Survival Gear?????

[Eric-WD]

Do any of you keep survival type gear in your vest, Boat etc. I usualy have a lighter, knife etc. but was thinking beyound this.

Eric

[Clay]

This is an interesting topic. Some think that if you are prepared you are a good boy scout others look at you like you are some kind of white supremicists waiting for the uprising of the zombies and are totally weird.

Myself, I am not nearly as prepared as I know that I should be. I usually don't even take matches with me. My self protection mode usually involves a pocket knife, some water, a power bar and a cell phone. I should get with the program more and be more prepared, just in case.

I just had this conversation with my wife who drives about 45 mins to work everyday in Wis. The roads suck some times and having a blanket or two in the car or in the boat (one of those that fold up very small and can be made into a poncho and have the reflective coating on one side) would be a wise thing. They mentioned keeping water in the vehicle, but don't ask me how you are suppose to keep water in your vehicle when the temps dip below zero many nights. If you need it, it will probably be frozen. You could keep it in a cooler and that might protect it for a couple of days.

Here's a good link if you want to do some research: http://www.ready.gov/?gclid=CNjA8t3-8pcCFSIgDQod4FEzDA

[JohnScott]

Eric -

I got in the habit of carrying the "ten essentials" during my hiking days before I started fishing. Because they store nicely in the Camelback hydration pack that I routinely wear when fly fishing, I almost always have them with me. Since a map is one of the essentials I don't usually bother with when fishing, I'm really down to nine, and maybe a couple less than that in nice weather, like the extra clothing, and I usually carry drinking water rather than a filter.

Map.......................( of area to be traversed _
Compass.................( and know how to use it )
First Aid Kit.............( suitable to type and length of outing )
Fire Starter.............( matches or lighter or flint or magnesium )
Candle....................( to assist in starting a fire )
Knife......................( one of those multi-function type )
Headlamp................( LEDs are light and light forever )
Extra Clothes...........( adequate for an overnight stay )
Extra Food...............( for one more day than you plan to be out )
Water filter or purifier.( and some kind of container )

In some places I'll also carry bear bells and bear spray, knowing that they are not necessarily going to provide much protection. But having them helps maintain a sense of "bear awareness" ( or other large and dangerous animal awareness ) which is the best first line of safety in such places.

All this adds maybe 6-8 pounds to what I carry strictly for fishing. Good exercise.

John

P.S. One of those really loud whistles would be a good idea - need to get around to getting one one of these days.

[Joe Valencic]

Carried in/on a pack when fishing:

Small First Aid Kit
TP (1/3-1/2 roll squeezed flat)
Space blanket
Small flashlight with extra batteries
Disposable poncho
Travel size insect repellent
Magnesium fire stick
Full size Leatherman
Mason's twine (100yds)
32 oz water
6 oz Bourbon (for medicinal & celebratory purposes only)
Stainless steel whistle on a lanyard

Optional to surroundings and familiarity with the area:

.40 Glock with three clips worn on the hip where accessible.
GPS with your starting point programmed in before starting out.

This list presumes you have dressed appropriately for the day and looked at the weather forecast. You should be able to make a fire, stay dry or dry out, and make a simple shelter from branches, boughs and the strong twine. You will stay hydrated, protected and be able to alert a search party as to your position with the whistle as well as annoy the wildlife if you become injured or lost and in the dark.

For close-in fishing trips this should suffice until daybreak. For pack trips the list should be expanded to allow for more than an overnight of inconvenience.

Duh, I forgot the most important thing. Always let someone know where you will be and when you are expected to return. At least they'll know where to look for the body.

[DG]

Not unless I am more than a couple miles from my vehicle, or in an area that I hiked into.

[beigefoot]

This is what I take when we do floats on our pontoons.

GPS
Survival Kit with fire starter, matches tinder, signal mirror, whistle, emer.blanket, 100' para cord,8'x10' tarp, a good first aid kit of my own making(with a little help from a paramedic friend)
Gerber all in one tool(Hatchet-saw combo (its small and fits in the bags of the pontoon
2 MRE's
extra batteries
water purification system
plus all of the equipment that you have for the boat

In my vest/pack
70 oz water bladder
Leatherman Wave
LED headlamp
2-3 power bars
space blanket
small first aid kit
mini survival kit with matched, fire starter, whistle

for the kits, I usually buythem at Sportsman warehouse and improve on them to get the finished product that I want.

And what I forget, my friend brings.....I never thought about the medicinal whiskey and/or brandy...thats a fine idea....

[flyfishfairwx]

All the stuff mentioned here in one form or another, and my family got me one of those "Spots"

Joe !!!
.40 Glock with three clips worn on the hip where accessible.

Is the .40 big enough to stop a Griz or Mountain Lion?

[Eric-WD]

Great responses so far, looks like its all or nothing.

I'm a firm believer that an adult needs to make decisions and live or die by them, and each of has to asses his/her comfort level and decide what to Carry or not. This said I will leave the firearm, no firearm debate alone except to say "Is the .40 big enough to stop a Griz or Mountain Lion? " a .40 is Definitely big enough for the Lion, I may be wrong but I don't think the Island nation has Griz so Joe probably doesn't feel the need for something that will take care of one.

Eric

[Clay]

All the stuff mentioned here in one form or another, and my family got me one of those "Spots"

Joe !!!
.40 Glock with three clips worn on the hip where accessible.

Is the .40 big enough to stop a Griz or Mountain Lion?

While not being Joe, the 40 and Speer Gold Dots could be pressed into duty for many things at least it is better than a pen knife. The real threat is from two legged animals in the wild. I remember some thing this past year about campers and boaters being shot at in the boundry waters, MN I think.

There are many that take personal protection as a serious issue and believe that the responsibility for your family lies with you. You can get on your cell (if you can get a connection) miles from anyone and someone will be there to clean up the mess in a couple of hours. I would rather depend on me than an officer two counties away.

Rick

[Greg H]

I agree that except for bears or other predators, the deciding factor is how far from the car (or help) you are going to travel. Most times for me it is only the simple six, water, emergency poncho, knife, lighter, first aid kit and WHISTLE. I am pleased to see the whistle listed by most responders. You could get through the night with the first 5 listed here, but might never be found if you don't have a whistle - even 100 yards from help. A friend of mine was tangled in a thicket of only 50yds x 50yds for 2 hours and we couldn't find him because he didn't have one.

Adendum: I also have a mini LED light - these things have really reduced the 'cumbersome flashlight' factor in recent years. It is always clipped in my vest along with a spare set of car keys.