What survival gear do you carry?

[eharris]

I was just thinking about what I usually carry into the woods with me in case of an unexpected extension to my hunt. Curious what others carry around and why. I carry:

GPS
matches
spark striker
basic first aid
water purification tablets
space blanket
marker tape
knife

Evan

[stlhdr1]

Originally Posted by eharris

I was just thinking about what I usually carry into the woods with me in case of an unexpected extension to my hunt. Curious what others carry around and why. I carry:

GPS
matches
spark striker
basic first aid
water purification tablets
space blanket
marker tape
knife

Evan

Don't forget about the fifth of whiskey.........

Keith

[Chug]

Originally Posted by stlhdr1

Don't forget about the fifth of whiskey.........

Keith

OR few beers for lunch.
Plus
Plastic Fox Pro glow in the dark Whistle
Rifle,
Side arm, with Extra Ammo. See note*
FRS radio
Gps, & digital Cam
3 means of starting fire
Med kit for self
zip ties, 550 cord 50' roughly
zip lock baggie of Baby Butt wipes!! ( God's gift to man, when it's time )
Cell phone, ( depends on location, if towers near? )
Good thick knife, for splitting wood, Vs ax
Body bag ( large Orange Trash bag )
Tin cup
Flask marked water. Yep, grabbed wrong one once!.
Signal Mirror
Paper topo maps of Full area, I am in.
Compass,
LED Head bone light/Hand held LED

* Elk hunt, snowing hard.. Buddy did not show up in camp. We Ate dinner with out him. Ran roads Snow is 1 foot deep. Nadda.
Called S.O. To activate SAR, for Morning mission. Gave Info & grid. Back to the woods we go.
I walk gully, that would carry sound up the hill. fire off signal shots, Ran out of ammo!!. Did not want to return to rig. NEVER AGAIN!!. Ammo, is great loud source.

Buddy was safe, hunkered in for the night. Walked out at light, SAR was canceled early on.

We all carry Gear, For Just in case!. I can alway's dump it & GPS gear, to carry my Critter out.

[Klamath_King]

You guys pretty much covered it i think, if your first aid kit doesn't have it make sure you have a large bottle of alcohol and a whole bunch of cotton balls...good for first aid and making fires.

[BanannaMan]

My brain, which so far, has prevented me for getting into a survival situation.

[Twodogs]

I hunt alone most of the time so i bought a spot unit this year.

Twodogs

[StickFish]

Only adds I have are some meteor flairs (probably should get those updated), a swiss army knife with a magnifying lens (can be used to start a fire during the day if necessary), a small supply of tinder to start a fire (couple fat wood sticks, a couple safelite sticks), windproof lighter, a compass and knowing how to use it. All these are vacuum packed to stay dry till I need them - never have knock on wood

[dubl_t]

Originally Posted by Twodogs

I hunt alone most of the time so i bought a spot unit this year.

Twodogs

Wife got me one for Christmas this year, thinking we could text when I'm out. But seeing it sends one generic text, I returned it for a shock collar. That's gonna be a whole lot more fun!!

[brokenaxle3]

Amen to the baby wipes!

I didn't see if it was listed but, orange reflective marking tape. To see if your walking in circles.

[Artwo]

Something that a buddy turned me onto last season was (2) of the large lawn and leaf bags. They don't weigh anything at all and can be used for so many things. I won't be wothout them from now on............

[Eagleclaw]

steel wool and a 9v battery are always in my pack. it's quick way to start a fire. like others have said before baby wipes. pain meds, anti diariha meds, high energy food i pack a few bags of peanuts. Water of course, extra pair of wool socks,.

[RogueFishr]

4 years ago, we had a guy hike into the Wilderness area, with 2 feet of snow. A storm hit (dumping another 24" of snow over the next 36 hours), and he got turned around. He had a GPS and tried to shortcut the direction the GPS was telling him to go (thought he was taking an easier route). by the next day, we could only get the trucks within 2 miles of where he went into the woods. SAR was there on snow shoes. To make a long story short, he pretty much hunkered down in a hole for 24 hours to wait out the storm. We made radio contact and got him out of the woods on the 3rd day, hypothermic, dehydrated, and very exhausted, in waist deep snow.

Afterwards, in asking him WHAT he had that he was really happy about: extra batteries, high protein food, and sugar (mini candy bars). Asking him what he WISHES he had: something to melt snow in to drink, and something to start a fire when he was cold and wet already, with snow on the ground.

Now, we have a few things we ALWAYS carry, if we are going to be out of sight of the truck:

*extra batteries. (get radios, GPS, and flashlights that all take the same batteries)
*food/snacks
*small metal cup for melting snow/boiling drinking water
*cheap plastic painters tarps. Take up virtually NO room/weight and can be used for putting under elk quarters, or shelter/protection.
*And, MOST important: 3 road flares for starting a fire. They don't take up too much room, are easy to light, even when cold and wet, and will start a fire MUCh easier than any other method.

RF

[dabbad]

I agree with most all above, I carry a large orange garbage bag 3'x6', Metal match and a film canister with cotton balls inlade with vasoline. I have taught many Scouts and Hunters to use these items. Bag is highly visible. Other 2 items I have pulled out of a jar of water and lite cotton balls with metal match. Try that with flares or regular matches. I'm assuming in a survival situation that my gear is also wet. THOUGHT ON FOOD/ Put food in the freezer for a coulpe of days and then pull it out and try to eat it. Some food will take more energy to consume than will be the benifit. Always have a source for water. Lets face it most of use will last a week with out food. ( some up to a month) Later Dan

[PIR8 Hook]

A bottle of snake bite medicine and a bag of snakes

[Chesapeake]

I too carry the flares. Vac packed or some how sealed in plastic.

I also carry other means of starting a fire. Flint and magnesium block, a couple bic lighters, can of Sterno, wax coated pitch sticks, ect....

Sure, with this stuff you can make a candle sized flame in a downpour. The problem is more often than not finding enough dry wood to make a fire big enough that it can dry its own wood. If your some how limited in mobility, like a broken ankle, collecting wood is an even harder task.

But with a 15 minute road flare you can turn about any sorry pile of wet rotten wood into a decent fire in just minutes. Or torch up a half rotten snag as a signal fire if your burried in the coastal jungle and cant crawl out.

And if your digits are so cold you cant flick a lighter, or strike a flint, no issue. Just fist the flare in one hand and the cap in the other and strike away. Very little dexterity required.

Keep your vasaline soaked cotton balls, just dont knock the road flare!

[spottedhawk36]

Im gonna redo my survival pack before this season but what i will have is:

1 fire starter (metal match) magnisium are not good in my opinion
1 piece of good pitch soaked wood( a small piece)
1 small container with cotton balls with vasoline rubbed into them( great fire starter)
Water, iodine tablets, parachute cord( have this already for tying packs for packing elk out) whistle, rei matches( best survival match you can get), plastic for shelter, signal mirror, compass, extra stocking hat, extra gloves, high energy snacks, extra knife, first aid supplies, bandana( can be worn or used to cover up wounds, saw( for bone or wood) knife sharpener, trail tape, mesh game bags ( can double as a wound dressing. GPS unit w/extra batteries, flachlight( mini mag), headlamp.


i might be set or i may add a few more things i think i could survive okay for some days


Not everyones pack will be the same its what will work for you.

super glue or duct tape works great on cuts

[Bucolic buffalo]

Most of the above plus my PLB, a strobe light and a flash light laser light combo.

[kodiakfisher]

learned something I hadn't thought, probably because it hasn't been necessary but using my Alaska game bag as wound dressing.

The one item I carry that hasn't been listed is Qwik Clot. It's what the military uses on the battle field to stop major bleeding. This stuff will stop significant bleeding. I would also carry a length of surgical tubing. Multiple uses but mostly to reach water flowing in between rocks that would otherwise be unreachable. Fishing Fly's and flat pack duct tape. I also carry two sky blazer small boat flares, hard to use those signal mirrors on cloudy wet rainy coastal days, but I also carry one of those signal mirrors with a sight in it. As strange as this may sound I carry two compasses for the purposes of making democratic decisions while not entirely sure of one's location. I've had it happen and "argued" with a compass pulled out the second one and it was two against one on which way was north. Turned out the compasses were right and I avoided a VERY cold night in the woods.

I would substitue a survival blanket for painters tarps. The survival blanket works great for putting quarters on and in a survival situation can be easily used to make a small shelter and reflect UV rays onto your back. I would also use the Orange ODOT trash bags instead of the black leaf ones, Orange is easy to spot from a long distance.

I am planning on taking a nice chunk of pitch wood I have and putting a magnesium rod and stricker in the end of it. Use the handle for excellant tinder and a bit of magnesium and a spark. I also have cotton balls and REI matches.

Kodiakfisher

[Chug]

be careful with the Sky blazer Flares. They will land HOT! & start woods or tree's on fire. Wilderness flare is good to use.. Unless its a tender box time of year.

Another good fire starter is Steel wool & 9 Volt battery.. short it out WHOOISH fire..
works with two AA's stacked.. then touch both ends with the steel wool.. Be ready it will flash up. Cell battery will work too. ( just wipe clean before Returning to Cell unit).

Lots of good info.

some good info sites:
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/index.html

http://www.equipped.org/home.htm

just use common sense.

Best Demo on making fires.. Was ALL the fire starters, goes into a bucket of water. Go find tinder. Remove your fire starters. See what works!. it will shock yea.

Fire is your friend when its Wet, Cold & dark..

[StevenB]

Originally Posted by eharris

I was just thinking about what I usually carry into the woods with me in case of an unexpected extension to my hunt. Curious what others carry around and why. I carry:

GPS
matches
spark striker
basic first aid
water purification tablets
space blanket
marker tape
knife

Evan

Great thread.

I carry chemical hand/body warmers.

Chemical hand/body warmers are light weight and work real well for 8 plus hours. A nice way to keep away hypothermia without having to stop and build a fire.

A co-worker lost his GPS while cross-country skiing and spend a night in a snow cave. He said it made a big difference to him.

A lot of real good ideas here. I bought a personal location beacon before there was the spot option. It cost more but there is no subscription.

StevenB

[SecondSeason]

Great thread. I just got my BOB bag ready for hiking/hunting. Here is my list:

60' para cord,good first-aid kit, candle, 2 handwarmers, compase, hand sanitizer, petrojelly cotton balls wrapped in foil (6), space blanket, light gloves in a ziplock, glow sticks (2), firestarting kit, ACR PLP, Poncho, GU(2), sardines (2), tea/cider, huge survival knive (new, already cut myself 3 times), inflatable sit pad, LED headlamp, Steel water bottle with steel fitted pot.

it weighs about 11lbs and all fits in a sweet Military strike bag with all the MOLLE webs.

Also have room for the Glock-in-Speal with multi clips

Wow I just re-read all this and now I sound like a freak.

[Big Willie]

Originally Posted by BanannaMan

My brain, which so far, has prevented me for getting into a survival situation.

A survival situation can sneak up on you at any time and any where. Trust me, I spent the night out in the woods deer season 07 not prepared. I was not that far from camp when the weather came in and disoriented me. It was a long and very cold night without a fire up near the 3 Sisters Wilderness...I carry lot's of stuff now.

[Hunt'nFish]

A sharp knife and a couple BIC lighters. Everything else are luxury items.
OK, my filter bottle...don't go far w/o that.

I know a pitch stump when I see one, I know the north face of a ridge from a south face, and which side the moss grows on.
Never quite understood how folks can get LOST, misplaced perhaps, but totally lost???.....

Truth of the matter is I feel pretty well prepared w/ my camo hydro fleece and a good knife.
Shoot, with what I carry around my waist I could survive a month.
Hunt'nFish

[bajadan2000]

First, I carry the things that will keep me from making a wrong turn and spending another (don't ask) night out.

Good maps, topo & the best road maps available for the area.
Compass, and a back up compass
GPS
Altimeter, This is on my watch, it helps to pinpoint my location on a topo map.


Next a few things in case I need to spend the night out
Couple of bic lighters
2 small mag flashlights, 1 good headlamp
space blanket
knife
parachute cord
flagging tape to mark spots
6-10 chemical light sticks, the type used for deep sea fishing. They are small and light, but will put out light most of the night. They are great to mark spots or trails you want to find in the dark.
Small caliber pistol with extra rounds for signaling

This list has changed a lot over the 50 years since I started wildness hiking and camping. Do not carry one yet, but these new SPOT gadgets sound like a good idea out in the woods.

[ehunter]

I use a lot of the same stuff but I suggest you keep it simple and add to it as you need to for example what I might carry in Archery elk is different than a October deer or November elk hunt. What ever you carry if you keep it small and simple you will have it in your pack and not back at camp. The other key that is really simple leave a note at your truck if you on your own as to where you think you might be and let your partners know your plan even if it changes it will have them in the general area. I call my partner if I am going on a scouting trip even in the coast range so he has a idea where to go If I don't call. Now I can get cell reception in most of the coast range as well.

I keep my stuff in a small stuff sack that I can move between packs if I have to.

[jnicholson]

I thought I had everything I needed but have recently added a polevault for rapid decents down mountains, speedos for swimming the first icy raging river I run into and a camera crew just in case something really does go wrong. Plus it's nice to have them carry all the stuff I should have.
Amazing what I've learned about survival survival by watching TV.

Sarcastic John

[Chesapeake]

I keep all my survival gear vac packed in one compact package so I can easily put it in whatever bag I'm taking for the day. Also this way I always know its all there and I didnt forget something. I dont open the bag unless its an emergency, or to refresh items before the next season. A sort of "break glass" in an emergency deal.

[jnicholson]

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

I keep all my survival gear vac packed in one compact package so I can easily put it in whatever bag I'm taking for the day. Also this way I always know its all there and I didnt forget something. I dont open the bag unless its an emergency, or to refresh items before the next season. A sort of "break glass" in an emergency deal.

Great idea Rick but I'm having a tough time getting the pole vault in there

[Chesapeake]

Originally Posted by jnicholson

Great idea Rick but I'm having a tough time getting the pole vault in there

It could work. Just buy one of the 20'x8" wide rolls of the vac bag material and cut it to length.

[spottedhawk36]

About bic lighters:

If anyone has ever set in on one of peter kumherfelts survival seminars at the sportsmans show he does not like lighters, he has some horror stories about them and also at higher elevations they wont perform. Just be careful because they can explode and cause real damage.

[Chesapeake]

Originally Posted by spottedhawk36

About bic lighters:

If anyone has ever set in on one of peter kumherfelts survival seminars at the sportsmans show he does not like lighters, he has some horror stories about them and also at higher elevations they wont perform. Just be careful because they can explode and cause real damage.

A lighter isnt realy a survival item. Its a convenience item. Its what you use to start a fire in good conditions.

I'd like to hear more about the blowing up and not working at altitude stuff. I've never yet bean at an altitude that a bic didnt work. In the last few years I've had one work just fine at 6000 feet.

What altitude do they stop working reliably at?

I've also only had them blow up when I made them do it. Is this honestly a concern.

[SecondSeason]

23000 feet above the dead zone. not much wood up there though so it doesn't matter.

Lighters are for sissys and smokers. both don't belong in the woods.