It's that time of year when we venture out into the backcountry knowing that the weather can be a huge threat. Things happen. What considerations do you make? What do you keep on your person that you cannot be seperated from? What do you carry in your pack?

I am considering doing a "safety presentation" at work regarding these things but don't have a video to show. Anyone willing to offer suggestions as to how to keep this interesting without over complicating things? Nate

I think the most important thing that you must keep on your person is the ability to make a fire.

quote:

What do you keep on your person that you cannot be seperated from?

"Your wits"

that said if i emptied my pack right now
you would find
extra bic lighter and firestarter (trioxane)
small knife and sharpening stone
bailing twine
ace bandage and athletic tape
pain reliever (Advil)
collapseble saw
headlamp and flashlite and xtra batteries
hunter orange flagging tape
space blanket
and way down in the bottom is where I keep the mummified snickers and energy bars.
plus whatever I put in it when i left the house that morning. Food water etc etc

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:

quote:

What do you keep on your person that you cannot be seperated from?

"Your wits"

that said if i emptied my pack right now
you would find
extra bic lighter and firestarter (trioxane)
small knife and sharpening stone
bailing twine
ace bandage and athletic tape
pain reliever (Advil)
collapseble saw
headlamp and flashlite and xtra batteries
hunter orange flagging tape
space blanket
and way down in the bottom is where I keep the mummified snickers and energy bars.
plus whatever I put in it when i left the house that morning. Food water etc etc

Funny, we carry nearly the same stuff!
and I'm sure my wits are around here somewhere
unless I left them in my pack.
I bet we could swap packs and find that all bases are covered.
ravenr said it well though about keeping your wits, you must make good decisions no matter what the conditions are or how tired or injured or what have you. When you've lost that you are done.
If there is a chance of wet or snow I've always got a poncho and or raingear.
You stay dry you stay alive, I carry 3 ways to start a fire and 2 sources of light with xtra batteries.
Other than that same same.

Extra clothes(snowmobile set)and candles in your car is nice for every day safty if your car brakes down or you have to wait for the road to get plowed.

I will quote Viktor Frankl, who survived something far worse than any of us will ever experience. He wrote about it in a book called "Man's Search for Meaning":


"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

I think the wise hunter, whether he's hunting the back 40 or is beyond the trailhead, should have about him what it would take to spend the night. Also, the wise hunter will have told someone or leave a note as to the area he plans to hunt.

I agree with all of the above, plus let someone know about where you will be and when you will return.

I agree with whats been posted. Myself I always carry a compass, knife, and way to start a fire in my pockets, at a minimum. My fanny pack is a better cache of supplies.

How would you suggest I rope the group into some discussion? I thought about one of the Ray Mears videos on the 'net, but it doesn't always get to the point quickly, and if your target audience isn't fully interested to begin with that could be bad.

How about suggestions? Nate

The most important thing is the ability not to panic. If you want to see how to get yourself killed by being stupid and panicing watch the episode of I Shouldn't Be Alive titled Lost in the Outback.

Some essential survival gear is not very heavy. I have in the bottom of my pack the following:

signal mirror
whistles
matches
lighter
marker panel
space blankets
trash bag
550 cord
spare knife
spare knife sharpener

But I'm a gear queer......

LWD

Clothes warm enough for the situation, means of making a fire, but ability to do without it and a SPOT locator.

Grizz

Here is my list:

Hatchet
Road Flare
Windproof lighter
Matches
Survival blanket (space blanket)
Compass
Whistle
Water
Medicines: ibuprofen for pain or inflammation; Imodium for diarrhea; Benadryl for allergic reactions, sunburn, insect bites, etc.
Energy bars
Rope

The road flare is my emergency fire starter. I have used them to start fires in heavy downpours when nothing else would work. The hatchet enables me to access dry wood under any condition and simplifies the process of building shelters.

I have a separate list for my truck. It includes:
High-lift jack
Heavy chain
Shovel
Power pack (jump starter)
Air compressor
Tool kit
Blanket
Extra coat, jacket, etc.
Water
Oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, etc.

