onPoint Tactical

[Bluetick1]

Hi All,

I did a quick search but nothing popped up about about this place.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with these survival classes located in Tabernacle? Looks kinda cool to do, but not sure how much use I'd need for "Point Man" training though.

http://www.onpointtactical.com/default.aspx


Thanks!

 

[Ben Ruset]

I think it's more military training vs real survival training ala the Tracker classes.

I think the PPA also offers wilderness survival classes.

 

[RMICKLE]

It looks like they have a survival class but what gets me is they say you learn how to make a shelter and a few lines later they say camping or a hotel is available. Is Bear Grylls teaching this:cry:? For that money I’d like to live survival 24/7.

Roy

Course: Wilderness Survival

This course covers the basics of survival: making shelter, finding and purifying water, making and maintaining fire, and finding and preparing food. Also included are sections on trapping and hunting, as well as instruction on how to manufacture your own cordage.

Track: Wilderness Survival Dates: 3/13/2008 - 3/15/2008 Location: Tabernacle, NJ 08088 Comments: Camping available at no charge, hotels also available.
Cost:
$550.00

http://www.onpointtactical.com/enroll.aspx?id=19

 

[MarkBNJ]

The only thing you need for wilderness survival in the pines is to know how to walk in a straight line.

 

[Ben Ruset]

The only thing you need for wilderness survival in the pines is to know how to walk in a straight line.

Which is damn near impossible to do without sighting something and walking towards it.

I've been turned around many, many times in the woods, and that's even using my GPS.

When I was lost in Mordecai swamp, I was genuinely worried about getting out okay.

 

[foofoo]

just listen for the sound of vehicles.

 

[Ben Ruset]

just listen for the sound of vehicles.

I don't know how far into the woods you've been but there's plenty of places were you can't hear anything. Walking in a straight line through the wilderness - especially one that's featureless like a dense forest - is very hard.

Going through the Pines is not like crossing the Serengeti, but it can be treacherous if you're not careful.

 

[MarkBNJ]

I don't know how far into the woods you've been but there's plenty of places were you can't hear anything. Walking in a straight line through the wilderness - especially one that's featureless like a dense forest - is very hard.

It's absolutely true, which is why I said it was the one skill you needed There are techniques, of course, but the more overgrown the area the harder it is to do. If you have sunlight and are cognizant of the time of day you can move in a generally straight direction in any terrain. If you don't have sun then you have to rely on sightlines, and those take a ton of concentration to maintain, with more closely grown forest making it a lot harder, if not impossible.

 

[Bluetick1]

It does look like it's geared more for military types. I wasn't planning on going, I was just curious if anyone had taken a course (or knew someone who had) and what they thought of it.

 

[bobpbx]

The only thing you need for wilderness survival in the pines is to know how to walk in a straight line.

You are right on target Mark. You'll make it to a road, and then stay on that road, 99% of the time it will get you out. I use this technique all the time. The only time I worry is if I think I "may" be heading down a river course swamp. You won't hit a road for awhile in many of those cases, and could end up tangled in greenbriar-hot, sweaty, panicky, and near exhausted from dehydration.

I stand with my back to a tree and sight on the farthest tree I can see reasonably. I then walk to that tree, keeping it in sight. Once there, repeat.

 

[piker56]

Which is damn near impossible to do without sighting something and walking towards it.

I've been turned around many, many times in the woods, and that's even using my GPS.

When I was lost in Mordecai swamp, I was genuinely worried about getting out okay.

Ben, on your hike in Mordecai, were you hiking alone? I often hike by myself, and have a habit of getting sidetracked (ok, lost) on bushwacking excursions. With the age we live in, I now print out a map (google or terraserver) of the area I'm in. I've gotten lost a few times because of not paying attention to my surroundings and have used all of the tricks mentioned (tree sighting, the sun, also carrying a compass). My biggest thing is just to pay better attention to those things before I get lost. It's easier said than done if you want to explore "off trail". I'm planning a trip to Mordecai this fall, needless to say I'll be studying the maps on your post of your trip.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Yes, I was by myself.

