????? for you SAR, EMT, Rescue types

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Feb 22, 2006
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When you are hiking, camping, etc. "off duty" and just for fun, do you carry extra gear, "just in case'?

I've been doing EMS for almost 25 yrs now, LE for 15, and SAR for almost 10. By nature, I am not an ultralight kinda guy, but I do like to minimize weight/bulk when feasible. When on a call out, there is a certain minimum amount of gear that must be carried, and most of us go a little beyond that. However, when hiking or bushcrafting for fun, many of my companions leave virtually all their gear behind. I don't question their skills or mindset. I think that they are perfectly capable of getting themselves into and out of the woods and pack accordingly. I however, can't quite get there. What if you find someone who needs assistance? What if someone comes to you, asking for help? Wouldn't you feel helpless or at least handicapped if but for a piece of kit, this would be easy.
No, I don't carry a full tech rescue kit when a go hiking for fun; but I do bring webbing and maybe 25'-50' of static line. I don't hump a full BLS EMT bag, but I easily carry at least twice what most hikers have in their 1st aid kit. I always have extra layers with me. My water is in both a bladder and canteeens. You get the idea. Maybe this old Eagle Scout takes "Be prepared" a little too far.

I'm very interested in everyone's responses. I'll probably never jump on the UL bandwagon, but less weight is always a good thing. Thanks for the input.
 
I'm a retired FF/paramedic and I too am not a UL kinda guy. I don't want to carry needless things or extreme repetitious gear. I carry an advanced first aid kit "just in case". It's not really bulky or heavy but you never know when you will need it. I carry a couple of fixed blades because I'm a knife fanatic and I don't worry about the weight of my knives. I carry a small fire kit and water bottle, usually a kleen canteen 40 or 64 oz.
 
I've been in SAR for 4 years, and recently was certified WFR. I too carry a lot of gear with me when out backpacking. I've been in a few different situations where that extra gear was the difference at the least between a comfy or a miserable night. Recently, I've started carrying a "go bag" Kind of a mix between my sar gear, FAK, and survival bag.. Kind of like a BOB. I feel that with my recent training and cert at a higher level of first aid, it would be irresponsible of me NOT to carry the extra stuff around with me that could mean saving someone's life.. What if I witnessed a car accident at night by my house (Big patches of no service) and my first aid was the difference between life and death for that patient? But I didn't have any of my gear? That's just unacceptable to me.
 
The entire be prepared thought process keeps me alert to many items my friends overlook. These are the same ones that forget to bring a knife or flashlight when we go on a hunt. I laugh about it now as I figure there is a higher power protecting all us. For all I know I was supposed to become their friend just so someone was watching out for them. This lets me justify more gear.
 
I don't overdo it, but I have an extra space blanket and a few other things that would let me assist another person if needed. Bad stuff happens and some people are stupid. A few years ago I was about a mile from the trailhead in the north cascades(4th of July pass)with an hour of light left and ran into two goofball women wearing tennis shoes, shorts and t-shirts and carrying nothing but an empty water bottle, car keys and their cell phone.
I turned around, walked with them back to their car and then headlamped it 4 miles to my site for the night. I did scold then a bit. One had an attitude and the other was thankful.
 
12 years in a SAR unit (reserve)

if I am walking with a group
I will carry an extra ration of water (3 liter)

I always carry an extra whistle and small flashlight that I will lend out if needed
 
No longer SAR or rescue, VFD, but I do carry extra gear when I canoe. More than once it has helped injured or hypothermic paddlers who had nothing but suntan lotion and a cooler of drinks. I feel an obligation to help when I see someone in trouble and, through experience, I generally recognize it before they do. Cheap vinyl ponchos to pass out. Spare used fleece jackets. Jello that can make a good hot drink. An old tent rainfly that can be pitched into a shelter in minutes. A FAK more comprehensive than I would need for just myself. Now with my mode of travel the extra weight isn't consequential. And not being active and trained EMT, I have no real "duty" to help. But I feel I have a moral duty to help within my abilities. I am guessing that if you really wanted to drop some weight from your kit you could without sacrificing any utility.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. The two sides of my brain constantly battle over this. I don't lose sleep over it, but it does bug me. On one hand, I know there is room to trim, and I truly believe that skills and knowledge are lighter than gear, but stuff always creeps back in. For example, because I know I'm guilty of carrying too much stuff; when I took the NASAR class, they specified a minimum pack size of 1800 cu. in./30L. So that is the size pack I bought for SAR. Of course, it is stuffed to the gills. If I had got a larger one, it would be stuffed too. It forces me to limit somewhat. For personal use, I'll probably go a little bigger, because I plan on being out several days at at time. In my experience, medics tend to pack heavy just by nature. Let the battle of the bulge, (both pack and waistline) continue.
 
The stuff I carry is for me first, the extra water and FAK could be used to lend a hand where necessary.
 
I'm hopeless...:eek:

Even though I'm no longer that active in SAR, after 20-some years of it I can't seem to 'go light' in any meaningful way. Too many times a bit of gear has made a huge difference in outcomes - the problem being that there are SO many bits of useful gear lugged about "Just in Case" that, well; I'm hopeless...

I have managed to get to the point where every hike isn't in full gear*, but still more that any 'normal' person would carry:rolleyes:.

*Here's 'full gear' checking out a rappell route for a recovery:

30825_1345271314713_1383739_n.jpg


The front has even more bits clipped, stuffed and strapped to it...

:culpability:
8
 
Paramedic for 10 years now. I carry a bigger kit than I've ever needed, but I can't seem to leave all the 'just in case' behind...
 
What I carry really depends on what sort of group I'm with, and what my "error" margins are. I do carry more than most I guess, but I try to not double up too much on group gear, if it has been designated. Right now I'm doing an outdoor rec facilitation course, and our first "class" was a two day hike. I was the only one who didn't have a pre-built kit (apart from the group kit carried by the instructor) and the only one who's kit was not inside my bag. For me, too many trips have gone wrong, and I know too many people who are good at what they do, and still got into trouble, so for me its easy to justify a few extras.

On the other hand, the instructor suggested to one guy that carrying a full extra day's water might be overkill, considering we had a pre-positioned water drop at the campsite. so it can go the other way as well.
 
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