Critique my preparedness

MeanBeaver said:
What I believe should be added:

#1 Multi tool or SAK. Some manufacturer somewhere makes a tool that you will like. It's always nice having those extra tools.

Yes! If you see my follow-up pics, I did bring my trusty Leatherman Juice S2 with me. It is on the small side of the multitool spectrum, but it's light and easy to carry. Interestingly, I once tried to use the wire cutters to cut some double-strand barbed wire--no go. That made me think about carrying the extra weight of a full-sized multitool, but so far I've stuck with the S2.

#2 Sandwich and maybe even a thermos of soup. A hot meal is 100% worth it's weight if you ask me.

I agree. On colder days I will pack a Jet Boil stove and some instant soup. Even some instant coffee, powdered milk, and sugar mixed together in a little container and added to hot water can make a big difference!

#3 Some snacks for that happy looking dog!

Him? He steals my beef jerky. Don't worry about him
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Thanks for the input!
 
I like your new loadout.

I also carry a smaller Maxpedition EDC pack... has a Leatherman, Bic, small flashlight, Tylenol, some first aid stuff. It fits in a vest pocket if I don't have the pack with me. Used to carry some stuff in an Altoids tin, but it just rattled, and I like the capacity and carry-ability of the Maxpedition. YouTube has some good reviews of them.

I like the Terrasaur you carry with you. It looks mission capable.

Far as food goes, I carry a couple of these "meal replacement bars" with me. Some folks call them workout bars or protein bars. They are very calorie and nutrient dense, and just a couple of them can provide your daily allowance of calories, vitamins, proteins and carbs. Some of them taste like a chocolate covered Presto-Log, but some are darn tasty... you just have to try a few to see which ones you like. This week I'm packing CLIF Builder's Bars. They were on sale and the taste is enjoyable. You can find a good meal replacement bar just about anywhere any more. I do love a good sandwich, but these things can hang out in a pack for like a year... they have Twinkie-esque shelf life.

Great thread, Rotte.
 
Do you have a vacuum sealer? I used mine to seal up a Merino wool sweater, a pair of underpants and a pair of socks. The packages are fairly small and don't take up much room in the bottom of my pack. Also the plastic is very heavy duty so you don't have to worry about things getting torn up before they are needed.

Also with my vacuum sealer, I sealed up some barley, a bouillon cube and beef jerky. If needed I can use my cat stove and titanium mug to make a cup of hot soup using water from my water bladder.

Chad
 
Here? I would have added a light, a match safe, and a walking stick. Deciduous forests in mountainous terrain can be hazardous at night in autumn. And I would have taken more snacks, something to hold me over till I had been gone long enough for the wife to worry if I hurt myself and had no cell service :) Though living here in the Tennessee Valley, and having worked at the nuclear plants and seen some of the stupidity I might have some potassium iodide tablets and a heavier knife in reserve for the false sense of confidence :) Is that Terrasaur one of Brian's? It's been a while since I saw one of those.
 
I do have one of Brian's Terrasaurs, but this one is a Fiddleback Terrasaur. I'm a big fan of the Terrasaur, but am not tied to any one design, hence the Koyote in my f/u pics.

p.s. Fiddleback Forge is making a Terrasaur for me to give away as a prize in the Sheath making challenge here in W&SS. Love to see you enter that contest!
 
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This has been a fun thread to follow. I find "10 essentials" kits to be the ideal solution.

Two things to add...

1) I keep my 10 essentials spread across 2 inexpensive Outdoor Products fanny packs that I've cut the hip belts off of. Ideal little organizers. I keep them both in a day back that rides in the back of my car, doing double duty as a car emergency kit. On any trip into the woods, all I need to do is ensure those 2 organizers make into the pack I'm using on that trip, and I'm set. I'll post my 10 essential list at the end, since we're all sharing.

2) I consider rule #1 to be filing a "flight plan". This can be a phone message or a note left on my dashboard. I know a guy from another forum (VFTT - a New England oriented hiking forum) who went out on a moderate backcountry XC loop that started and ended on the very heavily used Waterville Valley trail system. At the point farthest out from the maintain and patrolled trails (about 4 miles in) he hooked a ski tip and suffered a double spiral fracture of his femur. He reported being entirely incapacitated with pain - so much so that he was unable to remove his day pack to retrieve his high loft belay parka or his satellite phone, both of which he carried for emergency. By luck, there was one more party on that loop and he was found at dusk and hours later was taken out by ski-doo to face 2 surgeries to repair the bone.

I solo hike and ski all the time. Lots of reasons. But Doug's story is a harsh reminder of how bad thing can go and how fast they can get there. IMO, if you have family and loved ones, they (not us, but they) deserve that we file flight plans so they can find our body if things don't go well.

My essentials kit...

