Advice on Snowshoeing Survival Kit

[DWK2]

I've done a fair amount of hunting in snow conditions in Idaho and MT as well as X/C skiing from New England to the Sierra. However, I'm usually carrying considerably more gear than a basic survival kit so I'd appreciate some advice from those who snowshoe or X/C ski regularly.

The person who will be carrying the kit is a female undergraduate in Maine. She is tall and very strong---varsity athlete type. She has relatively little backwoods experience (training question coming later) and is not a "knife person".

The snowshoeing will not be in deep wilderness or at high altitude. General vicinity is Brunswick, Maine.

The snowshoer will be carrying appropriate clothing and water in either a hydration bladder or a couple water bottles contained in a daypack. You may assume all gear will be appropriately waterproofed in plastic bags/containers/etc. The snowshoer has access to a GPS unit and cell phone. She'll have a BIC and small SAK in her pockets.

The survival kit needs to be relatively light (like 2-3 pounds or so) or it might get left behind. Cost is not much of a consideration but everything needs to be commercially available (no fabricating/building items).

Here are some items I was considering:

SPOT Tracker/Emergency Beacon
Compass/map
Whistle
Firestarters: BIC lighters, firesteel, waterproof matches in container
Tinder (several)/tea candles
Esbit pocket stove & 6 fuel cubes (or similar)
SAK Rucksack or One-Handed Trekker folding knife
Snow Peak 600 ml titanium cup
Small Lexan mirror
Water purification tablets
Couple of contractor grade plastic trash bags
50 ft. of 550 cord or similar
Small first aid kit
LED flashlight and spare batteries; Photon microlight
A few Cliff bars/Snickers or equiv.
Couple packets of hot choc or tea or bouillon cubes
Two Adventure Medical Heat Sheets, Lg. (space blankets)
Very light saw---perhaps the Fiskars slider owing to its lightness

Any advice from those who regularly snowshoe and/or X/C ski in conditions similar to Maine would be appreciated.

Last question: The snowshoer needs some outdoors/survival training, preferably not too far from the Brunswick, ME area. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your assistance!

DancesWithKnives

 

[bacman99]

I would add a Space blanket

 

[DWK2]

Thanks---I should have noted that the Adventure Medical Heat Sheets are a somewhat higher grade of space blanket than the average ones you see. I just edited that reference.

Thanks for mentioning space blankets----always a good idea.

DancesWithKnives

 

[kgd]

Actually I'd recommend the AMK thermolyte bivy 2.0 for emergencies.

Extra hat and gloves. It is very easy to put these down and forget them on your trip. Scarf or belaclava for the wind. Sunglasses and believe it or not suntan lotion (for your face).

 

[Sharp Eye]

Under the conditions that you describe I would consider the following:
1.A cell phone.
2.Letting someone know where you are going and the latest you expect to get back.
3.A lightweight headlamp
4. Wire (to fix a broken binding)
5. Zip ties
6. Small roll of duct tape

 

[Bill Siegle]

For winter hiking, I like to have a fast shelter option,light,fire, and food. I use the Adventure Med space blanket(2 person size), an Inova 24/7 light, cotton balls with vaseline and a metal match, and a couple Snickers bars. I figure worst case scenario I have what I need right on me to get through a night or two if I can't build/gather something better. I built this list right after a hike where I sprained my ankle with an audible POP! Scared the heck outa me! Thanksfully I was able to stay mobile but it set my mind to thinking, how would it have been had I not been able to move about? So I carry these things at a minimum along with a water supply

 

[fnc]

Tell her to go with a club and study their recommendations and their habits, and gear.
I was never in Maine, but in Colorado and Wyoming.

Some people carry a various stoves on day trips; they weigh too much for me.

I have had water bottles freeze-up. I have not found a perfect solution to this, though
I think the water bladder and drinking tube is even more vulnerable.

Edit to add: Sorry I missed the Snow Peak titanium cup. Super piece of gear.

Consider at least one metal container: canteen, bottle, or pot so that you can
thaw a plastic container, or thaw some snow. When going into lakes for ice skating,
I would take a stainless steel thermos, but that is too heavy to carry the entire time.
A Large aluminum cup, like the Walmart grease keeper, is very light, and cheap.

Complicating the problem, is what the group of skiers/shoers is doing, i.e. how long
do they rest and do they stop to "boil the kettle". Groups, that I was with, never stopped
very long, except for lunch or if ice-skating. They almost never built fires, on day-trips.

Insulating the water bottle with extra clothes works for a while. Putting boiling hot water
into plastic containers is not a good idea, but hot water into stainless steel is safe.

Extra clothes are a good idea, synthetic is preferred; thin wool or cotton/poly can
protect synthetics from a camp fire. I have seen partial melting of garments.

