Dear Bear,

My husband, son and I are huge fans of your show. Well, I'm not such a huge fan of you eating grub worms ( I have never liked grub worms ) Anyways, my husband has bought a few survival things that you have like the Swedish Fire Steel & the French Canteen. He was watching your show and saw that you had a survival pack that went around your waist, he said " I have to get one of those!!!!" I have no idea were to begin looking for one, I don't even know a brand. So, would you please let me know what brand/style the survival pack is, it would be most appreciated. I love your work and keep up The Great Adventures. P.S. Don't eat so many grub worms. Thanks

Heres a few thoughts on survival kits:

When out in the boonies, or passing through the boonies as a matter of precaution, you can and should use 3 or 4 survival kits. This list is expandable...naturally, and should be modified to suit the environ. These are off the top of my head, so most likely things will be forgotten.

1.)Pocket kit (Film cannister)
-Iodine Tablets
-Wind-Proof Matches
-Fishing line and Hooks
-Ibuprofen

2.) Vest/Larger Pocket kit (Soap Dish)
-Iodine Tablets
-Wind-Proof Matches
-Ibuprofen
-Signaling Devices
-Mirror
-Brightly Colored Material (Silk works well)
-Tinder (tissue)
-Paper & Pencil (golf style...short)
-Razor Blade(s)

3.) Back Pack/Bergen (Tupperware)
-Rubbing Alcohol (Leak proof container...naturally)
-Knife
-Wind-Proof Matches + Tinder or 9v battery and steel wool (rub steel wool against posts to make a spark)
-SMALL flashlight (Headband style is good)
-More Fishing line and Hooks
-Cordage
-Wire saw
-Pen Flares

And whatever else you wanna throw in there!!!

Contribute at will!!

As an old Eagle Scout, I live the motto "Be Prepared" when outside (well, as much as possible). And as a lightweight/ultra lightweight backpacker, I want to make sure I bring only the essentials, and the lightest versions I can find.

I ALWAYS bring the 10 Essentials, even on a day hike. They live in my pack, and I switch it from my summer pack to my winter pack.

1. Map & compass (and ability to use them). I use maps I can print myself, using plasticized paper. I have a GPS, and it's a neat toy, but I really DO need to read the manual and learn how to use it. The map is 8.5x11" in a Granite Gear syl-nylon map case, with the simplest, lightest compass I can find.

2. Fire starting material. I carry at least 2 ways to make a fire: a windproof butane lighter (ebay) that works like a charm, and either a magnesium block & sparker or WPWP matches & some kind of tinder. The last thing I want to do in a crisis is futz around to make a fire.

3. Light. A Black Diamond Ion headlamp (1oz)

4. Extra food. I usually keep a few extra Clif bars in my pack (an old mountaineering thing is to keep a bag of dry dog food in your pack - you're unlikely to snack on it unless it's an emergency)

5. Extra layers. Usually a synthetic vest in summer, and a synthetic or down jacket & light wool long johns (Smartwool) and hat or balaclava in winter.

6. Sunglasses

7. Hat. Colorado has the highest rate of skin cancer in the nation. I'll go with the Alpine Dork look and wear a wide-brimmed hat or ball cap with a skirt (OR).

8. First aid kit. Nothing fancy - don't need an EMS kit, just a few items (band aids, butterfly closures, Advil, Benadryl, small plastic ziplock baggy

9. Knife. Either a small multitool, or more likely a small Buck folder with a 1.5" blade (less than 2oz). I've NEVER needed a bigger knife

10. Water treatment. A filter's too heavy, so I just use pills or drops

Misc. Sunscreen - LOTS of sunscreen (well, a small tube). Bug dope (small tube with DEET). Plastic whistle (a LOT louder and longer lasting that yelling). Signal mirror (cheap and light)

I used to carry a bivy sack in the winter, but now carry a syl-nylon tarp, 5x8' (7oz). In the winter I also carry a shovel (plastic blade).

And the biggest essential? Tell someone reliable where you're going, your route, when to expect you back, and the contact information for the local SAR folks, just in case.

If it's too heavy or you have too much stuff, you'll leave it in the car instead of carrying it with you.

Small and simple is better than big, heavy, and comprehensive.

Absolutely true, hence the necessity for multiple kits. It allows you to prioritize your necessities.

I suppose I should have discussed the first aid issue. I utilize much the same method of first aid as survival kit.

No GPS?

I'd imagine it'd be nice to keep a track of where you actually went, instead of keeping track of where you think you went.

quote:

No GPS?

Thats what I say, can't even imagine doing anything in the backcountry without a GPS laying down a bread crumb trail. Not to mention you can review and save your treks for years to come. Even overlay them on Google Earth.

Sure I carry a compass and map as last resort. But the GPS is allways the primary means of navigation. My Son just got a new etrax legend, topo maps,color,and will lock in and hold even when riding deep in a pocket.

You know, I suppose a GPS would be a good thing to have on you...I personally just don't use one that often...so it never crossed my mind. I would suppose

My compass is in my watch, so I do always have that on me. I have quite a few military topo UTM maps...so I try to carry at least sections of relevant data when I go wandering.

I would like to try one of those fancy shmanshy GPS with the map data loaded in them...Sorta feels like cheating though...and I NEVER trust things fully that run on batteries. Not my watch, and certainly not a GPS...battery powered things break when you need them most...

[quote]I would like to try one of those fancy shmanshy GPS with the map data loaded in them...Sorta feels like cheating though[/quote]

cheating?? yes it is like cheating because they are that easy, and very reliable. and if that bothers you, or takes away, fine I understand that. But that could be the only reason for not carrying one.

Because of aviation, I have been using GPS since 97. Used to be a case could be made for reliability. Not anymore the new models are built tuff, waterproof, long battery life, take up no more room than a tin of altoids, and lock and hold their fix's without fail.

My newest garmin legend HCx (the H stands for high sensitivity) will lock and hold a fix from within a concrete buildings basement WOW WOW. I was just blown away with it, this thing will track you from under the densest foliage, while driving thru tunnels, from the lowest corner in your backpack, anywhere its right their laying down its bread crumb trail.

Now I hear what you are saying about not trusting your life on electronics. and when I'm on one of our cross country snowmobile treks in the Upper peninsula in mid January with temps routinely sub zero, and getting lost is truly a critical situation, I carry 2 gps at all times on those trips. In my opinion, The odds of both of those GPS to fail me (Using Lithium batteries) are similar to getting struck by lighting in January, it can happen but not likely.

Probably most importantly though DOL, they simply free your mind from the worry of getting lost or even slightly off course, and for me that lets me fully enjoy any outdoor experience more.

I'm really not big on GPS's. I don't know why. I'm sure if I got one, I'd probably love it, but I really just don't wanna spend the money when just going out and doing it the old fashion way works just as good for me. No offense to those who do use them, because as i said before, I'd probably like them if I used them. But for now, I'm just going to roll without one.

GPS is great for normal activities and is very useful as standard gear. And if you want to pack one around in a “survival kit” as extra gear that is fine too I guess. But for real emergency backup I don’t want to depend on battery powered electronics like GPS and cell phones. Murphy’s Law dictates that just when you need them most they will die on you. A survival kit should be as simple and completely reliable as possible. As long as you plan for it not working when you need it most, the electronic stuff is OK.

The big problem with a GPS is the battery - when (not if) if dies or fails.

I've run across a bunch of folks with a GPS and no idea where they were. I still think a map and a compass and the ability to use them are essential.

Gps technology is fully matured, maybe not back in late 90's but it is now. Along with lithium batteries, their dead reliable.

your exaggerated failure rate is laughable to anyone knowledgeable on the subject.

