I wrote this article to (hopefully) be printed in a journal the outdoors club at my university publishes. It is aimed at people who generally have no interest in survival, but should, since they spend lots of time outdoors in the backcountry. Anyway, I thought I would share it here with you guys as well since I spent a lot of time writing it (then even more time editing it to length - it started out way longer!)
Avoiding and Surviving an Unplanned Night Out in the Backcountry
By Will Whitty
How important is it to be prepared to spend the night out on a day trip, and how much emergency gear should you bring to deal with the unexpected? Traveling light is a lot more fun than being weighed down with a heavy pack, and a heavy load only increases the chances of being stuck out. So what is the right balance between being prepared and packing light enough to move fast and have fun? Instead of packing lots of extra emergency gear, think about how what you bring anyway can be used in an emergency to perform another task. Likewise, when choosing gear to buy or bring, choose items that have multiple uses, and that can be used unconventionally.
When thinking about or planning for wilderness survival situations you have to think realistically about why you might spend an unplanned night out. Some might conjure up images of plane crashes, ship wrecks or remote regions where you might be surviving for weeks. This article focuses on short-term survival rather than primitive living (long-term). Survival for the purpose of this article is avoidance and improvisation to get through an unplanned night out, perhaps stemming from a simple day trip.
If you have to “survive” an unplanned night out, something has gone terribly wrong. Whatever that “something” is, it is going to make the task of surviving a lot more difficult than any practice situation or camping trip. Getting lost, sustaining injury or being forced to remain stationary due to extreme weather, darkness, or broken equipment are possible complications the outdoor adventurer risks. They put your life at risk and are extremely stressful causing panic, which can quickly lead to shock. Once in shock, you lose all ability to think and act rationally, you lose coordination and dexterity, and your core temperature drops. If you do not have a survival strategy and have not practiced survival skills in advance, even simple tasks will be overwhelming. You cannot think rationally or strategize in an emergency; your mind will shut down from shock. Having proper equipment is worthless if you are unable to use it while either injured, under serious stress or shock, in complete darkness, or extreme weather. This is something to think about when choosing gear and practicing with it. The most likely and realistic event to put you in a life and death survival situation is an injury, particularly in winter, where even a non life threatening injury, like a broken limb, can quickly lead to death by exposure.
Before thinking about how to deal with surviving a night out, think about how to avoid it. Getting lost is less of an issue these days since trails are highly groomed and easy to follow. If skiing or hiking or whatever off-trail your navigation skills should be good enough to at least reduce the likelihood of getting lost. Know how to use a map and compass and carry them in your pockets, not in your pack. Should you become separated from your pack, you will still be able to get back. Otherwise, you are stranded trying to survive – a situation easily avoided. The same precaution applies for any other navigational gear like GPS units or altimeters. There are many reasons you might become separated from your pack. On steep terrain where you might have to take it off and pass it up or down to your partner it could be dropped. You might have to abandon your pack to save yourself in an avalanche, crossing a river, or breaking through ice on a frozen lake.
If you use a GPS, reduce the chance of being stranded by regularly plotting your position on a map. With a bit of practice it will only a take few seconds and you will be glad you did should the GPS fail, or lose signal. If you always know where you are on the map, finding your way with a compass is straightforward. If you depend entirely on the GPS and it fails, trying to place your current location on the map will be difficult.
Another way to avoid a night out is to always, regardless of the length of the trip, carry a flashlight. With LED headlamps being so small and light, there is no excuse not to have one. It will make the difference between spending an unpleasant night out and getting back to your car if caught after dark. Carry it in your pocket not to be separated from it and to keep the batteries warm. Carry spare batteries just in case.
Clothing is your first line of defense against the elements, and proper clothing increases your chance of survival more than any other piece of equipment. Exposure is the number one cause of death in the outdoors. Do not skimp on clothes and remember, shock will make it much harder to keep warm. Always carry full rain gear, and a little more insulation than you think you need. In the West Coast’s damp climate, avoid down. In winter, make sure you carry a fiber-fill jacket/parka with a hood. If it is cold enough for a puffy jacket, it is cold enough for a puffy hood. Half your body heat is lost through the head and you will be especially glad to have the hood should you lose your hat.
