Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR): Long-range SAR operations gear list page

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Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR)
Long-range operations gear list

By
Michael Neiger
Marquette, Michigan
© Copyright 2008

Michael Neiger with a ruck stuffed with 11 days of bush gear on a 2008 Canadian expedition. (Photo by Mary Powell)

Page contents
     • On-person survival gear
     • First-aid kit
     • Repair kit
     • Land nav gear
     • SAR & CSI gear
     • Head gear
     • Upper-body gear
     • Hand gear
     • Lower-body gear
     • Footwear
     • Rucksack gear
     • Bivouac gear
     • Hydration gear
     • Rations
     • Ration-heating gear
     • Biting-Insect gear
     • Personal items
     • Hygiene gear
     • Vehicle gear
     • Vehicle safety checks

There's no such thing as bad weather—only wrong clothes.
—Anonymous

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On-person survival gear

[ ] Waterproof matches with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Waterproof firestarters with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Magnesium firestarter with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Sturdy pocket knife with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Compass with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Whistle with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Signal mirror with loss-prevention lanyard
[ ] Map of area in plastic bag

To learn more, visit survival-kit-primer page

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First-aid kit

[ ] Elastic ankle wrap
[ ] Moleskin
[ ] Vaseline
[ ] Band-Aids
[ ] Waterproof first-aid tape
[ ] Pain relief medication
[ ] Anti-inflammatory medication
[ ] Cold & flu medications
[ ] Small tweezers
[ ] Small scissors
[ ] Powerful, prescription-grade pain killers for long trips (see your Doc)
[ ] Broad-spectrum antibiotic for long trips (see your Doc)

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Repair kit

[ ] 50 feet of 1/8-inch braided nylon cordage (lashing, repair, difficult [2-rope] bear hangs)
[ ] Small roll of duct tape
[ ] Sewing kit

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Land nav gear

[ ] Heavy-duty baseplate compass
[ ] Heavy-duty wrist compass
[ ] 1:24,000-scale topographic maps
[ ] County map
[ ] U.S. Army Ranger pacing beads
[ ] UTM roamer scale
[ ] Pencil
[ ] Waterproof note paper
[ ] High-sensitivity global positioning system (GPS) unit
[ ] Extra batteries for GPS unit

To learn more, visit land-nav-gear-primer page

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SAR and CSI gear

[ ] Flagging tape
[ ] Permanent, waterproof marker
[ ] Measuring tape
[ ] Breeze-direction detector
[ ] Sign-cutting stick

[ ] Waterproof note paper
[ ] Permanent, waterproof pen
[ ] Pencil
[ ] Digital camera with macro mode
[ ] Extra batteries for digital camera
[ ] 6-inch evidence ruler
[ ] 12 sheets of legal-size paper for trace evidence packaging
[ ] 6 legal-size envelopes (unused)
[ ] 6 lunch-size brown paper bags (unused)
[ ] 1 grocery-store-size brown paper bag (unused)
[ ] Tamper-resistant evidence tape
[ ] Small magnifying glass (good baseplate compasses have one built-in)
[ ] Latex gloves

To learn more, visit the SAR-&-CSI-gear-primer page

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Head gear

[ ] 1 very thin balaclava
[ ] 2 thick hats that can be worn together
[ ] 1 pair of sun glasses
[ ] Protective eyewear for bushwhacking (very important)
[ ] Prescription glasses (spare pair if important)
[ ] Bandana
[ ] Wide-brimmed sun/rain hat

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Upper-body gear

[ ] 3 or 4 thin polypro tops
[ ] 1 thin breathable nylon windshirt
[ ] 2 1/4-inch thick micro-fiber-insulated or fleece jackets
[ ] 1 hooded, synthetic-insulated parka in (early spring, late fall)
[ ] 1 nylon rain parka (no vinyl; no ponchos)

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Hand gear

[ ] 1 pair of mitten shells (early spring, late fall)
[ ] 2 pair of mitten liners (early spring, late fall)

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Lower-body gear

[ ] 1 pair of polypro undershorts
[ ] 1 or 2 pair of polypro long underwear
[ ] 1 pair of thin nylon hiking/wind pants with zip-off legs
[ ] 1 pair of 1/4-inch thick micro-fiber-insulated or fleece pants (sidezips are very handy)
[ ] 1 pair of heavy synthetic-insulated overpants with sidezips (early spring, late fall)
[ ] 1 pair of nylon rain pants (no vinyl)

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Footwear

[ ] 1 pair of sturdy boots (insulated in early spring, late fall)
[ ] 3 pair of thick synthetic or wool socks
[ ] 1 or 2 pair of liner socks
[ ] 1 pair of gaiters (to seal boot-pantleg opening against mud and debris)
[ ] River-fording footwear

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Rucksack gear

[ ] 1 large rucksack lined with contractor-grade plastic bag
[ ] Full-coverage raincover
[ ] Waist-belt water bottle parka
[ ] Waist-belt snack pouch
[ ] Waist-belt map pouch

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Bivouac gear

[ ] Tarp and bivy (or small, light tent)
[ ] Stakes and ropes to rig tent or tarp
[ ] Sleeping bag with appropriate rating
[ ] Sleeping pad (& repair kit if needed)
[ ] Sleeping booties (early spring, late fall)
[ ] Flashlight (LED with headstrap is recommended)
[ ] Spare battery
[ ] Candle(s)

