
and the countryside is wooded with with several creeks criss-crossing the area. The nearest town is 20 miles away. You are all dressed in city clothes appropriate for a business meeting. Your group of survivors managed to salvage the following items:
A ball of steel wool
A small ax
A loaded .45-caliber pistol
Can of Crisco shortening
Newspapers (one per person)
Cigarette lighter (without fluid)
Extra shirt and pants for each survivor
20 x 20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas
A sectional air map made of plastic
One quart of 100-proof whiskey
A compass
Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)
Your task as a group is to list the above 12 items in order of importance for your survival. List the uses for each. You MUST come to agreement as a group.
Lighter: need a spark to start a fire, here's a good source
gun with bullets: pull the slug out and spark into the gun powder with the lighter. Sould be enough to get some tinder going
Canvas: makes a great wind shelter and would also provide a high vis surface to see you from.
extra clothes: -40C at night is gonna require some extra clothes regardless of fire situation.
news papers: will allow you to easily restart fire incase it goes out.
axe: although i'd try not to waste energy chopping down dead tress, depending on how long you're there it may come in handy.
crisco: i'm sure it would smoke like hell if thrown onto the fire to signal
whiskey: flamable, and you might as well start the party out there (j/k)
map: burn it
chocolate bars: eat them
compass: seems somewhat more useful than steel wool
steel wool: wtf over?
what does everyone else think? I'm sure i've botched a few here. I'll post the answers in a few days and see how we all did.
-
northmansx
- Rank 2
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2004 9:38 pm
-
200hr Wonder
- Rank 10
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 1:52 pm
- Location: CYVR
- Contact:
Crisco will burn like a mofo and for a long time.
Take some crico, tear a strip off of a shirt and you create wick, this can then be used for a small lamp that can heat a snow shelter
The steel wool burns awsome with just spark. Mabe use some of hte 100 proof for lighter fluid... it might work.
Here is one I learned... take your chcolate bar and a can (I know there is not one but hey), and use it with a rag to polish the bottom of the can. After alot of effort you will get a mirror polish on the bottom of the can. This can be used to focus sun to start a fire or as a signal. It works... try it for you self, though the polishing takes alot of time.
Take some crico, tear a strip off of a shirt and you create wick, this can then be used for a small lamp that can heat a snow shelter
The steel wool burns awsome with just spark. Mabe use some of hte 100 proof for lighter fluid... it might work.
Here is one I learned... take your chcolate bar and a can (I know there is not one but hey), and use it with a rag to polish the bottom of the can. After alot of effort you will get a mirror polish on the bottom of the can. This can be used to focus sun to start a fire or as a signal. It works... try it for you self, though the polishing takes alot of time.
-
Over the Horn
- Rank 5
- Posts: 380
- Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2004 5:28 pm
- Contact:
There is snow on the ground so your axe will be your primary tool as it is in most survival situations.
"FLY THE AIRPLANE"!
http://www.youtube.com/hazatude
http://www.youtube.com/hazatude
Extra shirt and pants for each survivor
Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)
Can of Crisco shortening
A compass
A sectional air map made of plastic
Cigarette lighter (without fluid)
One quart of 100-proof whiskey
A ball of steel wool
Newspapers (one per person)
A small ax
A loaded .45-caliber pistol
20 x 20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas
Now im by no means an expert; and there’s a bit of openness to the situation (IE we don’t know the terrain etc….) BUT Id be inclined to do the following;
If a town in 20 miles (read 32km) away; screw it, ill spend the night in a hotel…. This is probably exactly NOT what you want to do; but depending what your walking through that shouldn’t take more than a day; SO first thing would be to preserve as much energy as you can; READ the extra clothing; then next have as much caloric energy as possible; read the chocolate AND OR the Crisco (which can also burn…) the compass and map to get out of there; the rest of the stuff for fire; and the .45 to deal with any “dissenters” who want to stay with the plane… Id then be inclined to pull the bodies out of the plane (take their clothing) With the elt etc…; as well as anything that could help TC with their investigation…. Then cutting the canvas up I would make a Giant arrow near the plane pointing in the direction of town; then id light the plane on fire; warm up for a bit then start huffen it…
So how wrong was that? Am I dead?
Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)
Can of Crisco shortening
A compass
A sectional air map made of plastic
Cigarette lighter (without fluid)
One quart of 100-proof whiskey
A ball of steel wool
Newspapers (one per person)
A small ax
A loaded .45-caliber pistol
20 x 20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas
Now im by no means an expert; and there’s a bit of openness to the situation (IE we don’t know the terrain etc….) BUT Id be inclined to do the following;
If a town in 20 miles (read 32km) away; screw it, ill spend the night in a hotel…. This is probably exactly NOT what you want to do; but depending what your walking through that shouldn’t take more than a day; SO first thing would be to preserve as much energy as you can; READ the extra clothing; then next have as much caloric energy as possible; read the chocolate AND OR the Crisco (which can also burn…) the compass and map to get out of there; the rest of the stuff for fire; and the .45 to deal with any “dissenters” who want to stay with the plane… Id then be inclined to pull the bodies out of the plane (take their clothing) With the elt etc…; as well as anything that could help TC with their investigation…. Then cutting the canvas up I would make a Giant arrow near the plane pointing in the direction of town; then id light the plane on fire; warm up for a bit then start huffen it…
So how wrong was that? Am I dead?
Yep Walker you are dead!! Sorry to hear the news! First, it is the middle of winter therefore you will probably be trying to walk 20 miles through 3 feet of snow. Good luck without snowshoes. Secondly, it states there are numerous creeks crisscrossing the area, so chances are you will end up wet trying to get across them. At -40, all sweated up from walking through snow and soaking wet light clothes or even partially, sorry man but you are a goner!!
Staying at the crash site or very near it would be the first decision I would make in this scenario. Build a shelter, gather up lots of wood and then get a fire going.
Staying at the crash site or very near it would be the first decision I would make in this scenario. Build a shelter, gather up lots of wood and then get a fire going.
You Can Love An Airplane All You Want, But Remember, It Will Never Love You Back!
I don’t know about you guys, but I like the idea of staying with the plane, take a really good look at a map and think about what a 20 mile walk would be like in those conditions. As CLguy said stay with the plane. I don’t care how bent up it is I would find something useful to keep my self busy after a fire and shelter is built. I know that we are supposed to be passengers and not flight crew, but looking through the wreckage they could still read that little orange box in the back “Emergency Locator Transmitter” or open up some of the books in the cockpit POH or CFS would have some info on communicating and radios. “We” may even be lucky enough to have a the aircraft battery to play around with and god knows get a radio working. Think of all the good things around the plane! It does not say the plane has burnt (if it had we would probably be dead). We should be able to find some fuel, oil, brake fluid, to make smoke & fire. The seats could be used to sleep on, control cables to help in building a shelter, carpet, doors, rudder and sheet aluminium could all be removed with the axe.
From what “Joe public” knows we have a great system for locating things like downed aircraft. My brother is not a pilot and I’m quite sure that he would be inclined to try and use the radios or at minimum make sure the ELT antenna wire is attached and its turned on if he found it.
Sure once a couple days has passed I would make plans to walk out. But I would not be trying that until I was sure the rescue team had given up. They may not be able to even get out and look for a couple days depending on the weather.
My $.02
From what “Joe public” knows we have a great system for locating things like downed aircraft. My brother is not a pilot and I’m quite sure that he would be inclined to try and use the radios or at minimum make sure the ELT antenna wire is attached and its turned on if he found it.
Sure once a couple days has passed I would make plans to walk out. But I would not be trying that until I was sure the rescue team had given up. They may not be able to even get out and look for a couple days depending on the weather.
My $.02
Hi folks
After spending some time with a civilian search and rescue organization (CASARA) I can tell you that most GA/REC pilots and maybe some commercial drivers (bush) don't really think about the day they might have to "put in" and actually be prepared for what might happen.
