Without meaning any slight to the individual involved in this storey it does bring us the opportunity to re-commit ourselves to having "stuff" in our pockets tightly enough waterproofed and attached that it will be there after we scramble to the shore and watch our plane drown. It is interesting to discuss what the most important items might be to have so attached and what features they would need to have in order to be most useful.

I would think that the priority order would be warmth then shelter then signaling. The warmth would not be lasting without shelter tho so Perhaps I have things backwards there? Anyway ....

My thoughts are;

1) Wool clothing

2) Good lighter

3) good water tight match safe with strike anywhere matches (hurricane matches are too difficult if my hands aren't shaking would be impossible if they were.)

4) fuel / tinder
vaseline soaked cotton balls at the bottom of that match safe might be good but difficult to retrieve
Some brandy in a hip-flask would be helpful if I burnt instead of drinking it.
Some gelled alcohol hand sanitizer would be great if I had some wood handy
Some ranger bands might be really handy

5) Ready shelter
Tarp
Garbage bag

6) Sharpened prybar type knife Something like a Kabar or a Mod4
could be used to dig a snow cave
could be used to harvest fuel from whatever wood was standing (if any)

7) tin-cup / tin-can of Dinty-moor stew
This provides a ready way to melt snow for water after you get the fire going and if you are carrying the can of stew you must be carrying your p38 on your key-chain.

8) block of bacon or fat-back or some other form of edible fat and a large chocolate bar. Chocolate bar for immediate energy and fat for lasting caloric value. A jar of nutella will serve both purposes.

9) -- Jump in here folks. This is not an attempt to criticize the individual involved but rather an exercise in thinking thru the scenario his experience illustrates.


Of course the dinty-moore stew and the jar of nutella will probably not fit in the pocket. The tin-cup is also difficult but could be fashioned out of tin-foil if you have a section of HD tin-foil in your PSK.

This individual found shelter and that is probably one of the critical elements to his survival. The shelter was made of wood and if he had had some hand sanitizer and a workable match he probably could have set the cabin ablaze. This would have provided signal and warmth. Of course it would have cost him his shelter - so not so bright an idea. Point is that with the cabin standing there it is not possible to argue that there was no fuel. (unless, of course, that cabin was made of stone).

BTW: AFAIK, hypothermia basics are 1) shelter from further exposure. 2) introduce warmth to the core through warm, moist air if possible and if the patient is lucid (still compensating) provide warm beverage in very small quantities. 3) monitor for shock. If ALS availabe hyperthermal IV may be tried depending upon local SOP.