With respect to aviation, the past couple of years have been incredibly personally rewarding. Some amazing trips, amazing experiences, and for sure, amazing friends.

In the spirit of giving back and Thanksgiving, I'd like to share a small project that Zane and I have been collaborating on. The Survival Vest.

Building on the Knowledge Base article by John Vandene, this project is meant to spark a deeper conversation/debate, and at the very least, make one think twice about what he/she has in their pockets when they go out into the bush.

The social media blast will be on Monday, but (since I'm impatient) here is a sneak peak for the forum members:

Article and video here: https://www.backcountrypilot.org/knowle ... philosophy

Thanks for a great year! Looking forward to more adventures...

Awesome video, thanks for taking the time to give us all ideas on things we should be thinking about.
jake

Thanks for your time spent on this, Greg. It turned out great.

The Knowledge Base can be so much more than it is, so much more than searching for past discussions in the forum. I just need helpers willing to tackle topics like this.

Did you find a magic bullet answer in a forum post(s)? Let's commit that knowledge to our wiki-like knowledge base.

We have some more articles/guides coming soon. The survival stuff is fun to write about.

Great video Bigrenna!

Excellent ! Very informative - As a "survivor" of off the path destinations ,wearer of my old Military flying vest right on.

great video. thanks for taking the time put it together.

JB

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Super video I have actually watched it twice now.

Man, as a (almost) life long alaskan growing up hunting, trapping, flying, and exploring this great state, I had never gave that much thought into a crash type situation, with survival on the line. I have always been half assed prepared for what I figured the days worth of adventures would throw my way, and I have been in some shit believe me, but this video sheds a new light on things. This is a great video for all of us. Very well though out. Thank you Greg and Zane.

Great video bigrenna…that was a LOT of work. I was a bit disappointed that you didn’t shave your arm when you pulled out the knife…

Really well though out systems and well selected gear. Thank you for doing that!

I’ve gone with a slightly different system…I use a Hill People Gear chest pack. It’s not as hot as a vest, and carries less, which is actually important to me. I really wanted a kit that was small and light enough that I’d always wear it…I remember reading about Sparky Emerson’s crash and how his survival vest was hanging on the back of his seat, since it was warm on the day of the crash.

I also thought it MIGHT be easier to swim in, since ditching the the water is one of the few situations where I could envision loosing the airplane and its contents. Towards that end I’ve considered a survival vest with built in floatation. Sounds sort of crazy for a non-float pilot who doesn’t fly over open water, but a lot of places I fly rivers and lakes are the only possible landing sites that would give any reasonable chance of surviving the crash.

48 hours with only what’s in my chest pack and pockets? Maybe, if I’m lucky. But that’s true of any crash to a great extent. Wouldn’t be comfortable, that’s for sure. More than anything my pack is just a way to cary a PLB and a handful of essentials that might help me survive till help arrives. Very, very basic.

One thing I’d like to point out since most people have a gigantic mental block about it, is you don’t need to purify your water. Unless you’re flying in Asia or Africa where typhoid, cholera, and Guinea worms are a real possibility, nothing you’re going to get from the water is that big a deal. Most of the bugs you can get from fresh water take over a week to present themselves and are easily treated. In a survival situation just drink the water and don’t worry about it. Purifying it is a very low priority.

Hammer wrote: I was a bit disappointed that you didn’t shave your arm when you pulled out the knife…

I think he shot this before we established that was a requirement.

Really good Job Greg. Like Denali I watched it twice and had my wife watch it with me the second time. Now I can go buy more stuff

I laughed out loud when you pulled out the deck of cards, My father always said that was all you really needed if you want to get found. He said that in five minutes someone would be standing over your shoulder telling you "put the black eight on the red nine"

Anyway thanks again
Roamer

I think to some extent we are all "gear junkies".

Greg- this was a great video, I really appreciate your effort. It has caused me to go back and re-evaluate my requirements.

Thanks- Dave

Thanks for all the nice words guys. It was fun to make!

I finally got a chance to watch this video. Great work!

