What do you carry as ultimate survival gear?

[Kody]

What I don't mean by this question is what you carry for TD breakdown or how to fix the minor problems that appear but the gear for an all out emergency relating to your vehicle which ultimately concerns your lives.
When I was in the US, I saw a documentary about a fella who traveled from the West to the East along the US/Canadian border. There were two routes he could travel, one was the northern route (the main route) and the other was the southern route which was very scenic. He was a traveling salesman who had traversed these routes many a time. For this trip he chose the "southern" route but told no-one which way he was going. He drove a medium sized van but carried no safety or survival gear whatsoever. The van slid off the road and down into a ditch where it stayed. It was impossible to get the van out. He waited for three days and then decided he might be able to walk to the next town, only (?) 25 miles up the road. A blizzard moved in and he was unable to go anywhere. Snowmobiles were sent to look for him but turned back just 1 mile from where he was. He died from starvation and hypothermia. He was later found when the road finally opened up in Spring.
I asked my students (aged 19 to 55) what would they have carried in the van and how would they have used the gear to save the van and the life of the guy? The answers were amazing. No-one had a clue of what should be carried and when I suggested equipment to carry, they had no idea how to use it. What would you fellas carry and how would you use it?

Ok, this is what I would have carried (and did carry in the US) and do carry here in Aust. when we go tripping around (off the highway especially).
Two or three boxes of waterproof matches.
My two Bowie knives, a big one and a medium size one.
A minimum of 200 feet of very strong rope, mountain climbing type rope or better.
A full size axe of high quality.
Twenty yards of strong cord.
A high quality shovel.
A small crow bar or small pick.
Adequate blankets/sleeping bags/pillows etc.
And last but not least, a minimum of five gallons of water and ten gallons when out in the middle of nowhere.
Always take your mobile phone but don't rely on it to get help.
In less than half a day I would have had the vehicle back on the road with this equipment. If you carry a Wallaby jack with you, they are a great tool to have if you know how to use it. I always carry mine. Not every car has an electric winch mounted on it so they don't count for this situation. How would you use this gear to get you out of the ditch?

Kody

[Roo Dog]

Kody,

A 40 oz bottle of rum !
Bundaberg preferably.
Helps pass the time until someone finds you. After 40 ozs of rum you would not be too fussed if you were dead or alive when found.

RD

[tony.latham]

A cell phone (plus food, water, clothing for such an event and my trusty pistol). If the (winter) weather looks extra nasty I'll throw in a sleeping bag.

When my wife and I travel solo, we track each other using the Find My iPhone app.

[KennethW]

I don't know what their called ,But snowmobiles and hunters carry a emergency transponder just in case.

[working on it]

All of the above, but add a MacGuyver tool. Never leave home without one!

[DezPrado]

Nowadays, always an Emergency Personal Locator Beacon. Relatively cheaper than chips and infinitely more reliable than your average cell phone coverage.
Not only is it with me everytime I venture backpacking, hunting, but now whenever I venture away from home base. Even took it overseas on holiday. (never know what unplanned adventure one might get offered). Having seen the value in these from my perspective as a Search & Rescue volunteer, I believe we're mad not to have one............

[Shadow Catcher]

About 40 years ago we got stuck in one of the back areas of Death Vally and had to hike out, we had five gallons of water but were fortunate to be picked up by a couple of prospectors (professors at a university).
There were many places out west where we had no cell service and the next time we are at all off the beaten track we will have a PLB, rented from REI.
I have a set of bearings tools etc. and we carry ten gallons of water and the means to purify water from lakes or streams.

[Rainier70]

I second the PLB (personal locator beacon). I travel, hike, and fish alone a lot in the summer. Where I travel there isn't any cell service, so I never go without the plb. If I am camping, I always have my gear which includes sleeping bags, water, water-filter, food, etc. I also like to have a shovel, bow saw, and tow strap or cable. In the inter-mountain west there are a lot of beetle killed trees and wind storms. It's a bit unsettling to go down a little mountain road after a storm and find that your way out is blocked by a fallen tree. With the saw and strap I can clear the road enough to get out.

Cindy

[Roo Dog]

I did most of my remote country work before the days of PLBs, mobile phones etc. A HF radio was a handy bit of kit back then.
Water was the big ticket item closely followed by common sense, a bottle of rum was also handy as a disinfectant, made the water taste better and killed any bugs and, as I said earlier, it helps pass the time.
Horses for courses, what you carry depends on the country, vehicle, weather, expected conditions and yourself of course. What works in one situation for a particular individual could be a waste of time in another.
When it all comes unstuck you will discover soon enough if you have got it right.
Take it easy.

RD

[Mary C]

First I don't do G P S. I do M A P!!! I always have a compass and a map and I can read both. A small saw, knife, water, and purifying tablets, a first aid kit, fire starter, Hand warmers, blanket, caned food,and a rain/shelter poncho. I don't go anywhere with out those things. I keep a pair of sneakers and a change of clothes in my car. along with a jacket poncho which can be used as a blanket.

Mary C.

[rebapuck]

My VW forum is always chattering about what to take for cross country trips. The list of extra parts is extensive. Some even take an extra engine....If I thought I had to take an extra engine, I'd never leave the driveway.

[working on it]

My VW forum is always chattering about what to take for cross country trips. The list of extra parts is extensive. Some even take an extra engine....If I thought I had to take an extra engine, I'd never leave the driveway.

I used to have a '73 Volvo 142 two-door. Back in the late 70's, I would travel to places far away from Volvo dealerships, and parts were hard to come by (Internet not applicable then). So I carried a trunkful of spare parts, that I might need, like a spare alternator...fuel pump...fan belts...water pump...and hoses, plugs, fuses etc....I had had trouble before, finding them anywhere, and knew what parts had previously gone bad on a couple of friends' Volvos in the past. I even had to use my parts and help a dealership mechanic replace them (at the dealership, using their tools!) one Saturday morning in a South Texas city. I was more knowledgeable about the cars than he was! They still charged me labor, though I taught him. I still had about $500 in parts in the trunk of my car when my brother stole it, totaled it, and was given $200 bucks by my mother not to call the cops. But then, that's another long story....

[kludge]

3 minutes without oxygen
3 hours from exposure
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

In my pockets/fanny pack/day pack (weather dependant):
1-2L water, FirstAid kit, clothing for the weather (extra socks, jacket, hat, gloves, layers, etc.), Swiss Army knife, two trash bags or poncho (rain gear/emrg. shelter), 25-50ft paracord, map and compass, flashlight (usually two, one in the pocket, one in the pack), Mora Knife, whistle, trail food + cocoa, matches/firestarters, bug repellant, sunscreen, lip balm in a tube, cotton balls in a 35mm film canister (firestarters), steel cup, and maybe a nylon hammock and plastic tarp if I suspect bad weather or there's a chance I won't get back before night fall.

In my regular back pack:
Tarp/tent, sleeping bag for the weather, closed foam sleeping pad, 1-2 complete changes of clothing, high energy food for 2-3 days ("real" MRE's are good), water purification, water container, cook kit, backpack stove , first aid kit, 100ft paracord, hatchet, pack saw, trash bags (pack cover, sleeping bag cover),extra shoes.

In my vehicle:
Large duffel with extra blanket/sleeping bag, large flashlight, large first aid kit, 1-2 complete changes of clothing, extra food, firearm appropriate to the area, mechanics tool set, vital fluids.

[Kody]

If you were the guy I described in the beginning of the thread, how would you have gotten the van out and on the road using only the equipment I listed? No cell phone or radio to call for help. Remember, this is a true story and the guy had nothing to use to save his life with. I'll be generous, you can have what's listed below which is what I always take with me when I go bush..

A Bowie knife
A minimum of 200 feet of very strong rope, mountain climbing type rope or better.
A full size axe of high quality.
Twenty yards of strong cord.
A high quality shovel.
A small crow bar or small pick.
Matches
Adequate blankets/sleeping bags/pillows etc.
And last but not least, a minimum of five gallons of water and ten gallons when out in the middle of nowhere.

How would you get the van out and on the road, do you think you could do it? and yes, you can certainly do this too,

Kody

[Dale M.]

In story at beginning. why would you hang around for 3 days with out anything and loose your strength from lack of food and water....

After 3 HOURS of futile attempts to get unstuck, I would have put note in window and walked out (unless it was late in day)....

Dale