Thoughts on Emergency Kits and Cordage

Lightweight backpacking requires individuals to think out-of-the-box and break from traditions likely taught for generations. For example, many "traditional" backpackers often carry emergency kits which may consist of an emergency tube tent or emergency blanket in addition to other items. I too would love to have an emergency shelter or blanket if put in a survival situation with no other gear. But these items are more for people who are in an emergency situation without gear, not for those carrying a pack full of stuff already. In my opinion, quite a bit of what traditional backpackers carry with them are very redundant and arguably unnecessary. Part of going "lightweight" requires the exercise of common sense, which sadly, is a fad that went out of our landscape long ago. It means giving up redundant gear, not because it couldn't help in a bad situation, but because it is often terribly unnecessary even in an emergency.

For me, there are many backpacking items I often think about quite deeply. I think moving towards a mini Swiss Army Classic knife likely was the something that required the most angst, and quite honestly, I'd still love to have a more robust knife with me because there is a side of me always thinking I'll be pressed into a serious survival or emergency situation despite the fact that my current gear would likely serve me just fine. Before going lightweight, I had carried a beautiful SOG knife which I still love despite the fact that it sits in my knife box along with several others which have become obsolete over the years. Oddly enough, I rarely use the mini knife I do carry and actually use the toothpick and scissor function more than the knife part.

My change to a lightweight knife was one of many choices I needed to make which I thought was a practical move. Yet, some lightweight backpackers take a far more hardline than I do, quite literally bringing only the big three with them (shelter, sleep system, pack) and often that's it with few exceptions (cooking systems are a pot over an open fire, rain gear is often unnecessary in the summer, a healthy yell can replace a whistle, skilled folks can start a fire without matches, etc.). But this style doesn't sit well with my sensibilities and I think it is important for each lightweight backpacker to make decisions based on their own skills, gear, and relevant to the environments they will encounter.

For example, one of the things I carry that I rarely see on any lightweight backpackers gear list is a very small mirror. Over the years, I have found it invaluable. It's great to look at for ticks on my backside, it's great to help pick a gnat out of my eye, it helps identify the seriousness of any wounds to my face (bee stings, fallen branches, etc.), and probably of greatest importance to me, it works as a signal mirror which is tremendously tough to duplicate in the backcountry. As a solo backpacker, I often can't rely on someone else to help with many of the functions that this mirror handles.

My personal thought about going "lightweight" is that it does NOT involve dumping every potentially useful item from your pack. Instead, it focuses on finding lighter and smaller solutions which are more reasonable and accomplish the same goal while otherwise cutting out redundant gear. So for me, the mirror remains in my pack, albeit small and light, but it remains.

One item that I've thought a lot about recently was cordage because it can offer so many dymanic uses. The only cordage I carry is that which I use for my bear bag. It is 50' of URSA Aircord Pro dyneema which can hold up to an absurd 1,400 pounds! It's light and strong...and completely overkill. I purchased it when I didn't want to bring along the heavier 550 paracord and probably should switch it out for something even more practical (and light).

My problem with the 550 paracord is the weight and the fact that it is susceptible to water retention (the dyneema cord is coated with urethane). Yet oddly enough, I think it is more useful overall. Being able to cut it open and have access to several strands of thinner cord is invaluable in a legitimate survival situation for snares, lashing, fishing line, bow, guylines, medical brace, and numerous other things which is one of the reasons I really want to carry it...yet I just can't make the mental leap to put it in my pack. Sure you could make cordage out of of braided saplings, vines, reeds, and all kinds of things nature provides...but the time and energy it would take to make something like that and the likelihood for it to be immediately functional isn't something I'll willing to roll the dice on when faced with a real survival situation.

Well, a handful of survival merchandisers have taken an old idea and made it mainstream. They have fashioned 550 paracord into belts and bracelets which can be unraveled as needed in a pinch. Bracelets offer around 24' of cord and belts around 125'. In fact, many manufacturers will actually give you a new one for free if you ever need it in an emergency, a marketing ploy that would require you to tell them your story so they could entice other potential buyers which your periling ordeal. Having this as a dual-use item, especially one not actually carried "in" the pack, may be a solution for a lightweight backpacker especially if it replaces a piece of gear you're going to be carrying anyway without any appreciable downside.