Maps of the area aren't really helpful because the density of the vegetation in swamp makes an aerial photo somewhat useless, and the old Batsto Road that goes through the swamp disappears, gets narrow, or you have to leave it to get around obstacles in some spots.

In my case I had gotten pretty far down the road and it was very narrow at one point. I wanted to look at a clearing I found, and couldn't find my way back to the road. I went into the swamp and, using my GPS, headed in the direction I thought the road should be in. My GPS is somewhat old now and doesn't hold a lock on satellites as well as newer ones do, so it wasn't working so well.

The most nerve wracking thing for me was picking my way through the swamp over hummocks and blown down cedars. More than once I lost my footing and my leg just shot out from under me. I was sure that I was going to break a leg and be stuck in the swamp.

Like Mark said, usually you can just pick a direction and hit a road. Doing that through a swamp is a bit trickier.

 

[piker56]

I've learned to be very careful in swamps. A few years ago I was in the Martha area. It was very cold and I thought the ice was thick enough. I was pretty far into the swamp and my hiking stick went through. I was easily able to push it all the way in to the mud (about 6 feet). If I had fallen through, it would have been bad. Again, I was by myself. I should have known better, I was pretty careless that day, just caught up in the beauty of the swamp.

 

[MarkBNJ]

I've learned to be very careful in swamps. A few years ago I was in the Martha area. It was very cold and I thought the ice was thick enough. I was pretty far into the swamp and my hiking stick went through. I was easily able to push it all the way in to the mud (about 6 feet). If I had fallen through, it would have been bad. Again, I was by myself. I should have known better, I was pretty careless that day, just caught up in the beauty of the swamp.

Swamps are tough. I was stuck in a huge bramble patch a few weeks back and it was a very similar feeling. I think the biggest problem in those types of adverse conditions is mental. You burn a lot of optimisim with every step. The same thing would happen in nice, open forest lands cushioned with springy pine needles if you walked for five days and never saw another person or any sign that you had gotten anywhere. . But we don't have woods like that around these parts.

 

[manumuskin]

have you ever gotten yourself into such a predicament in a swamp or briar tangle all alone and hemmed up by the hair ,hot,scratched,bloody and tired and thought what am i doing here?To the point you wanted to cry but you knew the briars would laugh at you so you didn't?Talking to the Barrens God swearing if you let me out of this i promise I'll never do it again but you know you will.
You went there to get away from the maddening rush but when you finally yank yourself loose from the last sadistic briar and stumble out onto a road and darn near get hit by a car who blares their horn and leaves you smelling exhaust fumes and now your so happy to be back into syphilization that even filthydelphia from the b franklin bridge would look good..
I been there numerous times.I have to quit doing this alone,could be hazardous to my health.Even the buzzards wouldn't find me or couldn't land if they did.
Al

 

[whippoorbill]

It was very cold and I thought the ice was thick enough. I was pretty far into the swamp and my hiking stick went through. I was easily able to push it all the way in to the mud (about 6 feet). If I had fallen through, it would have been bad. Again, I was by myself. I should have known better, I was pretty careless that day, just caught up in the beauty of the swamp.

The best thing to do if you get stuck in a swamp in the winter is to temporarily evolve into a bush. Right, Swamp Thing? This actually happened; Alfie called me on his cell in a panic, "I'm lost! I'm in a swamp! Somewhere in the pine barrens! Help!" After three days I found him, and he looked like this. It took me two hours with a battery-operated hair dryer to thaw him.

 

[manumuskin]

and to think till that happened I didn't even believe in evolution but there you have it,after three days i did indeed evolve into a human shaped clump of sphagnum moss.Alwyas loved this stuff,never thought I would become it and i bet a lot of you thought the Swamp Monster was an old crane out in the fringes of the Great Swamp.Jesrey devil move over.I'm the new terrorizer of the barrens,if only I could get unstuck.hard to terrorize when all you can do is flap your arms and go boo.If theirs mud in this post it's because i dropped my laptop.really though the wildlife sightings are great when everybody just sees a big fat bush.
Ghillie over you,
Al