I have recently grown a big interest in back country survival gear and have put together the things I think might come in handy in a "lost/survival" situation. but looking at some of the other "survival kits" Mine seems to be a little on the excesive side. I carry a camelback that has about 1500 cu.in. and it is full...is this too much survival gear for a long day hike?

depends. How much do you need to survive? If you highly skilled in survival skills you can carry less, if you'r not you might need more. Also if you in the artic you must carry (spare) isulation with you, because the lack of natural alternative's, you don't have that problem in the tropics.. DO you think it's heavy and annoying or is it comfortable to carry? Does a smaller or bigger kit makes you feel safer? etc.

Plenty or questions you have to answer yourself, it's YOUR kit, which is carried by YOU, for YOURSELF. Just make sure the kit works for you!

>> I carry a camelback that has about 1500 cu.in. and it is full...is this too much survival gear for a long day hike? <<

IMHO, probably not. But what is it full of? That matters greatly! My essentials are in a larger Camelbak than that and it is not sufficient for wintertime IMHO. It's larger than I need for deep summer use - so I cinch the compressor straps down in the summertime. But if I remove one or two layers of clothing I have great difficulty with my Camelbak's capacity. I have not found/made the single solution that makes me happy for 4 seasons of MidWest use.

So - what sorts of things are in your Camelbak?

Tom

My rule of thumb is, it's too much if it hinders the activity, or is so cumbersome you don't carry it at all.

If it doesn't slow you down or hinder your progress, it's not too much... if it does slow you down, you need more "hoof time" to get used to it <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

If you're located – or backpack – in the desert-areas of NV, does your equipment include things that might be considered desert-specific, other than extra water?

If so, I'd be interested in particulars. Always looking to compare notes with fellow desert rats to see what I might have overlooked in my own gear.

as far as desert specific items when I trek out into the desert. There are only a couple things I take that I normally dont carry in my camelback.
1) a 6x8 plastic tarp I can use for shelter, such as a trench shelter.
2) I carry extra plastic bags for water procurement.. such as solar stills and vegitation/transpiration bags.
3) obviously a container of sun block and a good bush hat or floppy hat.
4) and I always try to wear some sort of long sleeve shirt. in my pack I always carry a insulated gortex jacket or slip over.
5) a good snake bite kit
I would be interested in hearing what desert specific items you carry aside from the essential "anywhere" survival items
Jimmy

What always amazes me is the amount of gear folks DON'T carry on a hike. I have seen many show up with a ballcap, a water bottle, shorts and a light windbreaker on a fall hike at 4000ft elevation. If they ever had an emergency, they would be depending entirely on other party members to bail them out!
Myself, I carry more than the average (based on the underequipped people). I include a poncho, knife, a PSK with about 10oz of gear in it, small FAK, dry socks, extra clothing, a headlamp with spare batteries and lots of water! I have a widebrim hat, quickdry clothing and navigation equipment, always including a map and compass, sometimes a GPS. One item I also take on any desert hike is a 3ft length of silicone tubing. Good for sipping water from tiny pools in an emergency. I have built solar stills, even primed one with an entire barrel cactus and added a gallon of water to the pit, just to demonstrate how ineffective they are aroundd the arid SW. After 8 hours in the sun, the cup help 4oz of water! That was after adding a gallon to the pit!! Not very effective. Great effort goes into the solar stills construction too! A transpiration bag system is far more effective with almost no effort to get together.

Widget I agree and disagree about solar stills. First I think they are better than at distilling bad water rather than a method of getting water in the desert.

Here is an article I wrote on solar stills Solar stills

8 hours is not enough time. It takes time to build up humidity inside the still that is why they recommend a tube to drink from it. The second part is something many testers such as you don't consider is recondensing the water vapor. The point of greatest water production is when things cool down at night. That is when that water vapor really starts to condense on the plastic. True a 6 foot still with an adiqyuate supply of starter water will produce between 1 and 2 quarts. So if they are your only source you need several to meet your needs.

Also you put forth the idea of transpiration bags in the desert. Sounds good doesn't it. They work fine most places but the place the ork the worst is in the desert. How so you ask? Desert plants transpire very little. It is a survival cariacteristic. They don't release as much water as most plants. It is part of their water management plan.

