Survival Sack: When things go bad...

[Scott Brady]

Despite its risks, some of us do travel alone or in politicaly / geologicaly dangerous regions. Having experienced a few (really) bad things, which fortunately did not happen to me, but a fellow traveler, I am reviewing the concept of a Survival Sack.

I really can't take credit for the idea, as it was something I learned (as a more detailed concept) from Bill Burke (he calls it a bug out bag).

I want to take the concept a little further and discuss the most appropriate bag, contents and methods of storage.

The Bag: I am of the opinion that the Sack should be a waterproof backpack of HD construction. I have a few bags, one from The North Face and the other from Seattle Sports

I think the backpack feature is pretty critical, should you have to hike for an extended distance.

The Contents:

1. Shelter
2. Food
3. Water
4. Communications
5. Warmth
6. Emergency Care
7. Navigation
8. Basic Survival Equipment
9. Signaling
10. Critical Documents

The Storage:

Must be within easy reach of the driver and passenger. If you break through the ice, or get pulled down stream, etc. it must be a quick grab.

I am curious for the feedback of more qualified member of this forum to what the contents should be. I also think the contents should vary slightly depending on the conditions of the trip (I.E. Cold= Less water, more shelter)

I think we should all consider having one of these available.

 

[offroad_nomad]

This is an interesting and fun topic to discuss. I'm a self-admitted "gadget guru" and I'm always curious about the other neat things folks have discovered.

Survival packs are going to vary from person-to-person as well as location, weather conditions, expected length of use, and etc.

I keep my SAR pack and related search and rescue kit in my 4Runner at all times since we're oncall 24/7. In a nutshell, we must have enough supplies to sustain ourselves in the field for 48+ hours. I pack heavy and can go longer.

When I get home from work, I'll edit this post with additional details.

* * * EDIT * * *

I was thinking about this on the Metro heading home from work. Most of the survival items would be the stuff we would bring with us on a multi day offroad excursion. Depending on how these items are packed in your vehicle, you might have to go out and purchase a backpack to carry your survival gear in the event you had to abandon your vehicle and walk out to safety.

Everyone has great suggestions.

Looking at Scott's list:

1. Shelter
Depending on the environment, and of course personal preference, a lightweight sil-tarp (silicone impregnated nylon tarp) or small tent may be needed. Myself, for survival situations, I like tarp shelters. They're easy to set-up, the tarp is lightweight (my 8x10 sil-tarp weighs 13 oz.), not as bulky as a tent saving valuable space in your pack, and if properly built, the shelter works in all environments.

We built this shelter during our winter survival training using a 10x10 tarp, with a log as the main overhead support, and the log leaned against a large boulder. The boulder, nesides being useful as a shelter support, reflected the heat from our small fire back into the tarp shelter. The temps hovered around 15 deg F that night. It doesn't look like much, but we were warm enough, protected from any snow and five of us slept in it. We also placed plastic sheeting and my Tyvek sheet as ground cover. We also stuffed several large trash bags (we're required to keep 5 in our packs) with leaves to sleep on as a thermal barrier in addition to sleeping mats.

It bears noting again, your shelter should be something you know how to set up and use, whether it's a tarp, tent, Henessey Hammock (my next camping purchase) or whatever.

2. Food
For survival purposes, you might consider packing a majority of your food that doesn't require any preparation and/or cooking. Such as beef jerky, Pop-Tarts (I love those), trail mix, protein/nutrition bars. Another consideration, you may have to conserve your water and having to use it to rehydrate dried foods will deplete your water supplies quickly. If you have a small stove, such as a Jet Boil, and access to water rehydrating food to eat won't waste your supplies.

Over the last few years I have been surprised to find several of the major backpacking dehydrated food manufacturers improving their products both quality-wise and the types of foods offered. I recently tested Saigon Noodles, an Indian Curry dish, and a chocolate mousse dessert. I always test any new dehydrated food from the safety of my home. My reasoning, if my GI system rejects the new food and I find myself running to the bathroom with the "runs," I'd rather it happen at home then in the woods or somewhere else.

3. Water
At a minimum, I pack at least 2 liters of water and gatorade. I'll carry extra if I know I won't be resupplied in the near future. When it comes down to water vs. food, I always pack more water then food. then you'll need to consider whether or not to pack a water purifier or a water filter. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Again, personal preference will come into play.

