really big dog, the kind with no natural enemies =P

Hmm... so it's longer than 72 hours, and I'm assuming you have to survive off "the fat of the land" so to speak? If so, it'd probably be a knife for hunting, an acoustic guitar to keep myself occupied... and I can't think of a third essential item right now. Maybe a blanket so I don't freeze to death at night?

Alli: Hehe That's actually not a bad idea.
Paj: Good choices

A knife, portable tent, and some waterproof matches. I wanted to bring a laptop, but I doubt it would be very helpful

Damn, that's not an easy question.
I really like the comment made by Alli and most of all, not such a bad one either.
A real good, big knife - waterproof matches - and a pet to keep me company.

a shot gun. and ipod and.... a big bag of doritos

@gamer_girl15: very good choices, although I might suggest replacing the matches with something more durable, like a ferrocerium rod

@tonoshke: Nope it's definitely a thought provoking one, which is why I'm polling the widest audience I have. Also very good choices, a good knife is a must in my opinion, but the pet is also a great idea, it serves many purposes, including possibly retrieving food for you both, if well trained.

@Missmorphine: A gun is a great idea, except that eventually you'll run out of bullets/shells. Also, doritos are an awesome idea! If only they didnt run out! Ipod is great, especially if you have a solar recharging kit.. unfortunately it won't keep you fed or in clean water.

@myself: To add my own 3 (I wanted people to come up with their own ideas first), A good quality fixed blade full-tang knife, preferably with multiple cutting edges (such as the tom brown T1 tracker, or seal pup elite from SOG, -- though there are thousands of good knives out there), for building shelters, self defense, cooking, skinning, and a thousand other uses. A large (say 12"x1/2") ferrocerium rod (or fire steel) which can start quite literally tens of thousands of fires without wearing out, simply by scraping it with your knife. And lastly a large steel/titanium cup, put, bucket, or some similar container - for boiling water to purify it/and cook food. This can be done without a metal container, using a hollowed out log and heated rocks, but for convenience the metal pot would save a lot of time and back aches. Everything else (food, shelter, etc) can be made with little effort and your trusty knife. You can also sharpen your knife on a smooth rock (rub 2 together to create a flat surface), preferably a sedimentary rock like limestone etc. Anyway, I thank you all for reading and commenting, and I hope I piqued your interest a little

gun, lighter, coat. I'll need it if it's cold.

@angelkadaj: very good idea, the coat. protection from the elements is important, especially before your shelter is built, or when you're traveling around looking for food etc.

I would have to say it would all depend on the situation you were put in... but for general purpose... I would take the following 3 items for sure. A swiss army knife, a canteen to collect and carry fresh water in, and a flint & stone set to make fire with.