Fish Like a GIRL

Last week I talked about field guides and journals as gifts or state park or state trail passes. This week, I wanted to go a little more “adventure-y,” if you will. A little more toward the survivalist-type of gear. First, let me say that I am not a “prepper” in most sense of the word. I do can my own food, have a generator and even a few hurricane lamps in case of emergency, but I am not one of those guys with a bunker in their backyard or anything like that. 

I do, however, think it is good to be prepared for certain things. For the most part, I feel like most people will never need what they call a “bug out bag.” That is a bag that a person or family can simply grab on the fly that will contain the things they need to survive if they are forced to leave their home in a hurry. With the types of emergency situations, other than a flood, that most of us will experience, sheltering in place is likely the best option. So, most of us would be staying home and finding the best ways to do the things we need to do.

I mentioned floods, but tornadoes and massive snowstorms can cause issues I would label as emergencies as well. But what if we are out hiking and a storm comes up, or we somehow get turned around and find ourselves lost in the woods overnight?

Water

The first thing, at least in my mind, that an outdoor adventurer should have in mind when thinking about a harrowing situation is water. We can live for quite a while without food, but a few days without water and that may be it. A cool Christmas gift might be a personal water filter straw. These are small, lightweight, and easy to stick in a hiking or camping backpack. They are basically a big straw that allows the user to put the end into a water source and use it, much like a regular straw, to suck water from a lake, river or stream. The filtration straw then, as its name implies, filters the water, making it drinkable. These are also pretty cheap. A pack can be purchased for $40-45. A lot of different companies make them: Lifestraw, Membrane, Sawyer, Waterdrop and more.

These straws do have their limitations, of course. They do not allow the user to take water away from the water source. Of course, a person could put water into a container such as a hydration bag, and devise a way to use the straw with that set up. But there are also bigger filtration systems that allow the user to filter stream or lake water into any other container for later drinking or even cooking.

Shelter and fire

The next thing that I rank in order of importance is shelter. Shelter can be any number of things. Carrying a lightweight tarp in a backpack can help facilitate the creation of a makeshift shelter. They can easily be folded up to take up little room, and can be used for a variety of different things.

An emergency mylar blanket could be another great gift. These are also known as space blankets. Again, a ton of different companies make these, so it is easy for a gift-giver to shop around and quickly find what they are looking for. These blankets fold up into the size of a pocketbook or about double the size of a typical wallet. Again, the perfect size to slide into a backpack or day pack.

The first use of one of these blankets is, obviously, to stay warm. They can also be used when treating someone for shock. They can be used as a shelter or lean-to, or as a barrier against the ground. These blankets will make a great wind break and also, the shiny side can be used to reflect back a camp fire’s heat, or even as a way to signal rescuers.

This brings up another need: how to start a fire. There are people who are really good with flint strikers. I do only OK with them. I can start a fire with them, but not every time. I would say the large majority of people (and maybe all of us) fall into that category. My personal recommendation is a lighter, I will not say the brand, but most know it. For that particular brand, I know there are a variety of waterproof cases available. That is my recommendation. I also carry tinder tabs. These are super small, and will burn up to five minutes which should be plenty of time to start a fire. They come in multi-packs and are also relatively cheap. They are great for all types of adventures, not only for those emergency or survival circumstances. 

One fun fact about tinder tabs: A person can actually make them at home rather than purchase them. They are easy to make with a straw, some cotton, some petroleum jelly and a lighter or something to melt the ends of the straw together. There are plenty of videos on YouTube to teach people how to make those. But the pre-made ones are great. I have never had an issue with them, and they usually come in some sort of small container meant to hide in a hiking pack.

But back to shelter for just a minute. Without a tarp or emergency blanket, we may find ourselves in a position where we need to build a shelter from what is available. A cool Christmas gift might be a wire saw. These have two handles held together by a flexible saw blade in the middle, much like a chainsaw chain. For my money, in most situations, I prefer these over a folding hand saw. I feel like they are more versatile. They are definitely more compact to carry. A person can easily cut down a bunch of pine boughs, for instance, and make a shelter. 

A folding shovel is another great tool to have, and will help with a variety of things from digging a fire pit to shoveling down into the snow to make a wind break or part of a shelter. To me, a folding shovel is like a pocket knife. If you always have one along, I have found a hundred uses for it, and that will likely continue. 

