the things im gonna get next are one of the pocket razors from countycomm as well as one of those pharmeceutical containers like used in the "just in case", some paracord or nylon cord, and also a weatherproof notepad and small pen/pencil.
Since my 4X4 adventures often take me far from any kind of outside assistance, my survival pack is a little different than most. It centers around being able to reach out and touch someone in an emergency. The heart of my survival pack is my comm bag containing the following:
- Backup cell phone with a different provider than my everyday cell phone.
- Satellite phone
- Handheld ham radio
- Handheld CB radio
- 2 FRS radios
- GPS
- extra batteries for all of the above
- Signalling devices (survival whistle, signal mirror, 15 mw green laser)
Lights up the wazoo goes without saying
Of course then there's the 12 gauge shotgun for protection till help arrives.
well some of us aren't priviledged enough to have that much "riding area" to be able to get lost [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
if i did i would have a seperate pack like you've arranged. sure would give me a good excuse to get that countycomm bail out bag [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]
well, almost forgot one item that i needed, signal mirror! well no fear i've already got that now......free. little promo item that my employer gives out in a nice rubber, protective sleeve. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]
My wife has waterproof survival cards like the knot hitch ones. I forget what's on it, stuff like plants you can eat, tips on shelter and gathering water, stuff like that.
That Countycomm bag is handy, but now that Maxpedition is doing the bag, it's nicer, with better materials and stitching. Of course it's $60 instead of $40, and don't forget the CPF special price of $24, now that's certainly affordable, even if not as tough as the Maxpedition version.
[ QUOTE ] 4x4Dragon said:
well some of us aren't priviledged enough to have that much "riding area" to be able to get lost
[/ QUOTE ]
Not a matter of getting lost, but medical emergencies do happen. You may be a few hours into a trail, but be only a few miles from the trail head - someone has a heart attack or suffers a bad accident - and it doesn't even have to happen to you or someone in your group.
Last time I was up in the Sierras, it was about 11:30 at night and we heard a large crash up on the road near our campsite. A car with two people in it had gone off the road and into a large tree at full speed. We found the car, which was totally hidden from the road.
Fortunately we had cell phone coverage (but if we didn't, I could have used the satellite phone or the ham radio) and were able to call for help. The nearest medical assistance was 2 hours away - and this was all by road, not on the trail. One of our group was an EMT and offered what assistance he could.
As it turned out one of the people died before help could arrive. The other person survived but was in extremely critical condition. If it had not not been for our call for help and the assistance of our EMT, both would have died.
So you see, getting lost is the least of your worries. Maybe one of your party gets half eaten by a bear or attacked by a deranged squirrel.
You might also consider picking up a QuikClot molle pack which does a good job of stopping heavy bleeding. You can get them off eBay for like $35. QuikClot absorbs water and makes the wound clot more rapidly and has even stopped femoral artery wounds.
I think what medical stuff most people put in their survival packs (antibiotic ointment, bandaids, advil, etc) seems kinda odd, anything you can put a bandaid or neosporin on isn't going to kill you by the time you get back. Heavy blood loss will, though.
[ QUOTE ] JimH said:
[ QUOTE ] 4x4Dragon said:
well some of us aren't priviledged enough to have that much "riding area" to be able to get lost
[/ QUOTE ]
Not a matter of getting lost, but medical emergencies do happen. You may be a few hours into a trail, but be only a few miles from the trail head - someone has a heart attack or suffers a bad accident - and it doesn't even have to happen to you or someone in your group.
Last time I was up in the Sierras, it was about 11:30 at night and we heard a large crash up on the road near our campsite. A car with two people in it had gone off the road and into a large tree at full speed. We found the car, which was totally hidden from the road.
Fortunately we had cell phone coverage (but if we didn't, I could have used the satellite phone or the ham radio) and were able to call for help. The nearest medical assistance was 2 hours away - and this was all by road, not on the trail. One of our group was an EMT and offered what assistance he could.
As it turned out one of the people died before help could arrive. The other person survived but was in extremely critical condition. If it had not not been for our call for help and the assistance of our EMT, both would have died.
So you see, getting lost is the least of your worries. Maybe one of your party gets half eaten by a bear or attacked by a deranged squirrel.
[/ QUOTE ]
man that's awful about that wreck [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
yeah you gotta watch out for those squirrels [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
im really fighting the tempatation to get the county comm bag and load it up [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
[ QUOTE ] daloosh said:
My wife has waterproof survival cards like the knot hitch ones. I forget what's on it, stuff like plants you can eat, tips on shelter and gathering water, stuff like that.
That Countycomm bag is handy, but now that Maxpedition is doing the bag, it's nicer, with better materials and stitching. Of course it's $60 instead of $40, and don't forget the CPF special price of $24, now that's certainly affordable, even if not as tough as the Maxpedition version.
daloosh
[/ QUOTE ]
yeah, just before i read your post i came across these:
I like the knot cards but I don't personally feel that I need them since I spent 3 years in the boy scouts tying most of those every day. I especially like and frequently use the square knot tautline hitch and the figure 8 knot. I do carry a small first aid book & a new testament, not to mention lots of lights, 3-4 methods of starting fires, saws, and other handy camping gear. You'd be surprised what you can eat with a little Louisiana hot sauce (quoted from a pogo cartoon, Skylar in survival training).
I made up a medium alice pack as an emergency bag. It has camping gear for up to a week after I add additional food, clothes, and water. I don't keep more than a minimal amount of those in there since they need to be R&Rd fairly often. I also have a hunting bag and a re-enacting (War for Southern Independence) bag. For day trips I have a large fanny pak that carries enough gear for an overnight if something happens. All of these have modified (improved) military first aid kits.
I really ought to list all of the gear in each pack & see if I need to add anything to any of them.
[ QUOTE ] RussH said:
I like the knot cards but I don't personally feel that I need them since I spent 3 years in the boy scouts tying most of those every day.
[/ QUOTE ]
I spent 11 years in the Coast Guard, and another 4 at the Academy, and I still can't remember how to tie these d*mn knots! But like most things I can't do, I've got several books on the subject. I'll be adding the knot cards. . . they're cool!
I'll have to try & find the links, but there have been several 'uncomplimentary' reviews lately of quikclot (either here or on equipped to survive); a few of the new military bandages w/built in tourniquet/pressure device might be a better bet (along with appropriate training, of course)
QuikClot has indeed gotten mixed reviews, but consider that all validated test data has shown it to be effective, and that there are anecdotes of it working very well and not very well.
Also, note that a lot of people applying it have no formal medical training, so there is room for human error as well.
I do not think it's 100% magic, but I think from the data I've seen it can be effective when applied properly.
Doug Ritter has made the instructions in his pocket survival pack available as a PDF on his website. Check out: http://www.equipped.org/psp/
Print that out on something waterproof, or laminate it, and there you go.
I've got one of his PSP's and it's small enough to keep in my bag/briefcase all the time. I've added some Micropur water purification tabs to it, but that's about it.
I ordered Quikclot months ago, but it has been backordered. I figure that with all the action the military is seeing, Quikclot is experiencing a true trial by fire. If it is harmful, I'd expect military surgeons to pass the word up the chain of command and the stuff would be pulled or limited to medics. For what its worth, a long time EMT told me it works, but he can usually stop bleeding with pressure.
The QuikClot "battlepack" I got off eBay was what the manufacture for the military, it included not only the QuikClot itself but 3 "omg I've been shot" bandages.
i've actually already got one but may try and find some more to carry other things in. the containers are very tuff and water resistant. im going to test mine when i get a chance to see if it will hold up to a dunk-test. i have confidence as the top snaps on with authority.
so now i can't use my PT Attitude cause it won't quite fit. im hoping to trade for/come across a CMG Sonic-G or something to go in instead.
That's the cards my wife has, we picked em up in campmor earlier this year. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing them in her bailout bag. That's not good.
I'm thinking about another one of the $24 countycomm ones, they come in handy. I gave one to my cousin packed with camping stuff when we camped with them this summer, and one to my parents when I went down to help them with Frances cleanup packed with hurricane supplies.
I'd like to see the Maxpedition one in person, but you can't find regular Maxpedition around here, not to mention more rare stuff.
daloosh
do those decon containers come bigger? I'd like to cram more crap inta it!
That's the cards my wife has, we picked em up in campmor earlier this year. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing them in her bailout bag. That's not good.
I'm thinking about another one of the $24 countycomm ones, they come in handy. I gave one to my cousin packed with camping stuff when we camped with them this summer, and one to my parents when I went down to help them with Frances cleanup packed with hurricane supplies.
I'd like to see the Maxpedition one in person, but you can't find regular Maxpedition around here, not to mention more rare stuff.
daloosh
do those decon containers come bigger? I'd like to cram more crap inta it!
[/ QUOTE ]
the decon containers do come in a bigger size but i think the smaller ones like i have are just GREAT for what they are. absolutely perfect for a survival kit.
well, heres an updated pic of the case or the actual "pak" everything is being stored in. im still waiting on a few more items to put into it to complete it such as the weatherproof paper, pocket razor, and pencil.
it's a "Decon" container-military issue. very tough and rated as crush-proof. does not have an o-ring or anything like that but it closes very tight and i have done a dunk test with it in the sink and it survived.
Man, you need to look at the Pelican cases [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Those things are waaaaaay cool [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] And waterproof completely.
[ QUOTE ] ErickThakrar said:
Man, you need to look at the Pelican cases [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Those things are waaaaaay cool [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] And waterproof completely.
[/ QUOTE ]
i did, was seriously considering them but i like this better due to the more "tactical" look and feel, heck it's military surplus man! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] plus these are a good bit cheaper, mine was actually free and you can get them online for around $2.50 a piece.
The beginning of my \"survival pak\"......
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