History Channel's new hit reality series, Alone, just concluded with its finale a few weeks ago, crowning Alan Kay from Blairsville, Georgia the franchise's inaugural winner.
Kay survived torrential rains and the chilling cold on the northwest's Vancouver Island -- as well as extreme starvation, threat from large predators and his own psychological hurdles -- to take home half a million dollars and bragging rights, having outlasted nine other worthy competitors.
Each contestant is given a backpack full of standard survival items and 10 "special" items of their choosing, provided these items can be found on a predetermined list.
Examples of these items include a saw, a sleeping pad, a LED flashlight and even a can of beer.
Just for fun, here are five useful items that will make it easy to win the next season of Alone.
Chainsaw
We all saw how season one contestants had a terrible time chopping down trees and harvesting them for wood which they then used to build shelter, make fires and various tools and wooden objects.
Lucas made a yurt, a boat and a makeshift musical instrument for crying out loud, yet each time they had to go out and get wood, a lot of energy went into actually taking down trees.
A chainsaw would change all that.
Portable stove with gas tank
Cooking on Vancouver Island used up more calories than contestants took in.
As a result, Alan Kay lost over 60 pounds after 56 days in isolation, living off slugs and small bait fish to keep himself nourished.
The amount of work put into getting food however, was insane. Nevermind that contestants had to lay traps and actually catch something to eat, once they did, they had to build a fire, sanitize cookware, keep the fire going, and actually cook their food.
If each man had a portable stove with a matching gas tank, it would last them more than two months on the island and all they have to do cook food is to fire up the stove and fry away.
Portable water filtration system
Like in Alone's similar yet ultimately larger, more popular cousin, Survivor, water represents life -- and it couldn't be more true on Vancouver Island.
Contestants not only had to battle intense starvation, but they also had to prevent themselves from death by dehydration.
Finding a water source was number one on the priority list for most everyone, and once a suitable water source had been discovered, building a fire was next followed by the boiling of water shortly after.
With a portable water filtration system, it would be so much easier to produce quality drinking water that didn't have grains and sediments of dirt and sand in it, providing for a much more satisfying experience on the island.
Portable music player
The contestants were all responsible for documenting their experience using the various cameras they were provided with, so we know the use and maintenance of electronic equipment is not an issue.
More importantly, to help practically anyone get over the hump psychologically, a portable music player would go a long way. Music would soothe the soul and calm the mind, and would provide relaxation for any man.
These guys spend day after day after day all by their lonesomes, which would pretty much drive anyone to the brink of crazy.
Easy pop up tent
Lastly, life would be so much easier on Vancouver Island if contestants were allowed to bring easy pop up tents.
Building a quality shelter played such an important role on the show that having an easy pop tent in possession would pretty much guarantee a contestant more time to spend on doing other more important things like looking for food.
If a contestant didn't like his current shelter location, it would be so easy to just get up and move and bring the entire camp along with him.