The Single Most Important Must Have Piece of Survival Gear

[K.L. Davis]

Is a Plan.

Seriously... I can not tell you how many SAR cases I have been involved in, where we had next to zero information to start with, and how many times this directly resulted in a tragic outcome.

One of my SCUBA instructors used to say that the rule to not getting bent was to "Plan your dive, then dive your plan" - this holds true to many things... before you head out on a solo day hike or a 14 day group trip, make a trip plan and get it in the hands of at least two people you can trust.

The best bet is to contact the land/park management, search and rescue organization, or sheriff's department for the area that you are going to be in and ask them if they have a Trip Plan form. If that does not work, you can Google and find something pretty quickly... or do up your own, just make sure to follow some basic rules:

1. List information about each person going: Name, age, address, home phone number, experience and any medical/physical concerns.

2. Information about any vehicles or transportation you are taking (even if you are leaving them at the trailhead or pickup point): Type of vehicle or vessel, make, model, year, color, license or registration numbers.

3. List the time, date and location of where your trip will start from, and the time, date and location of where you intend to finish.

4. Detail the route you intend to take, list places you plan on staying overnight. Make a copy or take a picture of your map with your trip route on it, or scetch a strip map showing your planned route.

5. List the types of communication equipment you will have, numbers to cell phones and what kind of emergency signalling devices you will have - include whistles, mirrors, day panels, etc.

6. Make a quick list of the equipment and provisions you will have, include: Flashlight, Fire Starting, Additional Clothing, Drinking Water, Sleeping Bag, Cold Weather Gear, Food, Snacks, First-Aid Kits, Medicines, Map, Compass, Etc.

7. Any other notes or contingency plans, such as "If we get lost, we will walk SE to West Run River, then follow the river South to the bridge at Campbell Road"

Leave this plan with at least two responsible people, along with instructions as to when to consider you overdue, and the contact information for the emergency services in the area(s) that you will be in - also leave a copy in the glove compartment of your car.

This seems like a lot of work to some, but even a trip plan for a two week trip can be filled out in a few hours... and having a trip plan in place can literally be a life saver... also, a trip plan works both ways, it helps people get in touch with you, should something happen at home in your abesence. In any case, I truly hope that every trip you make is great and evey trip plan you fill out proves to be a waste of time.

[CLHC]

True this is. As been said 'people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan.'

[HES]

The same things apply to boating. I never cast off, be it the gulf or bay without ensuring that I had a "flat plan" and at least two people knew it. Then I never deviated from it.

[Boss Hogg]

I was reading a book by Cody Lundin recently. In addition to the solid advice above, he recommends placing a piece of aluminum foil on the carpet, and stepping on it with your boot. Leave it with the info above. If someone is looking for you in an in extremis situation, it would make it much easier for SAR to find you.

[cbyrd556]

I was reading a book by Cody Lundin recently. In addition to the solid advice above, he recommends placing a piece of aluminum foil on the carpet, and stepping on it with your boot. Leave it with the info above. If someone is looking for you in an in extremis situation, it would make it much easier for SAR to find you.

I take it you are referring to 98.6 "The art of keeping your ass alive". It was a good read with some good fundamentals in it. I think the tin foil footprint is a damn good idea. I was taught by my father from a young age that you let at least 2 people know where you are headed. But it never ceases to amaze how many people think they can just go for a day hike and all will be well. In my life Mr. Murphy is always along for the ride, and tends to show up when least expected.

[K.L. Davis]

I had a guy comment about my original post on my facebook page... he has a novel approach to this: he uses his facebook page status for this; he posts a link to Google maps of where he is going, who is going, when they will be back and all of that.

Not a bad way to ensure that folks will know if you are overdue... providing of course that you have friends that would actually read your facebook page.

[shaneinhisroom]

So far that's one reason Facebook is actually helpful :P

Seriously, even if you aren't in need of rescue, the peace of mind to enjoy the hike or nature is worth it.

[innocuous_username]

I wouldn't recommend using Facebook - it's not nearly as private as it makes itself out to be. By posting your plans on FB, you're essentially letting the world know exactly when you'll be away from your home.

It's advisable to assume that anything entered into a computer or digital camera is public and permanent.

[Reagans Rascals]

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

[LHS]

Many years ago, I found out just how important a plan could be.

As a teenager, I used to frequently go hiking alone, and with minimal gear, in the mountains behind my home town. I was never further than a few miles from home or civilization, but in those days, there were no cell phones or pagers, and I didn't carry a bulky CB when I just wanted to get out and get some fresh air.

