Many people consider outdoor survival skills unnecessary in today's congested world of mobile communications and superhighways. After all, isn't aid just a cell phone call away, or easily summoned by raising one's hood as a signal to patrolling motorist aid vans? Not always. You don't have to be a hiker or avid outdoorsman to find yourself in a situation where basic outdoor survival skills could be required to save someone's life-or your own. Winter car breakdowns on remote roads or a sudden rainstorm on a day hike in a state park can quickly transform a routine outing into a life-threatening situation.
Survival trainer Cody Lundin recommends carrying a small fanny pack of basic survival gear on any outing-even a short day trip or car drive. Lundin runs the Aboriginal Living Skills School in Prescott, Arizona, where he trains hundreds of ordinary people each year in simple survival skills. He offers two standard pieces of advice to anyone making an outdoor outing: 1). "Don't carry what you don't know how to use;" and 2). "The more you know, the less you need." Lundin recommends a small survival pack for use everywhere. Other survival writers advise carrying a larger, more extensive kit in the trunk or under the seat of a car for road emergencies where help may not be immediately available. All the experts recommend carrying a basic first aid kid in every vehicle, and a hiker's first aid pack on every trip of any duration.
Lundin's basic fanny pack kit consists of the following:
1). 4"-5" piece of hacksaw blade for cutting;
2). Magnesium block with striking bar for fire-starting;
3). Condom for carrying water;
4). 100' of dental floss (cordage);
5). Business card size plastic magnifier for fire-starting;
6). Bright orange survey tape (for tying strips to branches to mark a path for rescuers);
7). Plastic reflective Space Blanket (also known as survival blanket) for shelter, warmth, and signaling;
8). P-38 can opener;
9). Small sheath knife with high-carbon steel blade;
10). Cotton balls slathered in petroleum jelly stuffed in a film canister (for fire-starting);
11). Non-child proof butane lighter with see-through fuel cell;
12). One quart and one gallon zip seal freezer bags for carrying water or food;
13). Plastic, waterproof match case, filled with strike-anywhere matches, packed so they don't rattle and break off the heads.
14). Small 2-AA cell aluminum flashlight with two spare batteries. Wrap duct tape around the light so you can hold it in your mouth. Rotate batteries regularly. Write the date on installed batteries;
15). Small plastic bottle of 2% iodine for disinfecting wounds and water. Liquid iodine lasts much longer than tablets;
16). Small glass signaling mirror;
17). Two candy bars for quick energy;
18). Two to three large garbage bags for rain protection;
19). A length of small plastic tubing for sucking up hard-to-reach water.
Lundin is insistent on always carrying three different means of starting a fire. Regulating body heat, he says, is the key to survival in the wild. Hypothermia is your principal enemy.
In addition to the items in Lundin's fanny pack, a more extensive survival kit to be carried in a car trunk might consist of the following:
1). First aid kit in a waterproof box;
2). 25' of small nylon rope for building emergency shelters, tying splints, etc.
3). Roll of electrical tape for patching plastic and rain gear;
4). Several inexpensive plastic ponchos for rain protection;
5). Small fishing kit with 20' of monfilament line, a couple of barbed hooks, floats, and weights;
6). More waterproof matches;
7). A small folded package of black plastic sheeting (say 8'x 8' square) for rain protection, catching rainwater, or sun protection;
8). A whistle for signaling and communication;
9). Another lighter for starting fires;
10). A two to three foot length of aluminum foil for food storage, cooking, or signalling;
11). Additional plastic quart and gallon bags;
12). A six foot length of wax paper for use as a ground mat, rain protection, or food storage.
13). 25' of cotton string for tying and carrying kindling and lashing wood together as a shelter support.
14). A quart plastic bag full of dryer lint for quick fire-starting.
15). A standard flint and spark kit, available at many outdoor supply stores, for fire-starting.
16). One or more additional Space Blankets (survival blankets) with reflective surfaces.
17). Two cans of heavy soup (with an opener taped to one of the cans).
References:
USA Today: December 1999 article on the Aboriginal Living Skills School.
How to Create an Outdoor Emergency Kit: W.I. Powell.
Fieldbook: Boy Scouts of America.