The importance of hydration cannot be over emphasized. Even slight dehydration reduces all motor skills and impairs the mind. Dehydration thickens the blood, which reduces circulation, expediting death by exposure. Camelbak’s slogan “hydrate or die” sums it up. Stack the odds in your favour and stay well hydrated. Once you start feeling thirsty, it is too late; the body’s ability to absorb water slows down with increasing dehydration.
Worse case scenarios are injuries that either slow you down, or worse, render you immobile. The goal with first aid is to patch yourself up well enough to move, or at least to stay alive until help arrives (12-24 hours hopefully IF YOU BOTHERED TELLING SOMEONE YOUR PLANS). On longer trips, you want to have enough first aid equipment so that minor injuries can be treated without forcing you to end your trip early, but on shorter trips, this is not an issue. Luxuries like antibiotic ointment, alcohol pads, specialized bandages, irrigations syringe, excessive quantities of dressings etc. just add weight and bulk. Save these items for longer trips. Scrutinize each item in your kit and bring only things that will either keep you alive, or make returning to the car faster and easier. Regular strip Band-Aids, gauze and tape will take care of most soft tissue injuries. Ibuprofen and Imodium are worth bringing on all trips, as is moleskin. Pencil and paper are mandatory. Depending on the nature of the trip and likelihood of sprains or fractures (skiing or biking for example) an elastic bandage and lightweight splint (Sam Splint) are a good idea to bring. They are easy to use and make a huge difference in comfort and the ability to continue moving. In the case of a foot or ankle injury, do not remove your boot as the swelling will make it impossible to put it back on.
If it is winter, or you are suffering from shock or trauma you will need some sort of shelter beyond clothing. The less energy that goes into shelter building the better. Small (to retain warmth) and simple shelters are best. Space blankets are the simplest cheapest, lightest and most compact option. The new Heatsheet emergency blankets by Adventure Medical Kits are an improved version of the classic Mylar (silver) models. Heatsheets are constructed of a “special low-density polyethylene,” which is more durable and less noisy (less crinkly) than Mylar. Also, they are larger and have an orange side (good for visibility if you want to be rescued) with survival instructions printed on it.
An “A” frame shelter is vastly superior to other designs. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to tie a string between two trees (1.5 m off the ground) drape the space blanket over it, and secure the bottoms. It takes a lot of fussing around and practice to get this to work. The string will sag in the middle, especially as it becomes wet and stretches, and the space blanket will slide down to the centre leaving you expose at either end. A much stronger alternative is to use an arch pole lashed between two trees instead of the cord. Weigh down the edges of the space blanket with rocks or logs, or reinforce with duct tape and punch holes in it to tie down or stake out. Clear out snow and debris and line with floor with fir bows. If too injured or tired to rig a tarp, rolling up in the Heetsheet provides a good level of warmth and shelter.
The following is an inexpensive and simple modification I urge anyone who skis or winter climbs to consider. I have a top loading day pack with a plastic frame sheet that fits in a sleeve. The frame sheet has an aluminum stay and a couple of plastic rods in it and weighs 200 g. I pulled it out and replaced it with a 5 mm thick foam sleeping pad folded over three times (now 15 mm thick and 50 g) which fits it in the sleeve. This replacement is not only lighter, but actually makes the pack more comfortable for skiing and climbing because it hugs the back and moves with the body better. Main advantage: it pulls out and unfolds into a 50 cm x 65 cm rectangle for sitting or lying on the ground. It is long enough to go from my hips to my shoulders. Other items from the inside the pack can be used for a pillow and the empty pack can go under my legs, or I can put my feet inside it for extra warmth. The foam serves other purposes as well. It makes for superb waterproof tinder. Thin slices a couple inches long burn for a few minutes. The foam can be used to splint fractures, or at least pad under a stiffer splint. Surely there are other uses as well. It is a clever idea that saves weight, adds comfort, and provides padding and insulation for an unexpected night out in the snow. I picked it up somewhere a while back from some climbing book, or climbing magazine, and I highly suggest it to anyone who has a removable frame sheet in their day pack. This is an excellent example of using gear you carry anyway unconventionally in a emergency, rather than carrying something separate that can only be used in a emergency.
