An Ounce of Prevention

An ounce of prevention

The best way to prevent a survival situation is to be prepared and use wilderness common sense. From what I’ve seen, the difference between those that make it out of a tough situation and those that don’t is preparation and state-of-mind.

The equipment you take should include basic needs. I break them into three categories: Navigation (knowing where you are and where you’re going), Personal (water, medicines, clothing, shelter), and Transportation (vehicle, ATV or boat). Beyond that, the equipment used in your preferred recreation is up to you: binoculars for bird watching or guns for hunting, and so on.

Navigation: GPS, phone with navigational app and a general map of the area. Use a general map to form a mental picture of the area you’ll be going to: roads that form boundaries, important points like ranger stations, where to get help if needed and areas that may be dangerous like steep canyons or dangerous rivers. Once you have a mental picture of the general area, use the GPS, cell phone with navigational app, compass or paper maps to always know where you are. Just be sure not to run down the batteries of your electronic tools.

Personal: what you need to survive includes clothes and footwear for the season, medicines you take, water, more water and food. I try to anticipate the clothes for the season but always throw in a jacket- even in summer. In the event of a breakdown, desert nights can get cold. A $1 plastic rain poncho doesn’t take much room or add weight but can be a life saver if it starts to rain when it’s cold.

Transportation: no matter what method you use to get around, there might be a time when it lets you down. It might breakdown, get stuck or run out of gas. Whatever machine you’re driving, it’s probably heavier than what you can pick up so you need to have something to increase your manual power. There are various methods to increase the force you can exert (google 2-pole flip winch) but I never go anywhere without a Hi-Lift jack. This is a versatile mechanical advantage tool. I’ve used it as a jack when I couldn’t get the standard bottle jack under the vehicle, as a come-along when the vehicle was stuck in sand, and as a vice to straighten bent steering bars. I strongly recommend always having one and knowing how to use it.

Of course, a tool kit is a must. There’ve been several times that I didn’t have one because I was riding in a friend’s vehicle and cussed myself for this oversight when their vehicle broke down. I’m a fair mechanic but that didn’t do me any good without tools. I remember the time the fuel line on my truck vibrated so much that it rubbed a hole and gas was leaking. I used the hose clamp from the overflow line of the radiator and a piece of rubber from the overflow line to patch the leak. Without tools, we would’ve run out of gas before reaching civilization. With a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, I patched the problem and continued on what turned out to be a great trip.

Make a check list on a durable piece of paper and go through it every time you head out. That way you’ll always have the right equipment and be reminded of what’s there.

This brings me to a concept I feel is important: state-of-mind. When I was working in the mountains of South America or the jungles of Central America, there was no 911 to call or Search and Rescue groups to come to my aid if I got in trouble. My frame of mind was that if I got myself into trouble, I got myself out.

Before you go into the wilderness, anticipate possible scenarios where you could run into problems. Try to plan, in your mind, how you would get yourself out of trouble. Thinking things through is a good mental exercise for being a good outdoorsperson. Being prepared and equipped is essential, but for me, having a self-reliant state-of-mind is the most important.