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In or on my pfd, I have a knife, folding saw, a tiny drybox with a led headlamp and a lighter, two mini pulley thingies, 2 locking carabiners, two prussicks, a glow stick, a compass, and a whistle. I also carry a sling of webbing around my waist with a locking carabiner and a paddle carabiner. This is how I hit the water, whether its raft guiding, steep creeking, or taking my son out in a ducky. I used to carry a bag valve mask, but decided I'm more likely to hike out in the dark than perform cpr, so i swapped in the headlamp and lighter so I have something even if I lose my boat. I used to depend on the glowstick, and still keep one in there, but it's hard to hike through rhododendron with just a glow. Trust me. As for the lighter, well, I think Jack London painted a pretty good picture.
In my boat I always carry a 70' spectra throwbag, and an emergency kit packed in a nalgene bottle. My kit contains a large trashbag, lighter and rubber for a fire, sam splint, ibuprofen, maxi pad and a few band-aids, space blanket, duct tape and a paddle carabiner. The nalgene bottle can be emptied out and used for water, with the other gear put inside a ziploc from the kit. The trash bag can be used as a splint, to carry water, groundcloth, poncho, partial bivy sack, and covering a large wound. The sam splint is a luxury, but it makes splinting so easy I bring it. I'm pretty light on first aid equipment, but for simple day trips, your priorities are going to be stabilization and evac, not particularly treatment. Maxi pad for blood, band aids and duct tape for stubborn bleeders, ibuprofen for pain and inflammation. I've taken an EMT class, and followed it up with a Wilderness EMT upgrade, so I feel comfortable with my level of knowledge. If I'm going in somewhere more remote, like otter creek or red creek in the winter, I'll throw in a dry bag with some gloves, an extra fleece, and a warm hat.
Comments? What do you carry?
2 comments:
Nice blog JB. In addition to the things you already mentioned, some paddlers may find the following items helpful:
-iodine tablets for water purification
-plastic zip-ties for general repairs such as a broken back band
-a sewing needle and thread for a ripped sprayskirt or drytop (although a few safety pins could certainly do the trick in those scenarios and could be used for other applications as well)
-pain medication for those pesky shoulder dislocations and other injuries
-extra pogies in winter. I once lost my paddle, and the pogies that were attached to it, on a cold winter day. While I had a spare paddle and was able to finish the run, my hands lost all feeling within about ten minutes. I definitely could not have contributed to any emergency situation as my hands were basically useless for anything except maintaining a lose hold on my take apart paddle. If you wear gloves, this does not apply to you. Or if you simply break your paddle, then you can just take the pogies off of your broken paddle. Also, for very short or roadside runs, it may not make much of a difference. But for long or remote runs, an extra pair of pogies could be a lifesaver. Also, I've found that you'll eventually have a friend forget to bring a pair, and you can lend them your extra pair of pogies for the day.
Keep up the good work,
Stew
Stew! I remember you fixing your skirt on Manns our first time down. (Which, if you'll recall, was nearly a decade ago.)
-Zip ties are a good idea! Light, small, and cheap too.
-I've got ibuprofen in my nalgene, but that doesn't put much of a dent in a shoulder that's out.
-I've been packing a drybag with goodies in the winter, including some extra neoprene gloves.
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