Going out snowmobiling for a day? What should you pack for comfort and safety?

Two things -- one, it will be below freezing. Two, there is plenty of room on your sled and in your clothing.

Teacher

i asked the same question of a buddy who make runs of
hundered of miles on what he calls the "snowmobil freeway"
in northern Minnesota--he said his snowmobil suit--Gortex
with poly-something insulation would be just as good as any
sleeping bag..

You need the same thing one needs for winter and snow some key components/items are;
Shovel to dig shelter and dig out machine.
Ax or hatchet
tow straps
fire making
water gathering (cookpot and stove/fire; lots of snow to melt)
Extra clothes
shelter
signaling (mirror, whistle, fire, flares)
1st aid
Extra food to help keep warm
tools and spare parts for machine
Ice rescue equipment
This is just a start...
Bill

I'm with Bill. Shelter, fire, clothing, food, and first aid are the top items (in no particular order)

Are you going out by yourself or a group?

Snow shoes would be another good item to add...

I can't help but think that a military "cold climate" kit would do the trick.
It has a compressed arctic sleeping bag.
You can often find the compressed arctic sleeping bag on eBay, even though you probably have several.

Also a combo tool kit;shovel,saw,ax.
Wire (like bailing) to improvise repairs,
Hacksaw (or at least blade).
Maybe a small amount of additional fuel and oil.

Tools are going to be useful always,
don't forget a tarp, which has both general and survival uses.
If room permits a small come along can be nice to get unstuck.


All this of course assumes that you have minimal kit (Pocket sized PSK with a full sized FAK).
I can't imagine anyone venturing out unless;
Multi tool and Pocket/belt knife,
Navigation,
Fire-making,
Water procurement,
First-Aid,
Snacks and or emergency food (Datrex,SOS,energy bar)
needs are met.

Besides the material already mentioned, I suggest to bring a friend on his/her own snowmachine as well as a good tow rope

My thought is to base the kit on a cold weather sleeping bag ( 15 or 0 degrees)on the back of the sled. Add a sleeping pad, stove and tarp to the already mentioned general tools and food.

t

I go snowmobiling up in old forge NY every winter. My family has been snowmobiling since the late 60's. I wear a goretex lined suit, jacket, and boots. It really works well to keep you warm, however I have been snowmobiling on nights where the temperature goes down to -15*F. Then it doesn't help as much, the wind feels like it goes right through.

Anyway, off the top of my head this is what we bring with us out on the trails, we always travel in a group of two or more:

-trail maps, compass, GPS, cell phones, two-way GMRS radios
-spare belts (snowmobiles are belt driven)
-spare sparkplugs
-spare fuel and coolant lines (these rot out and break)
-assorted tools (mulitools, flashlights, plug wrench, pliers, screwdrivers, ect)
-tow straps
-hatchet and fold up saw (sawvivor is great for clearing small fallen trees of the trail)
-nalgene bottle and steel cup or pot (carrying water off your body is useless since it just freezes, melting snow is the way to go)
-ferro-rods/mag bars/bic lighters (the bics need to be warmed up before use)
-hand warmers
-signal mirrors and whistles
-spare wool socks, thin gloves (you can't wear heavy gloves when trying to fix the machine), and spare facemasks.

I think that's it as far as what we carry on the trails. On the trailer we carry a lot more stuff so it something breaks we tow it back to there (or if we need something else that's where we go back to and grab it).

Most snowmobiles aren't made to carry a lot of extra stuff, saddle bags that can fit about as much as a daypack are most common, some have a little rack on the back that you might be able to attach a sleeping bag to. Even so, you really can't carry much more than a day-packs worth of stuff on there unless you're pulling a little sled trailer behind you.

I've often questioned the compressed sleeping bag's ability. If you leave a bag compressed too long, you have a permanent loss of loft, and most military survival items are packed and left alone until they are taken out of inventory unless they have a due date on them (meds, rations, batteries, etc). Something that was vacuum packed and stuck on a shelf or in a pack in the belly of cargo bird or B-52 in the 70s just doesn't inspire my trust.

If you are going out in winter, get a proper sleeping bag, and pack it when you are going out. The rest of the time, leave it unpacked, uncompressed and some place where it can breath. It will cost more, might be a little bigger, but it WILL work as advertised.

Ironraven -- good point. I store mine loosely in big cotton laundry
bags.

t

SURVIVAL OR RESCUE?

You may carry enough survival gear and knowledge to survive until spring. If that is where you want to spend the winter, go for it.

If you "NEED" rescue due to the remoteness, you better address communication. What technology and equipment will you rely on?
A word search on these discussions brings up "CHEAP" a bunch of times. A word search on the technology that will get you out never gets a hit in these discussions.

In the latest rescue on Scott Mtn, Idaho the snowmobilers used the cheap word relative to rescue. They got lucky and made a cell phone call on their last day before death.

Their "CHEAP" trip -

1. Left two $8000 sleds on the mountain
2. Idaho spent thousands on the mobilization.
3. St. Als hospital is up to $150,000 and saving the leg is still in question.

I wonder if they will be billed forthe SAR mission, and future recovery of the sleds??? IMHO, they should be.

I have never owned one, but Wiggy's claims that their vacuum packed survival bags, which are compressed to the "size of first base," will still work when opened. Bring lots of money tho...

For an extra $175, I think I'll just buy a spare $100 bag, a $40 dollar dry bag, and some bungie cords. Store packed in the vehicle and compress as needed. :P

You do have a point there. $175 to vacuum bag anything seems a tad high. But if one got one of their bags and compressed it himself? Might work...