My point is that if you're someone like me who refuses to carry something like 550 paracord in your pack because of one reason or another....but you still want to figure out a way to have the flexibility it offers, perhaps you could use something like a 550 paracord belt or bracelet as a dual use item to justify it. That's not to say I'll be on the cutting edge of paracord fashion in the wilderness this season, but I am putting it in the "maybe" pile.

If you'd like to take a look, go to http://www.survivalstraps.com/ or take a look at much less expensive options on eBay. Course, this might be an item worth making yourself (http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-bracelet-with-550-paracord-362761/. You can purchase 1000' of cord for around $35 if you really look for it and the buckles are less than $1 each. While you're at it, make me one too...

2-Ounce Emergency Vest

I had heard about this little piece of lightweight survival gear several months ago and didn’t pay much attention to it until I recently had the chance to play with it at my local gear shop.

AeroVest by SolaTec Technologies (http://www.aerovest.com/) is a one-size-fits-all $14 2-ounce inflatable plastic vest which is intended to be used to provide heat to your chest in the event of an emergency. It packs as small as a cell phone and is similar in appearance to mylar. Made of polyethylene, it claims to reflect 90% of your core body heat much in the same manner as an emergency blanket. The jacket is baffled with 18 pockets to trap air within the baffles. Because the outside is plastic, it could theoretically repel rain. Because it inflates, it could theoretically give you some buoyancy in water, although I'm quite certain this isn't a marketed use. It is also bright yellow in color, presumably to attract attention being that you’d probably be wearing it in an emergency situation anyway. It is sleeveless to allow arm mobility and to aid with fit and trapping warm air around your chest.

To wear it, simply unfold it, put it on, secure it with the attached tape, insert the included straw, and blow it up with 4-5 breaths per side.

So does it work? Well, yes. It comes only in one size and will fit up to a 46” chest. It is more or less a one-time use item, although air can be extracted from it with some difficulty to use it again.

Would I buy it…probably not....but maybe, perhaps to be used only in extreme circumstances for my kids and wife as it isn’t big enough to fit my 52” chest. It is really tough to see its practicality when people in conditions to use it, such as backpackers, would already have a bunch of other gear which would likely be just as effective. If more warmth is needed when backpacking, I think I would turn to stuffing my clothing with something like pine needles or other duff to increase my body temperature. For a purely emergency item for those completely unprepared, then yes, this offers "some" protection and "some" benefit which is likely the greater purpose.

Lightweight Survival Kits

To a lightweight backpacker who counts every ounce, one of the first things to get cut are items from what many consider to be part of a “survival kit”. This means the 10 pound Rambo-replica knife, the 4 gallon water jug, the 60” plasma, the inflatable raft, the solar still, and the pre-cooked rump roast must all be left behind.

Lightweight backpackers realize that most survival kits contain “extras” and most survival books list dozens of unnecessary supplies which are inherently redundant. These things are essentially made for someone genuinely lost without any other appreciable supples. For example, do you really need an emergency poncho when you likely already carry rain gear, a tarp, a ground cloth, and possibly even other clothing which could pull you through a brief rain? Do you really need an emergency blanket when you are already carrying several layers of clothing and a sleeping bag/quilt? Do you really need 50 feet of extra rope as if you needed to hang something which the guy lines from your tent or bear bag rope wouldn’t already cover? Do you really need a trash bag when you already have a ground cloth, sleeping pad, shelter, pack liner, and rain gear? Do you really need a giant knife, a flare gun, a personal locator beacon, satellite phone, or even a gun? When I honestly take a look at these things, I simply can’t justify carrying any of them and some simply don't work well enough to carry anyway. Sure they’d be good to have if I didn’t mind carrying the weight, but so would a lawn chair, a stocked refrigerator, and a Swedish masseuse. I guess if I’m planning on carrying all these extras, I’m going to hire a Sherpa or camel to carry them instead.

