Got the idea for a thread over on another board.

The season is winding down (slowly), ... lets finish it off and all come home safely.

Seems we can put almost everything we want in a vest or pouch.
How many of us carry a few basic things to ease the mishaps (minor and major) that happen across our path ??

I keep a well stocked kit in the pickup that is the envy of many ambulance crews (last time I was the first to arrive on a car accident, the EMS team that arrived second didn't even open their bags, except for a splint and a spinal board).

When I'm on the river (or in the forest anywhere), I've got some minor items in a pouch that attaches up over my left shoulder.

A basic first aid kit, whistle is already on my vest, a bit of high carbo paste or power bars, some dextrose paste.

Ideas ??
Comments ??

There's a basic kit in my truck (plus a "military type" compress bandage). If I have to hike more than a mile, I usually wear a pistol belt with a pouch containing a minimal set of bandages, and a snake bite kit as well as a canteen. There are always a few band-aids and a couple of asprin in my wallet. The tackle box I take when boating contains a basic kit (a little smaller the one in the truck).

In addition to some basic first aid items, letting someone know where you are going is an important safety step...especially if you are going "off road", where there is not likely to be other anglers. I was reminded of this watching the story last night on NBC of the hiker who had to cut off his arm to escape from a canyon in Utah...scary story! He hadn't bothered to tell anyone of his plans...and almost paid the ultimate price.

I have such a kit for when I wade a distance out of site of the road or other remote area and include a magnesium flare about the size of a yellow highliter pen and a small air horn to make a lot of noise, also a personal alarm the keeps making a sound like a smoke alarm and one of those foil blankets to keep you warm. A flare shot up onto the highway and these two noise makers can save the day if you are by yourself and fall and break a leg.

I usually carry some basic stuff. Handy wipes and athletic tape have come in huge in the past. Athletic tape is something I think everyone should have, at least in their cars. It's like duct tape, only more portable. If I'm going a little farther or when I'm hiking/hunting I always a small EMS fannypack with various supplies I use on the field. Never had to use it, but you never know.

Keith

Keith,

I agree with athletic tape. It's more portable as you say and it doesn't freeze as much as duct tape.

Keep a full first aid kit in the car. On myself keep band aids, several LEDs, a whistle, and adhesive and electrical tape. May have to think about adding the small flare and air horn.

If you fish alone a lot like I do and sprain an ankle or break an ankle or leg where you cannot move is what I worry about.

None of the areas i fly fish are really remote though in Michigan. Within 24 hours some one will be coming through the area unless you walk way off a national forest path. I don't do that anymore like I used to.



BG

you dont have to be far from the road to be in trouble. A guy I know was fishing the Rockaway River in Denville, NJ which is not by any stretch of imagination even country never mind wildnerness. He fell on some rocks, broke a hip and laid there for 18 hours yelling for help but no one could hear him due to traffic wizzing by and construction equipment making noise. This was in December so there were not many people walking about to hear him. If that happens to you at river level down an embankment and there is no pedestrians on foot in the area you are screwed.

I carry one every time I step off the pavement. I have it in a little pouch that fits nicely in my fanny pack or vest, or backpack if I'm going to hoof it to the fish. IMHO the most important things you can carry are Matches and tinder(sealed somehow), a space balnket, very important if stuck out overnight. It will save you the work of making a shelter providing the weather cooperates and will add warmth if it doesn't, single use ones are 2 dollars and worth every penny, better ones are more money but hey if you need it once it's worth as much as a week in a 5 star hotel. Also signalling device of some kind I have a whistle(also good for bears)and 2 pencil flares(good to use lighting wet tinder) and a first aid kit with a bandana to shred if s splint is needed. Some kind of knife, or even better a multitool is great, don't skimp here as you never know what'll come your way. Theres more but I'm sure you get the idea. Two last thoughts, there is no shame in calling for help(bring your cell phone even if you never turn it on once you leave the car). And be sure to tell somebody where you're heading if you're going solo, be specific and be sure you let that person know your out of the woods so we don't have to looking for you(NJFFS). One last thing, be prepared, keep your head and again keep your head, the single most powerful tool you have in the woods is your brain, keep calm and use it.......

PS---If the thought of spending a night or more away from your pajamas is daunting, there are several books on surviving with much leass than what I listed, some are dated but still full of good info you'd never have thought of. One is Living off the Country by Bradford Angier, it's old but pretty good. And remember think before you do anything else.......

Just to add a bit (as 0.02$ cnd doesn't quite go so far in NE USA).

One of the important things (as said) is a whistle. Great for emergencies, but also pretty handy just on the river. I like the Fox 40 'cause it's so annoying.

PS - Attach one to your vest on a 6 inch cord as it's no good in a pocket when you're oh say, stuck under a log in the bush.

Great thread! I started thinking about carrying a whistle and first-aid kit when I took a minor spill going into a gorge on the AuSable Below Witeface this year.

