Survival Equipment

"I want a super-waterproof 5 minute version of a road flare for fire starting."

Stormproof matches will be one step in that direction.

I used to carry a chemical firestarter with me. It had capsules of one spoonful of finely ground potassium permanganate and one spoonful of glycerine. Pour the liquid over the solid and wait about 30 seconds. It smokes, and then it bursts into flame.

–B.G.–

lol dale … im sure u know, im not talking bout the initial flame … but something to get the tinder going … how many times have we struck matches or used lighters in poor conditions and still couldnt get a fire going

petroleum jelly cottom balls are my choice …

a single flare may not be the worst idea in the world among a group … there was a group of hikers here that used it to guide a rescue chopper in

@ Dale:

One gallon and one quart ziplock FREEZER bags (not sandwich bags).

You just need something that allows you to carry water from place to place. Food you can do without for long periods; water you must have at least every 3rd day.

I have heard of some pretty intense thermite fire starters.

"ol dale … im sure u know, im not talking bout the initial flame … but something to get the tinder going … how many times have we struck matches or used lighters in poor conditions and still couldnt get a fire going

petroleum jelly cottom balls are my choice"

The PJCB's are a standard. I'm lazy and use the prepared Tinder Quick tabs and keep them in a "spy capsule,' which works really well for a pocket kit. I can get 4+ in one of the Bison Designs capsules. Agreed on getting suitable tinder and smaller wood prepared for a fire, especially when you aren't in good shape or one-handed.

The 15 minute flares aren't too heavy and probably a good choice for a solo hiker in winter or otherwise poor conditions. I can start one with one hand (poorly) by standing on the cap/striker. If you put one under a pile of ~1" diameter branches, they *will* burn and you have time to drag more stuff into the flames.

Thermite is great if you need to burn a hole through a cast iron Detroit engine block. It is a little overkill for starting a small campfire.

–B.G.–

Eric brings up an important point. I was in a situation once where I needed to start my stove for warmth. Unfortunately, my fingers were so cold that I could not feel them. I did get the stove going…eventually, but I would be lying if I did not say that I was more than a little concerned. I was slightly hypothermic at that point. I am not good at starting fires and should work on that skill.

By the way, my previous comment was related to the three items having Swedish heritage. I was going to say meatballs as the 4th item but they aren't that good frozen.

@Mike

Cell phone is a great idea but will not work in the mountains where I trek. Of course a sat phone would.

"One gallon and one quart ziplock FREEZER bags (not sandwich bags)"

Sounds better than a condom, but still so clumsy and fragile to carry. I guess you could tie one up in your bandana or a shirt to carry. A ziplock sounds much better to open and close multiple times.

It has been low on my priority list as my Cascade Range survival scenarios usually involve too much water than too little (read "cascades"). If I were in dryer climates, it would get more attention.

Update: I had to try it, and we had some Glad 1 quart freezer zip-lock bags they are blue). I filled one and gave it a good beating in the sink. I was surprised how tough it was. It weighs 0.26oz/7g. To carry one in my pants pocket, I think I would put it inside another for protection. I think one by itself would survive well enough in a chest pocket in a jacket. I could put one in the crown pocket of my Tilley hat!

a couple of things I use for water containers that pack up very small

one is the hot beverage bag that comes out of MRE's (they can be purchsed seperately as well)

the other, little bigger and sturdier is the 1 liter emergency bags sold here http://bepreparedtosurvive.com/WaterContainers.htmt

"It's kinda nice to see this thread on a site where most won't carry a knife bigger than a razor blade.

The kind of situation you describe is exactly what happened to this guy: http://www.twincities.com/ci_19196684"

I said it up above, but again it depends where and when you'll be hiking. I'm mostly on well maintained trails where you'll almost never go a full day without another hiker passing by, and you're typically always within 10 miles of some sort of road. In those situations it's pretty hard to get yourself into an actual life threatening situation as long as you're not an idiot. Winter or shoulder season hiking would be a different story, but for 3-season hiking in those conditions you really don't need more than a razor blade, and even that is mostly just for convenience.