I always have means to start a fire, good knife, 357 2" carry gun, and Gortex shell. While I always have my GPS with me, if ill or injured knowing how to get back is of little use. The SPOT locator is great insurance, especially for us "Old Guys".

All that stuff is good but the Spot or satelite phone is the one that can get your rescued if you are in real trouble.

I never leave camp or my vehicle without my daypack. In it are most of the items several people above listed.

I also carry certain things in my pockets, such as a filled ZIPPO lighter, and a firesteel (ferro rod), including a small, old prescription pill bottle full of cotton balls dredged in petroleum jelly. I wear a good fixed blade knife on my belt, and a MiniMag flashlight in a belt pouch. A good compass is in my shirt pocket on an attached string.

That said, I think the most important thing is for the people you are instructing know how to use the rather simple things carried. If a person is lost, or perhaps stranded out in the back country in bad weather, he should know how to contruct a simple shelter, build a fire that will sustain him through the night, and stay dry.

It doesn't really matter how much stuff a person carries if he does not know how to use it. How do you build a shelter that'll protect you through the night? How do you build a fire in adverse conditions, and how much wood should you gather to get you through the night?

Knowledge prevents panic and panic will kill a person lost out in bad weather quicker than anything.

That's my take on it, and I've been bustin' the boonies for more than 55 years, often alone. On two occasions I was forced to stay out on a mountainside in bad weather. My knowledge, daypack, and contents brought me through it safely. Can't say I enjoyed it, but returned to camp next day, none the worse for wear.

L.W.

At the bare minimum: (although I usually have a little more in my pack or boat)
-signal mirror
-sound device - usually whistle because it's light weight and doesn't rely on batteries
-VHF handheld radio + extra batteries (cell phone likely won't work)
-flashlight (minimag or headlamp + extra batteries
-compass
-space blanket
-fire starter (flint & steal, magnessium stick)
-extra set of glasses in a hard case
-knife / leatherman multi-tool

Most of these items are relatively small and lightweight therefore I can carry them on my person. For example the knife, multi-tool and flashlight are all on my belt, inside my outter gear. The rest of the key survival kit is in a small dry bag in my pocket. Most of the time I don't know it's there. If I get separated from my bag, snow mobile, or boat, I still have the essentials with me.

In my pack is some food and water, extra sox, warm hat and gloves. In most scenarios, if searchers/rescuers know the general area to look, you'll be found within 24-36 hours, if not sooner.


2 most important things-

1. I always tell someone where I'm going and when I expect to return.
2. I never wear cotton when going outdoors- I use synthetics and/or wool and layer appropriately with a gortex or similar type shell that keeps me dry and stops the wind. Getting wet/cold are likely and 'cotton kills'. Things go south real quick when hypothermia starts to set in!


Depending on the season and where I'm going, walking out isn't always an option. Sometimes it's safer to stay put and wait for help to come. In some instances - Walking out could be an option, but an injury could prohibit it.

Space blankets are great because not only do they help keep body heat in if you wrap up in it, but they are very shiny and can be seen from the air or across a mountain... (there are many other uses too)

Many times we think we're prepared but don't know for sure until 'it happens' ... practicing doesn't hurt. By practice I don't mean journey out into the wilderness and risk your life. Rather develop realistic scenarios and practice them (mentally and physically) the best you can, maybe it's in your back yard or down the road. The intent is that you go through the efforts of building a shelter, creating a fire, staying warm but not too warm if it's cold out (i.e. don't get too sweaty when building a shelter), build a snow cave if applicable, etc. How will you do these things if you're injured? Do you know how your safety items work? What if your bic lighter gets wet?

Enough of my soap box... wilderness survival / safety is a part of my work so there's a lot I could share, I think I've covered the basics and left some food for thought.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
All that stuff is good but the Spot or satelite phone is the one that can get your rescued if you are in real trouble.

Guys, like Mike here says. All that other stuff is great, necessary, and should be with you on a wilderness hunt. But, getting help quickly if needed, is really the MOST important thing one needs when in "trouble", in the wilderness.

With a satellite phone, and a GPS, you can tell anyone in the world where you are in about 5 minutes, and to within 50-100 yards of your actual location. Carry these two items, and all the other stuff just makes the wait a little more comfortable! JMO.