 

[mtwarden]

obviously exposure is the biggest concern in winter conditions- appropriate clothing is your first line of defense- sounds like you have a good handle on this

the ability to start a fire can't be overstated- you want a fair amount of redundancy in this area (w/ some practice especially for someone new)- my first line fire starter would be something easy and something effective ie a waterproof windmill lighter, also carrying some ready to go tinder- Tinder-Quicks, PJCB's, etc- I'd include one or two Wetfire tinders as well- anyone can get a fire going w/ one of those- they'll burn in water even

I also suggest upping the emergency blanket to the AMK thermolite bivy

my "winter" kit varies slightly from my "summer" kit- a heavy balaclava and heavy mittens (I use the 400 gram Wool Power mittens/balaclava) replace a light fleece hat and glove liners

I carry three small beeswax candles in my winter kit, they are good for ~ 16 hours intermittently, inside a good debris shelter they can add significant warmth
http://www.philoxia.com/survivalcandles.htm

one other item that makes my winter kit that's not in my summer kit are some 12 hour chemical hand warmers- you can lose your dexterity very quickly when cold (found out the hard way falling out of canoe in 5 degree weather), the ability to warm up your hands could ultimately save your hide

I carry a poncho/tarp (Intgeral Designs) (summer and winter)- it's light at ~ 9 oz, in the winter it would go over my debris shelter frame- I'd pile boughs/leaves over it and then snow- the poncho helps keep moisture out and heat in

definitely a light saw (debris shelter, fire wood) at 3.5 oz the little Gerber/Fiskars is pretty nice (and actually cuts decently)

the garbage bags (or daypack) can be filled w/ leaves/snow/etc and used to block the entrance of the debris shelter

a small stove/mug as you have listed is a good idea- having it setup to burn Esbit AND wood would add some versatility, warm beverages and food go a long way on an unexpected night out- the ability to melt snow/ice is critical in the winter

I'd let her practice building some fires w/ what she'll be carrying, I'd also let her practice building a debris shelter- these two skills will go along way in building the necessary confidence you want "playing" in the winter

Mike

 

[DWK2]

Thanks a lot!

I should have thought of including an LED headlamp rather than a flashlight. If you are using trekking or ski poles with snowshoes, you don't want to have to handhold a flashlight. Headlamps are more convenient around camp too. Carry a Princetontec Aurora myself.

I also like the idea of substituting an AM bivy bag for one of the heat sheets.

Zip ties are something I personally carry and a great idea for snowshoe repair. Not sure I'd use wire as much, but zip ties are a definite. Thanks for the reminder!

I have some really strong gaffer's/rigger's tape. Costs about 5 times as much per yard as duct tape but it has a really high fabric content for strength and is extremely sticky. A few yards of that would be a good idea.

A snowshoeing club is also a great suggestion. Hopefully the school has some leaders who are experienced enough to teach beginners.

Much appreciated! [As well as any further suggestions.]

DancesWithKnives

 

[DWK2]

mtwarden,

Thank you. Perhaps a light tarp and the bivy would be better than any Heat Sheets. I'll have to think about that and see what the total weight would be.

Chemical handwarmers are a terrific suggestion. I carry them when hunting in MT. If you have loose-fitting boots you can also slip one into the toe box of each boot while you are sitting still for long periods along a game trail, ambush hunting.

I'm grateful for the ideas!

DancesWithKnives

 

[mtwarden]

the bivy weighs in at 6.9 oz, the tarp 9.1 (add 2.3 oz for Ti stakes/guy lines), they don't take up much room- Cliff bar for scale

 

[333rm]

Heres a few items I'd recommend:

packets of sunscreen
greatland rescue flare (laser)
frontier water filtration straws
mainstay food bars (1200 or 2400 calorie bars)
1Q/1L water bag
sewing kit
gookinaid (dehydration drink mix)
small-medium fixed blade knife
bright orange bandana (signaling and a sling)

you'll want some spare packets of sunscreen should you lose your packs or become seperated. I know she isn't a knife person but in that kind of cold you'll want a knife that has no moving parts. That will allow you to pound on it for splitting firewood, maybe in the 3-5 inch range. Frontier water filtration straws will allow you to drink directly from a stream and up to 25-50 gallons. Instead of the Clif and Snickers get a few Mainstay survival bars that have plenty calories to keep you moving and functioning in the cold. A sewing kit should you rip open you jacket or gloves and need to close them up. The gookinaid will help save you from dehydration.
For survival training I would contact Survival Resources, they're located in New York.
845-471-2434

 

[brians]

For winter dayhikes or a day of hunting, where I always have a pack, I carry 1 extra wool baselayer shirt and 1 extra pair of wool socks.

