May Challenge Gear Help!?

Good realistic challenge as there's always the possibility if flipping your canoe and having it float down the river without you. A lot of this stuff is good to have in your PFD anyways. The one I wear kayaking has a lot of pockets and would easily carry everything in your miscellaneous list.

Some of the SOL bivys will fit in your pocket. I'd rather have something to crawl into instead of a mylar blanket that I'd have to keep tucked around me throughout the night.

Make sure you have your fire building technique dialed in before you go. As far as your knife goes, make sure it's something suitable for processing wood. I'd have a fire kit also to help with the fire. A Bahco Laplander or Silky saw clipped to your PFD isn't the worst idea in the world.

SOL Bivy is a good idea. Although isn't the blanket more versatile? I could somehow use it as a tarp in the event I dont have the canoe. Although comfort wise the SOL Bivy is much better. A few additional fire tools wouldn't be a bad idea. Is that it? Is this the best list given the situation? Thanks for the reply as well!

Assuming that you are wearing a PFD, then there is something you can add to that. I made a vest out of mosquito netting, and it has four big padded pockets for carrying important stuff. The original purpose was to wear when boarding an airliner so that I could haul more stuff. I wear a windbreaker over it.

–B.G.–

"Is that it? Is this the best list given the situation?"

What inspired the challenge? If it was have some basic gear that would keep you alive if you became separated from your canoe (even though it'll be near you from what you described), then yes as the saw is a bit of a stretch and not something I'd ordinarily carry on my PFD. I'd just break dead fall over rocks, etc and make do without the saw.

You could stuff a lot of crap in your pockets and the pockets of your PFD. Seems silly to do that when you could just carry a day-pack hence why I'm assuming that this is a survival challenge.

In Army survival training, we were taught to have the most basic survival tools on our person and stuff that isn't so bulky and cumbersome that we'd not be inclined to carry it but that had enough utility that it would improve our chances of survival. Then we'd carry something a bit bigger and luxurious on our LCE (PFD in this case), and even more in our ruck.

I've slept in a mylar blanket before on the Oregon coast; it sucked. I've also slept through a torrential downpour in a bivy with no tarp; not apples to apples as I also had a patrol bag but it sucked less. You have the canoe you can sleep under. You can also sleep under trees so you don't get the brunt of the storm pouring down on you. Either one will work. Go with what works for you.

Fire will make or break how much of a suck-fest this is going to be so I'd focus on that. Get some P-balls made up or buy some of the commercial stuff. Look for natural shelter. Insulate yourself from the ground and above you with dead leaves and pine needles, etc.