Pocket Bag
Summer months mean a rise in temperature and a rise in outdoor activities for many people in the United States. Many hikers strap on their packs and get ready to hit the trails during the summer. If history is an indicator, thousands of these hikers will need to be rescued. The search and rescue team at Yosemite National Park responds to three hundred incidents a year, nearly one a day.
Many hikers don’t pack properly. They leave out essential items. Young and inexperienced hikers are the worst offenders. The most common reason for leaving out items is that a hiker intends to only go for a short summer hike. But too often, a wrong turn or sudden change in weather can turn a short hike into a long and ugly fight for survival.
The second most common reason for not packing items is simple forgetfulness. In a recent survey, only 9 of 167 hikers said that they did not own the unpacked equipment.
Perhaps another reason some hikers neglect to pack the necessary equipment is they believe they can rely on some form of GPS technology, usually a GPS-enabled cell phone, to aid in their recovery if something happens.
When enjoying the great outdoors, you must be prepared and think of possible contingencies. When going for a day hike, you should have some essential items with you even if you think it is only going to be for a few hours. Experienced hikers know that cell phones will have little or no reception within a large park or vast outdoor space. Even dedicated GPS receivers sometimes fail. Ensure you have backup equipment in the form of a map, compass, and protractor.
Do a map study of the area you will be hiking in. Access Google Maps and check satellite photos to identify catching terrain features and landmarks to keep you on the right path. A catching feature is something you know you will run into when you have gone too far, such as a river, large creek, cliff, or gorge—something you identify that can help guide you and keep you oriented while you are out hiking in the woods. Also make sure you have a lost man plan, which is outlined at the end of this chapter.
Just like the other gear lists, this list is not all-inclusive. What works best for you, your experience, and what you need for the environment you are in are key for packing the right gear.
Pocket Bag
Even if you’re in a remote area, your phone still might have coverage. If it does not have coverage, the lack of service might be intermittent, so you can still have a chance of using your phone in a survival situation. You can call for help, navigate with your phone, and keep a locator on your phone. When you leave your plan with someone you trust, make sure you tell them you will have your phone and have the locator on. Don’t think all is lost if you don’t have a constant signal. You still might be able to use your phone. On that note, conserve your battery power by powering down all applications. Also, to conserve battery power, turn your phone off when you’re not using it. When you leave your plan with someone, establish tentative communication windows, or check-in windows. For example, you could tell others that you will contact them when you arrive at a certain destination and that this will take place between certain set times. Turn on your phone, make the call or send a text message, then power down your phone until your next check-in. A phone should not be totally relied upon, but you may be able to use it in a survival situation.
Cell Phones
A signal mirror and whistle can be used to get the attention of others if you happen to get lost or injured.
Small Signal Mirror
A firearm in the hands of a trained person is an absolutely deadly weapon. Never fire a warning shot. If someone or something is coming to take your life or injure you and you feel threatened with imminent bodily harm or death, do not fire a warning shot. A stray bullet could easily hit an innocent bystander and could land you in a lot of legal trouble.
Heckler & Koch P2000 SK
Cold Steel Recon 1
Most people do not want to willingly take a person’s life. But if it is you versus your attacker(s), you have to make a decision where you will prevail.
If you believe you are in a life-and-death scenario, aim for the center mass of your target and fire. Trying to shoot a disabling shot on a wild animal is not recommended as it will likely only enrage the animal further and not slow it down.
A personal pepper spray fogger with a hand strap is great for a pocket survival kit. The right type of canister will put out a shotgun blast pattern of pepper spray. You know you will hit your intended target and slow down or ward off an attacker, which could give you time to get away and call for help. The range of some mace products is 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 meters). This gives you a good buffer between you and your would-be attacker.
You can carry a Taser or tactical baton in your pocket kit if you are not comfortable handling a pistol or mace. A combination of these protective measures can be used, but this is a pocket kit and space is going to be limited. Think about what is going to work best for you and what you can rapidly employ to protect yourself.
No survival kit is complete without a knife and a fire starter. Make sure you have a Swiss Army knife, small knife, or multitool in your kit as well as a lighter and/or matches. You never know when you might need to get a fire going.