I agree with you. I have used them in a wet wash with some success and with black plastic to melt mountain snow in above freezing conditions. They are so commonly referenced as a means to obtain water in the desert, it really is misrepresented in many survival manuals! I think people should try them in a variety of conditions, under controlled circumstances to understand then better. Especially before packing a roll of plastic and large quantities of tubing around expecting to use it to procure water in the desert. They will surely burn off more water making it than they will ever receive in return. After being here in the desert most of my adult life, I just make sure I have plenty with me and know where to get more.
Thanks for sharing your article!!

There’s nothing exotic about any of this gear, but it’s equipment I consider especially critical when I go on a desert excursion. Doesn’t include the other gear/first aid kit/cell phone I might carry on my person, and in my PSK and/or backpack or fanny pack, depending on the trip:

• 24-in. surgical tubing (water procurement)
• McNett Frontier emergency water filter (extremely small, lightweight; handles many creepy crawlies; my PSK includes Micropur mp-1 tablets)
• Bandana (light colored)
• CoolBandana (wear around neck; contains acrylic pellets; soak in water; produces evaporative cooling; helps in hot weather)
• Wide brim hat
• Sunscreen
• Sunscreen lip balm
• Ample water (of course) in 32-oz. Nalgene bottles
• Space All-Weather Blanket (beefier version of Mylar Space Blanket; grommets around edges; for emergency shelter; 10 oz)
• Hiking stick (also used to construct emergency shelter)
• 30-ft. 550 paracord (temporary shelter construction)
• Thermo-Lite Bivvy Sack (6.4 oz) (compact emergency sleeping bag)
• Uncle Bill’s Sliver Gripper tweezers (excellent miniature tweezers, for removing cactus needles)
• Small comb (also for removing cactus needles)
• Several energy bars
• Light-weight light-colored cotton long pants (besides clothing worn)
• Light-weight light-colored long-sleeve cotton shirt (besides clothing worn)
• 1-pair extra socks
• Signal mirror (2-in x 3-in) (standard in all kits, I know, or should be, but special mention because of importance; I don’t skimp; carry a Rescue Reflector, IMO the ultimate plastic signal mirror)
• Flashlights: current-production ARC AAA on keychain; Photon UV on keychain (scorpion detection); CMG Infinity Ultra (great runtime on single AA battery); Nuwai Quantum III w/2xAA conversion (small, but bright, reasonable runtime)
• 4 spare Lithium AA batteries (flashlights and GPS)
• Monocular, 10x21 (from CountyComm; cheap, small, handy in open terrain)
• Topo maps of travel area, printed on waterproof paper (using National Geographic’s Topo! software)
• Magellan SporTrak Color GPS, with area map loaded

You’ll notice there’s nothing snake-bite related. Tossed my cut-n-suck kit years ago, when those in the know said they’d do more harm than good. Thought about carrying a Sawyer Extractor, but after reading pros and cons (there’s an old thread on the forum), I’m not convinced of their usefulness. So, I just follow common-sense advice: be alert, and watch hand and foot placement.

Beyond the scope of your post, but I’ll mention that in my Jeep, besides the normal tools, jumper cables, duct tape etc, I carry a folding shovel, small Gerber axe, portable air compressor, two 12-in. x 12-in. pieces of ¾-in. plywood (foundation for jack in sandy areas), spare engine belt, small fire extinguisher, and 5-gallons water in plastic container.

I’ll confess that I’ve been known to travel the desert alone, against conventional wisdom, but I’m retired, and few acquaintances have luxury of my free time schedule. So, I religiously leave a written itinerary in my parked Jeep, and leave a copy at home for my wife (her idea of a desert outing is shopping in Sedona).

One bit of desert-related “gear” on my to-do list – attend a course offered by a nearby community college: Medicine Plants and Food from the Desert.

If you're interested in any reading, I recommend The Ultimate Desert Handbook by Mark Johnson. $16.95 at local bookstores, and ~$12 at Amazon.com.

Depends on the situation -- what season? what location? weather? How many in your group?

And consider -- do you want to be comfortable overnight or simply survive?

TRO

depends, on terrain, season, and your abilities. In the mountains, in late fall or spring, yes, it could be way too little, because you could get caught in an unexpected storm.