When I first joined the unit there were 5 other persons (plus me) who were going through spotter/observer training. As a member of CASARA you could also be called upon to augment a CF SAR A.C. such as the C130 and C113 Lab (at the time) as a spotter. On one weekend we were informed that a Lab would be flying in from Trenton so we could qualify as a spotter on CF SAR aircraft. Just before we boarded to start our training, the SAR TECH asked..."Everybody ready to go? Got everything you'll need?" I had my spotters manual, knew all my terms, flight jacket, sun glasses...everybody else was the same...he asked the same question again....yup.....we're ready!!! The six of us took off and after about a 20 minute flight, I noticed we were decending into a field. The Lab touched down, the back ramp went down and the SAR TECH yelled..."Everybody out!".....we exited along with the SAR TECH and watched as the ramp went up and the Lab took off. The SAR TECH said "Ok people, your AC just crashed...now survive!!!!
The moral of that true story was...Were we prepared?....yes we were, for the task that we were "supposed" to do which was spotter training....were we prepared for the "crash and survive" situation?....no!!! Six people learned VERY quickly what can happen and what you should do!!!
Here's briefly what the SAR TECHS taught us on that day. Your priorities for survival are this: F.F.S.S
First Aid, Fire, Shelter, Signals..in that order
First Aid - tend to any bumps, bruises, lacerations that you and your PAX might have. You can get excellent first aid kits that fit into the palm of your hand and are jam packed with goodies to take care of minor injuries...bigger kits of course if you have the room.
Fire - aside from the "heating" qualities, building a fire is a great moral builder. I personaly will not use an axe...they expend to much energy when using it, they tend to get blunt in a hurry and a glancing hit on a piece of wood can send the blade into you ankle, shins or knees. The absolute best tool is the folding pruning saw! When folded up it only measures about 8 inches long. The saw can cut through a 3 inch diameter branch in no time at all with very little effort! When looking for dry wood...LOOK UP. You'll find dead branches and twigs still in trees and saplings and not all damp or punky. Gather wood in 3 sizes....twigs for tinder, finger size and smaller for fuel and burning size about wrist size and up. Waterproof matches, lighter, magnesium blocks with striker etc to start. Gather more would than you think you'll need...you might need it for extra heat or signals
Shelter - this is where your pruning saw can be a life saver. Lean-to's are easily built with a saw. How do we lash it together? Have about 200 ft of 10 to 12 pound test fishing line. Re-spool it to a smaller spool for compactness. Aside from it's more "traditional" use, try wrapping some around 2 fingers about 5 times....now try to pull them apart!!! If you lash your shelter with the line, the branches will break before the line does! The 8 x10 tarps you can get at any hardware store make excellent shelter covers and are easy, light to have aboard your A.C. If not...pine boughes for insulation. Even dry temporary shelter can be found under pine or spruce trees in the winter.
Signals - assuming you radio is kaput, there's no cell coverage, you best have some signals or the search party might not find you till spring! 3 fires set in a triangle...ready to light. Keep pine boughes handy to create a smudgy smoke or if you can, drain some oil out of your AC. Tramp the letters "V" - need assistance or "X" - need medical assistance in the snow and fill with branches etc....careful though!!, this expends precious energy! A signal mirror can be as simple as the size of 3 x 3 about the size of a ladies compact mirror. You don't need a fancy sig mirror with the hole in it. To aim it...hold your hand open in front of your face. Position yourself so you can reflect the sun's "fireball" on your open hand and use your "bird finger" as your aiming site. If you' re signaling an aircraft, keep your "bird finger" slightly ahead and below the AC. Move the fireball up and down off your palm. on a clear day a mirror signal can be seen up to 50 miles and an overcast day about 10 miles. It can even be seen on a bright moonlit night. A good whistle is a must. Do not expend energy yelling. Three quick blasts is the universal distress signal. There could be somebody just over the hill hiking, snowmobiling or ATV'ing.
A few other tips....food....I use a pill container that holds a 100 tabs. You can fill this up with powdered soup, boullion etc...for a "soup pot" get one of those "specialty" coffee cans (holds about 4 to 6 ounces of water). have maybe a half dozen of the pot pouree (sp?) candles....dig a small hole, put the candle in, a couple small twigs for grates, melt snow or add water, soup powder and hot in about 8 to 10 minutes. Try a simple trail mix of Planters Peanuts and raisins...put in a sandwhich bag, seal it and duct tape the whole baggie..completely and tightly...absolutely waterproof!! Most of this gear can actually be carried "on your person" and not a bad idea if you have to exit your A.C. in a hurry. I use a surplus miltary survival vest which is load-bearing and comfortable. Others use the professional photographers vests...lot's of pockets and storage!
Sorry if I rambled on, but these are my suggestions and tips based on training from CF SAR TECHS. Let's hope I never have to use them in a real situation and I hope you don't either!!
Cheers
A
After spending some time with a civilian search and rescue organization (CASARA) I can tell you that most GA/REC pilots and maybe some commercial drivers (bush) don't really think about the day they might have to "put in" and actually be prepared for what might happen.
When I first joined the unit there were 5 other persons (plus me) who were going through spotter/observer training. As a member of CASARA you could also be called upon to augment a CF SAR A.C. such as the C130 and C113 Lab (at the time) as a spotter. On one weekend we were informed that a Lab would be flying in from Trenton so we could qualify as a spotter on CF SAR aircraft. Just before we boarded to start our training, the SAR TECH asked..."Everybody ready to go? Got everything you'll need?" I had my spotters manual, knew all my terms, flight jacket, sun glasses...everybody else was the same...he asked the same question again....yup.....we're ready!!! The six of us took off and after about a 20 minute flight, I noticed we were decending into a field. The Lab touched down, the back ramp went down and the SAR TECH yelled..."Everybody out!".....we exited along with the SAR TECH and watched as the ramp went up and the Lab took off. The SAR TECH said "Ok people, your AC just crashed...now survive!!!!
The moral of that true story was...Were we prepared?....yes we were, for the task that we were "supposed" to do which was spotter training....were we prepared for the "crash and survive" situation?....no!!! Six people learned VERY quickly what can happen and what you should do!!!
Here's briefly what the SAR TECHS taught us on that day. Your priorities for survival are this: F.F.S.S
First Aid, Fire, Shelter, Signals..in that order
First Aid - tend to any bumps, bruises, lacerations that you and your PAX might have. You can get excellent first aid kits that fit into the palm of your hand and are jam packed with goodies to take care of minor injuries...bigger kits of course if you have the room.
Fire - aside from the "heating" qualities, building a fire is a great moral builder. I personaly will not use an axe...they expend to much energy when using it, they tend to get blunt in a hurry and a glancing hit on a piece of wood can send the blade into you ankle, shins or knees. The absolute best tool is the folding pruning saw! When folded up it only measures about 8 inches long. The saw can cut through a 3 inch diameter branch in no time at all with very little effort! When looking for dry wood...LOOK UP. You'll find dead branches and twigs still in trees and saplings and not all damp or punky. Gather wood in 3 sizes....twigs for tinder, finger size and smaller for fuel and burning size about wrist size and up. Waterproof matches, lighter, magnesium blocks with striker etc to start. Gather more would than you think you'll need...you might need it for extra heat or signals
Shelter - this is where your pruning saw can be a life saver. Lean-to's are easily built with a saw. How do we lash it together? Have about 200 ft of 10 to 12 pound test fishing line. Re-spool it to a smaller spool for compactness. Aside from it's more "traditional" use, try wrapping some around 2 fingers about 5 times....now try to pull them apart!!! If you lash your shelter with the line, the branches will break before the line does! The 8 x10 tarps you can get at any hardware store make excellent shelter covers and are easy, light to have aboard your A.C. If not...pine boughes for insulation. Even dry temporary shelter can be found under pine or spruce trees in the winter.
Signals - assuming you radio is kaput, there's no cell coverage, you best have some signals or the search party might not find you till spring! 3 fires set in a triangle...ready to light. Keep pine boughes handy to create a smudgy smoke or if you can, drain some oil out of your AC. Tramp the letters "V" - need assistance or "X" - need medical assistance in the snow and fill with branches etc....careful though!!, this expends precious energy! A signal mirror can be as simple as the size of 3 x 3 about the size of a ladies compact mirror. You don't need a fancy sig mirror with the hole in it. To aim it...hold your hand open in front of your face. Position yourself so you can reflect the sun's "fireball" on your open hand and use your "bird finger" as your aiming site. If you' re signaling an aircraft, keep your "bird finger" slightly ahead and below the AC. Move the fireball up and down off your palm. on a clear day a mirror signal can be seen up to 50 miles and an overcast day about 10 miles. It can even be seen on a bright moonlit night. A good whistle is a must. Do not expend energy yelling. Three quick blasts is the universal distress signal. There could be somebody just over the hill hiking, snowmobiling or ATV'ing.