Food

Now that I have water, and I have made a shelter and a fire, I am probably hungry. It is important to keep energy levels high. I always keep some protein bars in my pack, but that is simply not going to be enough in the case of being lost in the woods for a time, or stranded in a snowstorm or really any situation where a person needs to fend for themselves for an extended period of time. These needs will vary greatly, too, obviously. If I am at home and a storm has knocked the power out, I have one set of needs. If I am out in the woods somewhere and something unexpected happens, now I have much bigger needs.

There are some really cool backpacking stove kits and meal kits out there these days. I was at a local sporting good shop the other day and was amazed by the different meals that are available now. I cannot speak to the quality of all of them, but there are many that I would be more than happy to have if I were stuck out in the woods somewhere and was hungry. These little personal-sized stoves come with a pot and a burner and are pretty simple to operate. The big two that I have found are JetBoil and Fire-Maple. They are smaller than the typical camp stove, but just as useful. I feel like a meal kit like this would light up the eyes of many outdoor adventurers when they find it under the Christmas tree this year.

Other gear

One of the things I realized I had forgotten to talk about early on, which really deserves its own category, is a knife. A fixed blade knife is a good idea. But I always carry a spring-loaded knife in my pocket — something I can open with one hand, if needed. 

I do not carry a machete on me, but if I am out adventuring, I have one in my truck at all times. It has come in handy more than once.

Both of these bladed potential Christmas gifts come in far too many styles, colors and sizes. There is likely more than one perfect one for everyone.

Toilet paper tabs: I did not even know these were a thing until recently when I was watching a video from a guy talking about his bug-out bag and his get-home bag set ups. Of course, there are Dude Wipes and many others, but these toilet paper tabs are super compact, just bigger than a watch battery, and usually come in waterproof containers in rolls of 10 or so. With a couple of drops of water, the tab turns into a full size wipe. This is a great option for not only outdoor adventurers, but even a mom of small children can keep a roll in her purse to wipe a little one’s messy finger, or whatever else they may get into. I feel like this would be a great stocking stuffer. Better yet, a water filtration straw and a roll of toilet paper tabs together.

I feel like, in today’s world, a solar charger is almost a must. Again, these are not super expensive, but I would advise staying away from the ones that are cheap enough to seem too good to be true. Buy cheap, get cheap. A solar charger could literally be a person’s lifeline to getting back home safely, or getting to a local shelter in the case of a natural disaster. While everyone likely has some sort of mapping on their phone, I cannot say enough about a good, alternate mapping system. Again, there are a ton of them out there, and some are better than others.

A map and compass can be invaluable as well. Obviously, however, a person would need to know how to use these tools, and it seems to be a bit of a lost art. However, I carry a decent compass and another, smaller compass that just happened to come with a signal mirror on the back, which is another good tool to have along and learn to use.

In my mind, a good first aid kit is imperative and a great gift for anyone who does not have one. By a “good” first aid kit, I am not talking about the type that you can find in a typical big box multi-department store. Sporting goods stores and outfitters will likely have the best first aid kits. Alternatively, a person can build their own. 

I feel like first aid kits are highly personal, and the best idea is for people to build their own. I bought a kit for around $150, and changed out some things as well as adding other things. In my mind, at the very minimum, a kit should contain a chest seal, a SWAT-tourniquet, a CAT-T tourniquet, and an Israeli pressure bandage. These will take care of many of the “big” things that can happen during a natural disaster or even just being out on the trail. 

Of course, I also recommend creature-comfort sorts of things like aspirin, allergy medications, burn ointment, gauze and smaller bandages. 

The important thing about first aid kits is that the person who owns one should know when and how to use all of the equipment inside of it. A Cat-T will do no one any good if the would-be rescuer does not know how to use it. I teach an entire course on creating a first aid kit that is personalized, so that topic is likely more than I can cover here in this column. But even the pre-bundled first aid kits are a good place to start.

There are a hundred (at least) other cool things an outdoor adventurer would likely love to find under the tree this Christmas. A hammock comes to mind. But some of these tools are things I have found to make life easier in the woods, and I feel like a lot of people would find it pretty cool to see some of these things under the tree, not to mention being safer and more prepared out on the trail, or in case of emergency.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected].