Emergency Shelter Kit:
One of the shortfalls where my Personal Survival Kit is concerned, is around the requirements for shelter. Like most of these occassions where you put kits together, quite often there is a trade off between what you can afford to spend on your gear, size or weight restrictions, how big or small you want the kit to be, its portability, and ultimately what you want to achieve with the kit. Its something that has niggled at me for ages, where even though I do have a mylar space blanket contained within the PSK, I have always thought that, where the British weather is concerned, it just wouldnt be enough. Building natural shelters is ok if you have the materials and time to do it, but what if I am injured? or what if the natural materials are just not easy to come by?
There is also another question that kept coming to the forefront of my mind as well. What if I come across someone else that is in trouble, someone who has not prepared for a turn in the weather conditions, they have been exposed to the elements wearing inappropriate clothing, they are potentially suffering with the early stages of hypothermia, they dont have much energy, are potentially or actually injured? Now, I am meticulous at making sure that I, and my family, are prepared for the environmental conditions that could affect us anytime we are outdoors, but something needed to be done 'just in case'. I needed some extra capability, over and above the mylar blanket to give some serious options for providing shelter and perhaps just as importantly, warmth, if I needed to stabilise someone else while I went for help. Lets have a look at the kit that I have put together, and I will go through some of the contents and why they have been included...
There is also another question that kept coming to the forefront of my mind as well. What if I come across someone else that is in trouble, someone who has not prepared for a turn in the weather conditions, they have been exposed to the elements wearing inappropriate clothing, they are potentially suffering with the early stages of hypothermia, they dont have much energy, are potentially or actually injured? Now, I am meticulous at making sure that I, and my family, are prepared for the environmental conditions that could affect us anytime we are outdoors, but something needed to be done 'just in case'. I needed some extra capability, over and above the mylar blanket to give some serious options for providing shelter and perhaps just as importantly, warmth, if I needed to stabilise someone else while I went for help. Lets have a look at the kit that I have put together, and I will go through some of the contents and why they have been included...
Contents:
1 x Carry case - Viper tactical style pouch approx 8in x 5in x 1.5in
1 x Orange emergency bivvy bag
2 x Black heavy duty bin liners
1 x Large mylar blanket
2 x 'Hotties' branded hand warmers
2 x Hanks 20ft paracord
1 x Victorinox Huntsman
1 x lighter wrapped in gorilla tape
Carry case - Hard wearing, tactical style pouch that has a double zipper and can be carried in the backpack, on the belt, or attached to the outside of a pack.
Orange Bivvy bag - orange colour is clearly visibe for rescue or signalling, bag can be used as sleeping bag to prevent heat loss through convection, or split down two sides for shelter in the form of an over head tarp.
Black bin liners - can be stuffed with grass or leaves etc for ground insulation to prevent heat loss through conduction, can have one corner torn off andworn over head in the style of a poncho.
Mylar blanket - reflective properties to combat hypothermia, also can be used overhead to combat sunstroke or hyperthermia by providing shade. Can be used as heat reflector for fire.
Hand warmers - provides instant heat. Can be used as hand warmers to return dexterity to cold hands, placed next to bodys core for warmth or placed in a pot to melt snow for water.
Hanks of paracord - used as cordage for ridge lines or guy lines, can be used to tie off bin liner ends...many uses for cordage!
Victorinox Huntsman - blade, also has wood saw and awl, very useful knife for cutting and sawing wood for shelter. No it wont batton through 6 inch thick logs, but that really isnt necessary!!
Lighter wrapped in gorilla tape - a lighter is a small item that will provide a definite and prolonged flame if a fire is needed, tape for repairs to clothing, re-inforcing edges of corners of bivvy or bin liners.
The thing to remember here is that this kit is designed to supplement the PSK, not to be a PSK in itself.
