I was recently given the task at work to develop some Ice Rescue Kits including an On-Person Survival Kit (PSK), mostly for use in the winter if your snowmobile/ATV has gone through the ice or if you a swamp boat in the spring/fall.

Items such as; a Two piece Floater Suit, Ice Extraction Picks, PLB, Sat. Phone, Cell Phone, Radio, GPS, Binoculars, Winter Clothing and Work Belt Equipment are also on your person and utilized, but are not part of this kit or field test. A much larger and more complete Survival/Ice Rescue Kit is located on my snowmobile/ATV and in my truck. An 18 metre, 3/8" dia. Spectrx throwbag is attached to the handlebars of the snowmobile/ATV. It will not help you if you go through the ice but will help your partner or someone else.

The entire on-person PSK has to fit in two pockets of my Floater Suit; Left Jacket Pocket app. size 15cm x 24cm and Right Bib Pants Pocket app. size 18cm X 18cm.

The PSK is made up of both individual items and two pouches which contain multiple items. The PSK items are:

- Mora Craftsman All Around Knife (from Paul at WorkWear Canada , Excellent Service). Paracord Neck Lanyard added and Jet Flame Butane Lighter (for wind days) taped to Sheath.

- Gerber Sliding Wood Saw (from MEC ).

- Chemical Lightstick, Red Colour.

- 15 metres of 7-strand Para-cord with loops at each end and one end weighted with orange lead fishing sinker. Simple Throw-rope.

- Shelter Kit Pouch containing; AMK Bivvy Bag, AMK 2 person Heatsheet, 20 metres of Glow-In-The-Dark Nylon Mason Twine, 2 metres of Brass Wire, Waterproof Match Case with Waterproof/Windproof Safety Matches and Striker, tinfoil wrapped Birthday Candle, Cotton Balls, Flint Rod and Hacksaw Striker, Paraffin Fire Starter Packet, Insect Repellent Towellette, 1 Litre ZipLoc Plastic Bag, and a small serrated Folding Knife.

- Bottom of a Stainless Steel Water Bottle (400ml thin-walled pot), with wire bail added and 2 plastic wrapped tea bags, 1 instant coffee packet and 2 sugar packets in the bottom. The Shelter Kit Pouch almost completely fits within this metal container. I cut the top off with a Dremel Tool and smoothed the edge with Emery Cloth.

- AMK/DR Pocket Survival Pak (from MEC containing the normal quality items) with the following items added; a Gerber STL 2.0 folding knife/lanyard, LED Light with constant on/strobe, Mini-BIC Lighter (gagged), waterproofed Matchbook and windproof/waterproof Matches, Paraffin Fire Starter Packet, Micropur MP1 Tablets, 2 sizes of Elastoplast Bandages, Antitbiotic Ointment, Alcohol Wipes, Insect Repellent Towelette, 20 metres of 14lb mono fishing line, Emery Cloth Knife Sharpener.

- Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp ( from MEC ). Only water resistant therefore stored in waterproof Whirl-top plastic bag.

- Wound Compress, 4" with tie strips.

- 3 Grabber adhesive Body Warmer Packets.

- One PowerBar (missing in photo, I ate it during the field test).

The Two Pocket Survival Kit is seen below:



The items in the top row fit in the jacket pocket, the items in the second row fit in the bib pants pocket.

In Part 2 of this post I will show this PSK in use on an overnight Field Exercise.

Any constructive comments are most welcome.

Later,

Mike

Personally I'd dump the jet lighter and use a regular bic, they are too finicky and doesn't work in a lot of situations.

My only concern would be the packaging of your 15 meter throw rope. It is too likely to tangle when deployed as you presently have it packaged. I would prefer an appropriately sized nylon bag into which the line is stuffed with one end just outside the bag. When needed, you hold that end and throw the bag. It works flawlessly. You might not even need the lead weight (experimentation is recommended).

A place that sells sea kayaking gear will have items like this, but the commercial versions that I am aware of are all bulkier than what you need.

Good looking setup Mike.

I can tell you are used to Canadian winters.

The bivy bag can slide into one of those emergency mosquitoe headnets you find at Canadian tire. Slides right back into the carrier without even noticing. Not a big deal in winter but the last time I was hunting in northern Ontario I would have sold my soul for one.(f&^&*&g deer flies) It has become part of my Canadian outdoor survival kit ever since.

Is the headlamp waterproof?

I prefer a BIC (there is one added to the AMK/DR Kit) also but thought one Windproof Jet-Type Lighter may be useful.

There is an 18m 3/8" dia SpectrX Throwbag on the handlebars of the snowmobile or ATV, it is just too big to fit in an on-person pocket kit.

The bug net is an excellent idea, I will include one in the spring.

The headlamp is only water resistant, I store it in a plastic Whirl-Pak bag when it is in the Floater Pants Pocket.

Thanks for the comments!

Photobucket is taking a long time to load the Field Pictures.

