Gear for day hikes

For short day hikes, I carry this NOMAD Gear Carrier.
http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/t...gs, Accessories&backto=/agcatalog/level3c.tam

It holds my titanium cup with a Nalgene bottle nestled inside. In the pouch of the NOMAD I carry a poncho, individually wrapped antibacterial wipes, coffee filters, EZE Lap Sharpener (pen type), and have several 4-5’ pieces of 550 cord tied in coil knots in various locations. I also carry a small compass and tin. The tin is wrapped in duct tape and contains a condom, micro-pur tabs, tinder, BSA hot spark, needles, safety pins, fishing line, dental floss, and a few fish hooks. I also carry a neck knife, pocket-knife, bandana, and my key ring has a Simonich Bitterroot, hot spark, mini-compass, magnifying lens, and photon light.

I like this set-up as I believe it contains back-up items to the 4 basic survival needs should my primitive skills fail me or time and energy need to be conserved. I can make a debris hut, but carry cordage and the poncho, as shelter is the # 1 priority in almost all survival situations. Water I don’t play around with as the # 2 priority. The Micro Pur tabs are great for purification, but I also carry the cup to boil water and a condom should the bottle fail. The coffee filter is a great initial water filter and being paper, could serve other purposes such as tinder or bandage. I can make fire by friction, which is # 3 in priority, but carry good tinder and flint. Plus my knife is carbon and I have the magnifying lens. I need to add a lighter, but haven’t yet. Food is the last priority, which should the need ever arise, I can make traps and snares and have the fishing line and hooks. For cuts and such I have the sterile wipes, bandana, filters, and duct tape. All this fits in that pouch which is great for a walk in the woods. When I go out west this summer, I will definitely add a signal mirror. And I should add a whistle now.

Just sitting here thinking of all the years I worked in the field as a forester and carried nothing but a pocket-knife. How did I survive? ;)
 
In addition to www.equipped.org, try getting a copy of Cody Lundin's book, 98.6 The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive. You'll have a pretty good idea of what you need. Recognize your weaknesses and plan accordingly.
 
Thomas Linton said:
But as for always being able to walk out, Mutt, there are areas -- and situations -- where the distance to civilization is fatally far -- IF you can walk. (Why do I think of that map of "The U.S. as seen from New York City"? You know, the one that shows Philly on the edge of the known world.) One night, I bought a box chicken dinner in Green River, WY. (The "Green River" in "Green River Ordinance enforced"). I stopped east of town on the interstate to eat. No vehicles passed me - going either way -- for over half an hour. Lovely sunset. The Big Empty. Or two miles may be "too far" in a blizzard in a New York park.
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Ah Thomas, yes, I understand walking out may take a very long time, but if one can sustain oneself, it can be done. Only last year, I walked from FengYuan to Taichung in Taiwan, 18 klicks in one afternoon. As for New York, it's very easy to walk as there's so much to see. Most residents walk a mile or more everytime they step outside of their homes or offices. Garageboy and I will regularly zigzag the streets and parks of NYC covering anywhere from 5 to 15 miles over an entire day. You're always going to have a section of the population who, met with adversity is going to just lay down and die, but for others, given a choice between life and death, will find the energy and determination to walk to safety. If you allow someone to be in relatively good shape and good boots, I am confident that they'll make it.
 
Rainmaker870 said:
(Wow, this part of the list sounds a lot like Ric's, doesn't it? ;) )
Socks
A belt-sized PSK that stashes nicely in my pack or coat pocket.
GI Canteen, Cup and Stove
A small flask of good scotch or brandy.
A map
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Yah, A little of that 18 year Highland Park would be great :-)
Thanks for reminden me.

Ric
 
MelancholyMutt said:
That's under the big assumption that the subject is being searched for... if no one's looking for you, you can sit in the woods for months before being noticed.
Here in the United States, if you walk in a straight line, you will eventually hit a river or a road... if you hit a river, you can follow the river and eventually hit a road. Once you've hit a road, you'll hit civilization.
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Just remember, an average sized man (5'9" to 6'1") that is right leg dominant will circle back on themselves (to the left) with in 1 quarter mile and end up with in 4 to 6 feet of where they started. Left leg dominant will circle to the right. This is if they are healthy, uninjured and not paying any attention to where they are going, just walking. And this doesn't take into account things in your path that you have to go around, sickness or injury.

Ric
 
If one has the presence of mind to pick a landmark that is more or less straight ahead, and then walk to that point, he can more or less maintain a straight line. The landmark doesn't have to be distant.

