Taurus's great post inspired me to get out my own stuff. Keep in mind that I live in a very different climate. Here's my kit for a winter dayhike in the Appalachians. I grew up in Michigan, so the weather here always seems mild by comparison. It got down into the single digits twice this year, which is like the start of an ice age as far as everyone here is concerned. This weekend is supposed to be 55 and sunny, and last year we saw 70 degrees in January.

Pockets:


The top row is always carried in the woods in winter.
- Swiss Army Teton (locking main blade)
- fox40 whistle
- lanyard to attach the two items above to my belt
- crackhouse lighter
- space blanket

The bottom row is an either/or. I don't carry both at once:
- DR PSK with added Photon and 4 Pur-tabs
- Ranger Rick survival kit on braided paracord

Pack:


Starting at 12:00, running clockwise and inside to out.
- MEC Northern Lites synthetic insulating pullover
- Sidewinder cell phone charger (waterproof bag and cell phone not shown)
- lip balm
- matchsafe with strike-anywheres, a bit of sandpaper & 2 spark-lite tinders
- 20' light nylon cord
- 4 esbit tabs
- TP and sanitizer in waterproof bag
- notebook, pen, pencil
- foil windscreen, a few tea bags, sugar packets and bouillon cubes
- possibles kit: FAK, Spark-lite, needle and thread, 3xAAA batteries, duct tape, 6 pur-tabs, waterproof bag
- titanium pot/mug, titanium wing stove sitting on top
- light gloves and fleece hat
- bivy bag
- rain pants (black)
- rain jacket (green)
- 2 food bars
- LED headlamp
- trash compactor bag and rubber band (used as pack liner to waterproof spare clothing, etc.)
- spare wool socks
- compass
- bandanna
- GPS
- map
- long underwear bottoms
- high-tech polymer water bottles, manufactured by Pepsi

Not shown: My emergency candle was camera shy. I found it after I uploaded the photo. Also, a few small ditty bags and stuff sacks did not make the shoot.

My pack is an LLBean Bigelow top-loader, which is the best daypack I've found. I usually have a staff with me, either aluminum or hickory.

Dig that crazy orange shag that I haven't gotten around to replacing yet. Can you tell my basement was refinished in 1973?

Sometimes I wish it wasn’t so G#$d$%med cold here but there is something very satisfying about that crunch of snow and ice under your snowshoes as you trudge along with only nature for company. Some of my friends think I am crazy for heading out so often alone but the best part of it all for me is the fact that there ISNT someone talking my ear off . No traffic, no rush, just peace. I wish I could hike the Appalachians some day. Sounds great.
Awesome post and a great looking kit Jaywalke

Jay--great layout--looks like you have all down to a "T"..
you could overnite with that--no problem at all--a bit more
chow and you could call it home if you need too--looks like
the first shots was taken on a Swiss Army blanket??
lets keep these gear layout photos comming..it's Equipped
to Survive" is it not--the more stuff i see the more ideas
i get on what to add and subtract from my kit..

Nice Kit Jaywalke,

We had the same shag carpet throughout my parents new house when I was a kid, built in....1973!

They replaced the carpet about 15 years ago in one of those "What Was I Thinking" moments.

Mike

Looks like the perfect bit of outdoor kit for what you're using it for. Nice and light and to the point.

CANOEDOGS-
The background in the first pic is actually is the sweatshirt I happened to be wearing when I realized I needed a neutral layout.
I need to get some wool blankets, though, for car kits. Any recommendations?

SwampDonkey-
It's amazing how well that old acrylic carpet has held up. If it wasn't such an ugly color it might not be on the "change it" list, although it does have another downside. It generates so much static that I have to keep leaning over and zapping the metal lamp to keep from frying my laptop. If I walk across the stuff with wool scuffs on, I make a charge that could jump-start a Buick.

LOL,

I do not remember the static at my parents house, but in every Christmas picture from when we were kids that carpet is there. It did last much better than the much more expersive carpet they replaced it with.

Memories,

Mike

i'm not much on blankets but i can tell you that US Army ones
are not that great--more for inside on a cot--Swiss Army??
could be better--the only one i would trust is a Hudson's Bay
blanket--very spendy but a life time sort of thing..at my
cabin i used a LL Bean Trappers Blanket and in a semi heated
room it kept me warm in low 50's temps..

Hudson Bay blankets are great. We had a cabin in Michigan's U.P. that had passive floor heat (i.e. warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing, but that's it). Each bedroom had two HB blankets, and staying warm was no problem. They are on the list for home use, definitely.

I think for the trunk of the car I may get a couple of these:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_CW%20B100_A_name_E_Wool+Blend+Blanket

They look like prison specials, but at $14 each I won't cry if they get messed up.

BTW, I have overnighted with the gear above, although in fall rather than true winter conditions. It was great. I call it a "10 essntials hike," and I want to do another one this spring. There is nothing like practice to make you carefully consider your gear choices. I carry more than most folks around here on a dayhike, but I think they might reconsider if they had to bivy with it once or twice.

jaywalke,

You've put together a well thoughtout and simple kit. If fact I was surprised to see you hit almost all the basic survival gear we require each member of my SAR team to carry in their pack.

I had some suggestions:

• Some hand/toe/body heat packs
• Add a few chemical light sticks
• Increase the nylon cord to 50' or more
• Pack an old CD as a signalling device
• Perhaps increasing your food to include some jerky or other food product with a long shelf life.
• A small flashlight
• Depending on your pack size, you might consider some sort of shelter, such as a lightweight siltarp or similar product. I've got a 10'x10' siltarp in my SAR pack that weights 13 oz and folds up quite small.

I also like to pack some Lifesaver candy rolls for those times when I crave sugar.

To help keep your kit dry in your pack first line the pack with a contractor type black garbage bag. Pack your kit inside, twist the contractor bag several times and tuck the loose end down the side of your pack towards the bottom. Your kit will stay dry even during a downpour. During an unplanned river crossing, must SAR kit stayed dry by doing the above.

Here's an improvised shelter we built during winter survival training. It got down to about 15 deg that night with light winds. We filled our contractor and trash bags with dry leaves so that we weren't lying directly on the cold ground; passed out a bunch of the chemical hand/toe/body warmers I suggested above; spread my down Marmot sleeping bag across our chests for added warmth; and built a small fire. The shelter was bult against a large boulder which along with the silver tarp lining, both reflected heat into the shelter. It was still cold inside the shelter, esp around our legs, but nowhere near as miserable as it could have been.