In my mind the single most important consideration before even setting foot outdoors is the elements and what they can throw at you. Yes de-hydration is an important consideration which must be addressed, yes food is also a need for the slightly longer term, but if someone decides to take a treck out in the Welsh mountains in Spring, wearing nothing but a t-shirt, light cotton trousers and some training shoes, what originally started out as a sunny day stroll, can quickly turn into a life or death situation. All it takes is for a downpour (quite common in the UK!) an increase in wind speed (quite common in the UK!) a wrong turn on a trail (quite common anywhere in the world!), confusion and disorientation setting in (quite common with hypothermia!) and the evening/night time drawing in (quite common everywhere in the world!) or any combination of those factors, and a serious situation is likely to turn life threatening very quickly.
Dont believe me? Sure it wont happen to you? Ok...on average, something like 350 people die each year in the UK due to what the official death reports for every fatality quote as 'exposure'. This little pack, that hardly takes up any room and weighs about a quarter of a kilo will make sure that I and my family dont end up as one of these statistics. As a bonus, if I am prepared for the hike in the Welsh mountains with the appropriate clothing to cope with the elements, if I come across anyone who isnt, I can help them out, and perhaps prevent their neglect from making them one of the 350 statistic!!
If you would like to watch my video on this Emergency Shelter Kit you can find it through clicking on this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GlznqwfSZ4
1 x Carry case - Viper tactical style pouch approx 8in x 5in x 1.5in
1 x Orange emergency bivvy bag
2 x Black heavy duty bin liners
1 x Large mylar blanket
2 x 'Hotties' branded hand warmers
2 x Hanks 20ft paracord
1 x Victorinox Huntsman
1 x lighter wrapped in gorilla tape
Carry case - Hard wearing, tactical style pouch that has a double zipper and can be carried in the backpack, on the belt, or attached to the outside of a pack.
Orange Bivvy bag - orange colour is clearly visibe for rescue or signalling, bag can be used as sleeping bag to prevent heat loss through convection, or split down two sides for shelter in the form of an over head tarp.
Black bin liners - can be stuffed with grass or leaves etc for ground insulation to prevent heat loss through conduction, can have one corner torn off andworn over head in the style of a poncho.
Mylar blanket - reflective properties to combat hypothermia, also can be used overhead to combat sunstroke or hyperthermia by providing shade. Can be used as heat reflector for fire.
Hand warmers - provides instant heat. Can be used as hand warmers to return dexterity to cold hands, placed next to bodys core for warmth or placed in a pot to melt snow for water.
Hanks of paracord - used as cordage for ridge lines or guy lines, can be used to tie off bin liner ends...many uses for cordage!
Victorinox Huntsman - blade, also has wood saw and awl, very useful knife for cutting and sawing wood for shelter. No it wont batton through 6 inch thick logs, but that really isnt necessary!!
Lighter wrapped in gorilla tape - a lighter is a small item that will provide a definite and prolonged flame if a fire is needed, tape for repairs to clothing, re-inforcing edges of corners of bivvy or bin liners.
The thing to remember here is that this kit is designed to supplement the PSK, not to be a PSK in itself.
In my mind the single most important consideration before even setting foot outdoors is the elements and what they can throw at you. Yes de-hydration is an important consideration which must be addressed, yes food is also a need for the slightly longer term, but if someone decides to take a treck out in the Welsh mountains in Spring, wearing nothing but a t-shirt, light cotton trousers and some training shoes, what originally started out as a sunny day stroll, can quickly turn into a life or death situation. All it takes is for a downpour (quite common in the UK!) an increase in wind speed (quite common in the UK!) a wrong turn on a trail (quite common anywhere in the world!), confusion and disorientation setting in (quite common with hypothermia!) and the evening/night time drawing in (quite common everywhere in the world!) or any combination of those factors, and a serious situation is likely to turn life threatening very quickly.
Dont believe me? Sure it wont happen to you? Ok...on average, something like 350 people die each year in the UK due to what the official death reports for every fatality quote as 'exposure'. This little pack, that hardly takes up any room and weighs about a quarter of a kilo will make sure that I and my family dont end up as one of these statistics. As a bonus, if I am prepared for the hike in the Welsh mountains with the appropriate clothing to cope with the elements, if I come across anyone who isnt, I can help them out, and perhaps prevent their neglect from making them one of the 350 statistic!!
If you would like to watch my video on this Emergency Shelter Kit you can find it through clicking on this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GlznqwfSZ4