Worst case scenario: having to spend a night in wilderness situation What should you have in your packs to prepare for this situation?

Simple, light, essential items Ask yourself the “What if” questions

 Shelter  Fire  Water  Food

 Matches, lighter, metal match  Clear plastic sheeting  ‘Contractor’ trash bags  Gallon ziplock bags  Lightweight cooking pot  Cordage  Knife  ‘Space blanket’  Water purification  Duct tape  Try to think of items which either have MULTIPLE uses or are NECESSARY

 Always have more than one way to start a fire  Never rely on just one method  Your life may depend on it!!

 Inexpensive  Widely available  Easy to carry  Downside: needs some fine motor movement

 Waterproof matches  Waterproof container

 Can coat cotton balls with vaseline  Untreated will burn about 30 seconds  Treated can burn for 3-5 minutes

 Protection from: Wind Rain Snow Able to have a fire for warmth

 Clear plastic sheeting 10 to 20 feet in your pack Hardware, Walmart, etc  Uses: Ground cloth Shelter building Rain / snow poncho

 Contractor Trash Bags Home Depot, Lowes, etc 4 or 5 in your pack  Uses: Ground cloth Shelter building Rain / snow poncho

 Large enough to boil several cups of water  Small enough and light enough to carry in a pack

 Dehydration can occur quickly in cold weather  Can purify water  Calories for warmth! Soup Hot chocolate Etc.

 Stainless 1 liter water bottle  Get the ‘wide mouth’  Unscrew lid before boiling…

 Tin foil can be easily shaped into a bowl  Take a large sheet, fold it many times into a small space  Not durable

 A few different types  Usually a tablet or liquid drops  Small, fits easily into a pack

 Keep tinder (or other supplies) dry  Can be used to hold water  3 or 4 in your pack

 Water purification  Can have 2 or 3 gallons of water ready to drink  Difficult to carry

 Parachute cord best  Comprised of several threads  50 to 75 feet

 A knife that can chop if needed  Full-tang fixed blade is best  A sturdy lock-blade good too

 Dry soup mix or dry rice mix  Hot chocolate packets  Peanut M&M’s or Snickers  Whistle  Red / Orange surveyors tape  Small flashlight / Headlamp  Tin Foil (folded)

 Cotton: Worst  Loves moisture!  Loses 90% of insulating value when wet and wicks heat 25 times faster than when dry

 Polypropylene  Good base layer  Wicks moisture from the skin to outer layers of clothing

 Goose down  Light, great insulation when dry  Sucks up moisture worse than cotton  Loses all insulating value when wet

 Wool: my favorite  Will wick moisture, but slowly  Maintains its insulation value even when wet  Downside: can be heavy

 Polyester: Not just for the 70’s anymore  Resists water  Retains a lot of insulating value even when wet  Lighter and more compact than wool

 Base Layers:  Designed to trap warmth against the body  Remove moisture to outer layers  Polypropylene good  Insulating Layers:  Can be added or removed to control sweating

 Environmental Layer  Windbreaker  Waterproof layer or water-resistant layer  Fairly loose and easy to vent out moisture  Multiple thin layers is much better than one thick one  Can be adjusted to prevent sweating

 “When you’re lost, smoke your pipe”  Sit down, relax  Think  Observe / Options  Plan  Act  Walk Out?  Stay Put?