The desert island. How would you do it?

[YourLocalJesus]

Alrightey, i'll answer this stuff myself now. Happy to see the cool ideas sassafrassquatch has the coolest ideas ^^ Or maybe just the coolest way of describing stuff.

1. You can take some stuff with you. Not a boat, ship, plane, raft or other device that can take you off the island. What would you bring? You have five objects to choose.

(I think that these are realistic and good choices, and possible to bring with me if I get stranded with a boat)

1) A set of knives(ranging from 2" blade to machete)
2) Nails. Lots of them. LOTS.
3) A high caliber quality hunting rifle with scope and repair/cleaning kit and lots of ammunition
4)A box with seeds (rice, potatoes, wheat, corn, herbs, spices, tobacco and other much-needed things).
5) A toolbox with the usual stuff in it. Mostly for woodworking.

2. What area of the world would you like to be stranded in?

Probably somewhere around Papua New Guinea/indonesia.

3. What does your personal island look like? Vivid descriptions, please.

I'd like a big island. At least a couple of square miles. There should be a sheltered bay with a big white beach where i'd build my stuff. There should also be mountains and cliffs, preferrably sandstone since it looks nicer and isn't slippery when wet. And it's easy to dig caves in because it's not as hard as ordinary stone. Otherwise the island should be heavily forrested with a few big clearings here and there.

4. What natural resources are available on the island?

Bamboo, fruit, wild and cute animals that I could eat. (Birds, rodents, some kind of beef animals that move in herds). There should be iron ore so that I could melt it down and make tools. (I know, there is probably no iron ore in sandstone, therefore I might change my mind about the stone on the island).
There should also be lots of fish in the sea ofcourse. There should be some kind of tall trees also, otherwise it might be hard to fashion some kind of decent raft, planks and other stuff I might need. There should also be fresh water in a couple of places on the island that wouldn't kill or make me ill.

5. What would you build on your island?

First off, i'd build myself a shelter. Effort number two would be to get myself a field and plant my seeds. Then i'd build a place safe from animals where I could store food. When I have done this and some hunting and gathering, I would build myself a more permanent house facing south, close to the beach in my bay. I would also build myself a hunting cabin on higher ground and store some food and tools there just to be safe. I would also build myself a boardwalk/wooden platform with a pier for fishing and mooring my boats.
I'd construct a small raft, i'm thinking something like a canoe. And also a bigger wooden boat with one mast. I could make sails from animal hides. Since doing stuff like this would be my only job and fun (indeed very fun though), i'd probably build an insane amount of stuff not mentioned here.

. What devices, tools and stuff would you construct? To what purpose would you use them?

I'd build a bunch of traps for wild animals all over the island and mark the places very thoroughly so that I don't walk into one by accident. (Snares, pits etc). I'd fashion a bunch of nets with my insane fisherman-skills. ()
I would also build a catapult, but that would just be for fun Preferrably a roman onager construction. I'd probably use it for mindless destruction or something. Or maybe throwing big stones against a mountainside until it became a cave

7. Should there be wild animals on your island or do you want to survive entirely on fish and vegetables?

Wild animals, and preferrably a few that are aggressive, otherwise it wouldn't be fun to go hunting. Like boars or something.

[YourLocalJesus]

More questions!

1. If you could populate your island with one or more inhabitants except yourself, what kind of people would you put on it? You can choose according to MBTI types or anything you might want.

2. What would your social rank be in this new population? You can either take the realistic approach or wishful thinking.

3. What would you do in order to sustain a larger population?
A) What would you build?
B) What laws would you create?
C) Anything else you can come up with? Religions? (Remember, you are entirely cut off from the world)

[millerm277]

Originally Posted by YourLocalJesus

1. If you could populate your island with one or more inhabitants except yourself, what kind of people would you put on it? You can choose according to MBTI types or anything you might want.

I'll take a couple hundred people. Lots of engineers, craftsmen, and farmers, along with many attractive women.

2. What would your social rank be in this new population? You can either take the realistic approach or wishful thinking.

Normal person, but the island will have a democratic government.

3. What would you do in order to sustain a larger population?
A) What would you build?

Farms, water system/sewage system, well-built homes, education system.

B) What laws would you create?

That would be up to the government, but I'd say something along the lines of normal laws here now, except low taxes (since there wouldn't be much to need to support)

C) Anything else you can come up with? Religions? (Remember, you are entirely cut off from the world)

No, religous worship will be discouraged, but allowed, and skiing is the national sport.