It's not just batteries dying, it's pilot error. Buying a GPS is not a substitute for a brain or knowledge about wilderness navigation

[quote]it's pilot error.[/quote]

Pilot error..oh... how is that? They are really quit simple, and intuitive. if you can't get it try reading the manual, they usually come with one of those.

Of course it isn't a substitute, but were talking GPS not wilderness knowledge.

or...if ya wanna have some fun and learn to use your gps while hikeing, checkout geocaching.com there you will find the quordinates, for hundreds of caches in your area of colorado.

My wife and I just located a cache yesterday. It was a "micro", meaning less than 3 inches. A small altoids tin stuck up in the overhang of a deserted building. It had been found 22 times over the last 3 yrs, by people from all over the country. With the online quordinates, the GPS put me within 5 ft of it.

I suppose the reasons for my dislike/distrust of GPS is for a few different reasons.

Firstly, is I have extensive experience in using lots of neat "new" gadgets...designed to make my job more...effective. Perhaps it is the newness that caused the failures, but they were failures none the less. I was around when the army started really using GPS tech. It was called the PLGGR "Plugger" a huge heavy thing, lots of neat tools, but by the beards of the Gods, it was HEAVY and BULKY...too big and heavy for long range operations. In recent years, soldiers have gotten away from utilizing traditional methods of land navigation...map and compass, dead reckoning, hand rails, back-stops...the works. I have seen lieutenants lost...LOST...incapacitated...because the GPS wasn't working. My brain has yet to fail me...GPS on the other hand has failed my miserably. Now, while in Iraq the last time, I was working for Triple Canopy, and we used GPS all the time, waypoint and route planning on roads...they were awesome, but the maps imbedded in the GPS was incomplete alot of data being withheld by DoD I imagine for security reasons.

And if I might impart upon you the unofficial Special Forces Rules as they pertain to being lost, land navigation, and being out on your own in general.

1.) Never Get Lost
2.) Always Look Cool
3.) If you do get lost, remember...Always Look Cool

So as I type this, I have on my Oakley's...I am leaning nonchalantly against the rough bark of a long-leaf pine in the Uwharee National Forest and I am saying "What?...I know exactly where I am..."

A TIP ON BEING LOST:

If you get lost, do the following:

1)Open your map, and try to find a general location.
2)Find a tall tree.
3)Shake the tree HARD
4)Look on the map and try to find the tree that is moving...

All teched-out and nowhere to go.

I hike to get away from it all. I'm not going to carry it with me. GPS devices are neat, but not a necessity. Though you can impress your friends with the lastest models.

As for me:
"Give me a tall ship...
and a star to stear her by"

[quote]GPS was incomplete alot of data being withheld by DoD I imagine for security reasons.[/quote]

You could be right about the DOD, although it doesn't make sense because highly detailed, even street level maps of Iraq are available for Garmin units. That would be par for the course if getting detailed GPS maps to our Military was more difficult, than the bad guys simply being able to buy them online. LOL

Everyone is different as I said, some people stick with what their comfortable with. And some just like to keep simple. And I can understand that. But the argument that todays GPS are unreliable, inaccurate and difficult to use is no longer the case. And especially in the States where, every square mile of ground has been charted.

[quote]I'm not going to carry it with me. GPS devices are neat, but not a necessity[/quote]

I'll take you places you would beg for a peak at a GPS.

I have a friend thats into the geocacheing thing. So I know how amazing a GPS can be. I'm just preaching the evils of sloth. When the unit goes South (forgive the pun, couldn't resist) you had better know something thats not in the instruction manual. Too many people are completely unaware that "north" and "magnetic north" are different. Don't assume they have any navigational skills at all either.
Give such a person a $700 Garmin and they can find a note you left under a rock 100 miles away. When the note says "smash the Garmin with the rock and go back to start" guess what?

[quote]Too many people are completely unaware[/quote]

Yup lots of those. Just a year ago my buddy and I stumbled across 2 of them. Pointed them in the right direction, and they were happy again.LOL