Why I Pack My Fears

[Roger Caffin]

Full-size BIC lighter: 18.5 g (slightly used). Lasts for years.
Also serves as a (real) emergency light.

Cheers

[Zachary]

Sometimes the simplest solution is right in front of you.  I just detached the sparking portion (ferro rod) from the knife and set that in my Emergency Kit rather than the whole unit.  Weight = 8g.  This way, I can just use the multi-tool + sparking portion…thanks for the idea Scott.

[Roger Caffin]

That is a very clever knife. Brand? URL?

Cheers

[Bruce Tolley]

Very nice video.

So the emergency knife is a second knife or the only knife.

I guess I have a different definition of an emergency kit that the one you present in the first minute or two.  For me the emergency kit, is the gear you need to get you through an unplanned overnight in the case of injury or accident.  Some it is kit you are already carrying. And it adapt for the seasons and whether you are solo or in a group.  For example, when going solo in shouder season or winter I would carry a bigger knife and three forms of ignition: fire steel, bic lighter, and emergency matches.

[Bill Budney]

@rcaffin: I am not Zachary, but it’s an UltraFire knife by Renegade Outdoors. GarageGrownGear sells it, as does Renegade.

They also have 4 inch saw that weighs 23g (0.8oz). It uses jigsaw blades.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Bill
Thank you.
I carry a main Bic with my stove and a Mini-Bic in my 1st Aid Kit, so the ferro rod does not excite me all that much. But the handle and the use of a cheap replaceable blade does impress me.
I am even more impressed by the scalpel knife, at 10 g. I carry a scalpel blade in my FAK, and UL handle for it would be very fine.

Cheers
(Saws not so much: we don’t light fires in the Oz bush: too dangerous.)

[Zachary]

2nd to Bill Budney.  I purchased mine at LiteSmith – https://www.litesmith.com/ultrafire-knife-firestarter

[Zachary]

Bruce, thanks for checking the video out.

 

I struggled for the longest time on how to build the emergency kit.  Should it be for unplanned situations, should it be for gear that fails, etc.?  Ultimately, I realized that I am generally a self-contained & self-reliant individual while I am backpacking so there is not much that I would not already have in my pack (or brain) to deal with most situations.  From there I gathered that an emergency kit would be generally unnecessary.  Of course, if I am spending additional unplanned nights in the wild, the only thing I will not have with me will be food, everything else is in my pack (although I do carry some extra food with me on trips so even that would not be much of a concern).  From there, I began to ask why would I even need an emergency kit and the answer was…I would not.

 

Except when I am not near my pack which means that I am probably on a day hike, foraging hike or summit hike.  Thus the Emergency Kit is to deal with most situations when I am away from camp.  Add my 1st Aid Kit and some snacks and/or food and I can spend the night away from camp with relative assurance that I would survive the night.

 

What would (or do) you place in your kit, if you carry one?

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Zachary

re Emergency Kits: I actually agree with your philosophy. I do not carry an Emergency Kit per se. To be sure, I do carry a FAK, and have used it – not always on myself. And I usually have a little extra food, just in case. One day trip we didn’t have extra food – and we got back to the car after midnight. Hungry!

As far as getting separated from our packs goes, we (Sue & I) don’t. Our packs go with us, even up peaks. If one of us goes to the loo in the dark, the other stays in the tent with the packs. That is not so much a ‘rule’; it is just how we go. (YMMV)

Cheers

[Roger Caffin]

Scalpels, plastic handle and SS blade: typically about AU$15 for a box of 10 (ten). A bit cheaper.
You can often pick up a couple at a GP or ER if you need some attention yourself. They are usually single-use, and get thrown out after any op. I have a few myself.

OK, nowhere nearly as fancy, but a bit UL in $ terms.

Cheers

[Geoff Caplan]

Hmm – I’ve been mountaineering and hiking for over 50 years and there are quite a few items there that I would never have needed even once in all that time. But you didn’t highlight some items that I do feel are essential, I recognise that some are strictly beyond the scope of a small emergency bag but I’ll cover them here for completeness.

