plastic bag clothing

A very good point. The most the people in my post had was a PFD, lunch, and maybe some beer. I learned a long time before that to keep a thwart bag of stuff in my canoe at all times. I've only opened it once or twice for myself, but emptied it countless times for others. A gashed ankle is commonplace on moving rivers where rocks abound, but few carry the essentials to stop bleeding and close a wound. Such an occurance is annoying if you have a proper thwart bag, life endangering if not. One time I had to open it for myself, I was in self-rescue mode, hypothermic, and seven miles upstream from help in a wilderness area. Now, that don't sound like much, but when you are soaked, shivering, hands won't function beyond a basic curl, it is serious. I always try to keep that bag stocked and add to it as I see a need. As it is, it weighs nearly ten pounds! But I've used every item (or wished I had the item, but didn't).

Codger
 
Codger_64 said:
Now, that don't sound like much, but when you are soaked, shivering, hands won't function beyond a basic curl, it is serious.
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One of the best moves I made was to attempt to jump while walking across a river in the fall, the opposing shore was a rock face and for some reason I suddenly believed I was in competition for a standing long jump record. To make matters worse I also had a bottle of coke in my right hand.

Of course I didn't make it, and smashed the bottle off the rock and mangled my dominant hand and was now wet and while it wasn't actually cold (for here anyway) it wasn't comfortable either plus the blood going everywhere didn't help and I suddenly realized my left hand ablities are fairly useless.

Luckly I wasn't alone.

-Cliff
 
Hence the old Scout exercise where you build a fire/erect a tent/tie a sprained ankle bandage/etc. with your weak hand only.
 
Yes, this is one of the reasons why I devalue a lot of tools for the survival label which either require two hands or are even very difficult to use with even the dominant hand alone. For example if I had to buck a lot of wood in the backyard I would want a full sized swede saw, but trying to use a 3 foot frame saw with one handed for bucking, limbing and felling would be nothing but an exercise in frustration compared to a small one handed pruning saw.

-Cliff
 
I've had to suture my right hand with my left, and it was not an easy task. Just turning the hemostats around countless times was a problem. I was not alone, but could get no help from my companions.:rolleyes: Just such a scenario is why I carry a sculling paddle in my canoe as a spare. It is tiring to use, but it works well one handed. Opening a non-flickable folder one handed can be a chore as well.

Codger
 
Codger_64 said:
A dufus like me might insert the tube in a lung and drown them.:rolleyes:

Codger
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then you need to go for the heated jello enema...
the worst you can do is give them piles
:D
 
Codger 64, motorcycleman here, great reading this post. Any chance you could elaborate on what you carry in your thwart bag and what medical courses or reading you´ve done. I think this will help alot of éople to improve their medical survival practice. Thanks, Tim
 
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