Here is an exercise in being equipped.

What 5 things would you want those climbers on Hood to have.

Assume they already have climbing gear (ice axe, rope etc.)
and that they are wearing appropriate clothes for staying warm
while moving in that environment. Also keep in mind that
climbing Mt Hood has been compared to running a marathon in terms
of energy expenditure.

List them in order of importance and if possible give a brand/model,
weight and why you would include this item.

PLB
-20 sleeping bag
4 season tent
stove/fuel
pot

what all that weigh? 10 or so lbs for top of the line? And they could split up everything but the sleeping bags. So, 6 or 7 lbs per person.

This one they say it floats, is waterproof to 3.3 ft and can be store at -58 °F:



http://www.acrelectronics.com/PLBorig/gypsi.html



I know you're probably all aware of this but carbon monoxide poisoning is a threat, maybe it's better small candles and a hole using your pole for aeration.

Frankie

In reply to my own post.

1 Shelter-metal avalanche shovel (each person due to avalance hazard
and quickness of shelter building ideally) with the ice axes
they can build a roomy enough snow cave to keep away from the wall
of the shelter and vent it well. Much warmer than a tent. Metal chops through hard snow better than plastic. 1.5 lbs each

2 Water- stove, white gas with a quart of fuel or so as they will need lots of water to stave off hypothermia and frost bite for the several days trapped. They will need to be very careful to ventilate properly, but it has been done safely countless time on climbs. MSR Whisperlight is a good one.
3 lbs with fuel and pot. One or two per group.

3 Food- high calorie, like plastic jar of peanut butter etc.. 2 lbs each
(more is better)

4 PLB. Not listed earlier in this list 'cause so far it wouldn't have saved their lives (at least the one up high in the cave) 'cause rescuers can't get there yet.
(A gps and cell phone may be more valuable for both self rescue and
helping searchers, but that adds another item).

5 sleeping bag, synthetic fill 30 degree plenty when combined with the
snow cave and clothes. They can sit on their ropes and packs for ground insulation. Preferably each person, 2 lbs each.

If I was going to climb Hood in a day which is what most do. I would have;
A bivy sack like an Integral Designs Salathe'.
A cookset consisting of a MSR XGK, 2 11oz fuel bottles and a titanium pot. White gas is the only way to go in the cold. The canister stoves get sluggish pretty fast.
A Nalgene 32oz Wide mouth bottle to shove snow in to melt into water. If you keep you bottle always more that 1/2 full you can farm snow if it is not super cool. Otherwise fill from cookpot.
A METAL avalanche shovel like a Voile' Telepro. PLastic DOES break no matter what they say.
A PLB because it is either that or a cell phone. I would expect to climb with at least one other person and they might stick with the Cell so we have flexibility.

I like the ideas below and everyone can agree that a PLB is always good to have, but most will not go that route. However, since they have a cell signal, a GPS with a baro altimeter such as the Garmin Geko 301, along with the cell phone they already have would allow them to send pretty decent (<20') location with elevation/altitude via text message. Then instead of T-Mobile trying to triangulate their location, SAR could concentrate on how to get to them. The Geko weighs all of 3.4 oz' so there is very little weight impact.

A goodly amount of common sense. It doesn't weigh anything, you always have it with you (if you've got any), and it works well with lots of other gear.

Sue

You mean common sense as in checking the weather before you walk out the door? What's the fun in that?

Which I find rather amusing. All the talk about being "equipped" for this and that yet I'll bet 99% of the frequenters of this site have hundreds of dollars in this and that for their kit, yet are too cheap to spring for a PLB. Heading into the remote backcountry, flying a private aircraft, or heading offshore, there is no excuse for not having a PLB.

IMO the reason PLB's aen't as popular as they should be is that on land, other gear can be used for the same function and also be used doing everyday things. A cellphone is self explanatory, they're used everyday and are extremely common. The GPS I like to carry (that Garmin Geko I linked to) can be used any day for hiking. There are places that you won't get a cellphone signal and in those areas the cellphone/GPS combo isn't much good, but since getting lost is one of the emergencies people have in the wilderness, the GPS is a really good fix for that -- stay found and you won't need to get found.