So do you pro's have any advice have any tips on prepping my kits for winter and cold conditions?anything i should add?take out?anything i should know?etc..any comments be nice. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

also how should i prep my kit for water conditions? i saw a certain tv show where someone fell in a river and it made me think"o crap the majority of stuff in my bag would be soaked"
is there a way to prevent this?cause my bob isnt waterproof, i have the very important things in tight ziplock bags(alot of my kit is in ziplock bags except a few things). i also have a extra heavy duty giant and i mean giant bag(not a trash bag) by zip lock that could fit my whole bob in it(there called zip lock xxl big bag),but i would just hate to take everything out in case of getting wet and let it all dry cause that be a real pain in the butt.i thought about getting one of those dry sack bags that river rafters use to keep stuff dry and make a new kit from that and add a strap to make it a sort of sling bag.good idea?bad?
any ideas on waterproofing would be very helpful also. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
thanks! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Good questions.
I'd avoid a dry bag, except for use on water -- too heavy for most apps. Simpler to put a trash bag inside your pack, then to put items into ziploc(tm) or similar small bags. Eletronics*, paperwork, bandages and tinder could go into dry boxes ot tupperware(tm).

Avoid trouble and buy waterproof flashlights and watches.

Teacher

( *cell phone, gps, radios, etc.)

o yea i got waterproof flashlights....heck i would say every bit of my gear in my bob is waterproof in some way.i also have several heavy duty trashbags.

I might be anal about things like this, but for some things, I waterproof my waterproof gear <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
If it's that important to keep dry, make as sure as you can that it will stay dry. maybe a nylon stuff sack inside of a ziploc? My BOB is made of Cordura 1000, which as I am told is nearly waterproof. I still make sure the dry stuff will stay dry...unless the pack is dropped into the Amazon and attacked by pirrahnas <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Simple changes I make to my kits are I take out the bug spray and sunscreen and put in the hand and foot warmers. For cars, I switch to de-icer windshield washer fluid, put the snow brush in and make sure there's some Heet in the kit too. I'm still working on my kits, but those are some simple things I do.

You might keep the sunscreen. You can get really badly sunburned in winter and not even notice the sun even through overcast sky. Something to add, or atleast make sure you have is sunglasses. Lucky me, I've never had snowblindness, but I hear is sucks. Polarizing is best.

What do you have for shelter in your kit?

I ALWAYS have my sun glasses in my jacket in winter, but I can tell you they aren't kidding about sun reflecting on snow. There was this ring of red between where my shades were and my balacava was this one time, itched like nuts. The scary thing is, once you are sunburned, that skin is more prone to frostbite becuase it is already dehydrated.

yea i always keep the sunscreen because of its small size and i have a small pair of thin red tint sunglasses.they look kinda dorky but when you look through them it kind of relaxes your eye because your just seeing one color...or maybe its just me.

for shelter in my BOB : a survival blanket(considering getting a different version thats stronger and way better).
also: about 2-3 compact xl trashbags
rain poncho
tube tent-which im considering switching out with a tarp(not a camping tarp) but i would need to stick it into a vacuum sucked air sealed bag(the luggage ones).

my medium kit: a compact orange heavy duty emergency survival blanket it has survival instructions on it ,is very bright and big enough for two people....i forgot the brand..but i think its adven. medical.
rain poncho
xl heavy duty trach bag

Ziplocs bags are cheap, but I wouldn't rely on them if you really need to keep something dry. My experience with them has been inconsistent, about the only time I would count on them to keep things dry is if they bag itself never got wet. I think the abrasion of being in a pack wears tiny holes in them after a while.

I really like the Pacific Outdoor brand of compression drybags, which are really popular for canyoneering. They're much lighter than regular vinyl bags, probably about the same weight as most stuffsacks. But they're plenty durable, and the air valve (similar to a thermarest) allows you to control the amount of air inside. so for normal use, you could almost use like a vacuum bag to keep your stuff compressed and take up less space, or if you're doing a water crossing, you can inflate it and use it for buoyancy. A slightly modified version was used in the Arctic 1000, the details can be seen here

http://www.ryanjordan.com/2006_arctic/2006/05/backpacks_for_a.html