It's usually helpful, however, to know the general direction of a road, river, trail or shopping mall from your general location. Compasses help with that. :)
 
RicBrannon said:
Just remember, an average sized man (5'9" to 6'1") that is right leg dominant will circle back on themselves (to the left) with in 1 quarter mile and end up with in 4 to 6 feet of where they started. Left leg dominant will circle to the right. This is if they are healthy, uninjured and not paying any attention to where they are going, just walking. And this doesn't take into account things in your path that you have to go around, sickness or injury.

Ric
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Hence my first post in this thread about a compass being useful even without a map.
 
I am goofy footed, so I get confused on this sometimes, but you go in the direction of your dominant foot. Your bigger foot, which is usually your dominant, is stronger and gives you better balance, thus leading you in that direction. A good test to see what you would do would be find an open space and try to walk a straight line for 50-100 yards with your eyes closed. Chances are if your right foot is larger, you are going to the right. 75% of humans are right foot dominant. Same applies with animals, which is about 50/50.

Common sense should dictate whether you should walk out. Hopefully you will have an idea of how contiguous the property you are on. I have done quite a bit of stand mapping in woodlands using old topos, photos, etc., and it is relatively easy to get disoriented if you are not paying attention. While I been confused to my exact location many times, the one time I was really lost was in a long strip of woods about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide with an interstate on one side and 4 lane highway on the other. I was a teenager hunting on a cloudy day with no compass. Walking out in the dark I started following the sounds of the highway. Turns out the echo from all the cypress ponds had me going in circles. Finally saw headlights after a couple of hours.

Sorry about rambling off subject, but a good experience to drive home carrying some basics. Thanks, Chris
 
MelancholyMutt said:
Hence my first post in this thread about a compass being useful even without a map.
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I understand, but you had said something about searching for lost people, it's a good idea to keep that drift in mind also when your in the woods. I know some people that are pretty good woodsmen but didn't know about that so they never paid attention before. Lucky for them they've not been in any situations where it mattered.

Quiet Bear:
I believe you circle away from your dominant leg, because it's stronger you tend to take larger steps with that leg and shorter steps with your weaker leg and most often your dominant leg is a bit longer. I could be wrong but I know I am right leg dominant and I circle to the left real quick with my eyes closed or if I brake into that Highland Park too early... :-)

Ric
 
MelancholyMutt said:
...Here in the United States, if you walk in a straight line, you will eventually hit a river or a road... if you hit a river, you can follow the river and eventually hit a road. Once you've hit a road, you'll hit civilization.
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I'll go with " 'most places' here in the United States."

I've been in the territory east of here (Cedar City, UT) for work reasons. If you head east you'll run into the Grand Canyon. Of course if you turn South when you hit it you'll eventually run into the ranger station on the north rim...

How about this for a description of the local area:

"The Canyons of the Escalante--Wonders in Water and Stone
The Escalante River cascades off the southern flank of the Aquarius Plateau, winding through a 1,000-mile maze of interconnected canyons. This magical labyrinth is one of the scenic wonders of the West..."

This is spread over 1.9 million acres. (2,969 square miles if I did my math correctly.)

Bigger than Rhode Island. But a WHOPPING 187 miles of paved roads.

Highway 89: Highway 89 is a paved two-lane highway along the southern boundary of the Monument, 72 miles between Kanab and Page, AZ.

and Highway 12: ... serves as the gateway to Bryce Canyon National Park, and provides access to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument along approximately 68 miles, between Tropic and Boulder, Utah.

http://www.ut.blm.gov/monument/Visitor_Information/roads_and_maps.html#Highway 89

I've spent most of my time learning survival in the high desert, the Sonoran and the Mojave. I figure from there the PNW or the south is "gravy."

The high desert, by the way, covers a large part of Utah, Nevada, and eastern OR and WA. Yes, we get below zero. Even negative numbers, snow, rain, etc. If you go south insterad of east, it's desert to the Mexican border...

So I agree in essence with you statement for MOST places in CONUS. We just need to know the exceptions.
 
of course, it's the whole arguement... and I paraphrase George Carlin...
"can God make a rock so big that even he can't lift it"?

I think by the time someone makes it to a road or a river, he can flag down help. If he/she has primitive living skills, he could walk the entire span in a matter of months. If a guy is out for a day hike, he's not going to be too far away from civilization one way or another.
 
Fraser said:
For a day hike I carry stuff to get me thru a cold rainy night - basically a heavy shirt or sweater and waterproof poncho.
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In place of the heavy shirt/sweater, allow me to recommend the Bivvy Wear jacket from Brigade Quartermaster.

