Forums The Gear Room 17 Ounces of insurance? Or dead weight? Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 38 total) 1 2 →Author Posts December 12, 2006 at 6:31 pm #568332 SanFrantastico 1514 PostsThis is my little repair/emergency kit:It weighs 17oz.It doesn’t include stuff that I’m likely to use, like my knife, compass, and medicinal requirements. It’s just stuff that I might need to help get me out of a jam.It includes:2 Energy gels Storm Matches Little firestarter candles Blister-size bandaids Space-age emergency blanket Advil bottle with Advil, antihistimine, and Vicodin Extra batteries for beacon/headlamp Straps (big & little) Cord A few extra T-nuts, screws, & nuts Voile Binding pin A little tool thing A bit of globstopperWhat do you think? Too much? Too little? Am I forgetting something major? On the one hand it sucks to carry a pound of stuff up and down a mountain every time out. On the other hand, it would suck to spend the night holed up somewhere without basic survival gear. Maybe I should just bring a Guinness instead?Putting the poo in swimming pool since 1968. December 12, 2006 at 6:40 pm #592652 UTAH 830 PostsI think it’s worth it, wheres the duct tape, on your poles? what is some beta on ways to get a fire going in the snow December 12, 2006 at 6:47 pm #592653 affix snow 521 PostsWorth it!That reminds me though…..I need to get a GOOD digital scale! Where you get yours? December 12, 2006 at 6:48 pm #592654 Yoda 264 Posts @UTAH wrote:I think it’s worth it, wheres the duct tape, on your poles? what is some beta on ways to get a fire going in the snowTry Purell Hand Santitizer. It works great as fire stater in any temp or conditions… so I’ve heard. I’ll try it out this season. http://www.pfizerch.com/brand.aspx?id=310 December 12, 2006 at 6:49 pm #592655 nothingmuch 358 Posts @SanFrantastico wrote: Blister-size bandaidsMoleskin will last longer than bandaids against blisters in my experience. @SanFrantastico wrote: Advil bottle with Advil, antihistimine, and VicodinI never used it by also take immodium for hikes… I figured if i’m having the runs I don’t really walk normally out of paranoia 😉I keep them in the alu trays (cut down to 3-5 pills a med) so that someone who doesn’t know which pill is which visually won’t get confused. If i’m lucky then the pill sides can stack together preventing squishing better. @SanFrantastico wrote: Extra batteries for beacon/headlampLithium batteries last longer and are more cold resilient, but some headlamps can’t take them due to the LEDs overheating (My Petzl can’t, for example… *sniff*). @SanFrantastico wrote: Straps (big & little) CordSmall cable ties have saved me several times before, and they weigh close to nothing. I’ve even repaired a friend’s broken hip belt once. @SanFrantastico wrote:Maybe I should just bring a Guinness instead?The gels are probably not required… They might make survival more pleasant but even skinny people have enough fat to survive for a long while, and carbs are really only more useful than fat for high heart rates and short term. Furthermore, a beer will also be useful for this role 🙂 December 12, 2006 at 6:49 pm #592656 DrKoKo 81 Postsis that eagle creek bag waterproof? seems like that might be an issue… December 12, 2006 at 7:13 pm #592657 ttriche 116 Postsstandard alpine 1st aid kit:bottle of Percocet, wrapped in duct tape. if you’re feeling randy, throw some 3M temporary sutures in with the pills. I did an evacuation of a guy on Whitney who snapped both of his tibias and fibulas with this well-appointed kit and a climbing rope (we were there to do the East Buttress in winter)… the painkillers shut him up long enough to get him into the Stokes litter, although if the litter hadn’t been handy, a pair of skis would have worked just fine. We lowered him to Upper Boy Scout and somebody called a chopper (although again, there’s no reason his partner couldn’t have hiked him out, a few hundred feet at a time… when my wife strained her calf skiing the Wahoos, we alternated me carrying her and her crutching along on poles until we could get to the road).Take all the money you’d spend on a “proper” First Aid kit and enroll in a WFR course, and learn to improvise. Then hit up a friend who’s had a root canal for some worthwhile pain killers. December 12, 2006 at 7:15 pm #592658 TEX 2486 PostsWell, because we will be out together this weekend and we may have to spend the entire time in the tent you may wantMore VicodinJack DanielsHand gun.That should do it 😉 December 12, 2006 at 7:16 pm #592659 ttriche 116 Posts @nothingmuch wrote:Lithium batteries last longer and are more cold resilient, but some headlamps can’t take them due to the LEDs overheating (My Petzl can’t, for example… *sniff*).Which Petzl do you have? I didn’t realize this was an issue. I’ve been running my Myo XP on lithiums for the past couple of years, and a bunch of guys in Patagonia were delighted with the Tikka + lithiums in the cold when I went down there a few years back.Is this something Petzl warns about with certain headlamps? Which ones? Thanks!–t December 12, 2006 at 7:20 pm #592660 Yoda 264 Posts @SanFrantastico wrote: Extra batteries for beacon/headlamp @nothingmuch wrote:Lithium batteries last longer and are more cold resilient, but some headlamps can’t take them due to the LEDs overheating (My Petzl can’t, for example… *sniff*).NEVER use lithium batteries for your beacon!!!I used to work for Barryvox… currently no beacon mfg has engineered the technology to measure lithium battery power drainage. The reason why is alkaline batteries drain at a certain rate. Lithiums hold their power more constant and then drain rapidly towards their end.All beacons have some type of “power-remaining” indicator that can only read accurate with alkalines, not lithiums… they are calibrated to alkaline degradation only!You can use lithiums, but don’t rely on the battery power indicator – i.e. it can read 97% power when turned on then suddenly drop to 5% within minutes… or even worse, during a search! 🙁 December 12, 2006 at 7:26 pm #592661 nothingmuch 358 Posts @ttriche wrote:Which Petzl do you have? I didn’t realize this was an issue. I’ve been running my Myo XP on lithiums for the past couple of years, and a bunch of guys in Patagonia were delighted with the Tikka + lithiums in the cold when I went down there a few years back.I have a myo xp… Reportedly it only happens sometimes because most petzl circuits don’t actually have regulation circuits.http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesNews?News=159If it’s been working well for you then maybe I’ll give it a try sometime… Do you know if the LED is replaceable in case it actually does blow out? December 12, 2006 at 7:29 pm #592662 nothingmuch 358 Posts @Yoda wrote: You can use lithiums, but don’t rely on the battery power indicator – i.e. it can read 97% power when turned on then suddenly drop to 5% within minutes… or even worse, during a search! 🙁Seeing as this is his spare set I guess it isn’t that naughty, but that’s very good to know… I didn’t know that lithium batteries behave like that. December 12, 2006 at 7:35 pm #592663 powderjunkie 1669 Postsadd some zipties, duct tape, a small head lamp, a Voile strap, a little chunk of wax. I also carry a little whistle.Where did I hear that you can make little fire starters with cotton balls coated in vaseline.Just don’t bring the whole jar of vaseline. 😀 December 12, 2006 at 7:38 pm #592664 Shep 525 PostsMore on the Beacon stuff… I saw a thread over on TTips where non-alkaline batteries cause beacons to screw up. The conclusion they came to was a combination of non-standard sizes, and the fact that rechargable batteries have different voltages. (actually, every different battery chemistry will have a different voltage, but some are closer than others to the standard 1.5V)So, I’m going home to make sure I didn’t put any fancy camera bateries in my beacon… December 12, 2006 at 8:19 pm #592665 mtnrider 740 Posts @UTAH wrote:what is some beta on ways to get a fire going in the snowCotton balls dipped in vaseline…sorry didn’t read PJ’s post. December 12, 2006 at 8:21 pm #592666 SanFrantastico 1514 PostsWow – thanks for all the feedback & I’m happy that it doesn’t seem like I have too much crazy stuff in there.– I think the best suggestion that I don’t have in there already is zip-ties.– I carry duct tape on my poles. (Although thanks for the reminder, UTAH. I broke a pole at the end of last season and I’ve so far totally blanked on putting tape on my new poles.)– I do carry a little headlamp, but I keep it in my other little stuff sack with the stuff I am likely to use on a trip.– I should look into a suture kit if I can find one somewhere. Those are lightweight and also good for field repairs to fabrics as well as wounds.– I also like the Purell idea (if it works) because it would be a dual-purpose antiseptic and firestarter.– Some people love moleskin. I hate it! I have a ‘low volume’ foot and I get blisters a lot if I don’t have protection on my feet. By trial and error the 4″ stretch fabric bandaid works best for me…– This is the ttips link concerning non-alkaline batteries in beacons. It seems like the issue is worse than just battery depletion.– The Eagle creek bag is *not* waterproof, but my pack is. I got so sick of digging around blindly in little stuff sacks that I decided to go with one of these. It weighs more than a stuff sack, but access is much easier.– Obviously my biggest safety error was letting p420 know about the Vicodin in my pack. Now I’ll have to watch my back. But at least he has incentive to dig me out if I fall down a tree well. I will not let him know that there may be a few Oxycontins in there too.@affix snow wrote:That reminds me though…..I need to get a GOOD digital scale! Where you get yours?I got mine here. Amazon has about a million different digital kitchen scales. I don’t remember how I selected mine, but I like it. Very simple and accurate. It is easy to zero and it reads in grams and ounces.Putting the poo in swimming pool since 1968. December 12, 2006 at 8:44 pm #592667 48steps 39 Poststhat’s a big bar of hash there bottom left…oh wait, that’s probably the globstopper? the medicine is packed elsewhere! 😀i know you mentioned compass, but what are folk’s thoughts on a smallish GPS…anyone use one? overkill? December 12, 2006 at 9:25 pm #592668 Will 377 PostsI take the compass for sure and the gps depending on terrain. I bought on last year and it works great above tree line, but not worth much in the woods or in a gully. The one I bought has a radio function as well so it earns it’s place in the pack, if I can get those other guys to remember their radios too 🙄 December 12, 2006 at 9:51 pm #592669 snoslut 178 PostsMaybe I should just bring a Guinness instead?I second that motion!However acceptable substitutes include hot coco with bourbon, whiskey or rum n whatever!Sometimes guinys freeze when not properly tended. Good thing hard liquor doesn’t freeze as easy. December 12, 2006 at 10:29 pm #592670 NorwayBrder 45 Postsmy two bits,If you are getting blisters, there is this stuff called tincture of benzoate, kinda like a topical skin booster upper. You apply it before you take off for the hills. you can get it at pharmacies and in good blister kits, that usually cost more than they are worth. also second skin has saved me.Another tip about getting the weight down in your bag is to get the pills and everything into smaller containers. A real 1st Aid kit is nice because it lets you open up a bag that grants you quick access to the goods.For a firestarter, think about what you are using it for. If it is an emergency set up then think light. If you take a 3 inch strip from your inner tubes that are spent, they will burn intense. they weigh next to nothing and although the thought of burning rubber doesnt make me all giddy, if its an emergency than do it. better than nothing and it dont weigh nuthin.3M suture strips are awesome. some folks i know were using super glue type stuff on serious cuts, it works but ive heard some brands are toxic and if its dirty in there, thats bad.duck tape always good.i carry rubber gloves with me. sounds kinky but at least its clean.I recommend some good reading Wilderness Medicine, Beyond First Aid, 5th Editionif not a course in how to take care of your buds in the hills. Just get your mind rolling in the right direction. Makes a good gift too. kinda like giving the brand new avy beeper to your friend when you go out.keep your meds in a quick access spot. not deep in your pack, for all reasons. if you are national park land you dont want to mess around with rangers. better to toss it and let mother nature get hers back, then to have a long day sitting in the snow. rangers mean business, seen it with friends and it aint cool. Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 38 total) 1 2 →You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
