Oct 2001

Personal Emergency Survival Kit (how6)
by Dana Dickson

Every once in a while, the topic of survival kits comes up. What is a survival kit? What might go into one? Generally, I expect my survival kit to include the items needed to address emergencies that may occur on a trip, above and beyond the first aid kit and boat repair materials. Deciding on the items to put in a survival kit depends on the type of trip and the expectations about the kind of emergencies that might occur. There’s no way to prepare for every conceivable emergency, however, so we need to make wise choices for our limited space.

When paddling, particularly during the rapidly approaching cooler temperatures, a readily accessible change of warm clothes, extra food and a thermos full of hot drink are fundamental items to consider having along. On a winter day trip, even if you are dressed for immersion, additional warm clothes may be needed in the boat. If you stop for a break and become chilled, changing or adjusting your insulation layers can help get you comfortable. It is important to carry extra clothes in a dry bag in case one of your fellow paddlers has an unexpected need for assistance. I have also found that a reflective space blanket, such as the 5’x7' ones with grommets in the corners, are very useful as a dry place to sit out of inclement weather or as insulation from the cold.

Several years ago, I put together a small pocket size emergency kit for use when hunting, fishing or just rambling about outdoors. When I am kayaking, I keep this kit in my boat. I present the list of items not as a definitive list for the contents of a personal survival kit, but rather as a list of things that would fit into a pocket size container and as a supplement to my normal gear that on occasion I have wished I had with me.

Fire Starters

Carry two methods of starting a fire, allegedly waterproof matches and a butane lighter. The matches are my primary fire-starting devices. However, I have known them to fail due to excessive moisture-the primary culprit is that the striker surface on the box is not as waterproof as the matches-but that insight did me little good when I was wet and cold. The butane lighter is less prone to failure due to water, although the flint and steel sparker does need to be dry to spark.

Food

I carry an energy bar, a concentrated food source, because I have found that some food gives fuel for the body, and can help keep me focused on the issues at hand, keeping warm or finding my way out of the woods.

Shelter

The compact emergency blanket in the kit is a compromise. I wanted the kit to be pocket size, yet I saw a need for some kind of an extra warm layer. The Mylar emergency blanket can be used as a tarp to keep the rain off, as a sleeping bag or just used as a blanket. Smooth pebbles can be tied in the fabric as substitutes for holes when rigging the blanket as a tarp.

Warmth

I carry two chemical handwarmers to help head off incipient hypothermia. To be most effective these should be placed on the neck, near the kidneys, in armpits or groin to get the heat from the handwarmers into the person who shows signs of hypothermia.

Rope/Twine

50 feet of nylon masons twine can be used to lash a frame for a lean-to shelter, or to suspend the emergency blanket as a tarp. I chose fluorescent pink as the color for my twine. If I were to use it to mark a trail, it would last longer than breadcrumbs and be far more visible.

Candle

A candle stub can be used as tinder to start a fire or as a source of light.

Signal Device

I include a whistle in the kit for signaling. I have found that the woods quickly muffle the sound of a whistle. However, in open grassland or on the water a whistle is an effective audible signal that spares your voice.

Compass

I carry a compass in the kit as a supplement to the compass that I have in my pocket. When I am paddling, I have a compass on my boat and a sighting compass in the pocket of my PFD.

Light

A small LED flashlight is a cure for being caught unexpectedly far from camp in the dark. These give off lots of light from a small package and the lithium cells have a very long shelf life.

Tools

The last but not least item in my pocket kit is a Leatherman Micra. This small multi tool has scissors, a small knife blade, tweezers and several other tool blades.

The possibilities for items to include in a personal emergency kit are endless. The items in this kit are items that at one time or another I have not had with me and wished I had in my pocket.

Other items that might be included in an emergency kit are first aid supplies, water treatment pills and a water container.