Some dramatic meteorologist at Environment Canada used a sound bite - "Stormageddon" - and now it is all over the wires. I would like to add to this sound bite. I believe that the Mother of All Stromageddons is on the way. Actually, I bet we get about 10 cm of snow and that it melts by Sunday. We'll see. I'm not a meteorologist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
My Christmas holidays don't start until next week, so I'll be driving to work tomorrow and Friday. I drive about 15 minutes to work on the busiest highway in North America (or so I have heard), so I don't need to worry about getting lost somewhere in a storm. But in case I need to drive somewhere north (and this did happen 1 year ago in the middle of the worst storm of the year), I need to be prepared in my car with equipment to last me a night or two. About 15 years ago I went camping in Algonquin Park in the middle of February. It was good and cold and full of snow. On my way back my timing belt broke while I was in a fairly remote stretch of road off of a highway. Luckily I got picked up by a young couple who drove me 45 minutes out into the country and gave me a bed for the night.
One time about 20 years ago I was in a car accident in the mountains in Quebec, and the car my friend and I was in launched off of a mountain highway, and dropped about 30 feet into a snow-filled culvert. We did a full spin and landed right-side-up. Folks saw us, a towing crew got us out and everything worked out okay.
But consider what could have happened if it had been late at night in a far more remote area.
A thorough risk-assessement would dictate that you be prepared for the worst. I guess there is a part of me hoping for an exciting survival experience. But hey, I live in Toronto.
Bottom line, here's what I carry in the trunk of my car:
- MSR Dragonfly Stove with a full cannister of Naptha white-gas fuel
- Alcohol-gel heating tins
- Candles
- Cooking pot and mugs
- Cutlery
- Kettle
- 2 Nalgene Bottles
- 5 litres of water in expandable plastic containers (in case of freezing)
- Stainless Steel hobo stove which can use wood as a fuel
- Gransfors-Bruks Small Forest Axe
- Bucking saw
- Mora knives (x3)
- 4 wool blankets
- Down sleeping bag
- 2 MRE meal packs
- Beef jerky
- Pepperoni - large
- 2 Freeze Dried Entrees
- 4 tins Spam
- Instant Rice
- Instant soup mixes
- Hot chocolate packages
- Powdered milk
- Heavy Tarpaulin
- Light Guide Tarp
- 2 man tent
- Thermo-Lite II Bivy Sack
- Sleeping pad
- Firestarting kit - matches in a matchcase, ferrocerium rods (2), fatwood slivers, cotton wool with vaseline
- First-Aid Kit
- Toiletries kit
- Knapsack
- Wool pants
- Wool sweater
- Wool socks
- Winter jacket
- Winter gloves
- Wool hat
- Book
- Radio with extra batteries
- Headlamp with extra batteries
- Flares
- Bag of salt
- Rope
- Foldable shovel
- And a partridge in a pear tree.
Cheers,
Mungo
12 Bahs!:
Good grief I think I'm doing well when I remember to pack a few blankets. I live in Northern Michigan, you'd think I'd be better prepared. Guess I should look into expanding my winter survival kit.
Gotta hate worthless posts like that. Mungo you have way too much stuff, and it seems like you drive a truck to haul all of that with you. Especially if you are an outdoorsman, most of your survival gear should be in your brain; you shouldn't fall for the corporate marketing and just buy a shitload of stuff. For example, why the hell do you have "cutlery", an axe, 3 fucking mora knives, and a saw? One proper tool, or any tool in fact, that a normal person is used to using would substitute all of this.
Ultimately, when the shit does hit the fan, you'd just line all of your """"kit"""" in front of you and look at it without even being able to decide what to use for the job. Had we all bushcrafters been more dependant on our brain for survival than our gear, people would actually regard us with more respect. Now it is just looked at as another hobby. He likes fishing - spends money on fishing rods. He likes survival - spends money on all that shit ^.
Good point. I'm a bit of a pack rat. I'm assuming that I will be with someone else in the car. A fork and spoon comprise my cutlery set (that's all - wooden spoon and a fork - not your grandmother's silverware). Small Axe - firewood and shelter. Mora knives? Mors Kochanski always carries two around his neck. I always have 3 nearby. Saw? Good for bucking trees - I find it saves a lot of energy and it is super light weight. That's optional, but so small I pop it in my car trunk. On solo canoe trips I don't carry it.
