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.
First, clothing. I wear a shirt and cap in fluorescent orange, both polyester, which dries faster than cotton. The shirt is by Carhartt, the cap is Wal-Mart's house brand. Embroidery on the cap is courtesy of my girlfriend's aunt, and looks pretty sharp.
You want to be seen in SAR; by aircrews, by other teams, by passing motor vehicles, and by the search subject. I've added green/reflective stripes and the nametapes off my vest; the idea is that if you're working with searchers from other teams, they know what to call you.
For pants, I use a pair of REI Endeavor hiking pants. They're a heavy nylon material with a fair bit of stretch. I've been fairly happy with them, they're very comfortable and wear well. The front pockets are extremely deep (like, 10-12 inches deep), and designed so stuff doesn't fall out.
On the other hand, they're not the best in very hot weather; something lighter would suit better. Also, they didn't come with as many pockets as I'd have liked, but it was easy enough to add my own. The material melts easily; I've got a couple of burn holes from campfire embers. Finally, the fly zipper is entirely too short for the intended purpose; I had to rip it out, pull the seam apart, and add a longer zipper. Even with all these nits to pick, however, they're nice pants.
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| I've made a lot of modifications, adding pockets, reinforcing the knees, replacing the fly, and adding belt loops. |
My boots are a pair of Cresta Hikers from L.L. Bean. They're full leather, gore-tex lined. Very comfortable and durable. I've added rubber toe caps to reduce wear, purchased at Sear's.
Boots are something you'll want to put some real money into, because you will use them on every mission. Guaranteed.
I've 86'ed the chest rig entirely; I found that it restricted my breathing when I'm really huffing and puffing, and makes adding or removing layers more complicated. To make up for its absence, I added PALS webbing to the shoulder straps and hipbelt of my new pack. My GPS, radio mic, whistle, pens, and notebook are all attached where I can get to them, as well as the same stuff I carried on the pack belt before. My knife and flashlight went into pockets on my pants.
Always have something easily available to write on and with. Rite in the Rain notebooks have become sort of an industry standard among SAR teams, and for good reason. I can run this notebook under the sink and still read my notes afterward. Unfortunately, because it's waterproof, it will not take marks from certain pens.
I also carry a sharpie, several pencils, a pencil sharpener, and a waterproof pen.
Always have a good blade. Preferably a couple of good blades. I feel there's a need for a simple pocketknife, even if you're carrying a multitool that has a knife blade, as multitools aren't very comfortable to use for extended cutting.
My choice is a Spyderco Endura 4 FFG, in bright orange (of course). It's by far one of the lightest and most comfortable large folding knives I've used, at 3.4 ounces for a 3.75" blade. Whoever does ergonomics at Spyderco knows what they're doing, this knife is extremely comfortable and natural feeling in the hand.
It's easy to open and close with one hand (once you get the hang of the lockback), easy to clean, and I haven't had any issues with rust. the blade is VG-10 steel, for those of you who that means anything to. It's held an edge very well. The flat grind improves slicing performance over a more traditionally ground blade.
Speaking of multitools, I used to carry a Leatherman Wave, but I decided that it's heavy and I honestly don't use it much on missions. For pulling cactus spines, which is all I really used it for, I've added a pair of hemostats (basically clamping tweezers) to my first aid kit.
My hand light is a Nitecore P10, which I got to replace my old Fenix PD-30. this light is stupid-bright (800 lumens, I think?), and has 3 different light output levels, while staying relatively lightweight and compact. One of the nice features is a memory; whatever output level it was set to when switched off is the one at which it will come back on.
The P10's tailcap features two buttons. the large round button is the power switch, and will turn the light on momentarily with a half press, or click on with a full press. The smaller hexagonal button changes output level, and if pressed while the light is off or if pressed and held, will engage a strobe mode. I like this arrangement much better than others that place the mode switch on the side of the light, as everything is under your thumb and easy to get to.
