PLB: Pack -- or Carry?

So, I bought a PLB last winter. I finally got the "financial motivation" after a friend of mine broke her ankle on a day snowshoe trip and spent not one but two unplanned nights in the wilderness which nearly cost her her life.

I've been carrying my PLB in my pack surrounded by other items in hopes that were I to fall, the PLB would survive, cushioned by the contents of my pack. However, reading about the situation with the recently deceased hiker, Christopher Andrews (see http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=151287), I'm wondering if I shouldn't carry it on my person, say on my belt or in a pocket.

What do you guys think? How do you carry your PLB's?

HJ

ACR PLB on belt with Glock and rest of absolute MUST HAVE items.

Having my pack with me *should* significantly reduce my probability of needing rescue. But I have a bad habit of wandering about off-trail all day without it, and can also easily imagine accidentally getting separated from it in a fall or something, so I carry emergency stuff on my person by habit. If I had a PLB I'd think it would be prudent to do likewise.

Jeff

If you on occasion hike without the pack on I would carry it on your person. But if you always have the pack with you, I see nothing wrong with in in the pack.

Or do both, have it in the pack, but if you do some wandering without the pack have a way to clip it onto your belt.

When I go out on multi-day trips, I'll usually carry a small daypack in my overnight pack. The PLB stays with me everywhere I go either in the main pack or the daypack. The only exception is around camp. If I'm just going to get water or maybe look at the stars or some such, I won't take a pack with me. These are the times I'd worry about not having access to my PLB, although I do always wear a whistle on my survival necklace. Even if I fell down an embankment or something, I could blow on the whistle and hopefully attract the attention of others in my group. The whistle wouldn't work well on my occasional solo hikes, which is where I'd really want to have the PLB with me at all times.

Maybe a small fanny pack? My PLB is an ACR Aquafix, which is a bit bulky for a pocket but might work well with a fanny pack.

HJ

The Pilots in our company wear them around the neck on a lanyard.

Sounds a little uncomfortable, but it certainly would be easily accessed. Probably get pretty sweated out while hiking.

Any other ideas out there?
We've got:
belt
around neck
pocket
fanny pack

Anything clever and practical that I've overlooked?

I carry my PLB in the roof of my pack, with my FAK. If I'm in serious trouble and can't access my FAK I'll probably be dead anyway.

I don't want to prejudge a situation I know nothing about, but the deceased hiker died in a fall off the trail, sustaining serious injuries, and odds are he had a serious head trauma, and shock from internal bleeding. Frankly I don't know. But the presence of the SPOT device might not have made any difference to his chances of survival, given that he was hiking alone and the emergency response was delayed by weather. This is all just conjecture. RIP. Watch your step...

Don't confuse the tested and true PLB with SPOT. They are not the same thing. Not taking any pot shots at SPOT, but for my money, I'm sticking with the ACR MicroFix.

How easy is it to damage a PLB ? I think any place I carry it I would want some sort of padding around it. Three reasons 1) To protect it, 2) To protect the part of me that will without a doubt land on it if I fall, and 3) to keep it warmer (Batteries last longer if they are warm) I think what ever I carry it in I would want it to be crushable restiant.

Chest rig, as in Ironraven's "Ditch Kit". You can wear a chest rig 24/7 if need be as it doesn't interfere with a pack & waist belt like everything else I've tried. As a bonus, you can also carry more survival gear than a pocket kit (but carry a PSK anyway) and keep certain items readily accessible without taking your pack off to get at them.

I'm working on sewing one up for myself right now.

I have carried a rather large older-style PLB in the outdoors for 9 years as I was issued one through work. It is about twice the size and weight of the current new models.

I keep it in my field pack inside a waterproof bag with all my other electronics. The only time I usually have it on my person is when snowmobiling on frozen waterways or operating a boat in the shoulder seasons or rough water. I have a fitted pocket for it sewn into the inner right side of my Floater Coat, the Sat. phone fits in a similar pocket on the inner left side.

The problem is that I often walk away from my vehicle (ATV, truck, boat, snowmobile, light aircraft) while working and leave my pack containing the PLB there. I always have a mini-PSK with me and my EDC/work equipment, I usually also have a radio and cell phone, but these only work near the highway corridor, not in remote areas.

I have been intending to assemble a larger, more complete kit for these times but have procrastinated. I have the equipment purchased and even bought a Maxpetition Jumbo S-Type Versapack to carry it in, I just need to put it together.

So I guess my response is that I usually carry my PLB in my pack but in sitations where I think I may become seperated from my pack I carry it on my person (e.g. snowmobile through the ice or boat sinks). I should carry my PLB on my person more often.

Mike

If it isn't with you, it can't save youTM

I always carry my PLB (currently an ACR MicroFix) on my belt. Too often a backpack is lost in the process of getting into the situation you need the PLB to get you out of. A fanny pack would be not quite as secure as on the belt, but would be far better than a backpack.

