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,