The light is powered by either two CR-123a lithium primary cells or a single 18650 rechargeable. I went with the 18650 because I didn't see the sense in continually buying batteries. My headlamp takes the same battery, so I can scavenge this one for the headlamp if I need to.
My GPS receiver is a Garmin eTrex 10. Not much to write home about; it doesn't have expandable memory, a 3-axis compass, a camera, or even a color display. However, it was (relatively) cheap at $110, and it does what I need it to do, which is tell me where I am and how far away my destination coordinates are. It's a no-frills unit, but for some, that's a positive trait. However, the little thumb stick makes it a little difficult to input coordinates, and the lack of an onboard compass means you have to be in motion for it to have any idea which direction you're facing.
If you do SAR and you don't carry a GPS, think about changing that. Navigating by map and GPS is ridiculously faster than navigating by map and compass, and when time can mean life for your subject, it's a no-brainer. However, GPS navigation is a skill that requires practice; the device won't do all the work for you.
Fox 40 Sharx whistle. Stupidly loud, in the sense that I have to cover my ears when I blow it to avoid injuring myself. Good for attracting a search subject's attention, or, in an emergency, attracting the attention of fellow searchers. It's all one piece, with no balls or other junk rattling around inside.
For communications, I carry a Motorola XTS-5000 radio. This is the only change I've made that is actually heavier than what I replaced with it. However, the Baofeng UV-5R I had been carrying isn't waterproof and was making me concerned about breaking it when I really needed it. This one is big and heavy, but bombproof and reliable.
I'm a longtime fan of Mechanix gloves; they're comfortable, fairly durable, and not that expensive. These are the "Framer" model, using real leather reinforcements, and leaving the tips of your thumb and first two fingers exposed for better dexterity. The orange 550 cord loops were my addition.
One thing I really like is that they close around your hand, not your wrist, and so don't interfere with your wristwatch.
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| Rubber knuckle reinforcement |
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| Padding on palm. I'd have preferred leather here. |
On to the pack and its contents. This is by far the largest change I've made. The pack I'm using now is mostly an Eagle Creek internal frame pack I picked up for $35 at Outdoor Regear. I took it home and spent about four days working on it.
All the orange compression straps are my addition. The lid is my design, and has a small pocket underneath for my shell jacket. I added pouches on either side for my radio and a water bottle. I added additional padding to the hipbelt. The straps on the pack were mounted too high to fit my back properly, and the padded part wasn't long enough. I cut them off and made new straps from whole cloth, which was quite a project.
Unfortunately, it's a relatively old pack (I'm not sure from when, but the eBay listings I find on similar packs call them 'vintage'), and is pretty heavy at 4.5 pounds. However, for a college student on a budget, it was this or nothing; I don't have $200 to lay down on an ultralight pack from REI, and it's much smaller and more agile than my Osprey.
This pack is something of a stopgap; when I finish school I'd like to buy some lightweight materials and make my own backpack from scratch. However, that's a project for another day, and this will do nicely until then.
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| This pouch is a hard case I designed for my sunglasses and spare lenses, still attached to my old pack because I didn't think to take a close-up picture of it mounted on the new one. |
The shoulder straps should meet the pack at the level of your shoulder blades. If there's a gap between your shoulders and the straps, the pack is too long for you, and you need to either modify it or buy a smaller pack.
Also be sure to get a pack with a rigid frame, a hip belt, a sternum strap, and load lifter straps on top of the shoulders.
Also, packs are like boots: you will use them on every mission, so get one you really like.
The sunglasses I carry are Revision's Sawfly Ballistic glasses. They're not the most stylish, but they do the job. They're comfortable, and five different lens tints for varying light conditions are available. The earpieces are flattened to work with ear protection, and it comes with an elastic strap to help keep them in place during strenuous activity.
The gray lens is good for those brutally sunny days we get up here in New Mexico, where Our Friend the Sun tries to murder you, engendering the desire to scurry under cover and pet a Ring of Power whilst arguing with yourself.
