Yooper Survival Pack

gogebic_sledder

gogebic_sledder

Member
Excellent riding gear, lighter, and a bottle of Kesler. Just kidding about the booze. My friend got stranded in Two Elk Drainage( Vail back bowls) spent 15 hours over night. He had good gortex stuff and dug himself in tree well. His only complaint was he didn't ration his smokes. It was in the single digits that night
 
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whitedust

Well-known member
Clintondf said:
Might strap that to the hood! With my zipties and rope. Then put backpack inside of it so i dont jave to wear it. Lol. Actually my backpack as loaded only weighs 10.5 lbs total. And my pistol is very light. Ruger lcp. Forget i have it in my pocket sometimes. Reason i carry it....because i can!! "useless"?? Hmm...well i can garauntee not having it would then be useless. Thats my opinion and everyone has theirs.
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What are you going to do shoot the sled dead like a lame horse? :)
 
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loriwlrc

New member
A good thing to add to all mentioned is a xtra heavy xtra large garbage bag you can get into ,can help you stay dry in your snow cave doesn't take much space either
 
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dafuzz

New member
I might go a little overboard but I ride solo a lot so carry some extra stuff. In my backpack which is bungee'd on the tunnel I carry: 12 Wet Fire tinders, 2 bic lighters, a Blast Match, 2 tea light candles, 36" duck tape rolled around film canister which has waterproof matches and 2 cotton balls in it, 6 8" zip ties, 30' para cord, Israeli tourniquet, roll of 1" med tape, QuikClot, CPR pocket mask, decent pocket knife, compass, pair of mittens, 6 hand warmer packs, 6 Jack Link jerky sticks, 2 snickers bars, Voile T6 shovel with wood saw in handle, 6'X8' orange tarp, emergency whistle, travel size pill container with ibuprofen, Alavert and Aleve. Strapped on top of that back pack is a pair of 36" Tubbs Mountaineer snow shoes. I tend to like to explore cool spots off my sled so when I decide to leave the sled the pack goes on my back and the shoes go on, works out pretty well and if I'm ever broke down I'll be loving those snow shoes.

One other thing I always do is send a text to my wife and my brother with my truck location, where I plan to ride and for how long. I absolutely do not deviate from that planned location and timeline unless I have cell service and can send an update text with the new plan. I wait for a reply from both to verify that they've received the update before starting the sled again. Both of them know that if I don't text within 4 hours of the end of the planned timeline to verify that I'm back at the truck they should notify law enforcement and my brother should start towards my truck location as he's usually 4-6 hours away by car. The most important part of this plan is me not deviating from the plan without them knowing.
 
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ranlam

New member
Snowshoes are a great idea, specially backcountry. A compass/map, water, and a lighter is all i need. I talked to the guy who was lost and told him a lighter would have made that overnight alot more comfortable. He told me he didnt think he would have been able to start a fire cause everything was so wet-----totally wrong. Here in the western up its so easy to start a fire, yellow birch everywhere its natures' oil soaked paper that lights immediately throw some ceder or dead fall on it and wallah. So a little knowledge of the area your exploring goes along way and to me knowledge is the most important tool of all, besides a lighter.
 
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whitedust

Well-known member
ranlam said:
Snowshoes are a great idea, specially backcountry. A compass/map, water, and a lighter is all i need. I talked to the guy who was lost and told him a lighter would have made that overnight alot more comfortable. He told me he didnt think he would have been able to start a fire cause everything was so wet-----totally wrong. Here in the western up its so easy to start a fire, yellow birch everywhere its natures' oil soaked paper that lights immediately throw some ceder or dead fall on it and wallah. So a little knowledge of the area your exploring goes along way and to me knowledge is the most important tool of all, besides a lighter.
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Yeppers threw a lighter in my pak Friday too after SC incident was also thinking maybe I should throw a can of sterno in there too for remote FRs when riding alone .....I didn't but maybe I should?
 
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anonomoose

New member
dafuzz said:
I might go a little overboard but I ride solo a lot so carry some extra stuff. In my backpack which is bungee'd on the tunnel I carry: 12 Wet Fire tinders, 2 bic lighters, a Blast Match, 2 tea light candles, 36" duck tape rolled around film canister which has waterproof matches and 2 cotton balls in it, 6 8" zip ties, 30' para cord, Israeli tourniquet, roll of 1" med tape, QuikClot, CPR pocket mask, decent pocket knife, compass, pair of mittens, 6 hand warmer packs, 6 Jack Link jerky sticks, 2 snickers bars, Voile T6 shovel with wood saw in handle, 6'X8' orange tarp, emergency whistle, travel size pill container with ibuprofen, Alavert and Aleve. Strapped on top of that back pack is a pair of 36" Tubbs Mountaineer snow shoes. I tend to like to explore cool spots off my sled so when I decide to leave the sled the pack goes on my back and the shoes go on, works out pretty well and if I'm ever broke down I'll be loving those snow shoes.

One other thing I always do is send a text to my wife and my brother with my truck location, where I plan to ride and for how long. I absolutely do not deviate from that planned location and timeline unless I have cell service and can send an update text with the new plan. I wait for a reply from both to verify that they've received the update before starting the sled again. Both of them know that if I don't text within 4 hours of the end of the planned timeline to verify that I'm back at the truck they should notify law enforcement and my brother should start towards my truck location as he's usually 4-6 hours away by car. The most important part of this plan is me not deviating from the plan without them knowing.
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Here is a list and a plan. Fuzz is prepared and will have confidence that can keep him safe dry and alive. I would add that if you stick a note on the truck window instructing someone to call if truck is still there at a particular time, it could get a jump start on getting you out again. If some are on sleds, they might even try to get to you sooner.

While the topic of fire comes up and "natural" materials to start the fire is assumed, once again, that depends on where you are and what is around you. Birch is good stuff, but can be hard to find if your sled isn't working. Deadfall that absorbed wet is wet wood that won't take off very well without some good help. I would encourage everyone who rides alone, to stop and try and build a fire and see how proficiently you can do it. For most folks who stick a match under a few twigs I believe they will learn it can be very hard to do. Add some horizontal snow, and 30 mph winds and you get my point. There is no better way to learn than to do it once in awhile. Few sledders are going to be proficient at building a fire under good conditions, which should make you aware of what you should really be carrying around in the woods when you trip alone or with only one other sled. It can and does happen, and if you are prepared, you can make the best out of it.
 
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dafuzz

New member
I feel strongly that fire is a very important aspect of back country winter survival, both mentally and physically. Every sledder should have at least one Wet Fire and an fire ignition source, preferably more than one. Wet Fire are 1" cubes in a waterproof wrapper, when a spark meets Wet Fire that 1" cube provides a 5-7" flame that lasts for 8-10 minutes. Anyone that's tried to start a fire in an emergency situation can attest that that's a high quality flame and a long time of drying out your damp tinder enough to get it to light. Wet Fire burns when damp or wet and also burns even if crushed, just put the powder in a pile and get a spark on it. Wet Fire are very inexpensive and can be ordered from Amazon or most local sporting goods stores. Check out Wet Fire, it may save your life!
 
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cuzzinolaf

Well-known member
polarisrider1 said:
Ask Olaf. he hauls it all!
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I used to but don't anymore. If you ride the UP and you're with a group of three it really isn't necessary IMO. Only once in the UP did I think I would need to use it and it was our own fault. Be smart and don't venture too far into the bush if you have no clue where you are or where you're going.
 
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geolith

Member
cuzzinolaf said:
I used to but don't anymore. If you ride the UP and you're with a group of three it really isn't necessary IMO. Only once in the UP did I think I would need to use it and it was our own fault. Be smart and don't venture too far into the bush if you have no clue where you are or where you're going.
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Do you carry all that common sence in a back pack, or do you strap it to your sled? Oh, and where can I get some?
 
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cuzzinolaf

Well-known member
geolith said:
Do you carry all that common sence in a back pack, or do you strap it to your sled? Oh, and where can I get some?
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LOL, I just ride areas that I know for the most part. I'm sure it would be nice to have everything I used to carry but now I have just a few essentials. I guess I should have said I don't carry as much as I used to.
 
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