4. Communications
A handheld 2m radio with a spare battery pack that accepts AA batteries. The proprietary battery will drain shortly and the AA batteries are a good back up. Many handheld radios are being built to "mil-spec" specifications and can take a bit of moisture, but not a downpour. We carry 1 gallon zip lock baggies and they can be used to protect the HH radios. Make a little hole for the antenna, shove the radio in, seal around the hole with electrical tape and zip up the baggie. We've used this method to protect our radios (Bendix Kings and Icoms) in down pours with good success.

5. Warmth

6. Emergency Care

7. Navigation

8. Basic Survival Equipment

9. Signaling

10. Critical Documents


Survivorman . . . Survivorman, I know you guys watch it. We even have a thread going about it too. Some critics say this guy is a nut. Personally speaking, he knows his stuff. Whenever we do weekend training bivys the topic arises and we try to do one or two things done in the shows such as fire building without matches/lighters, shelter building, gathering water.

It's 1:48 am EST and for some reason, I can't fall asleep.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Ian,
I look forward to seeing the list of what you include in your SAR pack!

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Hmm . . . Am I "more qualified?" I don't think so . . .

But I do think this is a good idea. I've put together two types of bug-out bags.

When sea kayaking I kept a waterproof (obviously!) stuff sack on my rear deck, with a clip connecting it to my PFD - life jacket, that is. The bag contained a two-liter Nalgene full of water, a marine VHF radio, a signal mirror (a proper glass one with sight hole), three Skyblazer aerial flares, a small strobe, a solar still kit (moderately useful if you have a supply of salt water), a fishing kit with line and lures, a Swiss Army knife, two small flashlights, a bunch of waterproof matches, a small first-aid kit, a pad of paper and a pencil, a compass, and some wire snares and cord. Its goal was survival if I became separated from the boat and stranded on a deserted coast with no access to the Professor or Mary Ann.

I also keep a Filson field bag more or less ready to grab at the house. It contains extra loaded magazines for my Glock 32, a Surefire 6P (bright!) flashlight and a AA LED (long-lasting) flashlight, a quart Nalgene of water, and a couple of rather large knives. Its purpose is in case I need to flee the house under some extremely unlikely scenario, and possibly mount a counter-assault (even more unlikely). But since we live a long way from help we're totally on our own if a bunch of desperate drug smugglers or drunk rednecks show up with bad intent. Much less a bunch of desperately drunk red-neck drug smugglers. I can toss the cell phone and pistol in the bag be off into the desert.

This bag also comes in the vehicle on trips. It's comfortable to carry, but wouldn't do for a multi-day trek. Anything up to a 30-mile hike out it would be fine. For a possible longer walk I think a small internal-frame pack might be the ticket.

For what Scott is talking about some content modifications would definitely be in order (perhaps go a little lighter on the artillery?).

If I wanted carryable shelter in such a situation I'd pick the Black Diamond Firstlight:

http://www.usoutdoorstore.com/outlet/index.cfm?fa=products.showDetail&sku=810150

Two and a half pounds and reasonably stormproof; it could keep you alive in nasty conditions. A Stephenson 2X would work as well if not better. I believe a tent is more important than a sleeping bag in cold and stormy conditions if you're dressed properly.

I've played around with a lot of fire-starting implements such as flints and magnesium sticks, etc. They're loads of fun, but in the back of my mind was always the thought, Gee, if I remembered to bring all this stuff why not just bring a bunch of waterproof matches? Add some firestarting paste and you're set.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Great Thread!

In my travels by boat I used to carry two bags.
I had one set up and dedicated for the unfortunate situation of abandoning ship in the ocean
and I had one that I would take ashore when going into isolated unknown and possibly dangerous areas.

