A friend of mine is going to South America (Chili, Peru, Ecuador). She will be staying for a year and will be in urban and rural locales. I want to build her a PSK. I am not familiar with the laws or customs of these countries and would hate to get her locked up because I was ignorant that…I don’t know…in Peru it is a felony to possess an Altoids tin. I’m being absurd to make the point that I don’t know what the laws are down there. Will there be an issue with an Outdoor Edge “Wedge” in a city? What about in the Bush? Would putting the kit in an OD green pouch create problems for here? What should I know?

Thanks,
Allen

From my experience in the jungles in Panama, I would suggest exztensive books on the plant, bug and animal life
of the region. That is if she isn't already knowledgeable on these things. There is very little that doesn't stab, sting or bite. And even the cutest of butterflies can lay you up in the hospital with permanent disfigurement.
This is no joke.
I went through an Army survival school down there when I was in the Corps, and they went into great detail of what you can and can't eat and what can and will it you if it gets the chance.
For example: Ther are snakes that hang from trees and will bite you in the face. I personally saw a 30 ft anaconda.
Jungle rattle snakes that don't always rattle to warn you.
If a Fer de lance sees you it will chase you.
Saddle back catapillars that feel like you got shocked by 10,000 volts if you touch it.
Microscopic bugs that get in the blood stream, ride it to your heart and then start eating on your heart tissue.
Had a buddy got stung by a two inch long ant and got medivac'd out.
Oh, and a good first aid kit is a must. With some good antibiotic ointment.
Water purification filters might be a good idea.
Find out when the rainy season is.
A Good multi tool, signal gear, flashlight, etc.

I'd say mot of any kit would be standard. The only exceptions would be sharps and drugs. You could check if the Peruvian embassy has a web page or a phone number you could reach. They would be the best source for information.Both on the legal issues and they might also recommend items and gear that would be helpful.

Also many church groups have missions in or send missiions there. Maybe one of your local churches could supply information. Or they might be able to direct you to higher levels of their councils for such info.

Compasses made for the northern hemisphere won't work so well in the southern hemisphere because of the magnetic dip angle being different. Simplest is for her to buy one down there.

Hi Biscuits,
First of all, do not make your friend more nervous than what she might be by now. She needs to be fully aware of all potential risks but as well, take with a grain of salt some irrational stories that you can hear.
Second, we will need to understand were she is going. The area that you mentioned (Perú, Ecuador and Chile) is about 2.5 Msq Kilometers, that is twice the size of Alaska. It includes a very diverse geography like parts of the Amazon jungle, the Andean mountains, deserts like Atacama in Chile (the driest in the Americas) and many islands like Eastern and Galapagos, just to mention the most famous. To recommend PSK items we will need a deeper understanding of the environment that she will face.
Laws and culture varies extensively from place to place.
My first advice will be to limit her blades to a small one and as standard as possible (a SAK won’t rise much attention here). Of course if she plans to fly while in there, any knifes will need to be transported in the checked baggage.
On drugs, most of Latin American countries have a very liberal distribution, but it makes sense to declare in customs any medication that she will be caring.
As far as battery operated equipment (flashlights, GPS, etc) pick something that uses very common batteries, I strongly recommend AA. Most of lithiums are almost impossible to obtain in remote areas.
Hope this helps.

I would like to have more details about these creatures, their scientific names and if DEET lotion will repel them, some more precision please... It really sounds nasty!

Frankie

Ok, I found some information about the Chagas' disease. It's a parasite that's transmitted by a big bug that lives in thatched roofs or crevices in mud or stone walls called the "assassin" or "kissing" bug :



It drops onto your face while you are sleeping and bites you but at the same time defecates on you. If you rub the excrement into your eyes, the Trypanosoma cruzi gets into your blood and the acute symptoms begin after 7 to 14 days... Many years later the heart and/or the intestines become tremedously enlarged or dilated and death may result. This infection is rare in travelers but has caused a problem in that it can be transmitted through blood donations.

So you should try to avoid blood transfusions if you can...

I got this info from a book I checked out from the library last week:

The Travel Doctor by Mark Wise M.D.

I have carried several incarnations of PSKs throughout Ecuador, with no problems. When flying in country, I just check any sharps, just as I do in the US. I have never had any problems with local Law Enforcement, but I try not to put myself in situations where that would be an issue.

I am lucky, in that I travel in county primarily with Ecuadorians and in most cases have felt safe (although not on the mountainous roads-usually we travel by bus or car, I generally just close my eyes and say a little prayer). I do not speak Spanish, so there have been a couple of times, when I have been “on my own” I have an increased level of “nervousness”.

Pete

I know it's been asked before, but my memory's not what it used to be...TANSTAAFL???

I just look it up on Acronym Finder

Good advice. Thank you very much.

Biscuits

I'm not sure if she knows where she is going. I know she'll make it to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, and Santiago. She'll be there a year, and to call her a free spirit is an understatement. I like the advice about batteries and another post about compass inclination. I think that her pull is not knowing what she wants to do until she gets there. I want to make a generalist kit, not one geared to any specifics.

Biscuits

That is pretty much where my head is.

Thanks,
Biscuits

Good call. I know that, but completly over looked it. Ya think a local one would be best, or one with a "Global Needle"?

Thanks,
Bisc.

The rainy season is a good point. I'll pick up a book on local flora and fauna too.

Thanks,
Allen

Kinda looks like what we called "Cone Noses" in the Big Bend Country of South Texas. Wonder if they are kin?

Thanks,
Biscuits

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