What do you carry in day packs? Backcountry XCd

[Montana St Alum]

I'd agree about the beacon and probe, but a shovel can be very handy in an emergency situation. A snow hole or quinzee will be much warmer than using a tarp or survival bag on its own. I don't carry one for local day trips where the trails tend to be busy, but in the mountains or more remote forest skiing I think it's worth the extra weight.

I also agree about the beacon and probe if you know for certain that there's no chance you'll see anyone else. There have been cases in the Wasatch where people were in areas they thought were pretty remote, but ended up involved in rescue situations. Don't forget, you could help save someone else, not just yourself.

I agree that if you have a shovel and you get injured, digging down to the ground could help you stay warm, Vs. sitting on snow, or make it easier to start a fire; again, you may save someone else you stumble upon.

My wife and I were down near Cedar City Utah with a car full of 1 liter water bottles which we always carry in the desert. Stopping at a turn out in Kolob Canyon, 5 guys showed up who were on a day hike who were all on the cusp of being severely dehydrated. They asked us if we had any water....they each ended up with 4 bottles of water which we insisted they take. There was no way we expected to run across anyone. They were pretty dang happy!

On long backcountry mountain bike rides, I've used more gear helping others than I've used myself.

I suppose you can over prepare. In the Navy, every airplane I ever flew had a seatpan with a survival kit....every kit had a condom in it (really)!

Now, is it likely that you will eject right over a brothel in friendly territory? Is it likely they'd be out of condoms? Maybe, maybe not....but do you really want to be "that guy"?

[voilenerd]

A shovel with a saw is pretty valuable to have. I have a Voile shovel with saw. Works great.

Here is an article of some snowmobliers that got lost in area I ski and items they had that saved their lives.

https://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/l ... f8e9b.html

[Cannatonic]

Now, is it likely that you will eject right over a brothel in friendly territory? Is it likely they'd be out of condoms? Maybe, maybe not....but do you really want to be "that guy"?

pretty funny but condoms also have many uses - they're waterproof, could be used to keep medication dry or something like that

interesting story on the snowmobiling family. Personally I would hope they're billed for the cost of a rescue like that. Looks like it must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Good to see they were helped out by their fellow gas-burners.

[Montana St Alum]

Now, is it likely that you will eject right over a brothel in friendly territory? Is it likely they'd be out of condoms? Maybe, maybe not....but do you really want to be "that guy"?

pretty funny but condoms also have many uses - they're waterproof, could be used to keep medication dry or something like that

Yeah, that's what the parariggers used to tell us. I'm still pretty skeptical!

[fgd135]

These guys are, at least, flying over the snow:

[Montana St Alum]

These guys are, at least, flying over the snow:

Gotta love Slim!

[Telecat]

Wow this thread blew up!

I just want to clear up, im not doing any significant downhills solo, certainly nothing in any kind of avalanche terrain, mostly XC and the downhills are only as steep as a typical carriage road, golf course, or recreation field would get.

And id like to clear up, the Beacon I have is NOT an avalanche beacon. It's a Personal Locator Beacon, it's sends a signal to a network of SAR satellites. These are used a lot in maritime search and rescue and for backcountry travelers. They work anywhere on earth, send a signal to the satellites, which are received by NOAA or other government/military organization who then relay the coordinates to the nearest appropriate emergency services/SAR teams, really interesting stuff!
You can read more about them in the first half of this article: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice ... acons.html
But certainly in an avalanche situation id be long dead before anyone found me, which is why I would never do any sort of backcountry downhill solo, and without the appropriate gear and education.


I forgot to add that I always bring several lighters and leafy greens (aka, herbal medicine). And I always bring a portable battery to keep phone charged.

A shovel is probably a good idea, huh?

[Montana St Alum]

Wow this thread blew up!

I forgot to add that I always bring several lighters and leafy greens (aka, herbal medicine). And I always bring a portable battery to keep phone charged.

A shovel is probably a good idea, huh?

Yeah, but in a good way.
I'm surprised you're able to stay alone with leafy greens!
I'd be chasing you.
Sounds like you have everything you need except maybe 3 bags of potato chips and a couple of candy bars.

[peterindc]

Great lists.

Last year I got a Garmin InReach Mini for backpacking on the John Muir Trail. Now I carry it on any trip where I might lose cell service which is to say most of them. It's 3.5 oz, allows SOS wherever you are, you can text back and forth with SAR team in that case, and it pairs with a phone to keep your location updated on a topo map via Garmin's Earthmate app. On the month-by-month plan it's $14.95/mo but I suspend that in months I don't need it. Best to keep it accessible on a packstrap or hip pocket in case you need to SOS.

This year's gadget investment (yes I am a gearhead) was a pair of BCA radios. I always seem to get separated and in the xcD mode they're good for exchanging information while going one-by-one past avy danger. Of course this adds to the night-before checklist, to make sure all the gadgets are charged.

Ditto on the SOL emergency bivy, 3.8 oz of insurance if I hurt something and have to lay in the snow waiting for SAR. Now on sale for $12.69 at REI. Although...

I agree that if you have a shovel and you get injured, digging down to the ground could help you stay warm, Vs. sitting on snow, or make it easier to start a fire; again, you may save someone else you stumble upon.

Good point. The lightest metal shovel I found was the Mammut Alugator Light, 16.7 oz, now on sale for $50 at Backcountry Gear.

[fgd135]

I do actually carry more stuff than I should, most days. One thing I do carry is a small stove of one kind or another. My favorite is an older model Gaz Rando 360 that has a self contained cookset. This thing is fairly light, although it does not pump out as much heat as newer stoves, it has served well on many many tours. Lucky for me, I was able to score a huge number of the small butane cartridges at a shop that was closing down, and even a spare stove!
The entire burner, windscreen, two fuel cylinders, the pot lifter, and a butane lighter will fit into the aluminum cookpots. The whole thing is just slightly bigger than a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup.