Survival

[mdlbear]

Wilderness Survival Kit: Gadgets and Ideas That Could Save Your Life - Gizmodo

As we mourn the death of C|Net journalist James Kim, we want to do whatever we can to prevent such tragedies. There are lots of ways to improve your odds when you get lost in the wilderness, stranded in your car, or are somehow thrust out of this comfy cocoon in which most of us are living. So we put together a list of gadgets and ideas that might help you survive in the wild. If this can save just one person, it will have been worth it.

They give a pretty decent list of things to keep in your car, and things to do (like tell somebody where you're going). kyburg has another list in this post.

I need to update our car kits. Even here in Northern California, there have been a few occasions when I've been glad of the flannel shirt I keep in the trunk, and wished I had a blanket as well. And it's not as if we never have natural disasters here. Even with your car parked in the driveway, a survival kit in the trunk could save your life some day.

Be safe, folks!

Comments

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you. Some of this stuff is definitely getting added to our shopping list, and then to our car.

[victorthecook.livejournal.com]

Emergency preparedness is a periodic topic of discussion over at Making Light. You may want to look around there, if you haven't already.

You may also want to check out Jim Macdonald's information on jump bags and medical kits here for some quick, relevant information.

Over at my place, we had some relevant discussion last September:
Emergency Kits Annotated.

[jilara.livejournal.com]

I loved the GPS suggestion. Where he was, a GPS is worse than useless. That's because the roads in truly remote areas seldom match the maps. Particularily in logging areas. You might see yourself as a blip, but not in relation to anything meaningful, and the roads won't match. I have found myself on perfectly good roads that *weren't on the GPS* and seen supposed roads on the GPS that don't match anything I'm seeing.

Other suggested items to carry:
- energy bars
- chemical-based handwarmers (available in sporting goods stores)
- gloves
- a baseball cap. It will pack flat, and even minor fabric will keep you from losing heat through your scalp
- an old AOL disk which makes a nifty signal mirror - sight your target through the center hole, and tilt to flash. (I picked this tip up from Outside Magazine, years ago.)