For day-hiking, it seems to me that the main risk is a footwear failure. Pretty much anything else I can work around, but if the soles fall off my shoes I’m in trouble. So for me, the top priority in my emergency kit is a couple of metres of high quality duct tape. I can use this to fix shoes, to seal ripped clothing, to help close a wound or a host of other applications – it’s super-adaptable. I do like your idea of SuperGlue though – I’ll add that to my kit.

I walk in exposed country, and my next priority is a bothy-style storm shelter. This is FAR more protective than a space blanket, will shelter you even in the most savage winds, is easy to use with injuries or cold hands, and is specifically designed to be spotted by SAR crews. Also great for taking a meal break in nasty weather. I don’t know if they are available in the US – but this is what I mean, and I carry it any time I’m not carrying a tarp shelter:

My third priority is a PLB emergency beacon – total game changer for back-country safety and used responsibly it can save both you and the SAR folks a world of grief.

And my final priority is a few blocks of long-life emergency rations to help heat me up if I get chilled while waiting for rescue.

These are the main potentially life-saving items that live permanently at the bottom of my day-sack, along with a spare torch and compass.

For day walking I’m really not fussed about saving a few grams – safety is a higher priority. On shorter walks I’ll even make my my sack heavier with extra safety items like a sleeping bag for the training benefit.

But the items listed above come with me on every trip. I’ll always carry a full day pack, even on a short day-walk.  Otherwise there is too much potential for some simple issue to escalate out of control – I just don’t see the point in taking the risk.

[Roger Caffin]

Some of those Scottish and Welsh hills can be pretty savage at times – but they are wonderful places for walking.

I’m not sure about the duct tape, but that is because I take a different approach – not better or worse, just different. Any footwear that is looking marginal gets replaced, at home. Safety pins and dental floss for some repairs, and micropore tape for wounds. Fine details.

We don’t carry a UK bothy shelter, but we do carry a largish emergency tarp on local day trips. Same idea. Suits our weather. On longer trips there is always the tent.

Emergency rations – well, spare food anyhow. Chocolate is good. Shortbread is also good. A packet of Instant Soup is often left over at the end of a trip, and has been enjoyed.

Headlights (two) rather than a torch – same thing. Sue and I each carry a good compass, so maybe that covers the spare. Wise move.

PLB: rarely. But Sue often carries a light 2.5G phone. That generation has a 35 km range, which beats the heck out of the 5G stuff. It is also useful for calling for road service if we get stuck somewhere. I will admit to having carried a PLB in the snow in the mountains on some hairy trips.

Hum – not very different from Geoff, are we? Safety.

Cheers

[jscott]

I’ve carried a Bothy on solo winter ski trips and I must say: these warm up really fast and block wind and weather as well. they’re in a whole ‘nother league from space blankets. I’ve never had to use mine in an emergency, but yeah, I agree with everything Geoff says about these. Wonderful for taking a break in inclement winter weather. very light. I’m not sure why they’re not more popular here in the states.

[Bill Budney]

Geoff, jscott: I can see how a bothy bag is better than an emergency blanket, but they approach the weight of a light tent. When would you prefer the bothy over a more substantial shelter?

[William Chilton]

When would you prefer the bothy over a more substantial shelter?

A bothy can be used on ground where it would be impossible to pitch a tent. It also packs a lot smaller.

[Geoff Caplan]

Bill

The bothy bag is specifically designed as an emergency shelter. There is zero erection required – you just open the bag and pull it over your head. I pair it up with a thin closed-cell mat I can sit on.

So you can be in shelter quite literally within seconds – even if the ground is hard or the wind is savage or the snow is deep or you’re on a narrow rocky ledge – or if you are injured or if your hands are frozen…

Far, far easier than rigging a tarp or tent.

It’s also low enough hassle that you can just whip it out for some shelter if you need a break or a hot drink in an exposed spot. This is especially valuable if you’re walking with kids or people who aren’t used to gnarly weather, and you don’t want to put them off the mountains for life :-)

Plus it’s designed to be easy for SAR to spot, with a bright colour and reflective panels.

For day-walking scenarios it’s much more functional than a tarp, and unless you’re involved in some kind of athletic undertaking the weight is insignificant.

There’s a detailed history of the bothy bag here:

https://www.outdoorgearcoach.co.uk/group-shelter-kisu-bothy-bag-zdardsky-sack-origins/

In the UK, they became standard for youth groups after the Cairngorm Disaster in ’71 where six young hikers died in a blizzard on the plateau when they failed to find a shelter. It seems that they are also popular in the White Mountains, which offer similarly serious conditions.

