how does one classify themselves as a experienced backcountry person

[sumsupport]

Wow guys, reading this makes me feel a bit silly. As a woman, I've relied a lot on my hubby (who's pretty darn handy) to look after all those details. I have a good head for where I'm at, I stay calm in an emergency, and I know I can build a shelter, start a fire all that, but now I want to take the kids on a survival weekend and MAKE SURE I can do it. When I grow up I want to be like the heroes on sleddingmom's thread!

 

[Modman]

Some great points on here guys. Here are a few of mine:

A fold up saw for cutting firewood and building a shelter. A knife, rope, first aid kit, water bottle to fill with snow you melted in your shovel, a 10x12 tarp, a survival blanket, extra gloves & socks, touque. I carry wooden matches in a water proof plastic container. Something that I tried years ago and found out works the best of anything for getting a fire going. I buy those fire lighting sticks that look like they're made of compressed wood fibre soaked in a wax substance (Canadian Tire cheapies) then I put them into a one litre water proof plastic container and fill with diesel. Let this soak for a couple days then dump out most of the fuel (less weight). These sticks will light the wettest of wood in a rain storm (I've proven this):d

Good points frocker!!! LMAO

Anyway - another good thing that we do is pack cheese in cheesecloth and then dip it in wax. The cheese will keep for months (don't feel you have to keep it all season though - you can eat it and make another one for the next trip) and if you get into a bind, the cheesecloth/wax is an excellent fire starter (much like the fire starter idea). Just pack some crackers (nice and light) and you have some food and fire starter.

 

[magnet]

when i don't have a compass i always have to rely on the son to tell me,yes i spelt it right my 12 yr old that is, to tell me what direction we are going it's a gift my dad had it i don't and he does. musta skipped a generation. so don't leave home without him.

 

[Modman]

Or if you don't have a compass, you can use your watch (providing it is analog i.e. hands, not just a digital display) - most people don't know this one - and it actually works. There are some other good tips at the bottom of the page as well.

 

[Washy]

make sure your on a ski-doo

So you get experience in being stranded???:d Sorry could not resist.

 

[pipes]

nice list Iron Horse Racing, If I might add a few

First aid kit
Flares
hand warmers
space blankets
small emergency tarp
candle
fire starter
Tin foil
Matches
Toilet paper
Flash light Crank type (or the shake type)
Compass
Cable saw (or the saw in your avalanch shovel)
Duct and electrical tape
Knife or Leatherman
2 – Carabineer’s
rope
Wire
Whistle
Lighter and safety matches
Tie wraps
Bags for feet
Hose clamps
Extra bungee cords
Medicine
sunglasses
spare gloves
spare socks

Freeze Dried Food pack
Power aid Crystals energy drink
trail mix
water(water tabs, water filter)
Beef jerky
Cup o soup
power bars

Sterno the fuel used to heat fondue
Tampons you can use them as fire started Just dip them in your fuel tank

Pencil and a note pad.
Misc items for sledding and Quadding
spare goggles
batteries
GPS
Thermos’s
Shovel
Probe
Fuel line/
Tow rope
Ratchet straps
2 way radio

 

[sumsupport]

Silly question maybe, but what are the pencil and notepad for? The answer that pops into my head is one I really don't want to think about.

 

[BC Sno-Ghost]

Great Thread

Try a little test.....next time it rains...take out your trusty pack of safety matches and see if you can start a fire….

Next time it’s too cold to go sledding, put on the same gear you would ride in, head out into your back yard and build a shelter and sleep in it.

Just like the advice from the Avy course, practice…..read a book, take a course

There was a thread a while back about what items to carry and there was some good ideas...

As a matter of course, I always take a compass reading in the parking lot and note the dircetion of roads and or land marks. That way if the GPS failed and long before we had them, you would have a heading to aim to if you do get turned around.

Sledding, backpacking, horseback riding, climbing, or quadding we carry the same first aid and survial paks.

First aid kit
Flares
hand warmers
space blankets
small emergency tarp
candle
fire starter
Tin foil
Matches
Toilet paper
Flash light Crank type
Compass
Cable saw
Duct and electrical tape
Knife or Leatherman
2 – Carabineer’s
rope
Wire
Whistle
Lighter and safety matches
Tie wraps
Bags for feet
Hose clamps
Extra bungee cords
Medicine
sunglasses
spare gloves
spare socks

Freeze Dried Food pack
Power aid Crystals energy drink
trail mix
water(water tabs, water filter)
Beef jerky
Cup o soup
power bars



Misc items for sledding and Quadding
spare goggles
batteries
GPS
Thermos’s
Shovel
Probe
Fuel line/
Tow rope
Ratchet straps
2 way radio

Now that you've covered what is required gear for an ascent of Mt. Everest...you actually left out the Sherpa to haul you out should you break a leg...:d I do carry most of that stuff. Having it is one thing. Not panicing when the dark, cold and wet sets in and knowing how to use all the gear is another. I like the idea of the backyard practice campout. Surprising how many sledders you run across 40 to 50 miles from any truck who have absolutely no survival gear at all. IMO most important is drinking water, three methods and gear to start a fire and a good shovel to build a shelter. Surprising how much snow you need to melt to replace fluid loss from sweating. I carry two bottles of gatorade and two bottles of water. NO ALCOHOL! I try to be prepared but I'm a long ways from being an "Experienced Backcountry Person".

 

[shawnmcgr]

nice list Iron Horse Racing, If I might add a few

First aid kit
Flares
hand warmers
space blankets
small emergency tarp
candle
fire starter
Tin foil
Matches
Toilet paper
Flash light Crank type (or the shake type)
Compass
Cable saw (or the saw in your avalanch shovel)
Duct and electrical tape
Knife or Leatherman
2 – Carabineer’s
rope
Wire
Whistle
Lighter and safety matches
Tie wraps
Bags for feet
Hose clamps
Extra bungee cords
Medicine
sunglasses
spare gloves
spare socks

Freeze Dried Food pack
Power aid Crystals energy drink
trail mix
water(water tabs, water filter)
Beef jerky
Cup o soup
power bars

Sterno the fuel used to heat fondue
Tampons you can use them as fire started Just dip them in your fuel tank

Pencil and a note pad.
Misc items for sledding and Quadding
spare goggles
batteries
GPS
Thermos’s
Shovel
Probe
Fuel line/
Tow rope
Ratchet straps
2 way radio

Man, when I first saw this list I thought over kill, but reading through it I carry just about all of it. I spent the night in the bush a 2years ago and thought I was prepared. Now, I don't carry matches because they either get wet or crushed in my pack - I carry 2 or 3 lighters instead. I'm not a fan of the cable saws as the ones I have tried don't last more than 30 min - MEC sells fold-up saws for $10 bucks that I have used almost everytrip for 2 yrs. Let me tell you if your going to pull a saw out 'cause your cold and are going to be spending the night a good saw and lighter (or other reliable means of fire starting) are the most important items. I can't tell you how much beef jerky warmed over a small fire can change your whole outlook. It goes from misserable to "what the hell, I like to camp anyways and at least didn't give the last of my fire ball to the idiot that got me in to this mess".

I think an "experienced backcountry person" is someone that takes leaving the pavement serious and has but some thought into prepatation. They are prepared to save themselve and others. Some folks take it serious from the get go and others have to experience a bad situation. There's serious fun out there and serious consequences!

My survival gear takes up very little space and probably weights less than 10 lbs - cheap insurance.

And don't even think about asking to share my fire ball....if I'm going out I'm going out glowing!


l8r shawn.

 

[ferniesnow]

Man this a long way from the early "mountain man" that took an axe, some matches, and a few miscellaneous things in his back pack!!

There was a similar thread on another forum awhile back but basically it was about "what's in your back pack". I listed most of what everybody has stated and I was amazed at the comments...."fs, you can come with us anytime", or "fs, you need a toboggan to carry all the extras". The above is an awesome list and everybody should take heed. I would also recommend an axe (placed on a plastic holder on the side of the tunnel as far back as possible) and not a little 12", 1 pound hatchet but an axe for serious work. Have you ever had to cross and avalanche path that is frozen rock hard and the shovel just doesn't cut it, or been in a creek bottom with ice lips over top of the skis, or had to open a seriously locked cabin? Yes, add an axe to the gear!

Now, I have to address the saw thingy. The saw in the handle of a shovel is for cutting snow pits and I have seen too many guys go down the trail and break it when they come to the first wind blown tree. I have the wire type but whenever I use it I think it is quite a gimmick! I used to carry the SOS folding saw and found that that wasn't much better in a lot of situations. Now I have a nice Vaughan Bear Saw BS333C that cuts on the back stroke. The cutting teeth are like the ones on the pruning saws and there is a full 12" of mean serious cutting action. I had trouble finding a place to store and I finally made a sheath out of wooden slats for window blinds wrapped with good ol' duct tape! It just fits in the SOS backpack with regards to length.

All the gear is a necessity but what about the "smarts" needed to be "experienced in the back-country"? My coldest and most miserable times in the bush have been in August when most people don't expect a serious weather change and are deep in the back-country with shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt! An experienced back-country traveller has a survival pack with him/her all the time and realizes that Mother Nature can be and is vicious. The avi situation this past winter was a prime example. Some people elected to stay home because they couldn't trust themselves (good choice), others rode differently (good choice), and then....RIP to our lost brothers. Knowing the local conditions, or the conditions where one is playing is paramount to being experienced in the back-country. People don't realize the trama when someone is seriously hurt 50-60 miles from the truck and in the middle of nowhere! A helicopter is two hours away if one can get it into action. An experienced back-country user doesn't push the limits that would put them into jeopardy.

I can't imagine going skiing at a ski resort and losing my wife because of my inexperience in the back-country. She might die when she hits a tree but that would be easier to live with although it would still be devastating.