Extended or short term expedition type vehicle travel (especially in isolated desert or cold regions) has very many similarities to offshore sailing. Help is far away and the environment can be hostile

Here is a description of the bags:

Abandon Ship Bag (Ditch Bag)
Note that this would acompany a life raft, a waterproof floating case of fresh water packets and a floating bag of warm clothing. In an ideal sinking, if there is such a thing!, you would have the opportunity to gather all your prepacked bags or possibly even pack one from scratch. The Ditch Bag however was the bag you grabbed if you only had seconds. You then hold onto it while you float around waiting and hoping that the hydrostatic release works properly and allows the life raft to surface!
(Ditch Bag)
A waterproof floating duffle bag that could float even when open due to the foam in the sides
Identification papers, Emergency contact information, Proof of ownership of the vessel
One credit card, $50 in cash
Navigation (large scale chart, compass, dividers, pencil, small notepad)
Two sets of long sleeve and long pant capelin or polypro long underwear
Two wool caps
Two sets of long sleeve and long pant lightweight material, against sun exposure
Two pair of sunglasses
Survival blankets
Signal devises (Flare Gun w/flares, handheld flares, parachute flares, smoke, whistle, signal mirror)
Small desalinator or Water packets
MREs and high calorie energy bars
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Multi-tool
Large pointy dive knife and small blunt nose BC type knife
Fishing kit and small hand held gaff
First aid kit
Flashlight, headlamp
Hand held waterproof VHF radio
Hand held GPS
EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)

Going Ashore Bag
A 1200 ci lumbar hip bag with shoulder straps or a med sized hydration pack with 100oz bladder
2L of water using the lumbar or the bladder full of water in the pack
Identification papers, Emergency contact information, Proof of ownership of the vessel
One credit card - hidden, $50 in cash - small bills hidden
Compass, pencil, small notepad, large scale map
First aid kit, survival blanket
High calorie energy bars
Sunscreen, lip balm
Multi-tool, pocket knife, small can of mace/pepper spray, headlamp
Fire starter
25' of parachute cord
Depending on the area and planned activity (100' of rope, karabiners, small ascender, machete, gps, VHF)


For Vehicle Survival Sack
I carry the basics borrowed from the two above including a smoke signal which is a good alternative to flares in areas prone to forest fires

I want to add:
a lightweight compact form of shelter even if it's just a poncho
a hand held 2meter radio
a water filter/purifier


I never had to use the abandon ship bag
and the going ashore bag always seem to come in handy somehow.

A classic memory, I took my ashore bag along on a rainforest hike to explore some waterfalls with about 15 new friends and NO local guide. About half the crowd was over 60 and looking a bit rickety! Nobody brought anything more than a walking stick and flip flops and one of the older gentlemen looking at my pack with a machete and rope strapped to the side asked "what are you bringing all that stuff for?" "Oh, this stuff is for when you slip out of your sandals break a hip and slide down the bluff into the river!" He said "good idea, would you mind walking behind my wife and I, feel free to stay close"!

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

A classic memory, I took my ashore bag along on a rainforest hike to explore some waterfalls with about 15 new friends and NO local guide. About half the crowd was over 60 and looking a bit rickety! Nobody brought anything more than a walking stick and flip flops and one of the older gentlemen looking at my pack with a machete and rope strapped to the side asked "what are you bringing all that stuff for?" "Oh, this stuff is for when you slip out of your sandals break a hip and slide down the bluff into the river!" He said "good idea, would you mind walking behind my wife and I, feel free to stay close"!

Ha!

 

[Scott Brady]

Jonathan and Brian,

Awesome posts. Many items I had not considered.

I will poll all of the posts and generate a basic, cold and warm weather list.

 

[Scott Brady]

Ian,

Thanks so much for the input. I am very interested in your thoughts as the thread develops.

 

[60seriesguy]

Great topic, I've also given this a lot of thought, especially after "incidents". Some thoughts:

Water containers need to be sturdy, so as to withstand transportation and be easily refillable and easily carried (like bladder systems). I would also include a small water filtration system or at the very least, iodine/purification tablets. Finding water isn't always so hard, finding *potable* water can be.

A handful of brightly-colored flash cards, a pencil, and a handfull of zip-lock backs can be an effective way of leaving messages.

All of my kits have a small fishing setup (line, handful of small hooks, couple of press-on sinkers). You don't need to catch large fish to get protein, and smaller fish are more abundant/easier to catch. You can live a long time on fish and water.

High protein, high calorie bars. Make sure you choose those with a long shelf life. Taste is not that important, but the packaging should be the sturdier kind, like PowerBars.