[YourLocalJesus]

Dude, snow on a desert island should be strictly forbidden!!!!!!!! IT SHOULD BE WARM! Otherwise I bet many would live on Greenland >.<

[millerm277]

Originally Posted by YourLocalJesus

Dude, snow on a desert island should be strictly forbidden!!!!!!!! IT SHOULD BE WARM! Otherwise I bet many would live on Greenland >.<

I wouldn't mind moving to Alaska.... -10 is a nice temperature.

[YourLocalJesus]

You should be the one of us living in sweden Crazy ^^

[Firelie]

Originally Posted by YourLocalJesus

Let's elaborate on the subject of a deserted island. There are a few answers that I would want you guys to answer:

1. You can take some stuff with you. Not a boat, ship, plane, raft or other device that can take you off the island. What would you bring? You have five objects to choose.

2. What area of the world would you like to be stranded in?

3. What does your personal island look like? Vivid descriptions, please.

4. What natural resources are available on the island?

5. What would you build on your island?

6. What devices, tools and stuff would you construct? To what purpose would you use them?

7. Should there be wild animals on your island or do you want to survive entirely on fish and vegetables?

8. Describe, come with ideas. Tell me stuff that I haven't asked, but that you want to tell me about your island.

1. I'd bring a knife, a big blank journal, a pack of pens, a big ball of twine, and chapstick.

2. I'd like to be stranded somewhere tropical, I think. I know, it's cliche, but it'd be easier to stay cool than to stay warm if I was to be suddenly stranded.

3. Mostly jungle, with an inactive volcano somewhere on it. I'd have a cave in the side of the volcano where I'd hide if a tropical storm or a hurricane happened to come by the island. For everyday living, I'd build a platformy sort of treehouse.


4. As for natural resources, it'd mostly just have trees. And rocks. A wide variety of rocks. And grasses. There would be fish in the ocean and smaller animals to hunt (like birds, rodents and maybe some boars if they aren't the gigantic ones).

5 & 6. The aforementioned treehouse would consist of a platform and a roof, and maybe some low walls just so I wouldn't accidentally roll off of it in my sleep. It'd be about the size of a small studio, with an area for sleeping, and a separate area for food storage.
I would also build a firepit below the treehouse, along with racks and tables for drying and preserving meats, fruits, vegetables, and for the processing of grasses & vines to make fibres for clothing & ropes. I'd also need to build some storage containers...hollowed-out logs would probably do the trick...for things like holding water, roots, nuts, etc. I think I'd eventually need to shape some crude knives from rocks, too.
I'd also want to build sort of a rocky enclosure in the sea with only one way in to try and trap fish with bait, cuz I really suck at fishing with a pole.

7. As I said earlier, I'd want some smaller animals on the island. Nothing bigger than a pig.

[Lakes]

1. You can take some stuff with you. Not a boat, ship, plane, raft or other device that can take you off the island. What would you bring? You have five objects to choose.

The question asked:
1. Oiled canvas. With the canvas I’d have shelter and a rain catch.
2. Rope. The rope is used for the shelter, snare traps, a rope bed to get off the ground.
3. Hatchet; for cutting wood, dispatching trapped animals. Skinning and butchering the animals. Also as a hammer and it can be used as a light gardening tool
4. Medium foot hold trap. (traps don't run out of ammo)
5. Large iron pot. Boiling water to prevent beaver fever. Cooking my food and to radiate heat at night.

The dream:
1. My camping boxes. In it I have my tent, a Korean War vintage GP Small. A woodstove. A Queen size rope bed. A full camp kitchen set. My wonderful solar heated camp shower. And all of my camping tools: shovel, axe, hand saw, chain saw, buckets, Tiki-torches (not that the fuel will last). And the one thing that is absolutely necessary for camping, my drinking horn!
2. My Gun safe and reloading table.
3. My garden shed. Now we have tools, seeds, some lovely but unused pots, a small sundial and a bird bath (No messy birds on my island.) AND all of my fishing equipment that my wife had me put in the shed to make room in the garage. – I’ll thank her later.
4. A minimum of 6 healthy bee hives and bee keeping suits and gear. (Mead)
5. Last but not least, my brewing equipment.

2. What area of the world would you like to be stranded in?
I’m looking for an Orcas Island type of place. Northern but not excessively wintery, nor too hot in the summer. Additionally I’m familiar with the environment and survival would not be an issue. I think a tropical island would kill me.


3. What does your personal island look like? Vivid descriptions, please.
It is about 60 square miles. There are small eroded mountains inland and lush mountain valleys with fresh water streams flowing to the ocean. As you move toward the edges of the island there are rolling open fields begging for the plow. There are berry bushes and apple trees. Elk, and Whitetail are in abundance. There are some black bear but no cougars (no offense to the WSU fans).

4. What natural resources are available on the island?
There is a ready supply of lumber and many large streams that could be used for turning mill wheels. There should be iron ore and coal deposits. Copper and tin would be nice too. I’d like to see some hemp too for paper and textiles. And no shortage of sand at the beach for glass production. Some clay deposits would be handy as well.

5. What would you build on your island?
A fine Brewery…and other incidental things like a lumber mill, a flour mill, a smithy…etc.

6. What devices, tools and stuff would you construct? To what purpose would you use them?
See above


7. Should there be wild animals on your island or do you want to survive entirely on fish and vegetables? There is wild game, wild fruit and excellent fishing. There should be plenty of shell fish (clams, crabs). And since I'm not going without my wife there will be vegetable gardens a-plenty.

8. Describe, come with ideas. Tell me stuff that I haven't asked, but that you want to tell me about your island.
There are no biting insects, no poisonous snakes or spiders. Rain is frequent and brief. There are many wet foggy mornings and dry sunny evenings

Section 2
1. If you could populate your island with one or more inhabitants except yourself, what kind of people would you put on it? You can choose according to MBTI types or anything you might want.
I think I’d like a couple hundred recreationists. Folks like myself that are comfortable living in the past and won’t whine about the absence of technology. I'd like to bring our friends and there families too.

2. What would your social rank be in this new population? You can either take the realistic approach or wishful thinking.
I would be the island's Master Brewer of course Someone to be protected and revered.

3. What would you do in order to sustain a larger population?
A) What would you build?
The island I described with the resources and buildings I mentioned should support a suitably large population.
I’d also build a large trebuchet for the island’s annual “Huck a Boulder into the Bay” celebration.
B) What laws would you create?
Bloody few.
Don’t kill, Don’t steal, Don’t touch someone else’s privet parts without permission.
C) Anything else you can come up with? Religions? (Remember, you are entirely cut off from the world)
I’m a Catholic but for this little venture I think a conversion to Lutheran would be in order. Less overhead and all the flavor. I’d like a nice little church with a high bell tower and steeple. Most any religion that didn’t encourage explosions would be welcome.

[whatever]

1. You can take some stuff with you. Not a boat, ship, plane, raft or other device that can take you off the island. What would you bring? You have five objects to choose.

knife, whetstone, flintknap set, a good sleeping bag, cast iron pot (I could make my own salt! )

2. What area of the world would you like to be stranded in?

right around either tropic line- like the Florida Keys or something

3. What does your personal island look like? Vivid descriptions, please.

nice

I'd want varying enough topography not to get bored- preferably a couple of cliffs and mountains to climb, and a nice beach to relax on afterwords

4. What natural resources are available on the island?

unlimited fresh water, nice caves without inhabitants, lots of edible things growing and running around

5. What would you build on your island?

traps to catch edible things? a firepit? how about a boat so that I could get to the mainland whenever I wanted to?

6. What devices, tools and stuff would you construct? To what purpose would you use them?

I do beleive I answered that one above!

7. Should there be wild animals on your island or do you want to survive entirely on fish and vegetables?

wild pigs are delicious, I wouldn't mind some form of wild chicken or cow, or hopefully both either!

8. Describe, come with ideas. Tell me stuff that I haven't asked, but that you want to tell me about your island.

not too hot out, but I don't want a cold winter if I'm left to my own devices, especially since I wouldn't have power tools OR electricity! I'd hope that hot peppers grew there as well, along with plenty of spices and herbs, since I hate bland food... and tobacco and sugar cane so I could make rum! (grapes won't grow in too warm of a climate ) and coffee, tea and rice! (I need caffeine, and I'm quite fond of rice...)

if I'm lucky a trunk full of good books would wash up on shore every month or so... that would be awesome and keep me un-bored...

[tenINsFJ]

[quote=YourLocalJesus;280173]Let's elaborate on the subject of a deserted island. There are a few answers that I would want you guys to answer:

1. You can take some stuff with you. Not a boat, ship, plane, raft or other device that can take you off the island. What would you bring? You have five objects to choose.

A Wilson brand volleyball That is all I need to survive.

2. What area of the world would you like to be stranded in?

Somewhere where there is a lot of ship traffic =P


3. What does your personal island look like? Vivid descriptions, please.

80 degree weather, very small and open, possibly with a 360 degree view, good shade, and clear water.


4. What natural resources are available on the island?

Water and trees

5. What would you build on your island?

A raft for me and Wilson to travel away from the Island


6. What devices, tools and stuff would you construct? To what purpose would you use them?

A raft that with a sail that can be brought up whenever needed.

7. Should there be wild animals on your island or do you want to survive entirely on fish and vegetables?

Fish and veggies are good enough for me and Wilson.

8. Describe, come with ideas. Tell me stuff that I haven't asked, but that you want to tell me about your island.[/QUOTE