A few other tips....food....I use a pill container that holds a 100 tabs. You can fill this up with powdered soup, boullion etc...for a "soup pot" get one of those "specialty" coffee cans (holds about 4 to 6 ounces of water). have maybe a half dozen of the pot pouree (sp?) candles....dig a small hole, put the candle in, a couple small twigs for grates, melt snow or add water, soup powder and hot in about 8 to 10 minutes. Try a simple trail mix of Planters Peanuts and raisins...put in a sandwhich bag, seal it and duct tape the whole baggie..completely and tightly...absolutely waterproof!! Most of this gear can actually be carried "on your person" and not a bad idea if you have to exit your A.C. in a hurry. I use a surplus miltary survival vest which is load-bearing and comfortable. Others use the professional photographers vests...lot's of pockets and storage!
Sorry if I rambled on, but these are my suggestions and tips based on training from CF SAR TECHS. Let's hope I never have to use them in a real situation and I hope you don't either!!
Cheers
A
A pilot with experience should never have to answer to a pilot with only a theory
AIRCON has some very good pointers for survival. Hopefully you all have done a pax briefing pointing out the location of the elt and survivla gear.
Having spent some time in the military and taken cold wx survival here is my advice.
STOP - Stop Think Observe Plan
Stay where you are, it is alot easier to locate an airplane in the bush than people who blend in with the trees
Think about what resources you have and how to use them to survive
Observe the terrain, weather, additional resources.
Plan- carry out your plan of action, plan to stay for a week and hope to be picked up overnight.
1. Do not eat any food on the first day. Your body has plenty of reserve to carry you through an entire day without eating.
2 Water is a must as you must remain hydrated. Do not eat snow as it will dehydrate you, it must be melted in a container.
3. NO alcohol!! Anyone else get the pasties after a night of drinking?
4. Fire is your friend, it provides warmth, comfort, protection, signals
Anyone who flies for a bush op here is a nice little trick, Find an old tobacco size can that will hold a roll of toilet paper, Bring along a small bottle of methyl hydrate( gas line anti-freeze). In an emerg. soak the toilet paper inside the can with the methyl hydrate and light with match or spark. makes a nice warm clean fire) Save some tp as you may need it.
5. Build shelter
6. Communicate or signal if during the day or if you hear a plane at night.
Hopefully you will never have to use these skills but knowledge is power!
ps. how many of you fly with your jacket tucked away, in a post crash fire you might only escape with the clothes on your back and the survival gear in your pocket.
Having spent some time in the military and taken cold wx survival here is my advice.
STOP - Stop Think Observe Plan
Stay where you are, it is alot easier to locate an airplane in the bush than people who blend in with the trees
Think about what resources you have and how to use them to survive
Observe the terrain, weather, additional resources.
Plan- carry out your plan of action, plan to stay for a week and hope to be picked up overnight.
1. Do not eat any food on the first day. Your body has plenty of reserve to carry you through an entire day without eating.
2 Water is a must as you must remain hydrated. Do not eat snow as it will dehydrate you, it must be melted in a container.
3. NO alcohol!! Anyone else get the pasties after a night of drinking?
4. Fire is your friend, it provides warmth, comfort, protection, signals
Anyone who flies for a bush op here is a nice little trick, Find an old tobacco size can that will hold a roll of toilet paper, Bring along a small bottle of methyl hydrate( gas line anti-freeze). In an emerg. soak the toilet paper inside the can with the methyl hydrate and light with match or spark. makes a nice warm clean fire) Save some tp as you may need it.
5. Build shelter
6. Communicate or signal if during the day or if you hear a plane at night.
Hopefully you will never have to use these skills but knowledge is power!
ps. how many of you fly with your jacket tucked away, in a post crash fire you might only escape with the clothes on your back and the survival gear in your pocket.