Mike

What sort of batteries do you install in that headlamp? I understand Petzls will only accommodate alkalines and cannot accept lithium batteries, which is the only type battery I would install in a light that would see (hopefully) intermittent use.

For the headlamp, a princeton tec EOS cost the same at MEC, is waterproof, better LED, and better electronics, I'd switch to that.

All that fits in with the heatsheet bivy? *blinks* I think mind have short bags.

This is a cold weather kit, right? Then why the bug repellent?

Hey,

The headlamp has 3 - AAA Alkaline Duracell batteries in it if I remember correctly.

I have never tried Princeton Tech lights, I will check them out.

All the items that are listed with the AMK Bivy Pouch fit tightly in the expanded pouch itself, the filled pouch then fits in the cut-off SS water bottle/pot.

The bug dope is for non-winter use, but blackflies are common here from early May till late October depending on the temperature. The combination of cold open water and insects is quite normal here.

Thanks,

Mike

re: Waterproof/Windproof Safety Matches
Have you tested these?
Everything I've read about them says 'Buyer Beware'.
If you have some good ones, please give the source.
thx,

After trying to use my headlamp to find my way in the dark(in the rain) one time I swore to get a waterproof one. Thats one mistake I won't make again.

The Browing black ice model is the one I use. I never tried submerging it for any extended period but you can wear it over your hood in the rain for hours. It has white, green, red and blue LEDS which are excellent blood tracking aids.
Not much use unless you hunt. I don't know if they make one with all white LED's. The only problem is that it's realtree camo(like everything else these days) Don't drop it or you will never find it again.

I wanted to test the new PSK but did not have an available day. Then a work event cancelled at the last minute, which allowed me to make a quick trip to the bush in early March.

The weather in the late afternoon was unusually warm, around +8*c and I quickly gathered my equipment. It is easy to assemble the gear for one of these trips because you do not take much. I provided my wife with a map of my location and who to contact if I was not back by noon of the next day. The plan was to test the Two Pocket Survival Kit but I also took along communication (Cell Phone, Sat. Phone, PLB) and location devices (GPS, Map, Compass) plus snowshoes to get me into the site. I left the house in a hurry and drove the 25km to the trailhead, I had about an hour of daylight left. When assembling my gear I found I had forgotten a critical item, MY COAT! I was tempted to try the exercise without it but declined and raced back to town to get it. By the time I got back to the trailhead it was 15 minutes after sunset and it was getting dark in a hurry.

I walked the 400m into the lake on an established snowmobile trail. An open creek and thin ice were found where the trail met the lake as seen here, the snow in the bush was about 45cm deep. There was slush on the lake but a lot less snow.



I had never been to this location before and quickly needed to find a campsite with conifer boughs to make an insulated bed and abundant dry firewood.

People had been ice fishing on the lake that afternoon for Rainbow Trout, I found their open holes and the minnows/worms they left were still alive in a watery slush hole.

I crossed the lake and found a spot on the far side, a grove of conifer trees (spruce/jack pine) and a marsh full of standing dry firewood in a bay about 200m away. It was now dark and this would have to do.



By the light of the headlamp I shoveled out a campsite with a snowshoe and used the Gerber Saw to fell some spruce trees. The boughs were used to create a 30cm thick bed and the poles became the frame of my lean-to. I used the Glow-in-the-Dark Nylon Mason Twine to lash the pole to the trees. I then added some thin birch support ribs and tied the AMK Blanket out as the lean-to roof. The blanket was both tougher and larger than I expected.

It had been warm doing this work and I had stripped down to my Polypro undershirt and cargo pants. I did not start a fire first because I knew there was not a lot of firewood close by, and I wanted to save it for later.

After the shelter was done I gathered a couple armloads of wood and lit the fire using the waterproof matches and a paraffin packet in the kit, no problem.



The finished camp can be seen below.



I had a PowerBar and sweet Earl Grey Tea for supper in the late evening.



At around 11.00pm I went to cut some large firewood in the marsh, I found that the surface ice was "hanging" and as I started onto it the upper layer dropped about a foot! I was very reluctant to get wet at this time of night, therefore I had to make do with the limited firewood around the camp. There was lots of material to burn, the trouble was that it was all small diameter conifer, that burned hot but very quickly. It was a familar routine, stoke-up the fire, sleep for 15 minutes, awake to stoke the fire again. I burnt about a pickup truck load of wood through the night! The temperture dropped to app. -5*c and by 2 am I had all my clothing on. Heavy Polypro Underwear, Wool WindStopper Sweater, Cargo Pants, 2 piece Mustang Floater Suit, Neckwarmer, Toque, Hy-Artic Mitts and lined Rubber Nokian Boots.



Dawn came around 6.00am and I tried about an hour of fishing in the holes from the afternoon before, as they had only iced over about an inch. I even used the other fisherman's minnows as they were still alive in the slush hole. No luck fishing so it was instant coffee only for breakfast.

