Author Topic: What's in your emergency pack?  (Read 4122 times)

pauldawes

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1786
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #30 on: 12:56:30, 20/07/18 »

Indeed; each to their own, and it depends upon what you regard as an emergency (I certainly wouldn't regard a headache or a broken bootlace as such).


True, of course.


But I was once half way round a walk when one of bootlaces was completely "cut through" due to boot lace catching against some really tenacious vegetation. It made last three miles a wee bit unpleasant.


And always risk..of course...of lace snapping when you re-tighten laces at some point of walk. Carrying a spare pair of laces is hardly an hardship. and is maybe worth it on balance. And..of course...if weight is mega crucial, could just take one spare lace, rather than a pair.

Dyffryn Ardudwy

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2578
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #31 on: 13:29:19, 20/07/18 »
Nothing is the answer to that.
Either down to sheer good luck or careful forward planning, ive never required any medical assistance over the near forty years ive been a keen outdoors type.
When i was seriously into Challenge walking over twenty years ago, it was compulsory to take emergency equipment, survival bag, first aid items, etc,  but luckily they were never put to use.

I still walk long distances in the hills, recently covering a double Carneddau traverse, but for comfort and weight issues, i travel as lite as possible.

I still take my mobile phone with me, so in a dire emergency, at least i can phone for help, but as for a emergency pack or kit, its just extra weight to haul around.

Owen

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1760
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #32 on: 13:59:09, 20/07/18 »
I don't really have an "Emergency" pack. I carry a small first aid kit that I made up myself.


2x wound dressings.
1x wide roll bandage.
1x 10x10cm jelonet dressing.
1x 10x10cm pad dressing.
1x 4"x4" Spenco skin care pad.
1x Compeed.
An assortment of plasters.
stri-strips.
A small roll of plaster.
some antiseptic wipes.
Tweezers & tick hooks.
Ibuprifen.


I have a small Swiss Army Knife with a small pair of scissors.


As I nearly always walk in the mountains I'll have navigation kit with me, compass and map/maps and altimeter watch. I have viewranger on my phone, just in case, and in winter I tend to take the Garmin GPS especially if I'm on skis. The amount of extra cloths will vary throughout the year from a light fleece to an insulated jacket and spare hats and gloves. I always have some sore of waterproof outer layer. I generally have a two person bothy bags in the bottom of my sack unless I'm carrying a tent.


On longer more remote camping trips such as Knoydart or Swedish Lapland I take my inReach Tracker so I can call for help from anywhere. I have a small bag with some spinnaker tape, string, puncture repair kit for my Thermarest, needle and thread. 


I wouldn't have classed much of that as an "emergency pack" but it would all help keep me out of an emergency situation.       




 

Glyno

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4044
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #33 on: 16:01:26, 20/07/18 »
...in a dire emergency, at least i can phone for help, but as for a emergency pack or kit, its just extra weight to haul around.


good job those on the end of your call for assistance don't see it that way

Cnicht

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 560
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #34 on: 18:22:15, 20/07/18 »
Plasters coz me feet suffer with blisters 😂

Dyffryn Ardudwy

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2578
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #35 on: 19:14:48, 20/07/18 »
I cannot envisage me ever calling out the Mountain Rescue lads, as i would think long and hard, is this call for help really justified.
If i had a serious injury, which i know can happen, through thankfully i have never experienced, then i would call out the rescue team, but the situation has never arisen where i was not able to self rescue myself out of a bad situation.

Some years ago i found myself almost stuck on very  technical scrambling section on the Bethesda side of Pen Yr Ole Wen (technical for me that is), and i was almost close to tears with anxiety, not being able to go up or down,  but i still managed to rescue the situation,, how i still do not know, but i survived the experience, and learnt by my mistake.

Some may have called the Mountain Rescue, but thankfully the situation has never been that serious to justify their call out.

Possibly it may be a bit unwise of me to venture out into remote country without some kind of emergency kit,  but i have carefully chosen my route before i venture out, and if conditions deteriorate, i make a hasty return to civilisation.

dittzzy

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1637
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #36 on: 14:38:24, 21/07/18 »
I've thought about a spare lace but in normal day walking, as opposed to multi-day trips, I've never carried one.  I always check my laces when I clean my boots


I think of a spare lace as perhaps necessary for a tourniquet, or maybe to tie a pole to a leg as a makeshift splint, and I've even used one to hold me trousers up!  I'm sure there may be many other uses. 😁😁

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12714
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #37 on: 17:07:06, 21/07/18 »

On longer more remote camping trips such as Knoydart or Swedish Lapland I take my inReach Tracker so I can call for help from anywhere.


Do you have to pay a subscription to use the tracker, Owen?


I ask because I am tentatively planning some remote multi day solo trips, and have been considering a McMurdo FastFind 220 PLB for emergency use; cost about £200 but no subscription fees.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Owen

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1760
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #38 on: 19:53:20, 21/07/18 »

Do you have to pay a subscription to use the tracker, Owen?



Yes, when it was inReach it was £11 per month, now that Garmin have bought out inReach it's gone up (what a surprise) to £18 per month, you can suspend your subscription when you're not using it on a month by month basis.


BLB's like the McMurdo are one way only, you press the panic button and wait. With the inReach you can send and receive text messages as well. When I looked into it the SPOT would send messages but not receive, I think this might have changed. With all three the SOS facility send a signal up to a satellite it's bounced back to somewhere in the USA, they then forward the message on to where ever you are.


With the inreach and SPOT you have a web page were people back home can follow you in real time,how much use this is in reality I'm not sure. There's a charge for every point on the web page you're tracked, 10p each. The default setting is every two minutes, I've altered mine to every two hours. You can also get a fairly rubbish weather forecast.       

richardh1905

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12714
Re: What's in your emergency pack?
« Reply #39 on: 00:22:09, 22/07/18 »
Thanks Owen; if it comes to it I think that I will go the PLB route.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy