Changing odds..

[saxonaxe]

" you cannot live off of MacDonalds indefinitely! It really should be considered a last resort "

I must stop using references to MacD's in my posts... In fact a visit to one of their emporiums is an extremely rare event for me..

[midas]

[QUOTE=saxonaxe;123484]" you cannot live off of MacDonalds indefinitely! It really should be considered a last resort "

Or Burger King n KFC.lol.

[OakAshandThorn]

This is why my plan for when and if I find my self in a survival situation. My plan does not consist of setting up snares, fishing and hunting...instead it consist of the following:

A: Going home.

Now I am in the arctic, so I realise that if I am in the mountains, things can go south pretty quickly with the weather. Specially in winter so in that time of year I add the most important piece of survival gear I own. - a spade and a survival bag to keep me warm in snow cave I will have to dig myself.

In all other circumstance I will be able to go home. Unless I am injured. If I am so gravely injured that I can't effect self rescue, I do not really think that I will be able to hunt, fish or set snares either...
It's time for a cuppa....

Sounds a lot like my plan, as well, minus the jerven and snow shovel . And unless I'm seriously injured, I'm never more than 10 miles from civilisation in this state. I'm not one to waste time with snares and traps, either, especially since I'd end up in a load of trouble if I got caught. "But officer, I'm SURVIVING!!!" LOL
The biggest issue that would directly effect me is that my cellphone does not have WiFi, and there are several 'dead-zone' spots because of the hilly terrain. I'm starting to experiment with radio comm, and for the moment, they seem more reliable than the celly.

[FishyFolk]

Sounds a lot like my plan, as well, minus the jerven and snow shovel . And unless I'm seriously injured, I'm never more than 10 miles from civilisation in this state. I'm not one to waste time with snares and traps, either, especially since I'd end up in a load of trouble if I got caught. "But officer, I'm SURVIVING!!!" LOL
The biggest issue that would directly effect me is that my cellphone does not have WiFi, and there are several 'dead-zone' spots because of the hilly terrain. I'm starting to experiment with radio comm, and for the moment, they seem more reliable than the celly.

Unless the area is really well covered with repeaters That won't help you much in hilly terrain...A typical VHF hand set has range of 2-3 km...at best. Well, up to ten in ideal conditions but you won't be in ideal conditions. I'd go looking for something like a SPOT sat.

I am lucky that most places I go are well covered. And the batteries for my Sony Xperia seem to last forever too. I do not trust it completely...but back in the day it was a case of telling someone where you are going and when you will be heard from again. Still a very good survival tactic.

Else it's just to dress fro the climate you are in, or at least bring the clothes to dress for it in my case.

I sweat a lot. So in most cases I only wear a base layer and a thin shell. The warm clothes are in the pack. I.e Thick (Wool or fleece, whatever preferance you have) middle layer for both upper and lower body, plus mittens, hat and over boots. The snow often falls wet here, so my army over boots helps keep the feet dry.

And since I have Chrons I fatigue very quickly, so I tend to carry a sports drink and some energy bars, as I often walk myself empty. A sit down, and something to drink and eat fixes that, and ensures that I have the energy to trundle myself home. And on the way home is were I struggle the most. I forget that I have to pace myself, and walk myself empty.

[OakAshandThorn]

Unless the area is really well covered with repeaters That won't help you much in hilly terrain...A typical VHF hand set has range of 2-3 km...at best. Well, up to ten in ideal conditions but you won't be in ideal conditions. I'd go looking for something like a SPOT sat.

I am lucky that most places I go are well covered. And the batteries for my Sony Xperia seem to last forever too. I do not trust it completely...but back in the day it was a case of telling someone where you are going and when you will be heard from again. Still a very good survival tactic.

Else it's just to dress fro the climate you are in, or at least bring the clothes to dress for it in my case.

I sweat a lot. So in most cases I only wear a base layer and a thin shell. The warm clothes are in the pack. I.e Thick (Wool or fleece, whatever preferance you have) middle layer for both upper and lower body, plus mittens, hat and over boots. The snow often falls wet here, so my army over boots helps keep the feet dry.

