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TV’s toughest survival show is returning to TV for a season like no other. Alone Season 12 premieres June 12 on History Channel. For the first time, the show is headed to Africa, where 10 cast members will be marooned in the Great Karoo Desert. 

After the drop, the Alone: Africa survivalists will have to fight to survive in the hot and arid environment, relying just on their wits and a limited selection of supplies. The gear each person chooses to bring with them could mean the difference between winning it all or a disappointing early tap-out. 

‘Alone’ Season 12 is a challenge of desert survival

Most seasons of Alone have taken place in cold environments. Freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and limited food options have been challenges people have had to overcome. Naturally, the new terrain has affected the 10 items each cast member has chosen to bring with them into the desert. (Alone survivalists choose their gear from a pre-approved list; each person is also allowed to bring certain items that don’t count toward their 10-item limit, such as clothing and, this season, snake gaiters.) 

Some items appear on nearly every survivalist’s gear list, regardless of where the show is filmed. A ferro rod, which is used to start a fire, is in virtually all kits. So is a cutting or chopping tool, though for Alone: Africa, some people opted for a machete over an axe. Every season 12 cast member packed one or more tools for getting food, such as a bow and arrows and fishing gear. 

Naturally, this season’s cast members have also chosen items that they think will be helpful in the hot and dry environment of the South African desert. In recent seasons, having a warm sleeping bag was essential for surviving in cold climates. Cold temps are less of a concern in South Africa, so contestants chose items like bivy bags (which can also serve as a primitive shelter) or blankets. Others seemed concerned about food. Several added pemmican, rice, or sugar to their list. Salt was also more common than in past seasons, with four cast members choosing that item. That may be because salt can help balance electrolytes when a person is dehydrated – a concern in a climate where water may be scarce. 

So, what items did the Alone Season 12 cast members bring with them to South Africa? Let’s look at each person’s gear list. 

Pablo Arguelles

Pablo, 55, is a video editor from Jacksonville, Florida. He’s come to Africa ready to hunt with a bow and arrows, as well as fishing line and hooks. Here’s his full list of 10 items:

  • Bow and arrows
  • Shovel
  • Saw
  • 2-quart pot
  • Ferro rod
  • Bivy bag
  • Paracord
  • Fishing line and hooks
  • Multitool
  • 12×12 tarp

Colton Gilman

Colton from 'Alone' Season 12 sitting on a rock and holding a bow and arrows
Colton Gilman | History Channel

Colton, 35, is a carpenter from Red Lodge, Montana. His 10 items are: 

  • Bow and arrows
  • Ferro rod
  • Pot
  • Fishing gear
  • Wool blanket
  • Multitool
  • Axe
  • Paracord
  • Tarp
  • Saw

Will Lamb

Will, 31, is an exotic animal rancher/fabricator from Leakey, Texas. One of the things in his pack is bank line, a lighter-weight alternative to paracord. His 10 items are: 

  • Tarp
  • Machete
  • Pot
  • Multitool
  • Fishing gear
  • Bank line
  • Blanket
  • Bow and arrows
  • Shovel
  • Ferro rod

Kelsey Loper 

Kelsey, 35, is a horse trainer from Winnett, Montana. Unlike most contestants, her gear list includes food rations – a mix of rice, salt, and sugar. Here’s her full list of 10 items: 

  • Fishing
  • Bow
  • Ferro rod
  • Pot
  • Blanket
  • Tarp
  • ⅓ lb rice, ⅓ lb salt, and ⅓ lb sugar
  • Leatherman
  • Paracord
  • Saw

Baha Mahmutov

Baha, 50, was born in Kyrgyzstan and now lives in Wharncliff, Ontario, where he’s a homesteader who works in railroad maintenance. Like Kelsey, he chose to include some food rations in his supply list, though he opted for pemmican, as well as salt. Another unusual choice? Soap. While staying clean sounds nice, will he regret packing this luxury item? He’s also the only cast member who didn’t bring a ferro rod. 

Baha’s 10 items are: 

  • Tarp
  • Bank line
  • Pot
  • Soap
  • Bow
  • Pemmican
  • Salt
  • Saw
  • Multitool
  • Shovel

Douglas S. Meyer

Douglas, 57, is a primitive technology instructor from Kannapolis, North Carolina. One of his 10 items might sound simple but could prove immensely useful in a hot, dry environment: a water bottle. 

Douglas’ 10 items are: 

  • Blanket
  • Bivy bag
  • Pot
  • Water bottle
  • Ferro rod
  • Leatherman
  • Machete
  • Fishing gear
  • Bow and arrows
  • Pemmican

Dug North 

Dug, 53, is a user experience designer from Nashua, New Hampshire. His 10 items are: 

  • Pot
  • Canteen
  • Leatherman
  • Tarp
  • Ferro rod
  • Fishing gear
  • Shovel
  • Bow
  • Salt
  • Blanket

Nathan Olsen 

Nathan Olsen, 52, is a tech CEO from Buhl, Idaho. Like Baha, he packed soap. Here’s his full list of 10 items: 

  • Cook pot
  • Canteen
  • Leatherman
  • Knife
  • Bow and arrows
  • Fishing gear
  • Blanket
  • Salt
  • Soap
  • Ferro rod

Jit Patel

Jit Patel of 'Alone' Season 12 with a hood over his head
Jit Patel | History Channel
Related

‘Alone’ Season 11 Winner William Larkham Jr. Had 10 Days of Food Left When He Won

Jit, 35, is an outdoor education instructor from Anakiwa, New Zealand. His 10 items are: 

  • Bow and arrows
  • Fishing gear
  • Pot
  • Ferro rod
  • Water bottle
  • Multitool
  • Paracord
  • Shovel
  • Tarp
  • Saw

Katie Rydge

Katie, 46, is a survival skills instructor and mentor from New South Wales, Australia. Her 10 items are: 

  • Bow and arrows
  • Fishing line and hooks
  • Leatherman
  • Silky saw
  • Water pot
  • Axe
  • Ferro rod
  • Salt
  • Canvas tarp
  • Blanket

Alone Season 12 premieres Thursday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on History Channel. 

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