after a close call involving a group trail run where one of the group had to spend the night out in the mountains http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Group-trail-run-that-almost-ended-in-disaster
it got me thinking very hard on what would be the very minimum kit to spend a unexpected night out (albeit likely an unpleasant one, but one in which you're still very likely to be plenty alive)
the kit would have to be very lightweight and compact or folks aren't likely going to want to carry it, it needs to be relatively inexpensive as well as again folks aren't going to want to spend a lot of dough on what is unlikely event (although this latest incident probably has more thinking about seriously now). it needs to be rather simple- this kit isn't limited to trail runners- anyone venturing out for a day in the wilds could find them in a situation where a night out is possible and this small kit could easily be carried by anyone
with all that in mind, here's what I came up with-
at the heart of the kit is AMK's new Survival Poncho- those familiar with their Heatsheet products (they're great!) will recognize the material in the poncho- it's the same good stuff. the poncho offers a couple of benefits imo- the biggest it allows it to be used on the move much easier, there are some situations where moving is called for and the poncho would shine in that application; it also has a hood which is a big plus in an emergency blanket and could fill in for emergency rain gear in a pinch too
weight is svelte 2.7 oz and it packs very small (think cigarette pack)
the poncho is pretty good sized at 50" wide and 38" tall and if needed could be used as a small tarp (tying off the hood) at 50x76" or stretched over a debris shelter
next are two small beeswax candles (beeswax burns longer and hotter) from Exotac- burn time is roughly 4 hours/each and weight is a wispy 0.9 oz/each and they are very small, you could make these yourself to save $ or look into beeswax tea lights
a small firekit- a mini Bic lighter, Sparklite (like to have two sources of ignition), four tinder tabs and a small LiveFire tin (these are a wonderful it's wet, cold and windy last ditch, "have to get a fire started", option- easy to ignite and they burn a long time (15 minutes or so)- total weight 1.1 ounce
you could save $ by making your own "livefire" tin- see Terry's newest tinfoil/pjcb creation and substitute a small firesteel in lieu of the Sparklite
a sitpad- this is a thermarest Z- Seat, but a small chunk of any decent closed cell foam would do and save you $, weight 1.8 oz
the idea behind this kit is borrowing on a 1700's technique called a Scout fire- pre revolution (and post) scouts were routinely called to go into enemy territory- all seasons, starting a big fire was usually a sure way to become a former scout, but using a tiny fire (fist size or smaller) and draping your woolen coat/blanket over yourself with this small fire kept you warm enough to make it through the night w/o being detected. with a small fire between your legs (or a candle :4
you're getting heat to a very vital area- femoral arteries and groin area- to stay warm.
you obviously need to insure when your sitting that you're not losing heat to conduction- that's where the sit pad comes in, you could skip the pad and use natural materials, but it's small enough (and light enough) that's it worth throwing in imo and augmenting w/ natural materials (if available)
so you end up with something resembling this (also see "Palmer's furnace"- a famous caver who used a very similar technique with great success) :
I've used this technique w/ the Heatsheet and it works, you're not going to get any shuteye and will likely be not overly comfortable, but I think you'll make it through a night OK
all total- 7.5 oz
cost: poncho $10, candles $11 (or less) for three, fire kit $15 (or less), sitpad $10 (or less)- under $50 and using some of the suggestions above probably pretty easily under $20!
obviously there are lots of ways to skin a cat, especially with some experience- debris shelters, long fires, etc, but this kit is aimed most particularly at those with less of a skill set and for those wanting a very small, light and simple kit that they may otherwise not carry
I've purposely not addressed any other issues other than exposure- navigation, signaling, first-aid, hydration, etc as I wanted to keep this relatively short and sweet
it got me thinking very hard on what would be the very minimum kit to spend a unexpected night out (albeit likely an unpleasant one, but one in which you're still very likely to be plenty alive)
the kit would have to be very lightweight and compact or folks aren't likely going to want to carry it, it needs to be relatively inexpensive as well as again folks aren't going to want to spend a lot of dough on what is unlikely event (although this latest incident probably has more thinking about seriously now). it needs to be rather simple- this kit isn't limited to trail runners- anyone venturing out for a day in the wilds could find them in a situation where a night out is possible and this small kit could easily be carried by anyone
with all that in mind, here's what I came up with-
at the heart of the kit is AMK's new Survival Poncho- those familiar with their Heatsheet products (they're great!) will recognize the material in the poncho- it's the same good stuff. the poncho offers a couple of benefits imo- the biggest it allows it to be used on the move much easier, there are some situations where moving is called for and the poncho would shine in that application; it also has a hood which is a big plus in an emergency blanket and could fill in for emergency rain gear in a pinch too
weight is svelte 2.7 oz and it packs very small (think cigarette pack)
the poncho is pretty good sized at 50" wide and 38" tall and if needed could be used as a small tarp (tying off the hood) at 50x76" or stretched over a debris shelter
next are two small beeswax candles (beeswax burns longer and hotter) from Exotac- burn time is roughly 4 hours/each and weight is a wispy 0.9 oz/each and they are very small, you could make these yourself to save $ or look into beeswax tea lights
a small firekit- a mini Bic lighter, Sparklite (like to have two sources of ignition), four tinder tabs and a small LiveFire tin (these are a wonderful it's wet, cold and windy last ditch, "have to get a fire started", option- easy to ignite and they burn a long time (15 minutes or so)- total weight 1.1 ounce
you could save $ by making your own "livefire" tin- see Terry's newest tinfoil/pjcb creation and substitute a small firesteel in lieu of the Sparklite
a sitpad- this is a thermarest Z- Seat, but a small chunk of any decent closed cell foam would do and save you $, weight 1.8 oz
the idea behind this kit is borrowing on a 1700's technique called a Scout fire- pre revolution (and post) scouts were routinely called to go into enemy territory- all seasons, starting a big fire was usually a sure way to become a former scout, but using a tiny fire (fist size or smaller) and draping your woolen coat/blanket over yourself with this small fire kept you warm enough to make it through the night w/o being detected. with a small fire between your legs (or a candle :4
you're getting heat to a very vital area- femoral arteries and groin area- to stay warm.you obviously need to insure when your sitting that you're not losing heat to conduction- that's where the sit pad comes in, you could skip the pad and use natural materials, but it's small enough (and light enough) that's it worth throwing in imo and augmenting w/ natural materials (if available)
so you end up with something resembling this (also see "Palmer's furnace"- a famous caver who used a very similar technique with great success) :
I've used this technique w/ the Heatsheet and it works, you're not going to get any shuteye and will likely be not overly comfortable, but I think you'll make it through a night OK
all total- 7.5 oz
cost: poncho $10, candles $11 (or less) for three, fire kit $15 (or less), sitpad $10 (or less)- under $50 and using some of the suggestions above probably pretty easily under $20!
obviously there are lots of ways to skin a cat, especially with some experience- debris shelters, long fires, etc, but this kit is aimed most particularly at those with less of a skill set and for those wanting a very small, light and simple kit that they may otherwise not carry
I've purposely not addressed any other issues other than exposure- navigation, signaling, first-aid, hydration, etc as I wanted to keep this relatively short and sweet
