Events like this almost always inspire discussions of exactly what kind of gear they should have brought along - in addition to what they already had in their packs. Remember, there is always a delicate balance between having a light pack and the proper gear. Proper gear for a night out in the snow is full size tent, sleeping bags and cooking gear - a bit too cumbersome for your average day pack.
They had some bare minimum nescessities and made VERY good use of them. Kudos for that - and for their training and attitude.
Absolutely true! Just the fact that you're an ETS member probably means you've "wargamed" this scenario repeatedly after reading this post.
Man, I'd have carried X,Y, &Z! Well, more gear would have been helpful and maybe they just got lucky. But they wouldn't have had time to get lucky if they hadn't kept their wits and known what to do.
You both hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned. My wife accompanies me each year on a four day autumn trip and a couple of weekenders into the remote parts of the Chippewa National Forest. Over the last few years each of our PSKs went from the size of a baseball to the size of a football to a 12 pound rucksack....too cumbersome! I unpacked and repacked them a dozen times trying to eliminate weight and bulk, but refusing to give up much of anything.
We have had the experience of setting out on a brisk cool day and ending up in a 6 inch snowstorm. The difference was that it was mid-day, we were not on a bluff, we were only two or three miles from our truck and we were walking a very long trail in the woods that we could still follow.
We sat down last week even before this was posted and talked about that experience and others, and assessed the real risks of this activity. We agree that there is not one single thing in the packs that would not be nice to have if we suffered an injury or were lost in the woods at dusk and had to spend a night in the woods in late fall/early winter.... Together we agreed, it's not a camping trip, it's survival.............we're going back to basics.
The story actually inspired us, as they made good with minimal equipment and excellent training. I don't necessarily agree that they wouldnt have survived another night, because the only reason they didnt build a better shelter and gather more wood, is that they knew they were going to be rescued and they just waited and it just took a little longer than they thought.
Here is what we will each carry going forward:
Full set weather-appropriate hunting clothes:
Base layer
Heavy shirts/pants
Canvas coat
waterproof hunting boots and heavy socks
gloves
scarf
nylon balaclava
hat
bandana
Usual upland hunting gear:
shotgun & ammo
Leatherman Wave (she pefers a SAK w/saw)
field belt knife (me: cord-wrapped Western W36, her: Linder Traveller)
map and compass (Taylor)
mini bic
tube of DEET (early season only)
Gorp and clif bars
motorola radio
whistle
mini maglite (me) LED (her)
1 mini binocular between us
1/4 roll TP
nylon poncho
gaiters (snowy weather only)
Survival kit:signal mirror
Vic Classic w/tweezers
double orange emergency blanket
flint rod
35mm film canister with duct tape wrap containing greased cotton balls and a treble snag-hook
Frontier emergency water filter-straw
three CC teabags
two ricola cough drops
two sizes fabric bandaids
6 ibuprofin
sierra cup
20" 550 paracord
10" lightweight wire
4 misc zip-ties
Kit seals into the sierra cup with tape and plastic and fits in the coat pocket.
What will we do with the excess that is currently piled around me? It will go into a dedicated rucksack to keep in the truck in the unlikely event that the truck is the problem and we must leave shelter to trek out to a remote highway.
Previous Topic
Index