Extra socks, extra t-shirt. If you're stuck a long way from civilization and have to hump it back, you can wear the same clothes for a long time, but you want to make sure you wear dry socks, especially in humid places (may not apply to those of you in AZ, but back in South America, this was a mantra). Make sure the extra t-shirt is a bright, obnoxious color, or at least white, they're much easier to spot from the air than earth tones.

polished metal mirror, old school compass, maps, firestarter, Leatherman, kukri-style knife (can be used for chopping, and even for defense), soft broad-brimmed hat, sunblock, sunglasses, flashlight, plastic bottle of insect repellent, a handful of nylon zip ties, couple of survival blankets, rain/wind shell, cord, comprehensive first aid kit (fortified with vitamin supplements and adapted to the type of terrain/climate you frequent), one change of clothes (again, suited to your terrain/climate), 2-3 road flares, everything packed individually in the freezer-type ziplock bags inside a strong, comfortable backpack, preferably a brightly colored one.

One of the most important things about a survival kit is getting into a strict schedule of supervision/revision. Make sure you check it at regular intervals to make sure everything is up-to-date and usable. Label the survival kit as such and make sure that EVERY passenger knows its location. In a bad accident, you may not be the one able to reach it. Find a good location for it within your gear and ALWAYS keep it in the same location, you may have to reach for it in the dark, in a matter of seconds, under duress.

Sorry it wasn't more organized, I just wrote down thoughts as they came to me.

 

[Doin_It]

I missed the story this past week or so on the news, but wasn't there in family that got lost/snowed in some where in CA. Did it say at all what they did to survive?

 

[Scott Brady]

I missed the story this past week or so on the news, but wasn't there in family that got lost/snowed in some where in CA. Did it say at all what they did to survive?

Yeah, they had an RV... Lots of water, food and a heater.

Better than all of the camps I intentionally have :ylsmoke:

 

[datrupr]

It was in Oregon, a family from Az was snowed in in thier RV for two weeks. I think they lived off of dried, canned, and snack foods for that time.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Another thought is to keep your pack as a dedicated Survival Sack, don't use its contents for general use. This may mean purchasing two or three of something like a headlamp or flashlight. If you only have one headlamp and you keep it in your Survival Sack but then take it out to use it for general purposes you then need to remember to put it back in the pack and that is a risk of forgetting.

 

[offroad_nomad]

The rescued family that survived for 17 days in their RV, are missing again . . . this time fugitives with warrants issued for the couple's arrest.

CNN reports, "Eleven months ago, they'd been caught with a small amount of methamphetamine and a shotgun, deputies said, but they agreed to cooperate with investigators. Then they disappeared" and weren't seen or their whereabouts known until they showed up on the news following their rescue.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/28/family.found.ap/index.html

I missed the story this past week or so on the news, but wasn't there in family that got lost/snowed in some where in CA. Did it say at all what they did to survive?

 

[flyingwil]

In all the aircraft I fly I take a Survival Pack with me, and the correlation between the two could be similar. Basic elements will be the same in this application, due to weight requirements. In small aircraft as much as 50lbs could be the determining factor in weather you leave the ground or hit the trees at the end of the runway.

IMO a most basic survival pack is composed of the following:

• 2 D Cell Batteries
• 2 Chem-Lites
• 1 Drinking cup
• 2 Emergency Blankets
• Flight light (D cell Mag)
• Smoke Signal
• Matches (water/windproof)
• Match Case
• 50 ft Nylon cord
• Pocket Knife
• Energy bars
• Signal Mirror
• Toilet Paper
• tube tent
• Lip Balm
• Hand Warmers
• Water Purification Tablets
• Water Bottle
• Whistle
• Wire Saw
• First aid kit
• Alieve (2 packets)
• Aspirin (2 packs)
• Antiseptic eye wash (1 bottle)
• Sterile Pads (4)
• Eye Pads (2)
• 1 can burn spray
• 1 box assorted band aids
• sterile cotton (1 Box)
• Latex Gloves (2 Pair)
• Alcohol swabs (6)
• Ammonia Inhalant (3)
• Gauze (1 roll)
• Tweezers
• Scissors

However, the list will have be modified to suit the environmental surroundings of the expedition travel.

Hope that helps somewhat.