What works best in day and night?  

In land?  

In water?

Do they all use night vision?

Signal mirror?

PLB?

Strobe ?

Chemlight?

IR chemilight?

IR strobe ?

Pen flares?

Flare?  

Smoke?

What else?

I had posted a survival kit thread some time ago, but sadly it is now lost to the sands of time, no longer coming up in an archive search. So here it is again...

This is not so much a "survival kit" as it is a "get found and rescued kit". It is designed to get you home for dinner, or maybe breakfast the next day. The idea is to get found fast and be comfortable while waiting.

What it doesn't have:

- I normally "dress for the crash", so no additional clothing.
- No bottled water because of its bulk and weight.
- No boo-boo bandage type stuff--I can tough-out a few scrapes and cuts.
- No food or food gathering stuff--not planning on staying that long, and I can stand to lose a few pounds!

The entire mess fits within a Vanquest 7x10 FATPack medical pouch.

Get found section:

- FastFIND PLB (with GPS)--this is the cornerstone of the entire system
- EF-30A-3 strobe (replaced the ACR shown in the attached photos)--for day/night signaling
- Signal mirror--for daytime signalling
- Cheap green laser pointer--day and night signalling
- Signal whistle--if they are coming for you on foot
- Yaesu FTA-550AA aviation handheld radio--for coordinating with overhead rescue aircraft

Fire section (get found, stay comfy):

- Zippo emergency fire kit
- UCO match kit

Stay comfy section:

- SOL bivy
- Coleman toilet paper
- BugX30 insect repellent wipes (4)
- MSR MIOX water purifier
- Gallon Zip-Loc bags (2--for water collection, which will probably only occur if the weather is so bad they can't come get me right away)

Misc. section:

- Big CRKT folding knife (probably superfluous, but you never know)
- Compass (not really planning to go anywhere, but I had it and it was small)
- Petzl Zipka headlamp (not rugged, but tiny, if the ship doesn't burn there are more flashlights in it)

Major bleed section:

- SWAT-T
- Celox

After watching many episodes of "Naked and Afraid", one can really appreciate the importance of "staying comfy", and also appreciate how long one can go without food. Stay comfy, stay put, stay hydrated, wait for rescue, maybe lose a few pounds, and have a wonderful meal when you get home.

By rights I should replace the PLB with an inReach, but I'm simply not that far from cellular coverage that often. However I am planning on getting a new cell phone in about a year and it will be one with the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite Iridium comm's.

Attached File


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This is the quintessential PLB/inReach make it home for dinner aviation video. True story. Almost everything else is secondary to making comm's, getting found, and getting out of there.

Thanks for posting this.  Well thought out and packed.

PLB and a larger signal, like the smoke from the fire, seem best.

I have PLB and fire making methods.

Then I also have an Icom A-16 handheld.  

What’s funny is that I have a mosquito headnet, that I vacuum packed to make it flat, along with a 1oz sprayer that I filled with Sawyer Picaridin.

Continuing with signal:

Signal mirror
Navy Pen Flare kit, that I got from someone, I think from LightFighter.
Day/Night flare/orange smoke
Streamlight Sidewinder Compact II headlamp
Streamlight Sidewinder Rescue (think MS-2000 strobe with rotating head and more functions)

Here are some videos I made of the PLB and of some of the pyrotechnics that I tested

SAR ADDENDUM

Take a look at tables H-20 thru H-24.

I know of two people who are likely only alive because of EPIRB.  Good gear, especially offshore.  

Thanks, MudEagle

I'm not a big fan of pyro signals. They are bulky, expensive, and short acting. I can make a smoky fire that can be seen a long ways away and that will last a long time. Pyro is only useful if you see rescue assets before they see you, otherwise it's just a waste of good pyro.

If you are in open country with nothing to burn then that's where a long duration strobe comes into play, or perhaps a VS17 panel.

I have on my list, in order of importance:

- PLB.  ACR models are my favorite.  They also transmit on 121.5 MHz (see video above)

- VHF radio (airband) in the form of an Icom A-16 and additional Li-ion battery.  
I have airband because commercial aircraft listen to 121.5 MHz AM, while boats listen to 156.8 MHz FM (aka Ch 16).  As far as I know only USCG listens to 16 in their aircraft so chances are greatly expanded by including commercial aircraft due to line-of-sight.

- Aerial Flares (like pen gun). I was able to acquire a Mk 79 Mod 2 kit.  Goes appreciably higher than the Bass Pro Back Pack Rocket / Pocket Rocket kit (different than Skyblazer) - (see video above)

- Strobe.  I like the Streamlight Sidewinder Rescue model

- Handheld Flare/Smoke, like a Mk124 unit