HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUNTING, HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY: GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - Wilderness Emergency Kit

HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUNTING, HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY

HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUNTING, HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY: GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - Wilderness Emergency Kit - Contents Detailed

GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - Wilderness Emergency Kit - Contents Detailed

The essentials. The contents of my Wilderness Emergency Kit or WEK laid out on the tailgate. I simply emptied my Hill People Gear Kit Bag for this picture. The item to the left of the SPOT is a Zeiss Miniquick Monocular, not essential but very handy.

Many of you have asked and asked and nagged so here it is, finally. Sorry for the delay.

After thirty years of trial and error, tens of thousands of hours in the backcountry, some of the best training in the world, and god only knows how much money this is what I carry with me every time I leave the truck. In my opinion and based on what I do this is exactly, nothing more nothing less, what I need in a wilderness emergency. Remember, this is not about comfort or living off the land, it is about dealing successfully with a problem and getting help if and when I need it.

There is a corollary to this kit though. I have put all this together knowing;

I will be wearing the appropriate clothing including belt, footwear, hat, and gloves
I will have water and a container to carry it in
I will be wearing sunglasses (right now Julbo Trail models)
I will have a trekking pole with me (Black Diamond adjustable equipped with reflective tape, duct tape and 550 cord)
I will have a bandana, lip balm (Banana Boat Aloe Vera Vitamin E SPF 45) and a pocket knife (usually a Victorinox Soldier) in my pant cargo pockets
I will be wearing a whistle (Wind Storm) around my neck
I will be wearing a Road ID bracelet with my emergency contact information
I will be carrying a cellular telephone
I will tell a responsible person where I am going and when I plan to be back

Lastly, I have taken great care to find and select each of the following items for a specific reason so if you are trying to put one of these together on your own, yes, brand and model matters very much to me.

COMMUNICATIONS
VHF handheld radio (iCom IC-F11 with 1800mAh Li-ion battery) and no I will not share my frequency list with you
SPOT 2 Satellite Messenger (with Ultimate Lithium batteries)

SIGNALING
Headlamp (Petzl Tikka Plus 2 with Ultimate Lithium batteries)
SOLAS strobe light (ACR Firefly 3 with Ultimate Lithium batteries)
SOLAS Reflective tape strip (ACR 2x4 inch super sticky backing)

FIRE
9x6 inch leakproof slash airtight pouch (Aloksak)
6 jumbo cotton balls (use as spark catcher or tinder with the Vaseline worked in)
.35 ounce tube of white petroleum (Vaseline Lip Therapy for the cotton balls)
Disposable butane lighter (Bic with a rubber band to protect from accidental gas discharge)
Flint and steel striker (Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel)
8 woven cotton tinder bundles (Tinder-Quik Fire Tabs)
25 Stormproof Matches with an extra sealed striker strip (REI)
3 separately sealed Esbit fuel tabs (REI)

MEDICAL
9x6 inch leakproof slash airtight pouch (Aloksak)
3 inch by 4 yard sterile medicated gauze (Quikclot Combat Gauze)
3 inch elastic bandage with Velcro fastener (Ace)
5 wound closure strips
2x2 inch Opsite Flexigrid transparent permeable wound cover
1 Tincture of Benzoin ampule
3 4 ply 4x4 inch gauze pads
5 Band-Aids in medium and large size
40x40x56 inch cotton muslin triangular bandage
EpiPen .3 mg Epinephrine Auto-Injector (prescription required)
4 800 mg Ibuprofen tablets (prescription required)
2 Benadryl capsules
Waterproof, sweatproof sunblock .3 fluid ounce pack (Bull Frog Quikgel 36 SPF)
1 insect repellant towelette (OFF Deep Woods)

NAVIGATION
GPS receiver (Garmin Foretrex 401)
Wrist compass (Suunto M-9)
2 3x5 index cards
Permanent marker (Sharpie Mini)

SHELTER
60x96 inch plastic, heat reflective blanket slash sheet (Adventure Medical Kits SOL Blanket Two Person)

So that is it. The WEK is specialized but I use certain items in it every time I head out so it is a working kit that doesn't get stale. However, it is also designed for durability, longevity, and low maintenance so you could keep it in your plane or boat for the season. You are welcome to try and poke holes in it, please do, but I am pretty happy with it.

I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the guys on Man vs. Wild, Dual Survival, and Man Woman Wild would love to have the WEK with them on their little theatrical misadventures but I guess nobody wants to watch TV shows about properly prepared people in the wilderness.

Thanks.

Wade Nelson
Editor

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.

We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd.

Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.