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Posted by Bill S on November 14, 2007 at 12:44:49 pm EST
In reply to What's in Your Survival Kit? posted by Alicia on July 2, 2007 at 10:55:02 am EDT

Gee, Alicia, that sounds like what's in my regular pack (with a couple of different brands and a couple of exceptions). I don't include Clif Bars, but that's because on most of my long expeditions, the only way you can get the extra needed calories to meet the 5000-6000 calories a day you burn when climbing major peaks or doing long hikes every day is to consume a half-dozen Clif Bars a day in addition to the other food. By the end of a 2 to 3 week trek, I usually can't face Clif Bars for at least a month {8=>D.

I do have a question - I see the Aquamira filter straw, but I also see the extra batteries for the SteriPen. So, where's the SteriPen, or have you discovered a secret way of just using the batteries to purify the water? Just kidding, of course. Good point, though about carrying some means of purifying water, since if you are caught out for some reason, you will run out of water before long, even though I start with a full 70-oz hydration pack (it's drained after a 10-mile hike on a summer day here in Northern Calif, so what do I do if stuck out overnight, unless I carry a filter, SteriPen, or whatever?).

During most of the year, in this area, don' need no stinkin' heat packs! But, I do carry a couple of the chemical chill packs, and have run across folks who were overheated during summer hikes in the local parks.

You implied, but didn't make explicit, that it is necessary to check the pack periodically - the fire starter (cotton balls with vaseline) and Clif Bars do deteriorate with time, as do batteries. That's one of the many reasons why I do not have an "emergency kit" in a bag that stays closed in the pack, but spread the stuff out when getting ready for even a dayhike every time. Around here, though, fire gear (matches, lighter, fire starter) is a bad, bad, bad, thing. If you try to start a fire in an emergency situation, you are likely to end up burning a few thousand acres (yes, it happens almost every year).

Same thing with earthquake emergency kits that we are all supposed to have along the fault lines - people forget to check them periodically, then discover that many of the food items go bad. Yes, we do keep an earthquake emergency bag at home, and an emergency bag in each car. Some of us remember Loma Prieta, and Barb's brother and family were evacuated in the San Diego fires. Those kits, of course, are a bit different, but the idea is the same - prepare for the reasonably unexpected, and keep the kit up to date.

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