Winter survival knife

Good idea... I carry a lighter, small altoods tin with some dryer lint mixed with vasoline inside in my inside pocket and carry a leatherman surge in my arm pocket in the event i lose everything else.... When your riding up the side of a mountain anything is possible so i plan for crap hitting the fan
 
Yeah, I imagine it couldn't get much worse than being in an avalanche.
Being burried alive would be my worst nightmare.
 
Snowmobiles and atv's are a lot of fun but i try to remeber that they are the fastest way to get as far away from help as possible. I don't have a plb either but if i am riding by myself and plan on going some distance then i will text my wife my gps coordinates every 30 mins or so with a little note telling where i am heading to next....pain in the butt but at least they will h e a much smaller area to search if i don't check in. Also i figure she'll get frustrated enough to buy my the "spot" system i have been eye balling on cabellas for the last few months
 
I grew up in ND.
I would go with a axe and a good sleeping bag (real good ).
Bk9 would be my choice.
 
I found s few GPS beacon apps for my phone.
Might be a good backup plan.
Probably better than nothing.

The thought of taking my sleeping bag crossed my mind.
My army surplus modular sleeping bag supposed to be effective in sub zero temps, wouldn't want to test it in that situation though.
If I take a long trip though, texting my location sounds like the best idea.
 
My last winter camp wasin northern michigan. Avg temp was in the low teens. A BRKT canadian special was on my hip. A gransfors brux small forrest axe was in my pack (the best winter knife is a multi use axe) and a swiss armer farmer in my pocket. Back at the cabin I had my esee Junglas. Nothing I've ever used is better for processing down huge pieces of fire wood for kindling and the wood stove. Probably processed 80# of wood with the junglas and it would still slice news print
 
My gps is the etrek 20 which works great and i carry an emergency nbivy sack which is essentially a mylar sleeping bag... About the size of an apple whoich is great in the event i get stuck over night
 
Do not forget a largish Billy can or even a number 10 can with an improvised bail.....Snow melting is tedious but super important...... A small white gas or multifuel stove will save your bacon ...... GAs canisters and alcohol stoves just will not work in real cold........Brrrr....Fireplace and mulled rum anyone....

Ethan
 
In that case I might as well take the alcohol stove out of my kit.
I'll have to look into one of the other options.
Till then as long as I don't get seperated from my sled I'll have plenty of gasoline, that should get the party started.
 
I agree Mr Becker....I have a widemouth stainless steel water bottle and nesting cup as well as a folding burner and small fuel cannister in my backpack. I am the guy in the group that my friends say is ready for everything and kinda laugh about it until something goes wrong then they are thankful for my over preparedness. I carry most of the items in a small pack and it weighs about 7 lbs but doesn't impact mobility while riding
 
Hey Acerpower.......

Doug Ritter probably has the best of ideas on this....... If you are out on your own and a long,long freaking cold way from home and hearth a PLB is a truly must have........Turn your sled over on yourself in such a way as to immobilize you and you are sceerewed........ Big time......... A good PLB is only a few cases of beer (well,OK, a few plus
several) and the few times I have been looking at a night out where it can get really cold I would have traded a lot of toys for the peace of mind......

Go to www.equipped.org and check out the reviews and info on PLBs..........

Equipped. Org is a tremendous resource for those who plan to travel in or above the wild places of this earth...... Use it like a rented mule....... The tarp section is worth a whole bunch just on it's own....... If you do not get a lot of good info off Doug's site you probably can't read.......

Check it out.......

Ethan
 
Hey Acerpower.......

Doug Ritter probably has the best of ideas on this....... If you are out on your own and a long,long freaking cold way from home and hearth a PLB is a truly must have........Turn your sled over on yourself in such a way as to immobilize you and you are sceerewed........ Big time......... A good PLB is only a few cases of beer (well,OK, a few plus
several) and the few times I have been looking at a night out where it can get really cold I would have traded a lot of toys for the peace of mind......

Go to www.equipped.org and check out the reviews and info on PLBs..........

Equipped. Org is a tremendous resource for those who plan to travel in or above the wild places of this earth...... Use it like a rented mule....... The tarp section is worth a whole bunch just on it's own....... If you do not get a lot of good info off Doug's site you probably can't read.......

Check it out.......

Ethan
 
Ethan Becker said:
Do not forget a largish Billy can or even a number 10 can with an improvised bail.....Snow melting is tedious but super important...... A small white gas or multifuel stove will save your bacon ...... GAs canisters and alcohol stoves just will not work in real cold........Brrrr....Fireplace and mulled rum anyone....

Ethan
Click to expand...
I don't deal with "extreme cold" usually it gets down to the mid single digits at its coldest. Possibly down to -2 if it is a severe cold snap. An MSR should still be alright right?
 
the isobutane/propane cannister for your MSR stops working when it cools down to about 12 degrees.
 
Tough time of year to buy myself any "toys" even if it might save my life.
After Christmas and my oldest son's birthday, I couldn't even afford a few cases of beer.
Good thing I quit drinking a few years back.

Too bad my birthday is so far off.
At least I'll have plenty to read in the meantime, I'll be able to make an educated purchase when the time comes.
This is why I love this forum, and being a Beckerhead.
Thanks Ethan, and everyone else for the great input.
 
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