Emergency Kit. Hiking and Travel Emergency Kits. Survival Kits. GPS devices.

Most travelers should carry emergency survival kits, whether hiking or riding. A bag can provide storage for vehicle kits. Some people may choose vehicle storage compartments. There are reasons for keeping 2 kits..

1. Maybe you forgot to tell someone where you went and for how long. 2. Something could happen to the person who has your travel information. 3. If your vehicle crashes, it may not be visible from the road, or useless for shelter. 4. In case you are attacked, it may be imperative to leave flee within seconds.

Folks traveling in forests or remote areas should have a 2nd emergency kit in a pack in the vehicle. Many people who hike, have backpack emergency kits. The benefits of 2 kits, is one with the vehicle and the other ready for walking if the vehicle must be abandoned.

A good advice is to stay with your vehicle. That helps If you told somebody where you went. Odds are that rescuers will find your location, often within 24 hours. If you didn't tell where you went, you may be on your own and staying with the vehicle may not be good. Some experts suggest not to always stay with a vehicle.

Consider having 2 travel kits. One in the car and another in a backpack or bag. If you need to leave your vehicle, how can you carry all your stuff if you don't have a pack? The emergency pack kit contents should not be scattered in the vehicle. You may not have time to pack. You can add lightweight luxury to your kit with a lightweight backpacker stove, some freeze dried meals and a couple of water bottles.

Keep in mind too, that a wood hiking stick provides balance, is defensive weapon and can be made into ready-to-use fire kindling. The various hiking sticks I have like cedar, maple or birch, could provide a week's worth of tinder, and still be useful for walking with. If you want to build your own hiking stick: Making Hiking Sticks

Consider buying a survival book from Peter Kummerfeldt. A survival expert who previously instructed for the US Air Force. I attended a presentation from him once. Mr. Kummerfeldt showed how fast a twig could devastate fragile space blankets. He recommends a bag. These can be ordered from his site.

One handy item is a GPS device. Maybe you can't be found with a GPS device, but you can prevent becoming lost with one. If you buy a GPS with tracklog, you can return to an injured person.

Most critical is shelter, water and heat and whistle to communicate. A voice is feeble. Food is secondary. Consider the space blanket as an option to wrap body parts or torso to retain some heat, but not as a shelter covering. The huge plastic bag is a fine idea.

The items below, don't take up much room. You can often compile a better emergency kit than you can buy. There may be no need to keep an item in a vehicle kit which is in the backpack kit, such as a flashlight. The backpack kit can complete the vehicle kit. The vehicle kit should not complete the daypack kit.

Flashlights - some bulbs like LEDs may offer more battery life
Batteries - rechargeable may not keep charge very long
First aid kit
Pocketknife
Blankets or sleeping bags
Mittens, socks and a wool cap
Waterproof covering like a tarp or poncho
Metal coffee can which can be used to heat water: can store part of vehicle kit too
Sack of sand or cat litter - in winter - for traction or adding weight
Small shovel: even a folding one
Bottled water - but may freeze
Booster battery cables
Energy bars or high-energy food like raisins or nuts: these store for months
Bright color scarf to attract attention
Matches and waterproof case - Metal match with striker
Candles
Tool kit with pliers, screwdriver, adjustable wrench, tape, string and wire
Paper towel or toilet tissue for designed use or fire starter
Wipes - moist
Rope, tow chain or a strap
Extra oil
Map of the area where you plan to travel: get a national forest map from a ranger station
Small hand-held CB radio and batteries: channel 9 is one of the important channels
Pen or pencil and paper
Whistle to signal: mirrors don't work at night
Signal devices like flares: music CDs can reflect

VEHICLE PARTS

A hubcap or visor can be a shovel
Seat covers can be used as blankets
Floor mats can be used to shut out the wind
Engine oil burned in a hubcap provides a smoke signal visible for miles
A car horn can be heard up to almost 1 mile away. 3 blasts, 10 seconds apart is a distress signal
A rear-view mirror can serve as a signaling device
Tire iron can be used to gouge and dig in soil
The seat padding can be used to stuff clothes for insulation or tissue
In desparation, headliner fabric can be cut for head cover
If you need a windbreak, auto hoods often come off easy if you have a wrench

Mountaineers often call the first 10 items "the essentials". For our purposes, almost all items below are essentials. Don't skip gloves. Gloves keep hands warm and protected.

Stores may have heat reflective body bags similar to space blankets except that the bags enclose your entire body.

Within these kits, should be something for personal protection. And whatever pet you have, keep emergency food if you travel in remote areas - canned foods may freeze.

If your daypack has room, freeze-dried meals and a tiny camp stove are nice additions. The fuel bottle is about the size of a mug. All you may need is a small stainless steel cup to heat snow or water. The mini - camp stove provides a way to drink warm water instead of cold snow or stream water.

The campfire to the right was an experiment using the fire starter sticks on one of our winter hikes. My son and I did not need a fire. But while we waited for our freeze-dried meal to soak in hot water, we wanted to see if we could make a campfire with our pack contents, because anything nearby whether in the open, underneath or inside logs, was wet from months of fog and rain and snow.

Since my daypack doubles as an emergency kit and regular hiking pack, it has a few items that are treats on the trail, which could be nice during an emergency. It has a few packets of tea and cocoa, and mints occassionally. An added benefit of the mini campstove, is the ability to make hot drinks for a treat.

Some of these tips were found on mountaineering websites. Some tips about uses for car parts were from the Idaho State Department of Transportation website. Don't forget to check out the website and books by Peter Kummerfeldt.

Survival kits, emergency kits: hiking & travel