Groups use larger bags – the psychology of keeping the group together, and the sharing of body heat both contributed to their effectiveness. The speed with which a bothy bag heats up has to be experienced to be believed – even with a solo user.

[Bruce Tolley]

Love the contrast color of the bothy. In case of an emergency when one cannot self rescue, as Geoff already said above, it is always a good and prudent idea to have some contrast color items in your kit so the aerial or ground SAR parties can find you.For my fellow Americans, a bothy can also be a shelter built out of wood/stone.  In Scotland, these shelters are often maintained by volunteers and are usually located right where you REALLY need them in bad weather when the rain blows sideways and you cannot see 100 meters in front of you. Here is the amusing warning sign from inside one I used in the Scottish Highlands.

[Bill Budney]

Hmmm… there have been times when I wished for a quick break from the elements but couldn’t be bothered to pitch a real shelter.

Any favorite brand, source, or features?

[Geoff Caplan]

Hi Bill

I use a 1-2 person bag from a small Scottish company, so it won’t be available in the US. It only costs around $25 USD and weighs around 350 g/12 oz (They claim it’s 3 person, but that would be decidedly intimate!)

https://www.lomo.co.uk/products/emergency-storm-shelter-2-3-man-bothy-bag/

The features you want are:

• Bright colour
• Reflective panels
• Viewing windows
• Sheltered air vents.

The stuff sack supplied is pretty tight – I use a larger bag for easier access and repacking after use.

[Bruce Tolley]

Bill

Hilleberg sells what they call a Windsack that should be available in the USA. The UK outfitter Ultralight Outdoor Gear ships to the USA and has bothies from Rab, Terra Nova and others. Some of the US  based webstores that specialize in nordic ski touring might have some

https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/#/f19d161e-dfcf-432b-bdd7-74496bea34b7/fullscreen/autofilters=true&page=2&query=bothy+bag&query_name=match_and&rpp=20

[Bill Budney]

Nice range of options. Thanks all. That Windsack is more appealing than most bivvys.

[Bruce Tolley]

Yes the Hilleberg Windsack looks very roomy and I think you can zip it closed like a bothy but not sure it has any windows, just venting out the top.

I have also had luck obtaining kit at nominal shipping cost from UK and German vendors who ship via their postal service and arrive at my house via US Postal Service. The price on the Lomo bothy is very attractive.

[Bill Budney]

No windows but breathable top/face layer and closable head holes for ventilation. I carry a 2oz balaclava, so holes seem better than windows that can fog up or crack from cold/age. Breathing outside the bag should reduce condensation considerably (if weather allows). Works upright or in bivvy mode. Not claustrophobic like most bivvies. Seems pretty versatile (for a price).

Agreed that Lomo’s price is attractive for emergency gear if I can get it shipped economically.

I’m just thinking that I might actually use something like a Windsack more often. If I were shopping for a bivvy it would be an obvious choice.

[jscott]

I just want to underline Geoff’s point about how fast a bothy warms up–and how quick and easy they are to set up. And light weight overall.

I has occurred to me that a bothy doesn’t have any of the downsides of a bivvy, and even better performance. But, luckily, I’ve never needed mine to take me through an emergency overnight, so I may be missing things. The interior of my small, light bothy is far roomier than any bivy, or even some small tents. Mine doesn’t have windows, but again, it’s meant to be an emergency shelter. Condensation hasn’t been an issue, but I’ve only used mine for 45 minutes at a time at most. Still, its so roomy inside compared to a bivvy, I always thought that condensation would be easily manageable, even after many hours of use.

I bought mine after weighing the pros and cons of various emergency solo ski kits. Winter walkers should look into these!

[Bill Budney]

Good points. I’m not knocking bothy bags; just thinking out loud that the Hilleberg Windsack might be dual-purpose. If I could get a Lomo without paying 3x the price for shipping, then I would get one just to try it.

Photos show bothy bags as cubes, but am I correct in thinking that they have no structure? Do you use skis or poles for support, or does it just drape around you, like a human-size stuff sack?

[Author]

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