-
Blue Side Down
- Rank 7
- Posts: 581
- Joined: Tue May 04, 2004 11:27 am
AirCon I think you totally missed the point of the exercise! Next time you’re on your way to see your sick child in a Winnipeg hospital or your on your way home from a sunny Mexican vacation will you have a “folding pruning saw” with you? You have to make due with what you have. Chances are you wont have a big water proof bag of peanuts with you.
Cheers
P
Cheers
P
-
mellow_pilot
- Rank 10
- Posts: 2119
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:04 am
- Location: Pilot Purgatory
The steel wool can also be used to rough up paper/birch bark/moss/tinder so it takes a spark easier.
The alcohol lights easily if you shake the bottle really hard for about 30 seconds, you'll get fumes that go off with just a lighter spark. Also may help to disinfect wounds. I don't know why everyone always assumes you're going to drink the stuff...
Clothes, I'd keep the extra sets seperate incase you start to sweat making your shelter/fire. Hypothermia sets in fast when you're wet.
Canvas... million uses.
Compass, like hell you're walking out of there.
Map. It's plastic, hopefully a bit shinny, use for signals.
Axe. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger. Waste energy, get sweaty, hit yourself in the foot...
Crisco... did someone say cookies? Seriously, there were some good ideas mentioned, fire, lamp wick for light, food.
.45, I'm not really sure on this one... part of me says hunt, but then you have to haul whatever you kill back. Probably not worth the effort. Bullets maybe useful as mentioned, but what about pulling out the actual bullet and some (most) of the powder, making a blank out of it and starting a fire by shooting into tinder? (I've seen it done, so don't tell me it won't work.)
Like I said at the begining, people get way too wrapped up in the 'official' way of doing things. Be creative and practice, get out of the city once in a while. Go camping.
P.S. Endless, cheers to your magnesium, but I'd take a lighter, less hassle
(I was camping a couple years ago with some freinds and a few City types, they spent an hour trying to start a fire with the magnesium striker, birch, and some moss. Finally we took pity and poured some naptha on a chunk of drift wood and gave them a lighter.) 
The alcohol lights easily if you shake the bottle really hard for about 30 seconds, you'll get fumes that go off with just a lighter spark. Also may help to disinfect wounds. I don't know why everyone always assumes you're going to drink the stuff...
Clothes, I'd keep the extra sets seperate incase you start to sweat making your shelter/fire. Hypothermia sets in fast when you're wet.
Canvas... million uses.
Compass, like hell you're walking out of there.
Map. It's plastic, hopefully a bit shinny, use for signals.
Axe. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger. Waste energy, get sweaty, hit yourself in the foot...
Crisco... did someone say cookies? Seriously, there were some good ideas mentioned, fire, lamp wick for light, food.
.45, I'm not really sure on this one... part of me says hunt, but then you have to haul whatever you kill back. Probably not worth the effort. Bullets maybe useful as mentioned, but what about pulling out the actual bullet and some (most) of the powder, making a blank out of it and starting a fire by shooting into tinder? (I've seen it done, so don't tell me it won't work.)
Like I said at the begining, people get way too wrapped up in the 'official' way of doing things. Be creative and practice, get out of the city once in a while. Go camping.
P.S. Endless, cheers to your magnesium, but I'd take a lighter, less hassle
(I was camping a couple years ago with some freinds and a few City types, they spent an hour trying to start a fire with the magnesium striker, birch, and some moss. Finally we took pity and poured some naptha on a chunk of drift wood and gave them a lighter.) Dyslexics of the world... UNTIE!
Re: Eating. Perhaps the experts can correct me but I was taught that if you can't sustain your minimum caloric intake, you are better off not eating. When you fast your body begins to convert it's metabolism to burn body fat, where as if you eat only a small amount each day the conversion never takes place and you will be worse off energy and survival wise.
mellow: the key to the magnesium is to get enough filings. With a pile the size of a loony and maybe 2 or 3 coins high you'll burn long enough to start even wet wood. You're right in saying that it's not easy. I found it took quite a bit of practice to be able to start a fire with it. It's VERY difficult to get a large collection of shavings in windy conditions. My thinking behind the magnesium was if i were to ditch in water I would be better off with something that would work regardless. I know there are waterproof lighters, but if they were to get wet and then freeze who knows?
