GPS Accuracy

Are you comfortable with the accuracy of your GPS receiver?

by Blake Miller

The package says that your Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver is accurate to +/- 15 meters and some advertise +/- 3 meters. Just what does that mean to you?

Accuracy depends on several things, most of which are beyond your control. For example, it is reasonable to expect a new GPS with the latest antenna, circuitry, processor capability and memory technology will perform better than one made in 2005. The number of satellites signals a receiver acquires helps too; you’ll need at least four.

To read the rest of the post go here.

Fire Starter - Gasoline

My friend Leon has a good post and video today on starting a fire using gasoline.  Not something to be done every day, but this method has its place and it works just fine.

Check out the post here.

The Ten Essentials

This is not my first post about the "Ten Essential" but it is information worth repeating.  

I am beginning to look at the "Ten Essentials" as a system of gear and not just individual items. For example, the complete system of Navigation equipment will be my map, compass, GPS and a trail guide. I may end up taking two maps of different scales. Perhaps a pencil too.

No matter what you pack, it has to work for you. If you take kids, it will have to work for them. For example, you might be able to get by on a few energy bars but what about that sixteen year old? His metabolism will be much higher and he will require more food; no kidding.

The “Ten Essentials”

1. Navigation (GPS, map and compass)

2. Sun protection (Sunglasses and sunscreen)

3. Insulation (extra clothing)

4. Illumination (head lamp and flashlight)

5. First-aid supplies

6. Fire making (fire starter, matches, lighter)

7. Repair kit and tools

8. Nutrition (extra food)

9. Hydration (extra water)

10. Wind and waterproof emergency shelter (poly tarp, 4mil bags)

This is the minimum. It is a starting point.

I have added to my list and pack:

1. Communication/signaling (Cell phone, whistle and signal mirror)

2. SPOT locator

3. A small folding saw

4. A “sit pad” (I use an old sleeping/ensolite foam pad cut in half as my backcountry chair.

Garbage Bag Shelter

Is a garbage bag shelter part of your survival kit?

Just why would you put a garbage bag is your survival kit?

I don't. I use something that I think is better.

I am particular about my survival kit and it's components. I use several of the simple shelters made available from http://www.outdoorsafe.com/. I carry one in my hunting day pack and my hiker's pack.

I don't use a garbage bag. I'll use two brightly colored, 4 mil bags. They weigh next to nothing. They are highly visible. Most importantly they provide a wind and water proof shelter. Don't think that such a shelter is going to be warm and "comfy." Think of them as an emergency shelter that will keep you out of the elements. It's all about maintaining 98.6.
Kummerfeldt has an excellent explanation is his book, "Surviving a Wilderness Emergency."

Take note that the shelter bag will be cut to provide an access for your head but your arms are kept inside with no opening for them.

I'll take this one step further. I'll take a large, 2-3 mil bags that are used by my local tire ship. These bags are folded and then compressed with a couple of heavy books. The bags are then put in a sandwich bag for storage in my pack. I'll use these bags to keep my pack and gear dry in a rain or snow storm. After one use I'll toss them.

A Hunter's Checklist

Have you built a hunter's checklist.  Here is a start.

Perhaps it is my navy training because I like checklists.  It is my security blanket; of sorts.

My rifle and day pack.

This morning while going through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) web page I came across a recommended hunter’s checklist.   Read the checklist by ODFW here.

It is a start.  This list is designed to be tailored to the hunter’s specific needs.  Per the website:

Below is a list of recommended items to take with you in the field. However, individual needs and preferences may require an individual to take more than the recommended items below. Use good judgment and remember: It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!

A quick evaluation of items that I like:

·         Carry one full day of food

·         Map & Compass

·         $20 in cash (I hadn’t thought of that)

·         2 knives and a sharpening stone

There are more but those jump out.

I would add several items that include:

·         A GPS

·         Shelter to replace a space blanket

·         The Ten Essentials

·         Fire starter (more than matches)

·         My locator beacon (SPOT)

I’ll print out the ODFW list and compare it with my older list to ensure I’ve not forgotten anything.  That is the security mentioned earlier.

For another comprehensive checklist, visit Peter Kummerfeldt’s web page and click on “Contents of Outdoorsafe Daypack” found here.

 

Planning an Escape Route

 
For the last several days I have been working with my Search and Rescue (SAR) team on a forest fire in the Pacific Northwest. The team has helped to coordinate the potential evacuation of a small community and has worked with Forest Service staff to assist stranded hikers. Getting these hikers out safely has been a priority.

To read the rest of the post go here.


GPS Seminar

Heading to the Cabelas store in Springfield, Oregon to hold two GPS seminars this Sunday, Sept 23.  Seminars begin at 10:00 & 1:00.