I had hiked up to the top of the ridgeline behind town, where there is a sandstone outcropping sticking out of the hill that is a popular 'necking' spot for the local teens, as well as being a favorite camping/drinking spot. There is a path around to the top of the rocks, but for whatever dumb reason, I decided to free-climb the face instead. I got about 20' up and realized that this was very very stupid, as all the holds were crumbling. To make matters worse, I didn't see a way to get down without falling onto a rather nasty logfall. At that point, I realized that nobody knew I was up there, and if I didn't extricate myself, I was going to be in very bad shape. So I buckled down and managed to get to the top of the rock face despite losing a few handholds, and sat there contemplating what a retarded thing I'd done.

After that, I always made sure that someone knew where I was going, and when I was supposed to be back.

[Jfkudla]

Absolutely correct. The Military War Colleges preach that "No plan survives first contact with the enemy" yet substantial time and effort is devoted to training on how to plan. Why? Even if a plan becomes invalid, a well-prepared plan will be able to branch into a new response/reactionary one.

[handlebar1980]

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

My thinking excatly......

[Ouroborous]

I work in my local SAR unit as well and likewise, can say from first hand experience that the above info would greatly enhance the odds of us finding a missing subject if not guarantee it altogether. Unfortunately, most searches start with a vague description of the subject and their whereabouts and this makes it incredibly difficult to pin point the point last seen. If every search had even half the info listed above, our ratios of rescued subjects would greatly increase.
I can also say that the second most important clue aside form the pls would be the what shoes the subject is wearing. A positive ID of the shoe on aluminum foil would be outstanding.

[TheGreenRanger24]

*sigh* Whenever I hear this wonderful piece of advice I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. I've tried telling some people that they need to do this one step to help better insure their safety, and some do get it. Unfortunately, I remember at least two cases within the past few months where I've nearly been to the point of wanting to argue with a few that just didn't get it. Case in point: I have had several moms "what if" survival situations so much that I was sore-pressed to just tell it like it is (basically, you need to think/plan ahead before doing pretty much anything nature related). It's funny yet sad how upset they were getting creating various scenarios involving them and their children and having no plan and no supplies. No matter how hard I tried to get the point across about having a plan first then carrying basic supplies with you, they just couldn't/wouldn't let that thought sink into their panic driven brains (and this was in a fairly safe environment; I would have hated to see them react to a real emergency).

Sadly, no matter how much you teach or preach, the world is just too full of those that are simply incapable of getting through their thick skulls that when "it" hits the fan, then is not the time to start thinking about survival. As the Boy Scouts say, "BE PREPARED!"

*Sorry for the rant, but I feel a little bit better now. :p

[misanthropist]

I like this thread quite a bit. Here is an example from a recent solo hike and summit I did of my approach to ensuring adequate information is available to potential rescuers:

1) research the route carefully. When I had settled on a good description of the route I intended to take, I saved it to my desktop.

2) whenever I hike, I make an equipment checklist. When I leave the house, the checklist and a complete description of the route and itinerary are left on the wife's desk, along with the file name of the route description I'm working from

3) When I arrived at the trailhead, I typed out an email stating the time and conditions and sent it off to my wife from my phone. In most of this country (Canada) that won't work but in this particular case I had intermittent signal. When the phone got signal, the email got sent.

4) I sent updates the same way, also mentioning the time (as the email might not send for a while) and conditions as well as my location. Additionally, I kept an eye on the time and advised my intended turn-around time for the summit if I thought I wouldn't make it before the weather turned etc.

Taking this approach, I feel it would be easier to get a good sense of where on the trail I'm most likely going to be if I don't turn up. If there have been updates every six hours, and it's now 10 hours since an update, that's a little off and if it's been 18 hours...

Further, it allows the SAR guys to get a sense of how fast I'm going on the trail. That really narrows down where I've ended up if I have a sprained ankle on the trail and I'm five hours late for an update.

Finally, the complete list of equipment and the route description I'm working from being readily available ought to give the best possible picture of what the SAR people are going to be dealing with...both in terms of what kind of problems I'm prepared for, as well as possible pitfalls if there is a critical omission in the route description.

I had never heard of the foil footprint...good trick.

I do list the specific boots I'm wearing, but the foil print is much better.


I don't take this kind of detailed approach if I'm out on a regular hike that I know well, say...but a first crack at a new hill by myself, yeah, I like to ensure that I'm going to get found if I fall off somewhere.

[Lawmaker]

Good advice. Clear head also. Stay calm.

[ray0351]

ditto