ESSENTIAL KIT
Basic tools
+ Map (typically moved to pants pocket)
+ Compass (in my pocket when off trail)
+ Altimeter watch (moved to wrist)
+ Lighter
+ Pocket knife (Opinel)
+ Leatherman Squirt PS4 (for small pliers and scissors, mainly)
+ Keychain flashlight on a lanyard (I wear this as a necklace at night)

Chemicals- Carried in a separate ziplock
+ Sun screen
+ Dermatone (in winter)
+ Bug dope
+ Ibuprofen
+ Iodine water purification tablets (water filter is carried separately on some trips)

Toiletries
+ Toothbrush and toothpaste (these are kept in a ziplock bag)
+ Toilette paper, hand sanitizer, disposable lighter (these are kept in a ziplock bag)

Repair kit - Carried in a separate ziplock
+ Spare Fastex 2" buckle (for backpack hip belts)
+ Section of adhesive nylon repair tape (for down jackets, bags and tents)
+ Heavy polyester thread, standard needle and curved upholstery needle
+ Spare stove filler cap (I typically carry a Svea 123 and this is the only part to fail)
+ Spare batteries (for headlamp)
+ Small roll of duct tape (wrapped around a cut-off disposable pen body

Emergency Gear
+ Headnet
+ Whistle
+ Folding saw (Carried October through April)
+ Mylar aluminium bivy sack/shelter
+ 2 Powerbars (emergency food)
+ Coil of parachute chord

Minimal 1st aid kit - Mostly focused on stopping bleeding and attending to feet
+ Antihistamines
+ Selection of gauze pads and band aids
+ Butterfly tape and small roll of bandage tape
+ Gauze wrap
+ Alcohol wipes, iodine wipes, small tube of triple-biotic ointment
+ Disposable razor (shaving shins)
+ Pre-cut moleskin and bottle of Skin Shield (for blisters)
+ Nail clippers, fine tweezers (splinters), Leatherman PS4 (scissors, pliers)
+ Spare disposable lighter
 
Late to the part...but I'll my two critique points:

1. You didn't tell the wife you were having a day-time fling with a beauty with some nice "mountains".:D

2. You didn't invite me.:(

Actually the best thing you did post-trip was do offer your situation up for a critique and "lessons learned". That by far is the second most important aspect after proper planning...post trip evaluation. Job well done.

ROCK6
 
pinnah, great gear list. Simple but pretty comprehensive.

pinnah said:
Emergency Gear
+ Headnet
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That is brilliant. That right there could save your sanity if you were in the wrong place and the wrong time.

A lot of guys like paracord--who doesn't? What do you guys think of 'bank line'? I've added 20 meters to my pack. It is smaller but still fairly strong, about 300#. It's twisted, so you can untwist it to get thinner lines. It can be spliced. I kinda like the fact that bank line will do most of what I want from paracord but takes up less space/weight.



20m next to a Vic Cadet (for reference).
 
I like bank line and use it a lot, very handy stuff and takes up very little space. So does small Kevlar line and its got a ton of uses too.
 
I've pretty much gotten away from paracord and use different diameters of Dyneema cord (1.5mm- 3mm) instead- much smaller and lighter, but still plenty tough enough for shelter construction, guy lines, etc
 
Pure gold piece of advice and list there.

Love your system! I admit I copied it and made mine very similar after reading your multiple posts and experiences during these years(s) and comparing them with my current gear and the problems I had with it.

Thanks!
 
Rotte said:
So there you have it, Comis. My upgraded loadout. I think I could have added my fleece vest to the pack. I was warm while hiking all afternoon and got a bit sweaty, but if I had had to stay out overnight, I would have wished I'd brought it along. Maybe a wool hat would have been a nice addition. But, again, this was just a short (6 miles?) day hike and I was never more than a mile from a road. This was really more of a 'shakedown' walk to get the day-pack resupplied and consider requirements for some more extensive hikes.
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Hey, Rotte.

Thank you for a detailed follow up, I really do appreciate the effort. :thumbup::D

Just another friendly reminder, you'd probably know this and may have it in the FAK, but a few 325mg Aspirin in the FAK could be a life saver for sudden heart pain/attack.(Don't put in 500mg, I was taught in a recent WFA class that it is not as effective as 325mg) I also put in a few imodium in my own kit, which could be a trip saver if you are on a multiple day trip.
 
You may want to add a high viz vest for light weight spotting and for hunting season. A SPOT transceiver would be useful for poor cell coverage.
 
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I keep thinking about a SPOT unit. They seem practical, especially since I like to be out alone, but they aren't cheap.
 
Rotte said:
I keep thinking about a SPOT unit. They seem practical, especially since I like to be out alone, but they aren't cheap.
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they are having a deal now that the SPOT is free (normally $149)- you just pay for service- $99 for the year, not too bad if you are out quite a bit- especially solo, deal probably won't last too long though

I use mine year round, I really like having it (as does my wife)
 
I was going to write an obituary, of how you actually twisted your knee and could not get up the loose scree, the weather gets windy and you die of hypothermia in a couple of hours cause you have no warm or shelter clothes
And your wife could only post missing persons after 72 hours, but you were dead by then
And how the mountain rescue teams would not even know where to look
And when the dog of some passing walkers found you, your body was all eaten up by first the crows then the smaller critters
They identified you by your cell phone
++++++++++++++-+-++--+-+-``

Excuse me but........
I am surprised how polite people are here
Nobody has really roasted you for foolishness
You had no margin for any error
You broke all the safety rules

This page of the Mountain Rescue site gives standard advice that works
http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/mountain-advice

It refers to a fuller site
http://www.safeinthehills.org.uk/Home.aspx
There are individual pages in greater detail
 
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