Duct tape is an easy to carry multiuse item. For example it can be used to repair clothing or other gear, secure a splint, covers blisters or hot spots, and reinforce emergency blankets before punching holes in them for tying down. Wrap it around water bottles, ski poles and bike frames so it is always handy.
Cord has infinite uses. I carry 9 m of 2 mm cord that can be used for repairs, replacing boot laces, rigging up a tarp or lashing together a simple stretcher or travois to transport an injured victim.
Safety pins have a multitude of uses as well, like securing a sling for a fractured limb, removing a splinter, or converting your emergency blanket into a sleeping bag (reinforce it with duct tape before poking the pin through).
Whistles are much more audible than voice, especially over wind or running water. If seriously injured, yelling may not be an option, but blowing a whistle takes minimal energy. Keep one on your shoulder strap where it is immediately accessible should you fall down and need to alert your partner.
For its size and weight, a Leatherman multi-tool has more functions and is safer than a Swiss Army Knife. There are many things I use the pliers for, cutting wire, bending/fixing bindings and climbing gear, loosen frozen locks on ‘biners, pot grabber, reaching a match into the fire, untying knots, and generally grabbing things I cannot grip well enough with my fingers to pull. The saw is mandatory for cutting small trees and branches to build splints, stretchers and travois. The file, sheepsfoot blade and scissors are useful too. But the main thing I really like about the Leatherman tools is that I can open everything one handed easily and more safely than I can with a Swiss Army Knife. Swiss Army Knives have strong back springs that make the blades hard to open and easy to shut on your fingers in the process. If you injure a hand, wrist or arm, being able to open your tool one-handed will be more than just a convenience. When really cold or injured fine motor skills we all take for granted will not be there and our finger will not function the way we want them to.
...continued in the next post...
Avoiding and Surviving an Unplanned Night Out in the Backcountry
By Will Whitty
How important is it to be prepared to spend the night out on a day trip, and how much emergency gear should you bring to deal with the unexpected? Traveling light is a lot more fun than being weighed down with a heavy pack, and a heavy load only increases the chances of being stuck out. So what is the right balance between being prepared and packing light enough to move fast and have fun? Instead of packing lots of extra emergency gear, think about how what you bring anyway can be used in an emergency to perform another task. Likewise, when choosing gear to buy or bring, choose items that have multiple uses, and that can be used unconventionally.
When thinking about or planning for wilderness survival situations you have to think realistically about why you might spend an unplanned night out. Some might conjure up images of plane crashes, ship wrecks or remote regions where you might be surviving for weeks. This article focuses on short-term survival rather than primitive living (long-term). Survival for the purpose of this article is avoidance and improvisation to get through an unplanned night out, perhaps stemming from a simple day trip.
If you have to “survive” an unplanned night out, something has gone terribly wrong. Whatever that “something” is, it is going to make the task of surviving a lot more difficult than any practice situation or camping trip. Getting lost, sustaining injury or being forced to remain stationary due to extreme weather, darkness, or broken equipment are possible complications the outdoor adventurer risks. They put your life at risk and are extremely stressful causing panic, which can quickly lead to shock. Once in shock, you lose all ability to think and act rationally, you lose coordination and dexterity, and your core temperature drops. If you do not have a survival strategy and have not practiced survival skills in advance, even simple tasks will be overwhelming. You cannot think rationally or strategize in an emergency; your mind will shut down from shock. Having proper equipment is worthless if you are unable to use it while either injured, under serious stress or shock, in complete darkness, or extreme weather. This is something to think about when choosing gear and practicing with it. The most likely and realistic event to put you in a life and death survival situation is an injury, particularly in winter, where even a non life threatening injury, like a broken limb, can quickly lead to death by exposure.
