Excellent job on the video! I love discussions on these types of subjects because it allows some reflection on our own preparations. I was telling Dee about it on our drive to Idaho yesterday and I had a thought come to me that I had never had before. Not only does my vest have to have supplies for myself, but it really has to be sufficient for a family of five! Now your talking bulk! So, maybe Dee needs to be wearing a vest too. At least if the two adults have one, hopefully we can have enough to cover for the three kids as well. Obviously we have some other gear in the back, but you have to plane on the worse case scenario where what is on you is what you have. It's time to re-evaluate my own vest with the family in mind. I love the vacuum packing idea.

Also, excellent comments Kristian! I've been meaning to go do a solo run through with just me and my gear, but making it a family outing would be fun. But more importantly, educational.

Thanks for taking the time to make this and to prompt some thought about this.

Concerns about getting out of an airplane may have validity, but emergency egress is always a potential issue.

But, more to the point, you don't necessarily have to carry a lot of stuff on your person. Here's an article about a survival episode that should serve as an example: http://masterwoodsman.com/2013/50-year- ... -survival/

Helen Klaben and Ralph Flores survived 49 days and nights in the northern Yukon during the winter. Temperatures of -42 were recorded while they were out there. They carried NO "survival kit" in the airplane prior to the crash. Both were injured in the accident. Neither of them had ANY outdoors experience or survival training. Frankly, that's a pretty dire set of circumstances.

But, they both survived. Now, granted, the airplane didn't burn after the accident, so they had access to the stuff in the plane, which happened to be their clothing and not much else.

So, what were the "tools" that allowed these two to survive this dire circumstance?

1) Ralph was able to start and sustain a fire. And, they had access to a lot of firewood. Huge deal here, it provided heat and permitted them to melt snow for drinking water.

2) They were well dressed for the cold, and they had most of their cold weather clothes with them....no sleeping bags, but they had plenty of clothes to stay warm.

3) They were able to remain hydrated (see 1 above). In many cases of people who are lost in cold weather, the body is often found without boots, coat, etc. Dehydration is your enemy in a survival situation. I agree that drinking clean water is important, but drinking water is absolutely essential, even more so in cold weather than hot weather.

4) They had books, lots of books. Between this and their differences in religion, they managed to keep their minds off the situation they were in. Keeping a positive attitude is essential in a survival situation.

5) While they obeyed the general advice to stay with the wreck, they finally realized that they were located in such dense cover that they simply couldn't be seen from above. As soon as they relocated, they were located.

So, what can we learn from their experience? It's not all the stuff that permits one to survive a difficult situation....it's the attitude, a few tools, and yes, a bit of luck.

The point is, you don't necessarily need a big load bearing vest to carry a very functional survival kit. Imagine if Ralph and Helen had had a PLB (and of course, the current SAR/SAT system existed back then). They'd have been out of there within 24 hours. 48 at the most.

We have that tool available to us. Add to that a signal mirror and a small flashlight, and you're prepared for close range signaling as well.

Ralph got a fire going. Fire can be an incredibly important tool for a lot of reasons. Make certain you have at least two or three ways to start a fire. And, have you practiced starting fires, in all kinds of conditions? If not, that's easy enough to do around home. Practice starting fires.

These were properly clothed to survive in the country where they crashed, even in -40 temperatures. Are you always dressed as appropriate to survive in the country over which you fly? Are those shorts, T Shirt and flip flops going to keep you warm, even in the summer in Idaho back country?

They melted snow for drinking water, an essential for survival. Do you have some sort of vessel to gather water in? A collapsible water bottle stows nicely in a pocket. And, you might add some iodine tabs to that, just for safety's sake. But, you MUST drink water.

Do you ALWAYS carry a knife? A good functional knife? Hammer has posted great ideas on knives on a different thread....good information. But, the knife that's clipped to your pocket most every day is the knife that you're apt to have with you when the chips are down.

Now, stuff a few yards of parachute cord into your vest or jacket or coverall pockets, and you've got a VERY basic survival kit, on your person. It's comfortable enough that you'll probably carry it any time you fly. And, THAT is the point.

If you're comfortable in carrying a heavier, bulkier vest, that's great. Watch Greg's video, learn from it, and build your own vest. When I was working, our policy was that we were to always wear a survival vest when flying. I wore an inflatable vest in summer and a military mesh vest in winter with a pretty large load in them. It was the job, and I was getting paid to do the job. And, I was flying in pretty unforgiving country.