The brown lens is good for partly cloudy days, it's dark enough to keep the sun at bay, but light enough that you don't go blind if it ducks behind a cloud. Additionally, the brown is a high-contrast lens that makes it a little easier to see in shadows and whatnot.
Red/orange is your overcast day lens. It's a very high contrast lens, and makes things seem a little brighter by blocking out blue light. Yellow takes that a step farther, and is good for twilight conditions. Clear is, um, clear. You can see through it and not walk into trees.
They don't fit my face quite as perfectly as my old Oakleys, but they were much cheaper, and are still quite comfortable. They tend to slide down my nose if I'm running or holding my head at a funny angle, but that's what the strap is for. The lenses also have a little plastic nub on the nosepeice, for the attachment of a prescription lens carrier. It's not really noticeable, but it's there. The upside is, if it bothers you and you don't have any need for prescription lenses, it'd be easy enough to just file off.
As a side note, according to Revision, these things will stop a shotgun blast. I don't plan to get shot in the face with a shotgun, but it's nice to know I have that level of protection.
Trail tape. Important for marking clues, or where you've been on a grid search. We use pink because it stands out very well. Buy the cheap stuff at the hardware store.
Sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and ibuprofen. All important stuff to have. Keep in mind you can't give pills, even OTC pills, to a search subject. These are for me, when my knees start hurting.
Pogey bait. Beef jerky, trail mix, sunflower seeds, and Snickers. I have never had time, on a mission, to sit down and have a meal. You want to carry stuff you can eat on the move, with lots of calories, protein, and salt. I make my own trail mix, because I've never been real happy with the pre-mixed stuff at the store. Occasionally I'll supplement this with a fresh apple, a piece of cheese, or a peanut butter sandwich if I have the time to make preparations.
First aid kit. Gauze rollers, gauze pads, ace bandage, triangle bandage (mostly for a tourniquet; there are better ways to sling an arm using rolled gauze), moleskin, various band-aids, first aid tape, and nitrile gloves. I slimmed it down considerably by going through and eliminating half the gauze, because if I need that much, whoever I'm working on is going to die no matter what I do.
The longer I've done SAR, the smaller this thing has gotten. When I first started, I'd just finished my EMT-B, I was gung-ho, and I carried waaaaaay too much medical crap. Pack light; 99% of the medicine you do in SAR will be hypothermia and simple extremity injuries.
I carry it in a cheap dry bag from Walmart.
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| I've added a small tag that sticks out of the zipper of my pack, so someone else can find my kit if needed. |
Shovel and TP. If I have to explain, you've obviously never been without indoor plumbing for very long. I'm considering dropping the shovel, since I've never actually needed it during a search, but you know as soon as I do I'm gonna wish I had it.
Spare socks, knit cap. There should be some lightweight cold weather gloves in here, too, from Walmart, but they're in a drawer and I was too lazy to dig them out for the photo. I've found that a lot of the technical cold weather gloves from REI and such aren't really very warm at all, and are ridiculously overpriced.
For socks, I like to layer a pair of very thin nylon socks under my heavy wool hiking socks, to reduce friction and thereby reduce blisters. Always carry spares, wet socks suck.
The bag I keep my socks in is a Seam Sealed Stuff Sack by Sea To Summit. It's a little easier to get open than a roll-top dry bag, but slightly less waterproof. I've yet to have wet socks, so I guess it works for my purposes.
A couple searches ago, we were out half the night and I went through a bunch of AA's in my headlamp. I started looking for something to replace it that took an 18650, so that I had less batteries to carry and so that I could feed it the one from my hand light if need be. I ended up with a Fenix HP12.
The 'mid' setting on this lamp is approximately equivalent to the 'boost/max output/your headlamp is wheezing' setting on my old light. Battery life at low outputs is respectable, and high output tops out at 900 lumens, which is bright enough that I can probably get away with not using the hand light at all except as a spare if this goes kaput. The switch is large, easy to find, and the UI is straightforward and relatively easy to use. However, to turn it off you have to press and hold, which took some getting used to.
As a side note, SAR is a nighttime occupation. The majorty of our searches take place after dark. Doing an 8 or 10 hour search with a light in your hand and occasionally held between your teeth sucks. A lot. Get a good headlamp. And stay away from incandescent bulbs (if they still are even available), LED is the way to go. This is another place to spend some real money, because you'll be using it a lot.
I carry heavier leather gloves for litter hauling or assisting technical rescue teams, basically anything for which the mechanix gloves just don't quite do it. I'm a fan of elkskin (the yellow work gloves you find at walmart or the hardware store), as it's a lot more supple and more comfortable than cowhide.
The tubular webbing and caribiner is for tying a patient into a litter, or for fashioning a makeshift harness (swiss seat). I used to carry this in my pack routinely, but I've pulled it and stuck it in the truck duffel. If we're on a technically-oriented rescue, I'll grab it along with my helmet and harness, but for low angle search, it's just dead weight.
My Mountain Hardwear Exposure rain parka is getting old and tired, and the mesh lining makes it heavier and bulkier than I like. I've replaced it with a Marmot Optima Gore-Tex Paclite jacket, which seems to be working out well, with one nit to pick: the handwarmer pockets are too low for me to get to them while wearing a pack. Still, for $100 and change, not a bad jacket.
Sadly, when I bought it, the most attractive color Sierra Trading Post had was grey. Two weeks later, they had it in nuclear orange, which you should know by now is my favorite. I decided it wasn't worth the trouble of exchanging it, however.
Ponchos are lighter and cheaper, but you'll be drier and more comfortable (in my opinion) with a good rain shell. Get your shell a little loose in fit, so you can layer stuff under it.
My shell pants are a pair of Stretch Cohesion pants, from Mountain Hardwear. These are no-frills and lightweight, which is important because 90% of searches don't see enough rain or snow for me to bother putting them on. These include zippers that run about 4/5 the length of the outer seam, which makes them easier to get into.
My insulating layer is a Patagonia Micro Puff jacket. This synthetic fill jacket is really warm. Too warm in some cases; I'll only wear it while moving in the dead of winter; the rest of the time it usually comes off for any sort of physical activity. This blocks wind and holds in heat a lot better than fleece, still works when it's wet, and compresses better than fleece (though not as well as down).
For my base layer, I use Cold Pruf long underwear from Sportsman's Warehouse. It's cheap (about $15 a piece), warm, and comfortable enough to forget you're wearing it. Oddly, it's much more comfortable (at least, to me, YMMV), than some of the top-of-the-line stuff you can find at REI.
Side note, you do not want your base layer to fit loose. It should be skin tight, or it doesn't work as designed (wicking the sweat away from your skin)
Hiking poles will save your knees. Particularly moving downhill with a pack on, the knee takes a lot of impact. They're also helpful on uphill travel, to give yourself an extra boost. Finally, they can be used with a poncho or tarp to form an emergency tent, or can be used for a splint.
I have a pair of Cascade Mountain Tech poles I got locally at a shop called Outdoor Regear, a used gear shop. They're also available on amazon, and occasionally at Costco. Expect to pay $40-50. Unfortunately, I haven't had these long enough to comment on durability, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
They're carbon fiber, so they're lighter than aluminum, and they include trail baskets (seen here) snow baskets, and a couple different rubber feet. Interestingly, Cascade also offers replacement segments for about $10, so if you come down wrong on one and break the pole, you can replace a segment rather than buying entirely new poles.
I'm a big advocate of bladder-and-hose hydration systems, rather than water bottles. I find I drink more often when I just have to suck on the tube on my shoulder than when I have to dig a bottle out. However, systems of this nature are prone to freezing in the winter, it's slightly harder to monitor your water consumption, and there is a slight risk of the system developing a leak. I find it's worth the trade-off, but in the dead of winter I may replace it with some Nalgene bottles.