I'll admit my vest is a lot less girthy, but I wouldn't take issue with anything you include. It's more a matter of how comfortable you want to be in a survival scenario, vs how much you want to carry on your body on every flight.

Since I often fly with my family. I need to consider the scenario where I'm out of the picture (knocked out, severely injured or worse) and my family is having to cope on their own.

One thing I carry in my vest to that end is a small survival guide on laminated cards. I think it could be a pretty valuable resource in a post-crash situation. It goes through shelter building, signaling, navigation, some basic wound care etc. It's something to read if you're bored, and could provide some great help, too, especially if my family or passengers are having to cope without my help.

Another thing I'd like to emphasize (I know I'm a bit of a broken record on this) is the need to practice with whatever kit you have together with your family if you fly together. Make it an adventure. Bring nothing but your survival gear and head out into the woods. Pretend you just crashed. Make a fire, build a shelter, etc. You don't need to spend the night, but stay long enough to get a sense of how it would feel. I've found after doing this that it clarifies what things I really want in my survival vest. It's also a great time to teach your kids and family about how to use the PLB, etc. in case you end up incapacitated.

Again, great discussion!

Excellent Video bigrenna! Thanks for taking the time to put it together. The gear is cool, but thanks for highlighting the most important part, mental preparation. Thinking through the process and evaluating the challenges and ways to deal with them is often what is overlooked. 16 years in special ops there were several occasions where my team was "administratively" cut off to see how well our planning would have worked out and obviously, you can't plan for everything. It was always interesting . Staying focused on the task, being creative with what you have, having comfort items are huge when it comes to maintain a positive mental attitude.

Hammer wrote:One thing I’d like to point out since most people have a gigantic mental block about it, is you don’t need to purify your water. Unless you’re flying in Asia or Africa where typhoid, cholera, and Guinea worms are a real possibility, nothing you’re going to get from the water is that big a deal. Most of the bugs you can get from fresh water take over a week to present themselves and are easily treated. In a survival situation just drink the water and don’t worry about it. Purifying it is a very low priority.

Hammer, I know where you are coming from on the water issue and while I agree that water in you is better than no water at all, I would respectfully disagree on not needing or planning to purify water. Giardia, the most likely villain you will run into in the back country in the states, can often present symptoms in less than 48 hours and the symptoms are usually on par with the amount ingested. I have treated some pretty tough guys that were very debilitated by giardia and even figuring the FAA 40+ hours to rescue, it could hinder your ability to signal/assist in being found. I would always plan to purify, iodine tables are cheap, small and last almost forever, and reserve drinking unpurified water for when I had no choice.

Chris

Bigrenna, man what a great high quality video! You have put a lot of thought in to your vest.

I would like to make an observation, yep here comes my "pile of shit" . Your not wearing the vest in any of your recent video posts to BCP.

If you are not wearing it, its no better than a survival kit in the back of the plane. Perhaps it's too big?

When are you going to need the vest? When the plane burns or sinks, right? The rest of the time you'll have the contents of the aircraft. So it needs to be pared down to the bare essentials or one will not wear it.

Whats the most important thing that needs to happen? Getting help on the way as soon as possible. I agree with Hammer a PLB is the most important item that needs to come out of the plane with you. The Spot goes on the dash sending your position as you fly.

We could get into the nitty gritty of what to keep and what to leave out but I agree with you, its a personal choice. Each item needs to be considered for its weight, size and wearability.

Cheers, thanks for putting together a great video to get us all thinking.



And here is the old Joke about Bear Bells,

Due to the frequency of human-bear encounters, the AK Department of Fish and
Wildlife is advising hikers, hunters, fishermen, and any persons
that use the out of doors in a recreational or work related function to
take extra precautions while in the field.

We advise the outdoorsman to wear little noisy bells on clothing so as
to give advance warning to any bears that might be close by so you don’t
take them by surprise.

We also advise anyone using the out-of doors to carry “Pepper Spray”
with him in case of an encounter with a bear.

Outdoorsmen should also be on the watch for fresh bear activity, and
be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear
feces. Black bear feces is smaller and contains lots of berries and
squirel fur. Grizzly Bear shit has bells in it and smells like pepper.