It weighs only 1 pound (468 grams IIRC) and is insanely windproof. It is also incrediby compressible. It stuffs into its 6"x10" stuff sack with room to spare. I carry the Bivvy Wear hood in the same sack with the jacket. I would guess you could get the jacket alone into 4"x9" space. Mine is OD, not the camo version that is now available.

Read my review of the Bivvy Wear at link below.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236404
 
That 'dominant leg circling' thing is only a problem in trackless places like deserts and blizzards. If you can see a landmark (near or far) you can walk there without circling.
 
Merek said:
That 'dominant leg circling' thing is only a problem in trackless places like deserts and blizzards. If you can see a landmark (near or far) you can walk there without circling.
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Tom Brown relates tracking a hunter to the point of death in the Pine Barrens of NJ. Guy kept going in circles. Probably a lack of knowledge of the technique several have mentioned here.
 
My day pack w/ hydration bag that I take with me when hunting from base camp. The area I travel may be a short trip or an all day long adventure. The mtns. (Emigrant Wilderness) in this area range from 6500' to over 10,000' in elevation, so you can't afford to go without any sort of gear. In my day pack which btw came with a built in rain cover. gortex rain jacket, hat, neck gator, 20rnds of ammo (what good is an 8 pound rifle with no ammo) my S-1 knife, water pure tabs, pocket chainsaw, flashlight, map and compass, 50' para cord, firestarter, SAK, spacebag, signal mirror, FRS radio, sun glasses, tin cup for cooking, ground tarp, two extra large n thick trash bags. energy snacks, 1 MRE, last aid kit, Nothing cotton for this guy. Oh I also started packing my CoolPix 2200 to record it all.
The stuff one needs will vary from a walk in the park to a day/night trip. I recently started doing nocturnal adventures where i would rest durring the day then come out at night, a whole different world opens up. Be safe in whatever you do..
Check out this story..
http://www.gameandfishmag.com/gf_aa016405a/
 
Merek said:
That 'dominant leg circling' thing is only a problem in trackless places like deserts and blizzards. If you can see a landmark (near or far) you can walk there without circling.
Click to expand...

AMEN

The Entire walking in circles thing is natural selection in action as far as I am concerned.

Skam
 
A map will only be worthwhile if you locate yourself before you get lost, I cant count the times I had to show people wher they were on their maps. Orienteering is a (very worthwhile) skill but it needs practice.
At all times I carry;
swiss army knife
magnesium fire starter with sparking insert (buy two and practise untill you can make a fire easily)
handkerchief
a half dozen large fabric band aids.
A small pill bottle of aspirin (good for headachs and heartattacks)
A small LED flashlight.
a wallet with credit cards and money
I wear light hiking boots as my preferred footwear.

When in the woods I carry/wear the above and
a large bic lighter
a medium (3.5") folder
A big bandana
a wide brimmed hat (usually boonie)
Long pants
Long sleaved shirt

When out for a day hike in the woods all of the above but I may go with a heavier fixed blade knife.
When in unfamiliar territory I examine a map and locate myself before I start.
1 qt H2O
a fresh (less than 12mo. old) bottle of iodine tabs. Do not open until needed.
a med pack with blister treatment, gause, trauma pad (combat dressing) and a roll of strech bandage (sprains)
a food package (sandwiches & munchies) try to have enough left when you return to camp/trailhead for a snack (safety margin)
a staff
A compact waterproof windbreaker/(rubberized)poncho

There are few mosquitos where I go so I do not need repellant.
Always let someone know where and when.
I have probably left some stuff out.
Enjoy!
 
Happy Joe said:
A map will only be worthwhile if you locate yourself before you get lost, I cant count the times I had to show people wher they were on their maps. Orienteering is a (very worthwhile) skill but it needs practice.
Click to expand...

What you said!!!!! M & C skills are terrible in the vast majority of the outdoor population thus I teach it to the public often. GPS makes it even worse.

Nice list BTW.

Skam
 
Happy Joe said:
A map will only be worthwhile if you locate yourself before you get lost,
Click to expand...

Not true...
Very simple
given that you have a map of the area you are in, you seek out two distincive landmarks and triangulate with your compass. Very basic Cub Scout skills.
 
MelancholyMutt said:
Not true...
Very simple
given that you have a map of the area you are in, you seek out two distincive landmarks and triangulate with your compass. Very basic Cub Scout skills.
Click to expand...

Very true seeing that 99% of the population can't do what you describe.

Skam
 
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