My hydration system of choice is a Platypus Big Zip 3L. I've tried a LOT of different systems, by CamelBak, Source, Osprey, and others, but this is my favorite so far. The zip-top is easy to open or close and easy to get into to clean the system. the bite valve admits a reasonable flow rate, and the cap has a hole for a caribiner or cord so you can attach it to your strap. The only draw back is that they do not offer a system with a textile cover on the drinking tube, which protects the water from the sun so you don't get a mouthful of solar-heated water. However, this was easy enough to fix by stitching some 2" webbing around the tube.
I've added an accessory that Platypus sells, a simple quick disconnect valve. It allows me to remove the bladder for filling and leave the hose attached to the pack, rather than having to thread it back through the loops and straps that hold it in place.
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| zipper |
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| Bite valve includes a built-in shut off valve |
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| Bite valve |
I've attached the business end of the hydration system to one of those little ID retractor things. This way I can grab it and drink out of it without having to mess with a clip or something to retain it, but when it's stowed it's not in my face.
I carry a half liter water bottle in addition to my hydration pouch, so that if it leaks, freezes or bursts, I still have some water available. I use a disposable bottle instead of a canteen or nalgene so I can hand it to a teammate or a search subject, and it's not a big loss if I never see it again.
I used to carry a military nylon poncho, as an emergency shelter, or as backup rain gear if my shell jacket was torn or I needed to outfit a search subject. However, I've never actually used the thing on a search, and I figure that I can make do with my personal cold weather gear plus my space blankets. Ponchos are heavy.
I also used to carry an MRE entree and heater. This was in case we were out for a good long time and I need something more substantial than munchies. However, in the interest of saving weight, I've pulled it. If we're going out on a long-haul sort of mission, I'll probably add it back in. It's in my truck duffel for now.
Black garbage bag, good for a pack cover, a poncho, or to contain a search clue.
Survial kit, stored in another cheap dry bag (contents detailed below)
50' of nylon parachute cord. This is useful for hanging food, repairing gear, and a thousand other things that make you think "gee, I wish I had some cord." I get mine bright orange and reflective.
This is an emergency bivy bag, by SOL. it's godawful orange (The best color. Ever. Are we seeing a theme?) on the outside, and the inside is silver to reflect body heat. it's essentially a one-time-use disposable sleeping bag. I'd hate to have to spend the night in this, but it'd be a far sight better than freezing to death.
I'm not going to fully unfold the thing until I need it, because it's the sort of product you will never, ever get folded up once you unfold it.
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| Carry pouch |
I also carry a mylar space blanket, because it's really light and might come in handy.
Water treatment tablets, just in case. A survival situation is not made more fun by a case of the Epic Shits, which you will get if you drink untreated water.
Duct tape. The only thing in the entire world more useful than parachute cord.
Firestarting kit. I have some 'storm' matches, which will burn much better than standard matches, a striking steel, and I have dryer lint, cotton balls with petroleum jelly, and fire sticks, all for tinder.
I used to carry a road flare, but it's bulky, heavy, and doesn't always work, as I found out the hard way, the last time I had to start a fire in an emergency.
Maps of the Sandia mountains (our usual stomping grounds), along with some basic mapping tools, a cheatsheet for the local HAM repeater frequencies, and my compass.
Suunto MC-2 compass, which is a pretty sweet orienteering compass. the mirror allows you to sight on an object while still having a full view of the compass rose, and could double as a signal mirror in a pinch. I've attached a set of homemade pace beads, and I keep it wrapped in bubble wrap so it doesn't end up broke when I need it.
Even if you carry a GPS, you need to have a compass to back it up, and know how to use it at least well enough to get yourself home again if the GPS fails.
From the couple times I've gotten a chance to use the new kit, it's much more comfortable than the old. That Osprey was just too huge for a daypack, and got in my way. Someday I'll make myself a custom pack and be really squared away, but this will do for the meantime.
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