Survival gear.....

[Jamisjockey]

Okay this isn't a Swine Flu Zombies SHTF thread.

I'm talking about you're out backpacking and get lost, or your jeep breaks down 20 miles down a dirt road to nowhere type survival.

Reading a magazine this morning and they were detailing a survival fishing kit.  One item I never thought to carry was a larger treble hook.  You bend two of the tines of the treble straight, lash it to the end of a stick, voila its a gig.  Brilliant.  Size 5/0 to 10/0 is probably appropriate.
Do you know how to tie any fishing knots for your survival gear?
Animated knot tying instructions.
http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfishing.php
The uni-knot is the standard way of tying an eye to the end of fishing line. 
Another good one to know is the Albright knot, use it to join two pieces of different diameter fishing line (like a section of mono to fly line or braid). 
Blood knot is good for joining similar diameter pieces to each other.
To make a simple trot line take a main section of line and tie several surgeon's knots or dropper knots along it, about a foot apart.  You can attach a hook by either passing the loop through the eye, and then the hook through the new loop (reverse the process to remove the hook), or tie it using the offshore swivel knot.  Tie the line to the end of a long stick, or branch overhanging the water.  Tie the other end to a rock or weight.  Bait hooks and leave sit overnight.
This methods work well if you're backpacking light/cheap and want to gather food.  (Make sure they are legal before using them in your state)
Can you tell I'm bored?
Anyways I'll be wandering around the wilds of West Virginia next month, so it got me to thinking.  I usually carry some basics in case I spend the night without planning it, but also carry just a few items incase that night turns into several nights.

[RevDisk]

A knife/multitool, a good medic kit, tape, 550 cord, lighter, and a supply of water is all you need to live just fine for a couple of days.   

Toss in a book, a bottle of booze, a couple cigars, and a bottle of multivitamins, and you're not just surviving, but having a heck of a weekend. 

So long as you stay warm and can get water (even untreated water is better than no water), you will live for a few days.  Unless you're WAY outside of populated areas, you can get to civilization within those few days.  Just need to keep your wits and keep moving.  Try to keep a blanket in your car, handy for many occasions.  But, if you're 20 miles down a dirt road, need to hike out and it's cold out, wrap the blanket around your torso.   If you have enough spare material, wrap your shoes/boots, head and hands.  Torso comes first.   

[charby]

+1 WATER

[Nick1911]

+1 WATER

So what's recommended?  Some kind of small filtery thing?  Reverse-osmosis?  Will that biologically sanitize water?  What product do you guys use to fill this need?

[Ron]

So what's recommended?  Some kind of small filtery thing?  Reverse-osmosis?  Will that biologically sanitize water?  What product do you guys use to fill this need?

A Nalgene bottle, a bandanna as a strainer and chlorine dioxide tablets is all you need to bring on a dayhike.

Backpacking I use a pump filter.

[charby]

So what's recommended?  Some kind of small filtery thing?  Reverse-osmosis?  Will that biologically sanitize water?  What product do you guys use to fill this need?

A convenience store.

I use a water filter when in the backcountry on foot. In all reality when I am in a vehicle I'm not that far from civilization at most a 1-2 mile walk to a farm house of something.

[mtnbkr]

Speaking of water...

I did a 117 mile solo bike ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway on April 4th.  Being solo, and being on the parkway meant I had to carry everything I'd need for the day.  That meant toting 3 large water bottles filled with gatorade, a 100oz camelback of water, and another bottle of gatorade in the seat pack.  That weighs a lot!  When I got to about the 90 mile mark, I refilled a bottle at Peaks of Otter, the ONLY opportunity to get water from a human source (water fountain) that day.

My point?  If I ever do another solo ride like that again, I'm taking a filter/purifier.  There were plenty of mountain streams and a filter/purifier such as an MSR pump, would weigh less than several bottles of water.

BTW, that ride included about 10,000 feet of climbing.

Chris

[CNYCacher]

I can think of a few things that would be more valuable than water filters in a real-life lost-in-the-woods situation.  Extra blanket, extra matches, etc.

[mtnbkr]

I can think of a few things that would be more valuable than water filters in a real-life lost-in-the-woods situation.  Extra blanket, extra matches, etc.

I already have that stuff in my car, along with some food and water.  Every time I go into the woods, even if it's a place I know, I have some way to make fire, appropriate clothing, and water.  The filter is something I don't yet have.

You can run out of bottled water, but with a filter, any water source you find is "usable".

Chris

[Ron]

I can think of a few things that would be more valuable than water filters in a real-life lost-in-the-woods situation.  Extra blanket, extra matches, etc.

Generally I have a hip pack or daypack and bring my own version of the "10 essentials" with me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials

When backpacking of course I'm even in better shape with shelter, sleeping bag and extra clothes.

[RevDisk]

So what's recommended?  Some kind of small filtery thing?  Reverse-osmosis?  Will that biologically sanitize water?  What product do you guys use to fill this need?

If nothing else, chlorine dioxide.  Don't go with iodine if you can avoid it, as it's not effective against cryptosporidum and giardia.  Tastes better too, and doesn't cause any damage from long term usage.  I'm told pre-filtering water  (ie, through a piece of cloth) then using a UV pen is enough, but I'll let other folks test that one out for a while before I do so. 


If you're highly paranoid, any decent ceramic filter combined with chlorine dioxide or UV purification is acceptable.   You only absolutely need reverse osmosis if you're going to be drinking seawater.

[Seenterman]

would reverse osmosis work to remove any chemicals that might be present in the water?

[Werewolf]

would reverse osmosis work to remove any chemicals that might be present in the water?

Reverse osmosis will reduce the concentration of any soluble chemicals in the water being treated. How much depends on the quality (pressures, membrane etc) of the RO system used.

The porosity of the membranes used in the system will determine what biotics get thru. Some systems use activated charcoal filters to remove biotics but that's an additional process not directly associated with the RO process itself.

[French G.]

Don't forget a vehicle survival kit, might keep you from using the other kit. I recently spearheaded a vehicle rescue, we left it in the desert overnight. Apparently new Dodge Durangos are not exactly "trail-rated." after the radiator bounced out of its mounts and attacked the fan it was parked for the day with a big old puddle under it. Rental, and we of course had no tools. After a cold ride home for 9 people in a crew-cab F150 a quick Wal-mart trip provided tow strap, water, a few hand tools, stop leak, and a few sticks of 5 minute epoxy, I prefer the mighty-putty like stick version that you knead. Pulled the radiator, found all the damage, pulled fins, straightened tubes and then proceeded to patch them. left it to cure all day while we continued to abuse the F150. The field repair went a little too well, no leaks, no overheating.   Wasn't my rental car, but the two lessons are, never buy a used rental car and never rent anything remotely off-road capable to a sailor.

Were that my own truck I have enough stuff stashed under the seat and in the door pockets to fix nearly anything. In the toolbox I have a spare cap and rotor, spare belts, hose, fluids, etc. It beats walking 20 miles.