Zach was raised in Caledon, Ontario, with an intrinsic passion for the outdoors. At the age of 5, he started honing his skills in the art of bushcraft and wilderness living. Countless hours of “dirt time” gave him the ability and confidence to immerse himself in uncomfortable situations with the belief that going through such ordeals would only better his nature abilities. At the age of 18, he started doing long term, solo wilderness living in the heart of Northern Ontario’s boreal forest. He has constructed many different primitive shelters, lived in them for prolonged periods of time and sustained himself solely from the earth. He feels there is a strong connection to the land when you strip away the comforts of the modern world, and it has become a way of life for him.

Here are the ten items Zach selected to bring on his survival journey to Patagonia:

1. Sleeping Bag: -40°

2. Pot: “13 cm billycan”

3. Fishing Line & Hooks: 25 hooks; 80 lb test & 20 lb test

4. Sharpening Stone: 2 sided: coarse diamond & smooth ceramic

5. Ferro Rod

6. Saw: small folding handsaw

7. Paracord: 40 meters

8. Ax: 25-inch w/ 2lb head

9. Knife: full tang

10. Rations