Long before the series focused more on style than substance, Sylvester Stallone gave one of the best performances of his career in "First Blood," the story of a Vietnam Vet who had serious difficulty returning to civilian life.

Stallone plays John J. Rambo, a decorated war hero trying to reconnect with some members of his squad. Unfortunately, after traveling to a small town, he learns that one of his Green Beret buddies has died from long-term exposure to the chemicals used during the Vietnam conflict. Of all the soldiers in his squad, he literally is the last man standing.

The frustrated Rambo simply wants to get something to eat and leave town, but the narrow-minded local sheriff (Brian Dennehy) doesn't like the way he looks and drives him to the city limits. When Rambo returns to town, the sheriff promptly arrests him, abusing him with a high-pressure hose and a straight razor. The mental and physical torture reawakens Rambo's guerilla warfare skills and he escapes into the woods. With only a survival knife and his military training, the former soldier wages his own personal war against both the town and the memories that still haunt him from Vietnam.

The best scenes in "First Blood" take place in the wilderness, where John J. Rambo goes into hiding and lives off the land. As his former commander tells the police, Rambo has been trained to eat things that "would make a billy goat puke." He also has an incredible tolerance for pain, especially during one outdoor sequence where he has to sew up his own wounded arm.

A soldier such as John Rambo can survive with just a knife, but most people who enjoy camping really can use a good duffel bag like the Expedition made by Mountain Hardware. When you need to haul a lot of gear into rough terrain, the Expedition is roomy enough to hold everything you need.

Though the later "Rambo" movies focused more on special effects than characters, "First Blood" remains one of the best outdoor movies ever made.