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Hydration gear

[ ] 2 one-quart durable (Nalgene) water bottles
[ ] 1 two-quart water bladder
[ ] Water purification system (pump, iodine tablets, etc.)
[ ] 1 spare bottle of iodine tablets (even if carrying a pump)

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Rations

[ ] Breakfast modules (one per day)
[ ] Snack modules (one per day)
[ ] Lunch modules (one per day)
[ ] Dinner modules (one per day)

[ ] Backup rations (one full day: breakfast, snack, lunch, & dinner)

How to pack your rations:

Measure, weigh, and triple check your rations. You should be carrying about 1.75-2.75 pounds of dry weight food, or about 2700-4500 calories of food per day, depending on your body weight and exertion level.

It is recommended that you avoid "bulk" packaging and instead consider packing each separate meal serving—breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner—in its own, separate, long-necked, plastic bag, which is sealed with a simple overhand knot in the neck of the bag.

This system has the following advantages over putting all of your snacks, say nuts for the whole trip, in one bag:

• At the SAR base, you'll know for sure—by a visual hand count—that you've packed enough rations in your ruck for the SAR operation at hand;

• In the bush, you'll now exactly how much to consume without eating into another days rations;

• You'll reduce the chances of your food getting ruined if moisture penetrates the ration bag itself—such as on a long river crossing or during foul weather—as the moisture will still have to work its way into each and every individual ration unit.

While meticulous ration planning, measuring, and packaging is tedious, it's essential for safe and successful long-range SAR missions in remote wilderness.

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Ration-heating gear

[ ] Lightweight backpacking stove (repair kit for liquid-fuel stoves)
[ ] Fuel for stove (five to six Esbit fuel tabs per day for NATO-type stoves)
[ ] Lighter on loss prevention lanyard
[ ] Windscreen for stove
[ ] Fireproof base for stove
[ ] Pot holder
[ ] Pot
[ ] Lid for pot
[ ] Spoon
[ ] Mug
[ ] 50-foot food-hanging rope (use cheap, hard, 1/8-inch-diameter, slippery poly-rope for heavy loads)

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Biting-insect gear

[ ] 1 bottle of 100% DEET per week
[ ] 1 spare bottle of 100% DEET
[ ] 1 headnet
[ ] 1 spare headnet
[ ] Several anti-bug smudge coils

To learn more, visit the biting-insect-gear-primer page

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Personal items

[ ] Personal medications
[ ] Driver's license
[ ] Birth certificate and/or passport (recommended for Canadian trips)
[ ] Emergency contact names and phone numbers
[ ] Credit cards
[ ] Cash and travelers checks
[ ] Medical, prescription, and dental insurance cards
[ ] Sunscreen
[ ] Lipbalm with sunblock
[ ] Wrist chronograph
[ ] Paperback book

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Hygiene gear

[ ] Toilet paper
[ ] Synthetic pack towel
[ ] Toothbrush
[ ] Toothpowder (more about tooth powder; recommended vendor: Heavenly Harvest, Inc.)
[ ] Toothpicks & dental floss
[ ] Handcleaner

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Vehicle gear

[ ] Extra car key on lanyard
[ ] Vehicle registration papers
[ ] Vehicle insurance papers
[ ] Locking gas cap
[ ] Road map (Michigan 1-800-292-2520; Canada 1-800-268-3736)
[ ] County map book for Michigan trips
[ ] Tire jack and lug nut wrench
[ ] Shovel
[ ] Windshield scraper and snow brush (winter)
[ ] Jumper cables
[ ] Nylon tow strap
[ ] Single-bit axe
[ ] Bow saw
[ ] Hi-lift bumper jack
[ ] Hand-operated winch
[ ] Pick axe
[ ] Tire inflation system
[ ] Battery jump-pack power system

To learn more, visit the vehicle-gear-primer page

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Vehicle safety checks

[ ] Tire-pressure
[ ] Spare-tire pressure
[ ] Tire-tread wear
[ ] Wiper-blade condition
[ ] Wiper-fluid (front and rear)
[ ] Engine-oil level (use thinner weight in winter)
[ ] Radiator-fluid level (check rating in winter)
[ ] Transmission-fluid level
[ ] Headlight operation
[ ] Taillight operation
[ ] Brakelight operation
[ ] Turn signal operation
[ ] Heavy-duty battery condition (auto-parts stores often load-check for free)

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In God's wilderness
lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted,
unredeemed wilderness.
— John Muir, 1838-1914
Alaska Wilderness, 1890

If you've been able to read this Web page...
thank a Teacher;
If you've been able to read this Web page in English...
thank a Veteran.
—Author unknown

• All rights reserved •
No part of this Web page or this Web site protected by copyright law may be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any form--including graphic, electronic, Web, mechanical or other form--or by any means--including photocopying, recording, taping, Internet distribution, information storage retrieval system, or by other means--for any purpose, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages, without the prior, express, written permission of the author.

Comments? Suggestions?
Dead links? Inaccurate info?
Contact the WebMaster, Michael A. Neiger, at mneiger@hotmail.com

Web site URL: www.MibSAR.com

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