I get your point, but have to protest a little... My fishing rod is a stick with a piece of twine on it. My frying pan is a rock that I've heated. The stuff I've accumulated over years is carefully tested and chosen. I don't buy stuff like padded hotdog sticks or windup LED toilet lights.
Find me 3 items that you think are superfluous in my car trunk, and I'll consider sending one of them to you for a souvenir.
Deal?
Maybe more to your point - here's my spring, summer and fall 6 item list:
1. axe
2. tarp
3. paracord
4. knife
5. cooking pot
6. fishing hooks
Mungo
Normally I don't publish comments full of swearing like yours, but you seem to be pretty upset and I thought I'd give you the benefit of the doubt and reasonably respond to your comments. I hope I was able to clarify a little for you. I'm a big proponent of 'carry less by knowing more', but when you're stuck in ditch buried in snow, stuck on a sideroad with your wife, knowing you'll be there for 2 or more days before rescue, it's a good thing to have redundant items in your car trunk... or so I believe.
Cheers,
Mungo
There's always part of me hoping for an exciting survival experience too, the other part of me always yells "just be glad you don't have any real hardships idiot." Really though, I can understand not wanting to mess around with Jack "Snowmageddon" Frost on a cold winters day.
I don't have a car, I usually take transit or ride with others, but when I go out I carry a little tupperware package of kit in my bag just because you never know what'll happen. Though my friends tease me sometimes for being prepared, it's always me they turn to in a pinch so I think I must be doing something right.
Almost always I will have on me:
-a couple yards of paracord
-a small waterproof flashlight
-a small pill box with advil, a few days of daily pills/vitamins, convenience meds like gravol, sudafed and tums
-bandaids, alcohol swabs, cotton pads and polysporin
-womenly stuff
-a protein bar
-a couple folded paper towels
-a large ziploc bag, a small garbage bag and a cheap emergency survival blanket
-eyeglasses repair kit
-a roll of dental floss
-nail file
-a few safety pins
-a needle and thread wrapped around it for rips and tears
-twist ties
-box of matches
-a tealight candle with metal bottom
-my swiss army knife
-metal water bottle
-extra socks
-sunglasses
It seems like a lot, but really, aside from the bottle, socks and sunglasses, it fits in a 3" by 4.5" by 2.5" container and weighs under a pound. Almost like carrying around an extra novel except that it could save my life. Water is the heaviest thing I carry and that could be said about anybody. ^_-
In the winter I have a heavy wool coat and wear extra flannel pants and bring a wool hat, arm warmers, mittens, and scarf. I figure I could probably craft anything else I really need in my environment so I'm set. Of course I'm preparing for mostly urban survival so a lot more of Mungo's stuff would be needed away from the city, and of course the most important thing to have is forethought.
oh, and a spork, can't survive without that :P
That looks like quite a comprehensive load Mungo.
You might also consider adding some of those chemical hand and foot warmer packets to your kit. You can use them for their intended purpose and also to keep batteries warm (cold batteries will die more quickly and a dead cell phone battery makes the device worthless.)
In our kits we've got very basic equipment (sleeping bag for warmth, hand warmers, a bottle of water or two, a flashlight, and some snacks.) My thought is that the car itself provides shelter and we're not going to be gone missing long enough that we'd need a more comprehensive kit.
Plus I've got my basic survival kit and knife in the car and know how to maximize their potential but my wife's skill set would require her to just sit tight, stay warm, and await rescue. :)
Good post,
B
congrats - you found yourself your first troll!
Anonimous doesnt even have the balls to leave his/her name. Cant imagine why you allowed that comment Mungo, and less why you gave him/her an explanation. Would'nt happen on my blog. Just shows what a nice lad you are...too nice.
And Leo, whats a spork?
A spork is a spoon with fork tips on the end. :D
http://www.campingsurvival.com/brmytisp.html
Maybe Santa will leave me one Leo, thanks for the link. I would'nt pay $10 for it but might just take an old dessert spoon to the workshop for some hacksawing and filing;-)
Merry Christmas Y'all
Maybe Santa will leave me one Leo, thanks for the link. I would'nt pay $10 for it but might just take an old dessert spoon to the workshop for some hacksawing and filing;-)
Merry Christmas Y'all
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