I lost a little skin, but was lucky. If I had been hurt, it might have been a while before anyone started looking for me.

Another good idea, when fishing alone, leave a note on your car ....

For example: " Fishing upstream, if I have not returned by (fill in the blank) please send help"

Rick,

The note is a good Idea. We use that same trick in cross country ski centers, ... wonder why I never thought to use it on the river??

A neat thing I keep on ME now too is a flashing LED that one could attach to a bicycle. Weighs nothing, lasts 1000 hrs and can be seen for a long way.

I use 'em to signal car accidents and have used them (too often for my tastes) to mark emergency helipads. Set them a fixed distance apart and tell the pilot ... that way they can better judge their height in night ops.

Waterproof EVERYTHING in ziplocks and/or parafin. (the baggies come in REAL handy sometimes)

Play for fun, train for the worst, come home safe.

You guys talked me into it....I just added a whistle to one of the lanyards on my most used vest.

It may not be necessary to use it. There's so much junk is now hanging from that vest that I make a racket every time I move. The fish know it's time to stop feeding when they hear a "clinking" sound approaching.

Pete,

You'll find a whistle a lot more useful that you had ever thought.

Here on the Ste-Marguerite standard whistle codes are:

1 short : Hey, look over here
2 short : Understood
3 short : Come help me net this monster
4 short or 1 very long: Holy ch***t, go get me a bigger net !!!

Anyway, a whistle is much more efficient than yelling ...

Have fun, play safe.

I forgot 1 other important thing. Water purification tabs.....buy the two step one, one pill is yellowey orange other is white, if you buy the one step one you might be happier dying from dehydration than drinking the horrendous tasting stuff that those tabs produce. Again not real expensive but you can't live long without clean water......food most can make it weeks, water you'll be lucky if it's days.....

njflyguy,

Good idea. I saw that too on another thread on another board.

I don't carry 'em up here, but I have in other places in Central America. I prefer a filter though. There's one in the first aid kit, but I guess I'll be putting the tablets in the "mini" kit tonight.

First aid is not just patching up the wounded, it's also about being more "confortable" (the victim). for that reason, my little "survival" kit also includes bug dope.

fcch said:

....Here on the Ste-Marguerite standard whistle codes are:

1 short : Hey, look over here
2 short : Understood
3 short : Come help me net this monster
4 short or 1 very long: Holy ch***t, go get me a bigger net !!!

Click to expand...

I don't know about Canada, but as I was putting the whistle on the lanyard, I recalled being taught that Three was a universal distress signal. I'm not sure the cops & EMS people would consider the need for netting assistance appropriate.

BTW: A note on the windshield would certainly be seen by a local cop checking why a car is parked late in a "No Overnight Parking" zone. A lot of NJ suburban towns apply this to every street in the town. They'd also check a vehicle that didn't belong to anyone in the neighborhood if it was still parked on the street late at night.

NJ FLy Guy or anyone,

Next time you are on your way up to the Catskills, if you have time, stop in the Hiking Shack, just off 17 in Wurtsboro, Awesome place, great person who owns it. They have these little water bottles with some sort of filter on it that will filter ANY water and make it perfectly clean to drink. You fill up the bottle and you are ready to go. I am sure places like Camp mor in Paramus and other places carry this but I know for sure the Hiking Shack has them plus other survival stuff.

One other item to add to your survival kit is a small pack of baby wipes and a zip lock bag. You never know when nature will call and you dont want to be found in the middle of the woods or on a river bank somewhere without your skivies or an ass full of poisen sumack.

And a "Sharp" knife. In case you get your arm or leg wedged in somewhere and you have to cut it off, you want to make sure you can do it fast and clean.

Matches and either a GPS or a compass. A compass is no good to anyone unless you know how to use one. A GPS is pretty brainless.

Oh, the zip lock? Carry in, Carry out.

-FT

Pete, don't worry about noise you generate above water. Water is much more dense than air so it is very difficult for sound to travel between mediums. Sound also travels something like 10,000* times faster in water than it does in air, so it sounds like it is everywhere at once... That old timer thing about talking too loud & spooking fish is a bunch of crap.

Also, fish are basically the same density as water (as are humans) so sound waves actually pass through them. They cannot distinguish the origin of sound under water, just like you can't.

Next time you're in a pool, dive under, close your eyes, & tap on the bottom with a rock or something - you will be able to hear it, but you won't be able to tell what direction it is coming from.

What fish CAN distinguish is shock, pressure , & vibration through the lateral line, and movement with their eyes. Thus you should try to minimize the noises you make BELOW the water surface, and move slowly to minimize spooking them by your movements both above & below the water.

Oh, and not to stray too far off the topic of this thread, I keep a first aid kit in the truck, but I don't carry one on my person unless there's going to be some hoofin' involved.

GPS is a cool thing to have, but a good old fashioned compass doesn't need batteries. Most places in this area, civilization is not far away. Just follow the stream & you'll sooner or later come to a road.

*I'm exaggerating a little...

Pete,

Sorry , Yes three short is international for HELP, as in come helpme net this fish too.

I've been to the hiking shack and I've seen those bottles, they got pretty good reviews in some outdoors magazines. The only reason I don't carry one of them or a filter is size. I really like to be prepared, especially after spending an unplanned night out once when I could have been better prepared, this was a long time ago but a memory that I'm not likely to ever forget. Anyway the point is that there needs to be a practical limit. My kit includes all the things I listed before and a first aid kit and fits nicely in a 6x6x3 pouch. I'm sure I could go bigger but I'm comfortable with the way it is now, but you know every once in a while I see something that just needs to be added, just like those flies that "need to be in my box" or that rod or reel I need to have...I'm sure you all know what I mean........

NFG,

I agree, ... has to be practical, that's why the tablets (water treatmt) went into the kit.

No use having a neat kit of "essentials" if it's too cumbersome to have on you ALL the time. I keep a few things like bandaids in my vest. The REAL kit is in a pouch in a harness up over my shoulder. It's sealed in cotton and WAX. That means, you only use it when it's REALLY needed. Once a year I'll re-stock it with perishables (Powerbars).

The BIG kit is in the truck also includes 10,000 calories of hydrocarbs (gets cold here), splints, neck brace, restraints (velcro and tie wraps) sterno+stove etc.

Incidentally, my aircraft kit includes 10,000 calories, sleeping bag, break down 22 and 500 rounds of ammo, 1,000 matches wrapped in cotton & wax and a bunch of other stuff.

In Canada, we have a "remote area" status for most of the unsettled areas and you have the right to carry firearms on the plane (even since 9-11). I was refused once so I took a different carrier. Little note for those of you who use flyin outfitters in Canada, the pilot is SUPPOSED to have major survival kits for everyone on the plane.

Chris don't you guys have film cans, duct tape and zip lock bags in Canada? LOL.......There's a brite side to trying to survive if you get caught out fishing. At the very least you have a means to procure a renewable food source(other than rabbit food). And I added a couple of Clif shots(carb loaded gel) to my kit after reading your list and if you ever see them try out a Clif bar instead of a powerbar......Tastes much much better.....ED

Ed,

Film cans etc are already in the kits, I tried to mention a few thinks that most don't think of. To get into the real details, everything is in Ziplocks, then packed into cotton wrap, when sealed in wax.

Love Clif bars, but I have this sort of free supply of PowerBars. (cycling club).

(hope the sponsor doesn't flyfish) - Clif bars are better (taste). The carbo shots, I haven't tried though. I like to chew something, so the shots aren't my favorite. I like to have the energy AND feel full.

Great thread. Makes me think about getting a first aid/survival kit.....
Thanks

Stephen

Sbwood said:

Great thread. Makes me think about getting a first aid/survival kit.....

Click to expand...

Stephen,

A few items strategically chosen and stored (in your vest 'fur instance) can help prevent a minor problem (say a nasty scrap) from becoming a major problem (infection, longer healing or down time) or worse (you have to leave the river to get it taken care of).

Further, a bit of preparation, forethought, training and mental preparedness can help attenuate a difficult situation. (ever been the primary i.e. ONLY person, on the scene of a car accident).

Also, dumb things happen. The canoe can drift off while your fighting the trout of your life, rivers levels rise, storms roll in, we step in holes, Idiots still drink and drive, ... anything and everything can (and eventually WILL) happen. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a pessimist, nor a fatalist, I've just come across too many accidents (many of them preventable) to be un-prepared. (Edit- Oh, and I guide part time, so it's my JOB to be prepared.)

Play for fun, train for the worst, come home safe.

BTW, don't just get any cheap whistle, get a good loud one like the Storm Whistle.

http://www.stormwhistles.com/index.html

http://www.stormwhistles.com/storminfo.html

If my life may depend on a whistle being heard I want a good loud one. Yes it is loud I can assure you.

But the best strategy is not to take stupid risks, like wading across rivers you do not know, climbing down and up steep banks, etc.

This whistle even works under water they say, not that I am about to test it though. LOL



BG

BG,

If one were to need use a whistle UNDER WATER, I think that would mean you're carrying too many lead wrapped nymphs ... ;-)

I agree, ... I've seen those whisles around and found they do the job.

I use the Fox40 'cause I got a bunch of them for free from the Canadian Coast Guard. We also use them in the Canadian Ski Patrol as they were on of the first around with no "pea" inside to freeze up.

Both Storm and Fox seem to be loud enough with little effort. (ever try to blow a whistle with a cracked rib, Believe me it's NOT FUN).

Photo: Mountain Equipment Coop
http://www.mec.ca/

Since the season is about to start up (for us normal people, 'tonin doesn't count), instead of my annual rant, I'll just bump this thread back to the top here.

Some things to think about.

Yea my survival kit consists of my brain and the knuckles on my right fist