Live Minnows (the worms were frozen solid)



By 7.30am I had pulled my lines and taken down the camp, it was nice to jump in the truck and head back to a warm house and big breakfast in town.

I will review the equipment that worked and what did not later, along with the lessons learned.

Take Care,

Mike

Concerning Waterproof/Windproof Safety Matches.

I started out using Coughlins Waterproof/Windproof Safety Matches, they were kind of short but all I could find locally. Then even that type got scarce so I constructed the kits using Coughlins small waterproof matches (as seen in the field test pictures).

Since then I found UCO Long (2.75") Waterproof/Windproof Safety Matches at the Toronto Mountain Equipment Coop store (they are not on the website, probably due to shipping concerns). These seem like terrific matches and state that they will even burn underwater? I paid around $4.00 for 2 boxes of 25 each. Even the packaging is good with plastic wrapping on the inside of the boxes and extra plastic wrapped striker strips included. These matches can be seen here on the UCO website. I have not done much testing of these matches other that putting them in glass of water for a few minutes, they then had no problem lighting up on the first strike.

I agree that waterproofed strike-anywhere matches are better for use in the field, but I sometimes travel by small aircraft where strike anywhere matches are prohibited.

Mike

I hear you about the need for a waterproof headlamp, I will have to check the Princeton Tec one out. Unfortunately I just ordered 2 new knives so the play money is a little short this month. I am sure we all can relate?

Mike

A cool thing i found out about the new coleman waterproof match container at walmart for $1, the striker approx. 2"x3" is an adhesive backed one so it can be cut up and stuck on the inside of the lid or the top of a PSK tin! just an idea!

Nice write-up thanks for sharing!
Private or public property?

Public, locally referred to as Crown Land, a very small part of the 937,000 square kilometers in Ontario.

Mike

Great!!!..the shelter looks like something right out of the old "how to camp" books.i look forward to your report,i'll look around for that masons line,i did not know about the stuff that glows.

In cold weather climates (but in reality all climates), fire is so important that I recommend carrying at least 3 methods of starting a fire. Matches, firesteel, and a lighter. Should one or two methods fail, you are going to be very glad you have the third.

Also a good supply of tinder (cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly - vaseline - are excellent).

Wrap the lighter in a freezer bag to waterproof it. Add another powerbar or some boiled sweets for quick energy.

One point about wind/waterproof matches: They are really to drop on to prepared tinder like your paraffin.

In those situations you cannot have enough tinder or matches. Firelighting is critical under those conditions.

No fire, no life.

Thank you for sharing your adventure.

That lean-to is right out of the manual. I bet the bough bed was pretty comfortable.

Did it seem like the heatsheet was reflecting any of the heat from the fire down onto you?

Thanks for the pics, Mike. I needed that. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

I use Energizer Ultra Lithium batteries in my Zipka Plus 2 and have not had any issues, and I've run that thing on high for hours.

The Zipka has the same head as the Tikka Plus 2 but with a retractable cord instead of an elastic headband. It takes a lot less space in my kit and is acceptably secure and comfortable, even for extended use.

Those are awesome!

We have one in each coat, vehicle, and a couple in the house.. so handy!

These are like Rei stormproof matches seen Here .

Lee

Hi All,

Sorry for the late reply, I am out of town visiting my wife's family.

The bough bed was quite comfortable and insulated me from the snowy, frozen ground. It was time consuming to build but was worth it.

The UCO and REI Matches look the same, evening the packaging. If I remember correctly the UCO Matches have "Made in India" on the box.

I found the "Glow-in-the-Dark" nylon Mason Line at the local Canadian Tire store, in the rope section. I think it comes in 250' rolls, there is a similar type that is neon green that looks almost the same, you have to check the label. The cord does not glow brightly, but is easier to see by flashlight. The cord is very slippery so I found I had to do my knots correctly or they would not hold; I used the, Constrictor Knot, Fisherman Knot, Square Lashing and Round Turn/Half Hitches. This cord is much thinner, compact and cheaper than paracord but in not as strong or versatile.

I had a few methods of fire starting with me in the PSK: 2 butane lighters (Mini-BIC and Jet Type), waterproof matches in 2 locations, Sparklite, paper matchbook in plastic, and if things got really tough, a plastic fresel lens and string for a bow drill.

The Heatsheet Blanket did reflect considerable heat into the shelter, more than the All-weather Blanket I used in my Spring/Fall Scenerio . The Heatsheet was tougher than I thought it would be and embers just burn a small hole in it. The fire got very hot when it flared-up and I was concerned the blanket would melt but it stayed cool. I could have reused the blanket but would never have been able to fold it to the original size, I compressed it to about the size of a football.

I should have built a reflector behind the fire but the ground was frozen or rocky, hard to drive a stake into. Next time I will rig something up.

More info to follow once I get back home, and I will post some more pictures from around the camp.

Later,

Mike