Have some protection against the elements like wind, rain, snow, cold, and heat. A small poncho or emergency space blanket can help protect you from all of these. It can help keep you warm, help cut the chill of the wind, and help keep the sun off if you use either one to construct an overhead canopy. A small poncho or a space blanket can easily fit into your kit.
Don’t forget food and water. You can get an energy bar and an emergency water packet into a pocket kit. Some waist bags even have a spot for a water bottle attachment, which would be even better. We can survive without food for weeks, but water is an absolute necessity. The larger the container you can carry and incorporate into your kit, the better.
When you go out into the woods, take a long trip, or just leave your home, make sure you are packing the right gear for the environment.
Do your research and find out what the weather will be like during the time of year you will be there. What is the terrain like? What navigational aids and catching features can you use? Do you have maps, a compass, and GPS to confirm your route and location? If you are taking a road trip, what are your primary and alternate routes? What is your plan if you have mechanical issues with your car? If you are you going to be traveling in a remote location, do you have a basic survival kit with you? Make sure your gear is appropriate to the season. You wouldn’t want to pack a -20-degree rated sleeping bag if you’re going on a day hike in the Davis Mountains in Texas in June.
Small Poncho
Consider your preparedness in military terms using this acronym: METT+T, which stands for Mission, Enemy, Troops and Fire Support Available, Terrain and Weather, plus Time and can be integrated with survival very easily.
Analyzing your hike, trip, etc., in these terms can and will help you better plan and prepare for what you plan on doing. This type of analysis will also help you plan for contingencies. Complacency can cause laziness and worse, death, if not confronted and dealt with. A thorough analysis will help you plan for not just one contingency but many. It will help you think through potential hazardous situations, problem areas, or things that will take you away from your original plan—weather, an injury, loss of communication, getting lost, etc. All of these are considerations you should be thinking about, assessing, planning for, and incorporating into what you plan on doing.
If you don’t have reliable cell phone coverage there are a few things you can do: Speak to your cell phone provider and see where coverage is best in the area. Make sure you leave a detailed plan of your trip, including timelines, with friends, family, and park employees in the area you are visiting. Set up rally points on your route in case anyone gets lost and leave these with park employees/rangers. Do a thorough map reconnaissance to see where there is good, high, unobstructed ground to potentially get phone coverage. Check with the park personnel to see if there are towers, lookout points, cabins, or stations that you could navigate to in an emergency and get help. Turn your cell phone locator on so friends and family have the ability to track you. Even though you might not have any coverage or intermittent coverage, you still might be able to be tracked and use your phone as a backup for navigation. You can get a two-way radio, a satellite phone, and have a CB radio in your car. Satellite phones are very pricey; if money is no object, they can be an option. Many of us have gone to the woods with no phone and been fine. Make sure you plan your route, plan your exit, and know where safe areas and civilization are in case you have an emergency.
You need to have a timeline and designated meeting place: If you get lost, return to the last known location where everyone was together, then return to the vehicle, or another designated meeting area, by a certain time. Try to communicate with others in your party if you can. If you don’t reach the car by a certain time, everyone will know there is a problem.
If you do not have cell phone coverage and are missing a person in your group, keep the rest of your party together and don’t separate. Stick to your designated meeting place(s), plan, and timeline. Everyone should know to return by a certain time. If someone or a group does not get to the meeting place by the planned time the missing party may have a problem.
Treat yourself first, then anyone else in your party who is injured. If the injury cannot be managed by self-aid or a buddy, get help or call for help.
Try to use a phone if you can. You can also use your whistle and your signal mirror, depending on the time of day and your location. The whistle can be immediate. If you have a weapon, you could fire a shot or two in the worst-case scenario. Do not fire unless you definitely hear something; you don’t want to waste ammunition if you can’t get help.
The thorough METT+T analysis can help you in any situation. Remember to think about what can potentially go wrong. A guy named Murphy once said that if things can go wrong, they will—it’s just a matter of when. Have the right gear, the right plan, and the right training to take on the area. Plan for contingencies and think about what you will do to work through them. Never take things for granted. The weather can change and what you thought would be a bright sunny day might change in an instant. If you don’t adequately prepare you could die out there. You need to be smart, fit, and sometimes mean, to persevere and get through hard times and situations.