Almost immediately after I posted my last gear article, I went on two missions on the Sandias' west face, one to Tram Tower 2 and one up north of the La Luz, that just completely kicked my butt. Since then, I've been making a lot of modifications to what I carry, trying to slim things down as much as possible. The biggest changes were switching to a smaller backpack and dispensing with my equipment vest. I figured I'd go ahead and post an updated article, detailing what I carry now and highlighting lessons learned from the old kit.
Again, this is my basic load; in cold weather or for longer missions I'd add things such as a sleeping bag, tent, snowshoes, and the like. When I go on SAR missions, I have a duffel with extra food, extra water, change of clothes, more batteries, and my helmet and harness that stays in my truck, and I can draw on it as the situation dictates once I get to Incident Base.
Keep in mind, this list is for a low-angle, non-technical ground pounding team, operating in New Mexico (desert/mountain/pine forest). If your team specializes in tech rescue, dog handling, or something else, you may have different gear needs. If you work in Alaska or Alabama, you're going to have different gear needs. Consult whatever packing list your team distributes and go from there.
Be warned, this is going to be long-winded and photo-heavy.
