Picking an emergency/survival kit for every situation is impossible which is why this sort of planning should be part of every pre-trip process. Even if it is just asking the question, pausing for a moment before every outing, be it a day trip on a familiar float or uncharted water in the middle of nowhere, should be standard practice. Granted, most of us treat day trips close to civilization as pretty benign and prep accordingly, it is all good...until it isn't, right?

Obviously these questions are being asked in the context of general drift boat preparedness in a day trip type format on frequently visited rivers. As such, I will try and toss out a few ideas out specific to the setting and potential situations.

A good place to start in planning for emergency gear is to consider the potential emergencies or threats that you could expect to encounter. Obviously we can’t expect to mitigate every possibility with regard to threats, and so planning will come down to each of us making value judgments. In doing so, I use a simple “likelihood vs. consequence” analogy. Good judgment comes from experience and before you are confident in your ability to do without something, you should probably err on the side of taking too much as opposed to taking too little, particular in circumstances where both likelihood and consequences are high. Additionally, in places where you can expect to be around other folks, you may also want to give some thought to your ability to help others if and when they get into trouble. Even if you are not anticipating trouble within your group, you never know when you might run into someone else in need of help, but of course the needs of you and your group should always be first and foremost.

So, back the starting point, considering the possible threats or scenarios in the context of a weekend warrior drift boat outing. From the hip, here are the things that pop immediately to my mind. Granted most of these can and would arise from the same sort of event, dumping the boat.

1. Capsizing
2. Stuck boat/ or obstruction + portage
3. Falling in the water (from the bank or boat)
4. Medical emergency (trauma, medical, illness)
5. Unplanned night out/out after dark
6. Broken or malfunctioning boat equipment
-Oar
-Oarlock
-Anchor and/or rope
-Hull

Categorizing or prioritizing these threats into either 1) immediate life threats (life in the emergency world means life, limb, or eyesight), 2) long term life threats, or 3) general problems is helpful and again this gets back to likelihood and consequence equation.
So based on the list above, I would cite the following as immediate threats to life, keeping in mind that most of the other problems can turn into life threats should they be allowed to progress or continue unmitigated.

1. Drowning
2. Hypothermia/exposure
3. Medical emergency

Addressing these high priority threats first, drowning. First and foremost, don’t end up in the drink. Training, experience, and good judgment will help you avoid that. I am a big believer in the ounce of prevention vs. pound of cure concept. That having been said, play this game long enough and you will go swimming. Wearing a life vest and having a plan and equipment (rope, throwable PFD) for man overboard scenarios are both good calls. If you get the chance, practice trying to swim and or wade with swamped waders, it is much different than you might think and experiencing that for the first time in a real emergency is rough.

Secondary to immersion should you survive your swim will likely be the cold/hypothermia factor. Extra clothes or a way to dry your existing clothes are good answers. Things like emergency blankets are good, light and small options to tuck away if you are trying to get by with bare minimums. There is a lot of good info out there about hypothermia, how to treat it, how to prevent it, etc. It takes longer to set in that most people think, but it is very real and ruins your day for sure.

Medical emergencies. I wrote a longer bit specifically on med kits a year or two ago. It might still be in the archives. This is a long subject that is highly subjective. The bottom line is that with regard to preparedness for medical emergencies, training and experience are also the keys to saving a life when something bad happens. Take a basic wilderness first aid course like WFA, WFR or the like and gain some experience with managing immediate threats to life as a first responder in the wilderness. As defined in the medical world, “wilderness” means farther than one hour from a higher standard of care. At a minimum, have a kit that addresses basic trauma. Of the ABC’s (airway, breathing, and circulation) basic kits are typically not going to address the first two (minus airway issues secondary to allergic reactions , more on that later) and so they tend to focus more on the C (circulation) in the form of wound management. Remember, stop the bleeding first through direct pressure and elevation. The kits by Adventure Medical are good and REI sells them as well as a few others. Knowing your party members and any specific health concerns (allergies, cardiac, etc) is also pretty important when selecting an appropriate med kit.

Now that we have considered our higher priority threats to life, lets give some thought to more of the potential problems that may arise and that it would be wise to prepare for.

With regard to boat equipment, the most likely things to “fail” (that being an all-inclusive term for break, go missing, etc.) are probably the oars, oar locks, and anchor and/or rope. Most choose to address these possibilities with a spare oar, maybe a spare oar lock, and having a plan for a backup anchor system. Again preparation is key and selecting good equipment to begin with can help reduce the chances of something failing, but again, spend enough time out there and you’ll bust something. With higher end oar locks, it is much more common to spread one than it is to break one, but it can happen though I’ve never seen it. A chunk of spare rope (more on that to come) and a rock or bag of rocks can do in a pinch as a spare anchor, but it will take some finagling. Poking a hole in your hull is an outside chance on most of the PNW rivers but it is something worth thinking about. Inflatables should have a repair and pump kit pretty handy, especially if you don’t have redundancy in your chambers. I have seen hard boats (jet boats) patched with a roll of duct tape and limped back to the launch. An extra plug and some bailing wire can also be pretty handy items.

Spending an unplanned night out in and of itself isn't a huge problem as long as you can stay warm, fed, and have light to get around. It gets worse from there obviously. A Petzl Tikka headlamp fits in your change pocket, costs about $25 and there are no good reasons to ever leave home without one. Water isn't typically a problem for most river based outings. Although we can live for a few days without food, we will function much better and solve other problems more easily if we have things to eat. ISO butane stoves are super small these days and something like an MSR Pocketrocket and a couple of dehy meals can go a long way in keeping you happy if spending an unplanned night out. Give some though to shelter. A small sil tarp or emergency blanket work. Improvised shelters like an upside down boat or lean-to’s are worth thinking about at least.

And finally, dealing with a stuck boat or portage. 2-3 pulleys, four or five carabiners, a few chunks of misc cordage or webbing, and a 40 meter chunk of rope (appropriate for the job, 8mm-11mm) can solve just about any hauling and lowering need in the field. Knowing how to setup a block and tackle, simple 2 or 3 to 1 hauling system, how to make a munter hitch, and some basic knots is obviously pretty important to be able to rig something safely and effectively.

Volumes can and have been written on each of these subjects and this is obviously a loose and quickly compiled pile of random information. Take all with a grain of salt.

I am intentionally avoiding summarizing with “a list” because I think that needs to be an individual choice based on you, your group, and the mission. Looks like you have a good start and hopefully the mess above gives you a few more things to think about. In the end and after much debate, my list would probably wind up as duct tape and whiskey anyhow.

In sum, don’t count on anyone else for your safety and survival. It is your responsibility alone and true help is rarely available in emergent situations.

Don’t rely too heavily on technology (phones, gps, SPOT, etc.) as it often fails when you need it most.

Best of luck , be safe and have fun.