If I was solo bushwhacking in the middle of a 1000 square mile tract of forest like the guy in the story, you can bet I'd be carrying all sorts of things BPLers would make fun of me for.

"In those situations it's pretty hard to get yourself into an actual life threatening situation as long as you're not an idiot"

And there's the rub…

I'm guilty of leaving everything in my pack. Hate stuff in my pockets. But do carry "the essentials" needed for my climate.

for backpacking what I came up w/ for the “loss of pack” scenario is this small knife “kit” small fixed blade, small firesteel, tinder (firestraws), whistle, photon light, ~ 15′ of Spectra line- weighs right at 4 oz and I forget I’m even wearing it

this is in my pocket- K&M matchsafe has a built in Suunto compass, carry REI/UCO matches, tinder

exposure is the biggest risk I face where I recreate, this would give me the tools to get a rudimentary shelter up along w/ a fire- uncomfortable, clearly; alive- that’s the hope :)

I carry a several things but I also keep a get home bag (GHB) in my truck with essentials. I'm trying to use some of the lightweight principles I have learned here to lighten it up but a lot of those items I don't want to sacrifice weight savings for a reduction in quality gear.

I said it up above, but again it depends where and when you'll be hiking. I'm mostly on well maintained trails where you'll almost never go a full day without another hiker passing by, and you're typically always within 10 miles of some sort of road. In those situations it's pretty hard to get yourself into an actual life threatening situation as long as you're not an idiot.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=54980

people have gotten into serious issues within 10 miles of a road … recent example in the thread above

i can think of several places where you could get injured or lost and literally die in view of vancouver …

as to carrying extra stuff on a person, its a good idea, but sad to say i rarely do … we should probably come up with the lightest and least bulkiest solution here … or get crucified by BPLers ;)

I used to always carry a whistle when backpacking. One time on a hunting trip, I used my (loud) whistle as a prearranged signal to other members of my group who were no more than a few hundred yards away (through trees, with a bit of wind) and listening for the signal. They never heard it.

In an emergency situation, a whistle is unlikely to get the attention of anyone who isn't both already looking for you, and rather close to you already.

"In an emergency situation, a whistle is unlikely to get the attention of anyone who isn't both already looking for you, and rather close to you already."

But that's precisely the point…To alert people looking for you (especially if you're hurt/immobile) and *maybe* you'll also luck out and alert someone not looking.

If you think a whistle can't get someone's attention, try yelling…for 3 or 4 hours. See how long that can last. Better yet, imagine trying to continuously yell for help with busted ribs.

The pitch of the whistle may be a problem with those who have high frequency hearing loss— like older guys who have been exposed to a lot of industrial noise, firearms, etc. That is a good case for multi-pitch whistles like the ACR. Properly done, two tones create a really annoying sound and hopefully attract more attention.

Whistles are so light and inexpensive that there is little excuse for not including one in your kit. As others said, you won't yell with any volume for very long.

I'm an ocean lifeguard, I use a whistle a lot. Pitch and technique are everything, but you also need a good whistle. I prefer fox 40 classic, some prefer the acme thunder. Dual pitch throws further then single pitch. Whistles with a pea inside are more noticeable as being a man made sound but not necessarily louder.

Cup your hands and project the whistle in one direction, repeat in the other directions. You get more throw that way. Loud, short bursts. Staccato.

With a fox40 I can get an unaware persons attention across open beach, to a bit less then a quarter mile. if I'm trying to signal a fellow lifeguard, (someone actively on alert for such sounds, like an SAR rescuer) then that distance is a little further, like a third if a mile.

Hell of a lot better then shouting

If you want a horribly loud whistle, the fox 40 sharx is the loudest one I've tried. Even louder then my survival purposed jet-scream.

… just loved this thing. great info, and of course, that proper attitude that is needed to bring success.
notice also, that as hard as he tries (and tries.. ) (and tries even some frik'n more… ) that the base-wood is saw cut. it could be even WORSE using downed wood.
ohh holy moly, what a chore.

our lad, he done good though !

cheers,
v.

If you really want to get somebody's attention, use bagpipes. Unfortunately, you will drive everybody away.

–B.G.–

i'd rather have one with me that didn't get anybody's attention than not have one where it would have saved a (my) life. there's one attached to my pack, one in my go bag and one on each of my kids school backpacks. i like whistles.

i wonder if they make ultra-light bagpipes.

Thanks for the info! I never thought so much about whistles. Good tip about cupping your hands and blowing it in one direction at a time. I've always carried a cheapo plastic one because it was light weight. One more piece of gear to add to my list…

I did some searching and one reviewer on amazon posted this for the sharx: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RAI38Y45IYHA/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0034IUTU6&nodeID=3375251&tag=&linkCode=

"These are the 7 whistles I tested at 1/4 mile distance, over a hill and with general outdoor noise present (birds, wind, etc.), in order of loudness:
1) Storm
2) Fox 40 Classic
3) Acme Tornado 2000 – the "loudest whistle in the world"
4) Acme Tornado
5) Cheap round tubular aluminum whistle.
6) Fox 40 Sharx – on paper, their loudest whistle in decibels
7) Cheap $1.50 whistlecompassthermometer from DealExtreme

I did my test two different ways and then compared the results. First I had my 90 lb. son blow each whistle 3 times while I listened from 1/4 mile away, over a small hill. We could not see each other, but we used walkie talkies to communicate. Then we traded places and repeated the testing. We both wrote down our scores which were based on how loud we perceived each whistle, and we did not show them to each other until all testing was done. Here were the results:

We both rated the Storm to be the loudest, easily.
We both rated the Fox 40 CLASSIC to be the second loudest.
We both rated the Acme Tornado 2000 to be the third loudest.
The remaining 4 whistles were not significantly different from one another and none of these 4 were even close to the top 3, with the exception of the Acme Tornado which, to my ears, was rated the fourth loudest. Not surprisingly, both the cheap whistles were barely heard, but VERY surprisingly, the Fox 40 Sharx was no louder. In fact, my son actually rated the cheap aluminum whistle to be just a bit louder than the Sharx. I rated them the same.

The biggest surprise was the Fox 40 Sharx, which was among the quietest of the bunch. And here is the irony. Up close, the Sharx was, by far, the most ear-piercing, even more than the Storm. Hence the reason you can't do close up tests for whistles. The pitch of the whistle is just too misleading up close, and they simply do not carry over a distance the way you would think.

Conclusion: If you want a real "life saver" from a distance, choose the Storm. If it's too big for your taste, choose the Fox 40 Classic. The Acme 2000 would be a runner-up. Throw the rest away or give them to your little children to play with. At 1/4 mile they are barely heard.

I hope this was helpful to somebody. "

Dale said:

"I have fussed over the water-carrying part for a pocket kit… What have you seen that works?"

Here's my solution. It has done great in my testing and those at http://www.equipped.org:

http://www.bepreparedtosurvive.com/1%20Qt.%20Emergency%20Water%20Bag.htm

It folds up to a slim shape not much bigger than a jumbo pack of matches. I put one in a tiny poly bag along with a couple Aqua Mira tablets and its a great setup. I think it weighs about an ounce. Cheap and effective.

Are there any waterborn diseases/etc for which the onset is immediate? Afaik giardia can take a few weeks for symptoms to show and crypto is like a week+ usually. I think in a "survival situation" you don't have to worry too much about water purification because hopefully by the time symptoms from waterborne pathogens start to show up you'll be safely at home. Of course if you have AM tabs with you you may as well use them.