Before thinking about how to deal with surviving a night out, think about how to avoid it. Getting lost is less of an issue these days since trails are highly groomed and easy to follow. If skiing or hiking or whatever off-trail your navigation skills should be good enough to at least reduce the likelihood of getting lost. Know how to use a map and compass and carry them in your pockets, not in your pack. Should you become separated from your pack, you will still be able to get back. Otherwise, you are stranded trying to survive – a situation easily avoided. The same precaution applies for any other navigational gear like GPS units or altimeters. There are many reasons you might become separated from your pack. On steep terrain where you might have to take it off and pass it up or down to your partner it could be dropped. You might have to abandon your pack to save yourself in an avalanche, crossing a river, or breaking through ice on a frozen lake.
If you use a GPS, reduce the chance of being stranded by regularly plotting your position on a map. With a bit of practice it will only a take few seconds and you will be glad you did should the GPS fail, or lose signal. If you always know where you are on the map, finding your way with a compass is straightforward. If you depend entirely on the GPS and it fails, trying to place your current location on the map will be difficult.
Another way to avoid a night out is to always, regardless of the length of the trip, carry a flashlight. With LED headlamps being so small and light, there is no excuse not to have one. It will make the difference between spending an unpleasant night out and getting back to your car if caught after dark. Carry it in your pocket not to be separated from it and to keep the batteries warm. Carry spare batteries just in case.
Clothing is your first line of defense against the elements, and proper clothing increases your chance of survival more than any other piece of equipment. Exposure is the number one cause of death in the outdoors. Do not skimp on clothes and remember, shock will make it much harder to keep warm. Always carry full rain gear, and a little more insulation than you think you need. In the West Coast’s damp climate, avoid down. In winter, make sure you carry a fiber-fill jacket/parka with a hood. If it is cold enough for a puffy jacket, it is cold enough for a puffy hood. Half your body heat is lost through the head and you will be especially glad to have the hood should you lose your hat.
The importance of hydration cannot be over emphasized. Even slight dehydration reduces all motor skills and impairs the mind. Dehydration thickens the blood, which reduces circulation, expediting death by exposure. Camelbak’s slogan “hydrate or die” sums it up. Stack the odds in your favour and stay well hydrated. Once you start feeling thirsty, it is too late; the body’s ability to absorb water slows down with increasing dehydration.
Worse case scenarios are injuries that either slow you down, or worse, render you immobile. The goal with first aid is to patch yourself up well enough to move, or at least to stay alive until help arrives (12-24 hours hopefully IF YOU BOTHERED TELLING SOMEONE YOUR PLANS). On longer trips, you want to have enough first aid equipment so that minor injuries can be treated without forcing you to end your trip early, but on shorter trips, this is not an issue. Luxuries like antibiotic ointment, alcohol pads, specialized bandages, irrigations syringe, excessive quantities of dressings etc. just add weight and bulk. Save these items for longer trips. Scrutinize each item in your kit and bring only things that will either keep you alive, or make returning to the car faster and easier. Regular strip Band-Aids, gauze and tape will take care of most soft tissue injuries. Ibuprofen and Imodium are worth bringing on all trips, as is moleskin. Pencil and paper are mandatory. Depending on the nature of the trip and likelihood of sprains or fractures (skiing or biking for example) an elastic bandage and lightweight splint (Sam Splint) are a good idea to bring. They are easy to use and make a huge difference in comfort and the ability to continue moving. In the case of a foot or ankle injury, do not remove your boot as the swelling will make it impossible to put it back on.
If it is winter, or you are suffering from shock or trauma you will need some sort of shelter beyond clothing. The less energy that goes into shelter building the better. Small (to retain warmth) and simple shelters are best. Space blankets are the simplest cheapest, lightest and most compact option. The new Heatsheet emergency blankets by Adventure Medical Kits are an improved version of the classic Mylar (silver) models. Heatsheets are constructed of a “special low-density polyethylene,” which is more durable and less noisy (less crinkly) than Mylar. Also, they are larger and have an orange side (good for visibility if you want to be rescued) with survival instructions printed on it.