A great thread and great information!

 

[Modman]

...I used to carry the SOS folding saw and found that that wasn't much better in a lot of situations. Now I have a nice Vaughan Bear Saw BS333C that cuts on the back stroke. The cutting teeth are like the ones on the pruning saws and there is a full 12" of mean serious cutting action.

I have the double cut saw in my shovel handle and I can tell you, it ain't made just for cutting snow pits. People laugh when you saddle up to an 8" tree and say you are going to cut it down for firewood, and then they are amazed that about 1 min later there is a tree laying on the ground. Some of the saws are weaker but whichever one I bought from threadkiller was a good one (sorry its been a while since I looked at the brand name of it, all I know is that it works).

 

[H2SNOW]

refer to my thread ....
https://www.snowandmud.com/forum/f14/thought-i-would-post-hope-you-11472.html

 

[pipes]

Silly question maybe, but what are the pencil and notepad for? The answer that pops into my head is one I really don't want to think about.

that would be the last thing that you would want to do but if it comes to it you are prepared.



the other thing that you would like a pencil and note pad is so that you can jot down little notes or reminders for yourself of thing that you must do. or to note the things that you wish you would have brought along.

 

[Modman]

that would be the last thing that you would want to do but if it comes to it you are prepared.



the other thing that you would like a pencil and note pad is so that you can jot down little notes or reminders for yourself of thing that you must do. or to note the things that you wish you would have brought along.

You can also use this to record vitals of someone if they are injured. If you are waiting for a long time to get help (maybe you sent someone for help but S&R can't get to you until morning etc), you can record pulse and breathing rate, pupil dilation, tenderness in body parts (where does it hurt??) etc. After 8 hrs alone in the bush, you might not remember what their pulse was 8 hrs before (was it stronger, faster, etc). Will allow you to accurately record and assess if their condition is improving or.....otherwise. You could also write down things they tell you (allergies, medical conditions etc) that you can relay to the paramedics when they get there.

 

[sumx54]

Silly question maybe, but what are the pencil and notepad for? The answer that pops into my head is one I really don't want to think about.

Another reason you should keep a pencil and All Weather note pad in your emergency kit is in case you have to administer first aid to someone for an extended length of time you need to record vitals and type of first aid administered. This is not only important for the rescuers and EMT's but it can save your butt from a lawsuit from some Law Happy Susan.

Oh and it makes it easier to play X's n O's or hangman :d

 

[Sledgirl]

..... I finally made a sheath out of wooden slats for window blinds wrapped with good ol' duct tape! It just fits in the SOS backpack with regards to length.

I can't imagine going skiing at a ski resort and losing my wife because of my inexperience in the back-country. She might die when she hits a tree but that would be easier to live with although it would still be devastating.

Ferniesnow, you can make a saw sheath from MY blinds anytime, as long as I get to pick the new ones out!!

As far as need to carry the pencil and paper, perhaps it is to get the skier whose wife died to sign a waiver before you rescue him, so he can't sue you.

 

[ferniesnow]

Ferniesnow, you can make a saw sheath from MY blinds anytime, as long as I get to pick the new ones out!!

As far as need to carry the pencil and paper, perhaps it is to get the skier whose wife died to sign a waiver before you rescue him, so he can't sue you.

I just found that the saws with the folding handles were not up to the task! So I purchased a good saw and found a way to safely put in the back pack. I'll get a picture up shortly.....

 

[raceu4it]

ferniesnow, you must be bucking some good sized trees, cause those sos saws work great and i've sold lots, i even use the folding saw for fine wood working, as it work just as good as those japenese finishing saw.

would anyone be interested in a planned but unplanned winter campout for one night with a what you ride with nite?

 

[ferniesnow]

ferniesnow, you must be bucking some good sized trees, cause those sos saws work great and i've sold lots, i even use the folding saw for fine wood working, as it work just as good as those japenese finishing saw.

would anyone be interested in a planned but unplanned winter campout for one night with a what you ride with nite?

Bigger is better!!! I'm not really a believer in that but in this case....yes, we have had to cut some big trees off the beaten path. Normally on the logging roads there is enough room to pass the deadfall and we have come back with a chain saw for the really big ones when we do trail maintenance. It is the sneaky local trails that get the odd windblown tree down and not a lot of traffic where we have our problems. Also, when we break the trail into the back basins in the early winter and have to make bridges and clear a summer's worth of deadfall, IMO that little SOS just doesn't cut it. Don't get me wrong, it is nice in the folding handle and sits in the back-pack well enough but once again, in this case, bigger is better....

 

[ferniesnow]

Here are the promised pictures.....and a glass of Fernie Ale to get your attention. The sheath is a home-made job from left over maple window blind slats and as you can see it is put together with duct tape. If it will hold airplanes, it will hold a small saw. The hole thing fits nicely into the SOS pack and there may not be a trip that I don't use it whether to make a fire, clear the trail, or help a buddy in the tree well.....