Forum Index > Trail Talk > What Search and Rescue Workers Want You to Carry
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rossb
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rossb
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PostTue Dec 17, 2019 5:54 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
Hey, cool they interviewed King County SAR!
rossb wrote:
Nice job, Outside, you couldn't finish a perfectly good, perhaps life saving article without trying to get a little cash for yourself.
Well to be fair, Outside is a business that relies on cash to operate. I opened this article and read it for free - thanks to paying subscribers. Advertisers supplement that. By the way, both articles are chock-full of links for products.
I have no problem with ads on the side, and ads in the magazine itself. I'm not fond of articles mentioning a particular product, but that is not that surprising. But for an article that is supposedly about life saving techniques to sway into BS territory (leather gloves, really?) is irresponsible. Tell the advertising department to just cool it on this one. If anything, this just makes Outdoor Magazine look like nothing more than a giant paid advertising supplement. If they can't get through a single article about something really important without mentioning a side product that really has nothing to do with the situation at hand (saving a life) then how can I trust their opinion on anything? If they write about "Great hikes in Italy", I have a feeling at some point it is going to steer me to some resort, instead of actually telling me about great hikes.

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Bronco
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PostWed Dec 18, 2019 5:40 pm 
I bet this person wished they'd had some overnight gear: https://komonews.com/news/local/injured-hiker-shares-survival-story-after-being-stranded-for-2-days-with-broken-leg It's a pretty easy day hike, she was just unlucky that day. I'm a fan of carrying enough to keep you alive for 24 hours. That's going to vary based on weather and your knowledge.

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Schroder
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PostWed Dec 18, 2019 6:18 pm 
catsp wrote:
If someone is day hiking Mount Pilchuk or Lake Serene in the summer, do they really "need" more than a water bottle and a phone?
I've personally seen minor injuries in both those places become life-threatening situations because the hikers weren't prepared

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Luc
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PostWed Dec 18, 2019 9:32 pm 
Sometimes I suspect that some day hikers might consider a packed trailhead as their emergency kit.

GNGSTR
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Cyclopath
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PostWed Dec 18, 2019 9:38 pm 
It's reasonable to think the further you are from other people, from a road, etc, the more prepared you should be. I also think it's reasonable to assume hikes done by tens of thousands of people that rarely have a problem are relatively safe. I'm just glad people are hiking.

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WaState
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PostWed Dec 18, 2019 10:01 pm 
In today's world most everyone carry's a cell phone to be prepared. So what is going here? A person may be wearing tennis shoes and have a water bottle AND be carrying a cell phone. Security is that cell phone in range of a cell tower, that is conscious decision. Relying on the kindness of strangers. Maybe it is a city mentality or is it a generational thing, or just common human nature? I myself go on trail runs near the house and carry a SOL super light poncho and some fire starter. The poncho is orange on the outside , silver on the inside and big enough to cover my whole body with knees to my chest while sitting. I may be able to get a small fire going at my feet. Other than this I plan to call the wife to bring me a bicycle to ride home if I badly twist an ankle, also I can use the phone for navigation. The area I run/walk at is gated off. So I do have a plan to be mostly self sufficient in a emergency and very light. SAR people are volunteers happy to rescue those in need, but let's try to reduce their workload. Also cell phones are often out of tower range, then what??

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Schroder
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 7:48 am 
catsp wrote:
But is it unreasonable to go off on such a hike without packing to be prepared for such unexpected occurrences? Again, best practices, maybe. But unreasonable to the extent that we say such people are not suitably prepared for the hike itself? Or to the extent we (figuratively) shake our head in dismay or wag our finger at the uninformed? I just don't think so. There are likely any number of things we could carry in our vehicles that would make us more "prepared" for any number of unexpected, bad things that can happen on the drive to the trailhead. But most don't, and few think anything of it. I just don't quite get why hikers see hiking as something entirely different.
In the examples you've given, yes. And yes, people have gotten in deep trouble on the Pilchuck trail on a summer day. As for the car analogy, it's like carrying a spare tire or not.

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texasbb
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 8:31 am 
Schroder wrote:
As for the car analogy, it's like carrying a spare tire or not.
Maybe a little more like wearing a seat belt or not.

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Luc
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Luc
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 10:22 am 
Of course all these scenarios are nuanced (should the expense of emergency gear keep people from heading out at all?) But at a certain point thinking "somebody will have a bandaid" starts to irk a bit.

GNGSTR
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Ski
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 12:09 pm 
Interesting discussion. Certainly there will always be those who will criticize others they believe aren't "prepared" for whatever fate may befall them, and there will always be those who will go through life seemingly oblivious to the potential hazards that lie ahead, and yet manage, perhaps due to divine intervention, to get through it all unscathed. Following the logic of those who argue that every day hiker should be "prepared for an overnight", I should be carrying water, and extra day's food, rain gear, map, compass, GPS, headlamp, knife, matches, and some sort of shelter with me when walking 3 or 4 or 5 miles down at the Park, which is just a few blocks away from me. This would be analogous to me saying that you're doing it all wrong if you're driving your car to the grocery store and you're not carrying in your vehicle a spare tire, jack, lug wrench, heavy work gloves, jumper cables, flashlight, road flares, full sets of 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive 6-point sockets, as well as both open-end, combination, and offset double-end box wrenches (all in both SAE and Metric sizes), pliers (slip-joint and angle-jaw groove-joint), screwdrivers (slotted, phillips, and TORX), wire cutters, soldering iron, hack saw, hammer, and OBD code reader. The reality in the latter case is that there's only so much crap you can fit into your car (regardless of whether you have the mechanical aptitude to be able to use all that stuff), and in the former we each make choices about how much crap we want to carry with us. Sure, we could (and probably should) exercise good judgement and have what we might need should circumstances require it, but if we are not endangering the well-being of others, hauling around items that in reality serve only to provide ballast might well be completely unnecessary. Remember that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that you're stupid and make poor choices.
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RumiDude
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 1:31 pm 
Ski wrote:
Sure, we could (and probably should) exercise good judgement and have what we might need should circumstances require it, but if we are not endangering the well-being of others, hauling around items that in reality serve only to provide ballast might well be completely unnecessary.
Bingo!!! One size fits all approach makes for some really baggy and ugly clothing choices. As I gain knowledge and experience I have learned to thrive with less extraneous gear. A bit of the adage "don't pack your fears" is well merited. Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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WaState
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 4:41 pm 
Try this out, gather your kit for a hike walk away from the car 20 yards. Hike back to the car and put your cell phone inside and then really start off on your hike. That will sort out most average people in today's world. As the butterfly's rise up and fear sets in, I say keep on hiking. Maybe next time a few more items for self reliance will come along on the next trip out. Also a greater awareness of environment.

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BigBrunyon
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 4:48 pm 
Plus you look more pro when you've got a decent professional looking pack and you're "strapped in" for the trail. You've got tight waist straps and tight chest straps fully buckled in. Bright color scheme. Gripping the graphite poles and ripping miles down the trail, too busy to acknowledge anyone you're passing. No need to make eye contact cause you're rocking the polarized shades.

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WaState
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 5:45 pm 
I will write that anyone who is reading this thread knows what their doing whatever they carry. What is far more important is skill, knowledge and care. The bulk of those who get in trouble spend little effort on knowledge. But they will have that cell phone if nothing else.

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Cyclopath
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PostThu Dec 19, 2019 7:55 pm 
Not the best idea to leave a phone in the car because trailhead break-ins. frown.gif

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