The PLBs are pretty tough, so padding it to prevent damage in a fall really shouldn't be necessary. OTOH, they are not quite built like a brick, so there's a trade off to be made. I vote for improving the chances it will be with you when you need it.

Izzy, what recent events of this type are you referring to? Where are the incidents where a person has a PLB, but doesn't activate it because its not on his person? Even the recent story of a hiker had him activating his SPOT device after he fell off a trail. I don't see where recent events support your recommendation to carry a PLB on your person. Its all risk mitigation - I may be more likely to activate my PLB if I keep it on my person at all times, but I am not comfortable with a chest pack or some of the other arrangements. But I should still be able to access and activate it most times if I keep it in my backpack. If I go off trail, or dayhike up to a different peak, I may leave my full backpack behind, but still carry my PLB. I might even put it on my person if the trail crosses an exposure, has some steep snow on it, etc. Repositioning my PLB to make it more accessible in such circumstances is as routine as getting out my ice axe, or unhitching my pack when preparing to cross a stream. Expect the unexpected, that's all.

And can I underline a request made by someone else on this thread, to distinguish between PLBs and SPOT devices. PLBs are PLBs, SPOT devices are not PLBs. It does a disservice to mix and match them together, unless they are functionally equivalent.

The way miniaturization is advancing I would think that soon manufacturers would offer a cellphone that would allow a PLB feature to be included with the service. Since most people carry their cellphone constantly they could have a PLB right there too.
If I had my preference I'd rather have that than a built in camera.
But like I said with the way miniturization is coming along we may soon have all of that in one hand-held instrument. Be careful don't lose it.

lol. That's a good point, now isn't it?

Thanks, Doug. That's what I like about your approach to preparation. You keep the "first principle" in mind ("If it isn't with you, it can't save youTM") while being realistic about the trade offs.

I was hoping someone might post something about that. I've seen the SAR and USFS folks with chest rigs, and I thought they might be a good option. Have you got a link to a post or photos of Ironraven's kit?

Exactly! That's a big part of why I'm hesitant to wear my PLB on my belt. Belt worn objects tend to conflict with the belly band (aka "hip belt" for all you youngsters out there) of my pack. A fanny pack worn backwards is a bit more suitable, but still gets in the way some.

Now, that would be pretty cool.

Even beyond that, perhaps we'll one day have a cell phone/sat phone/cordless phone/GPS/altimeter/thermometer/heart rate monitor/PLB/cam corder/camera/MP3 player/palmtop computer all rolled into one. Of course I'll want one with the flux capacitor, warp drive, and transporter beam options ...

I'm starting to think that the cest rig is the holy grail I've been looking for.

Here's the ling to Ironraven's post.

Some history of the concept here.

And here's the one IR's using.

Notice that the unpadded webbing doesn't interfere with your pack shoulder straps. It's worn above the waist, so it doesn't interfere with the waist belt on your pack. This solves the problem I was having with other belt and vest based setups.

I carry my EDC backpack everywhere. Outdoors I am never without a pack on my back, though it might only be my Camelback MULE with the 10 essentials.

That being said, WHEN I get a PLB it will be attached to my body with Cadet Cord.

Cadet Cord aka Dummy Cord = 550 cord attaching the item to my belt or body. Which is my M.O. with all major items

Great topic. It's essentially a question of "should my PLB be a first-line item?".



Jim, I'm using a small waist pack for 1st-line items. I find it more secure and convenient than having stuff falling out of my pants pockets, which is surprisingly possible if you take a tumble. It is easy to wear in the front in conjunction with a pack's waistbelt. It's always there if you ditch the backpack. With the various Fastex-type buckles out on the market today, you can rig it so that the closure is threaded-only or quick release.

I'm using the EmDomUSA waist pack because it is just the right size for use with a backpack and has small design details that I appreciate (especially the internal 550 cord tieoff loops). It is made with 1000 denier Cordura, #10 YKK zips and double-sewn & bound seams. It was specifically designed to be worn in front & not get in the way while rucking, climbing or kneeling. It has many mounting options if you want to attach it to a larger pack, though of course that defeats the 1st-line philosophy.

Here is a review that includes more pics.

I've always been a firm believer that, if it isn't on your person, there's a good chance it won't be there when you need it.

I've heard too many stories of people who put their pack down at camp, walked away from it to go take a wiz or something, then wound up lost, injured, attacked by an animal, ect.

With that in mind, there's a few items that, if carried, I'd much rather have them on my person than in my pack. These items are (in no particular order):

PLB/Cell Phone/Form of communication
Flashlight
Handgun (Pistol)
Knife (pocketknife or otherwise)
Water
Fire starting method

I believe that all these items are too important to not have readily available. Especially since items like flashlights and PLBs/Cell Phones are getting smaller and smaller, making them easier to carry all the time. A few items have even become multi-purpose. For example, my cell phone has a built in flashlight that's adequate for finding your way around. I've also seen some knife/lighter or knife/ferro rod combos (though I have no idea how good they are, I'm sure they are still better than nothing).