And since I have Chrons I fatigue very quickly, so I tend to carry a sports drink and some energy bars, as I often walk myself empty. A sit down, and something to drink and eat fixes that, and ensures that I have the energy to trundle myself home. And on the way home is were I struggle the most. I forget that I have to pace myself, and walk myself empty.

I'm no electrical engineer, so I can't really say what the towers are (maybe for cell phone reception??...), but they seem to cause more interference than the hills. The ones I use in the National Park Service are bulky bricks, very limited range because they're outdated . I need to buy a set of new ones for better testing. Aye, the SPOTs are great, I know a few folks here who use them - those are also worth checking out .
The problem with telling only one person is that unless you leave behind a written route plan, they are liable to forget. This happened to Steven Green in the Scottish highlands back in '99. He did have a cell phone, and he told his girlfriend of his intended route. He slipped on wet grass down a waterfall descending a mountain and busted the phone in the process. When he failed to return home at the planned time, his girlfriend notified authorities, but she couldn't remember his intended route. Search-and-rescue teams found him 4 days after he fell after locating his car and finding his route map inside.

[FishyFolk]

Very likely for cell phones. And also you have to belong to the VHF network they cover if they are VHF. You can't just buy a VHF and start japping away on someone elses network.
At least you can't do that around here, expect the maritime channels.

I have a map at home of the local area with my susual routes drawn in and all my cap, rest spots drawn in.

All of them is within easy range of a VHF handset on half -duplex, So I just may buy a set to kkep in touch with home when I am out near the house :-)
Not two years ago a local lady was surprised by the dark, got lost and was found only after 3 days...sadly she did not make it. She had fallen, fractured a leg. I do not know if the injury or exposure was the reason of death. She was found only a km from my house...

[saxonaxe]

In my original post about my personal emergency kit I purposely didn't mention my 'phone as I was concerned that it might cause heart palpitations or even mild terror amongst the more technically reliant on the forum.....

This hard spectacle case contains my hightec super kit..........

...........

It's a mobile phone designed primarily for pensioners and older people. Big buttons so reading glasses are not required to see to operate it. No camera, GPS, Internet or games and it's not possible to speak to Nasa's space station, but the battery will last 5 days with light use and it's got a text facility.

On a more serious note, there is an alarm button on the phone and it's possible to preload up to 5 telephone numbers plus a short message. In an emergency press and hold the button for 3 seconds and the 'phone starts transmitting the message to the first number. If there's no reply, then the message automatically transmits to the next number on the list and so on until someone reads the message. So an elderly person suffering a fall at home and immobilised simply has to press one button.....or Sax with a problem out in the boondocks..likewise.

Purchased after much bullying by my Grandaughter... Of course, like more sophisticated kit it relies on good reception of signals but it adds another chance of surviving the unplanned..

[midas]

Wonder if anyone ???Takes Flares.???
Had some when I had a "Boat"! n sure Saxon will have some on board.???

[FishyFolk]

Wonder if anyone ???Takes Flares.???
Had some when I had a "Boat"! n sure Saxon will have some on board.???

Only when I am on the boat. Besides SAR have FLIR, so sparking off you lighter, or firesteel will show up very clearly on that. They will spot you from miles away

[saxonaxe]

Wonder if anyone ???Takes Flares.???
Had some when I had a "Boat"! n sure Saxon will have some on board.???

Yes Mike. Flares on board. I've thought about flares, certainly at sea where vision is unobstructed they work well but I'm not convinced about ashore, except in barren areas like desert. In woodland a handheld distress flare probably hasn't got that much advantage over a really powerful torch and a parachute flare as you know climbs to a height before igniting, so although it might let them know you're in the forest somewhere unless they see it climb the first they know is when the sky lights up. Different at sea where they can do a 360 degree scan and hopefully spot you, but in dense forest it's probably more like " Did anybody see where that came from? "
I've played with that strobe of mine when ashore and found the best tactic is to tie a weight on a length of paracord and throw it over the highest tree branch I can. Then haul the strobe up to the branch and let it hang and swing. The hope is it will be spotted high in the canopy easier than on the forest floor. I can do the same with those Cyalume lights I carry. That's assuming I'm mobile enough to start heaving paracord about..

Sapper has more experience than any of us in search and rescue and I suspect very often it is down to a good systematic search plan and a four legged Detective that finds most lost people in the UK..