Even with clothes layering, I can sweat like a mutant, especially shoeing in deep light powder. Stay dry.

 

[Rotte]

Many good ideas here, I'd add some wire and a multitool with pliers. Snow shoes sometimes break and wire can be used to make an expedient repair. Enough of a repair to get you home. I like the zip tie idea too, but wire might be more versatile. (I carry wire)

 

[idroptapul]

If someone is going on day snowshoeing trips, I'd say the situation you'd most want to be prepared for is a medical emergency: twisted ankle, boot-top fracture, sprained knee, or something like that. Granted she has taken the proper precautions and left her route and an approximate return time with somebody reliable, she's beyond the golden hour, but not likely to be left overnight. Wood gathering and firestarting would be difficult with a tib-fib fracture. We're looking at dealing with retaining body heat for several hours in below freezing whether. Some recommendations:

Seat size ensolite pad for getting off the cold ground
Extra down or pile clothing
Space Blanket
Thermos or insulated bottle full of hot cocoa (anything hot and caloric)
Easy calories in food
Stuff sack (can be filled with down clothing to warm a foot)

Before she takes any survival courses, have her do a wilderness first aid or even better wilderness first responder course. A close, and excellent, option is SOLO school out of North Conway, NH. They're one of the three industry leaders in wilderness medicine education. WMI and WMA are the other two biggies.

 

[brians]

+1 on the seat/pad:

 

[fnc]

At lunch time, I could sit on my skinny skis or snowshoes, even if I did it perfectly,
on a cold day, my butt would be cold. So I started carrying an 18 inch square of
closed cell foam. It weighed practically nothing, and could serve in a survival
situation as well.

Goggles with tinted shield. Face mask or balaclava. Mittens. Tinted clip-ons or
tinted eye-glasses.

Extra knit cap. Knit ear brazier. I do not like using my parka/windbreaker hood.
except under very extreme conditions. Because the wind can blow through a single
knit garment giving you a modest ear ache.

Advice:

Tiny day packs are not good. Use a slightly larger pack than you think you need;
then you can easily store or retrieve items from the pack and you will not have to
tie gear to the outside of the pack (a good way to lose stuff). BTW, keeping misc.
items in stuff sacks or mesh bags, each bag secured to the inside of the pack;
then you can open your pack without fear of things being blown away.

Never lay equipment down if the wind could blow it away, or if it could slide away, or
a dog could decide to play with it. When you take off clothing, even temporarily,
secure it. A gust of wind can blow gloves, vests, etc. beyond reach in a fraction of
a second. And once they are beyond reach, they might be gone forever.

 

[DWK2]

Those Mainstay bars sound great---will probably get some myself. I also forgot to list the bandana or two that I personally carry; thanks for the reminder.

I may have to re-think my hesitation about the wire.

I considered a multi-tool but unless you are working with wire, I'm not sure it would add enough to the SAK to justify the weight. Note that I personally carry one in my Fall hunting pack but with this kit I must keep it light or it might not get carried.

Spare sunscreen makes sense---I carry a small tube in my pack.

With regard to clothing, I've previously specified spare socks for her daypack but I'll suggest an extra base layer for longer, more strenuous outings.

Needless to say, I thought about a fixed blade and I'm glad it was mentioned. Eventually a Victorinox multi and a fixed blade might make sense but for the initial outings I think I'll probably go with the more minimalist approach.

Some great suggestions---many thanks!

DancesWithKnives

 

[DWK2]

You guys are fast! Rotte made the last post just before I most recently responded.

The pad is a terrific item---thanks. In my hunting pack I personally carry a one-inch thick pad that was made for hunter's treestand use.

She already has ski goggles so she could consider including them if the total pack weight/bulk doesn't get out of hand.

When hunting in below zero weather I carry a surplus military face protector. Otherwise, I figure I can wrap my light wool scarf around my face. I'll address this with her.

She has a Denali grade Icefall parka from Feathered Friends so if it's really cold she can bring a state-of-the-art parka.

I'll have to ask her folks about the size of her daypack. When hunting, I often use a spacious Gregory "Day-and-a-Half" pack for the reasons noted above.

Note that she'll never be snowshoeing solo. Although that's generally a positive thing, if you go with four other people and none has any survival gear, it can seriously compromise the effectiveness of your kit.

Again, I appreciate the great guidance!

DancesWithKnives

 

[statius]

I'd echo extra mittens/gloves. One light pair for tasks needing dexterity, one warm pair and an extra warm pair. Even if you don't plan on digging in snow you could lose one. After a few hours of building a quinzee my one pair was soaked. I had brought 2 extra pairs, so I was alright. My friend had one pair of gloves and his were soaked, and consequently, frozen soon after.