An “A” frame shelter is vastly superior to other designs. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to tie a string between two trees (1.5 m off the ground) drape the space blanket over it, and secure the bottoms. It takes a lot of fussing around and practice to get this to work. The string will sag in the middle, especially as it becomes wet and stretches, and the space blanket will slide down to the centre leaving you expose at either end. A much stronger alternative is to use an arch pole lashed between two trees instead of the cord. Weigh down the edges of the space blanket with rocks or logs, or reinforce with duct tape and punch holes in it to tie down or stake out. Clear out snow and debris and line with floor with fir bows. If too injured or tired to rig a tarp, rolling up in the Heetsheet provides a good level of warmth and shelter.
The following is an inexpensive and simple modification I urge anyone who skis or winter climbs to consider. I have a top loading day pack with a plastic frame sheet that fits in a sleeve. The frame sheet has an aluminum stay and a couple of plastic rods in it and weighs 200 g. I pulled it out and replaced it with a 5 mm thick foam sleeping pad folded over three times (now 15 mm thick and 50 g) which fits it in the sleeve. This replacement is not only lighter, but actually makes the pack more comfortable for skiing and climbing because it hugs the back and moves with the body better. Main advantage: it pulls out and unfolds into a 50 cm x 65 cm rectangle for sitting or lying on the ground. It is long enough to go from my hips to my shoulders. Other items from the inside the pack can be used for a pillow and the empty pack can go under my legs, or I can put my feet inside it for extra warmth. The foam serves other purposes as well. It makes for superb waterproof tinder. Thin slices a couple inches long burn for a few minutes. The foam can be used to splint fractures, or at least pad under a stiffer splint. Surely there are other uses as well. It is a clever idea that saves weight, adds comfort, and provides padding and insulation for an unexpected night out in the snow. I picked it up somewhere a while back from some climbing book, or climbing magazine, and I highly suggest it to anyone who has a removable frame sheet in their day pack. This is an excellent example of using gear you carry anyway unconventionally in a emergency, rather than carrying something separate that can only be used in a emergency.
Duct tape is an easy to carry multiuse item. For example it can be used to repair clothing or other gear, secure a splint, covers blisters or hot spots, and reinforce emergency blankets before punching holes in them for tying down. Wrap it around water bottles, ski poles and bike frames so it is always handy.
Cord has infinite uses. I carry 9 m of 2 mm cord that can be used for repairs, replacing boot laces, rigging up a tarp or lashing together a simple stretcher or travois to transport an injured victim.
Safety pins have a multitude of uses as well, like securing a sling for a fractured limb, removing a splinter, or converting your emergency blanket into a sleeping bag (reinforce it with duct tape before poking the pin through).
Whistles are much more audible than voice, especially over wind or running water. If seriously injured, yelling may not be an option, but blowing a whistle takes minimal energy. Keep one on your shoulder strap where it is immediately accessible should you fall down and need to alert your partner.
For its size and weight, a Leatherman multi-tool has more functions and is safer than a Swiss Army Knife. There are many things I use the pliers for, cutting wire, bending/fixing bindings and climbing gear, loosen frozen locks on ‘biners, pot grabber, reaching a match into the fire, untying knots, and generally grabbing things I cannot grip well enough with my fingers to pull. The saw is mandatory for cutting small trees and branches to build splints, stretchers and travois. The file, sheepsfoot blade and scissors are useful too. But the main thing I really like about the Leatherman tools is that I can open everything one handed easily and more safely than I can with a Swiss Army Knife. Swiss Army Knives have strong back springs that make the blades hard to open and easy to shut on your fingers in the process. If you injure a hand, wrist or arm, being able to open your tool one-handed will be more than just a convenience. When really cold or injured fine motor skills we all take for granted will not be there and our finger will not function the way we want them to.
...continued in the next post...