The reality is, marketing gimmicks have caused many of us to believe that we need to fear the outdoors and prepare ourselves for what is essentially a doomsday scenario. Marketers have us fearful of bear attacks, yet most people have never even seen one in the wild. Marketers have us fearful that our equipment must stand up to a fall off a cliff or in the middle of a hurricane. I figure if I'm in either of those two situations that the durability of my equipment will likely be the last thought in my head as I'll be too busy trying to figure out how to genuinely survive and get out. My grandfather would likely get a kick out of outdoor product marketing nowadays as he would reflect on his backpacking experiences which only required a bedroll, some matches, a canteen, and some food. Well folks, the same wilderness he experienced is available to all of us in one degree or another and our level of safety is far more achievable with less gear than product manufacturers would lead us to believe.

The theory behind a lightweight backpacker’s survival equipment is acknowledgement of the reality that you’re already “out there”…so 99.9% the gear you carry should be the gear you’ll need to use on a daily basis regardless of the situation. But alas, some “extras” are necessary for a responsible hiker and your decision to carry them should be based on common sense, safety, and experience. It is worth mentioning that you SHOULD carry different things for different environments as what I carry on the east coast of the US may be different than what I'd carry on the west, or elsewhere in the world for that matter. Most hikers do not intentionally put themselves in a “survival” situation as most hike on established trails often a few hundred feet (or at most a few miles) from a road or public structure. In fact, there are very few parts in the U.S. where you can be more than 10 miles from some form of civilization even if our most distant wildernesses. This fact alone should mitigate much of the concern. However, those with known medical problems, those who bushwhack, and those who intentionally push deep into the wilderness or in dangerous conditions should take more safety precautions.

It’s tough to nail down exactly what is, and what isn’t, “survival gear”. For me, everything is pretty much just “gear” because many items have multiple applications. For example, I carry a Swiss Army Knife Classic (http://www.swissarmyknifemall.com/product/53181-mo) which provides scissors, a tooth pick, nail file, tweezers, and a knife. I carry a Mora knife (http://www.swedishknives.com/760craft.htm) any time I know I’ll need to make a fire multiple times as I’ll need it to cut wood, especially if I need small and dry stuff to put inside my Bushbuddy Ultra Stove (http://www.bushbuddy.ca/). I also carry a signal mirror which is right next to my half-sized tooth brush as I think it is important to take a good look at my over voluptuous face every now and then to make sure my head is still attached. It is also good for daily tick checks. Essentially, lots of gear has more than one purpose and can also be considered survival gear.

Obviously skimping on things like first aid and survival stuff depends a lot on your experience and other gear you carry. For me, the stuff in my survival kit is fairly minimal. My kit isn’t minimal because I strive to be obsessively lightweight as truthfully I could leave many things at home. Truth be told, I just can’t reasonably justify carrying more than I already do. I carry dry tinder, an ACR whistle, a button compass, a signal mirror, some needles, safety pins, thread, and buttons, waterproof matches, an LED light, a mini lighter, a mini Classic Swiss Army knife, some waterproof paper with a mini waterproof pen, a bit of duct tape - and that’s about it. I store all of this inside a waterproof bag or I fashion items I need to a necklace for easier access. A bandana can also be considered a survival item and I intentionally have one that is orange in the event I ever need to use it to try to signal for help. On the bandana I wrote various phrases in large print which can be folded to show only one phase at a time. The phrases include: “TO TRAIL”, “TO TOWN”, “NEED PHONE”, “MEDICAL HELP”. For those of you who ever needed to leave the trail unexpectedly, these simple phrases used when attempting to gain the attention of passing motorists is the difference between getting a ride and help…or walking. Obviously a bandana doubles as a towel, pot holder, trainer, tent/tarp condensation dryer, sweat band, sun blocker, etc. too.

Even with what I’ve already mentioned, there is a lot of crossover gear for me. My medical kit includes a few things I’d need in a genuine survival situation. My stove kit includes some things too. I intentionally choose my gear for utility and if it doesn’t have more than one use, I actually consider leaving it at home in many cases. For example, I use a 1 gallon SilNylon 1 gallon water bag by Anti Gravity Designs (http://www.antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=AGWTBG) which is the sack I use to carry my extra clothing. To me, this is actually a luxury as I don’t really need the sack and I could always find something that’s lighter. This is light enough for me, however, and affords me the luxury of moving around 1 gallon of water very easily which is great when cooking, bathing, or doing laundry. Again, I wouldn’t call it “survival”, just useful.

As with most things, experience and environment should be your guide.