Waterboy wrote:
I would like to make an observation, yep here comes my "pile of shit" . Your not wearing the vest in any of your recent video posts to BCP.

If you are not wearing it, its no better than a survival kit in the back of the plane. Perhaps it too big?[/color]

I think he needs some real backcountry to justify the girth

I think forming the habit of *always* wearing something like this is a good idea. Left in the back of the plane might not do you any good, left back in the hangar definitely won't. Kinda like a carry gun-- if you only carry it when you think you'll need it, some day you'll need it and not have it. That's why "mouse guns" and minimalist survival vests have their place.

Greg,

It is really good of you to take the time to put this video together. It is a great contribution to the knowledge base and is is really good of you to share your knowledge, experience, and time. I think all of us totally agree with the concept; I know I strive to have as much on my person as I can when flying.

Having had the unfortunate experience of extricating myself and two others from a downed plane, I clearly remember the first "oh shit" moment after realizing we were still alive and uninjured, was "how in the hell do we out of this thing". It was the very first physical activity we had to do and it wasn't easy even though the fuselage was still intact. We crawled out through the front side windows and then rolled out from under the wing to the point where we could stand up. In a more sever crash or with injuries, it would be even more difficult to get out. Getting out was without a doubt, the first and most immediate concern.

I carry what I can on my person, but opt to be sure I'm not unduly encumbered when exiting the plane. That means I can't have everything I would like to have on me, but when I fly, I dress appropriately for the seasonal conditions and as if I will have to hike out from a remote site; I carry a knife and fire starter on me as well. I also make sure my passengers dress accordingly. A small fanny pack containing survival gear is also attached to the back of the seat and it can be retrieved easily and fast, but I doubt if i would remember to grab it on the initial exit.

More survival/camping gear is in the baggage compartment. SPOT is on in tracking mode and mounted in the cabin at the front wing root.

We all have our individual priorities and thoughts on what will work best for us and there is no right or wrong answer here, as you indicate in your excellent video, it is a personal choice.

The next item I'll add will be a PLB and a way to attach it to my body or passenger. I'm thinking an elastic or Velcro arm band would be a good way to attach one.

In my younger and wilder days, 3 of us wrapped a raft around a rock during an early Idaho spring trip. Within about 90 seconds the raft was underwater and inaccessible. We were on our own with nothing more than the wet suits we were wearing, our life jackets, helmets, river knives, a roll of Tums, and a Bic lighter. Overnight temps were well below freezing, it had been snowing earlier in the day. We spent the night huddled between fires on the canyon wall. It wasn't comfortable by any means (downright miserable is more like it), but it was survivable. We spent most of the next day hiking out to where we were able to meet up with the rest of our party. Remember that roll of Tums? It was like manna from heaven. I totally agree with you on the creature comforts and it doesn't take much to make a big difference.

A survival pack is now always attached to my life jacket; a fire starting kit is the main item.

Blackrock

Blackrock brings up an interesting dilemma. Not being any sort of expert in outdoor survival, I must ask for the more qualified people to address the question that Mike brought up.... where does being smaller and smoother (not wearing bulky or catchy stuff that is likely to get caught on airplane parts) intersect with being more prepared (having more of the stuff and equipment that will give you a higher chance of survival) ?

It seems you could make a case either way; if you get snagged and caught on the airplane as it is sinking or burning, then you have not survived... so be small and slippery. But then if you squeeze out of the plane then find yourself without warmth/tools/supplies then you don't survive either... so carry all the tools and supplies you can.

I'd sincerely like to hear what trained experts have to say about that balance. My good friend 182 STOLdriver, who has been in his share of survival situations thanks to our dear Uncle, carries a lot of stuff with him (including a 105mm Howitzer, a Bradley tank, and enough tools to build a new 182).

But I can easily see how dangerous it would be to get caught or snagged on airframe parts when you're trying to crawl out of the crash site.

For what it may be worth, wearing a traditional vest inside out, or having a smooth snag-free outer shell over it, might be the difference between a big bad-ass tactical vest and a purpose-built survival vest for airplanes?