But as others have noted here, carry at LEAST the basics, become proficient with them, and then don't leave home without them.

And, for heaven's sake, carry a good, comprehensive kit in the back of the airplane as well. In this case, we're talking about what you need to survive if the plane sinks or burns. If it doesn't, then you'll have access to the stuff in the baggage compartment. Now we're talking luxury!!

MTV

Last week I spent a day going through my vest and revamping it. It was long overdue and is probably something that needs to be done a couple times a year. I found one item, a signaling light, that was totally inop! Not good!

I really liked the bottle/titanium cup setup and wanted to duplicate it. While doing so, I discovered that the REI Ti Ware cup is no longer available. With a little looking, I found a cup that has the same dimensions and ordered one to see how it would work. I got it last night and it looks like it will work great!

The cup is the Snow Peak 300ml titanium cup.



With the strap to the bottle's lid hanging down, however, it won't fit over the bottle.



But with the strap placed on top of the cap, it's a perfect fit.





I thought I'd pass this along in case anyone else wanted to make their own as well.

i liked the video too corey...lots to think about...and then i think ill revise mine some too....although most of my time is spent in idaho, ya just never know...appreciate the replies to read thru....JO

Thanks for the effort in putting together the video and gathering all that information. I plan to fly the family around more this year, so I thought it was time to get this survival kit idea rolling.

I've been thinking through my mission and what purpose a "vest" should serve. A post above observed that what you have will likely support your family / passengers. That encouraged me to explore the idea of what gear the second person should carry.

I just picked up an Umpqua Overlook 500 chest pack. Odds are this has less capacity than a comprehensively decked out vest. My idea here is to have an unobtrusive piece of kit that goes with me all the time. I don't want to be the pilot that left the equipment behind because it was too uncomfortable. Compared to a primary vest, let's say this is a lighter weight version, further distilled to bare essentials. As the use of this pack matures and evolves, I may get a second one or begin developing a more comprehensive vest system and pass this off to my wife or passenger. Either way, I want to be in the habit of using this, just as I do my motorcycle helmet.


Note: I think the company is in the midst of discontinuing this particular version and a newer one is coming out. This is where I sourced mine within the past couple of weeks, but there is an out of stock caution as I write this. http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/spor ... /cat116991

Since I had my own vest for some time I did not do a detailed review of the original post here but just skimmed over it a bit since it gets real personal after a point. Good Job all around though.

What I noticed on this last pass was Ez Flap's writing about getting hung up while trying to get out..
One of the items that I have always mentioned to folks is, IF you are using seat locks, (Areostop), style on your seat rails, THEN do not slide them all the way forward and lock them there. Slide them up, take a look at the gap between the front of the seat and front door post. Is there a gap big enough to SWING you leg out the door? If not then slide the lock back far enough to allow you to GET OUT. It can be a real bitch trying to get an old knee up over a yoke high enough to swing a cramped or damaged leg up over the seat and out of the cockpit.

Wannabe young enough to catch stuff like this on the first pass.
I know - too late for that - better late than never.

Very interesting thread and great video. Thank you for producing and posting.

My wife flies a Citation Sovereign. Not much of a bush plane. For the same reasons that this video was produced, I built her a survival kit with many of the same elements but she mentioned that the plane has a FAR/CAR survival kit stashed onboard. That got me thinking, if a plane has a survival kit, what would I need to carry on my person? For the case where I manage to get out, but the plane is mash up?

I'm thinking signalling electronics, first aid, firestarter, and a good knife for sure. Water, unless you live where I do. A flashlight, food and some waterproofing as a luxury. I figure if I survive a crash, I have at least a week of 'Goddamn right, I'm survivor' before a lack of food and other inconveniences begin to play into my survival odds.

Like you say, very personal decisions. I carry enough survival equipment in my truck for a soccer team crashed in the Andes but I've been known to leave a headlamp behind on twilight climbs.

Again, thanks for posting. Very thought provoking.

One addition: inner tube is the best fire starter I know. It is light and it burns for a very long time. A very nice complement to vaseline soaked cotton balls.

albravo wrote:....My wife flies a Citation Sovereign. ... the plane has a FAR/CAR survival kit stashed onboard. ....

What's in a FAR / CAR survival kit-- a freeze-dried aviation defense lawyer?