So after following the Boat Down on the Nooch thread and learning that one of the boats had an oar lock failure, it got me thinking about what else I/We should carry for safety, survival, repairs etc.... Let's face it we are floating down wilderness rivers, [Bleeeeep!] can hit the fan really fast and sometimes there may not be any help for some time. I carry the basics, but I think it's time to reevaluate my safety gear. I currently carry the following

Life jackets and whistles for all passengers
Very basic first aid kit
extra oar
extra rope
water and food for the day
matches in water proof sack
flashlights
crap paper

Items I need to add to boat

extra oarlock
handheld gps
considering storing some block and tackle or comealong in case I ever have to portage the DB

Anything else you guys carry or have considered carrying on your boat?

cell phone.......I just happen to have Apple 4 s....the GPS, is pretty amazing....I also have Verizon service.....I'm not saying I have the best or there isn't something better.....but it seems to work for what I do.

Tardar Sauce.....just make sure you aren't the "last bumper boat", if stuff happens.

Dutch Treat and Tecate.

Fish whistle.

Extra lighters.

Extra plug, bail bucket, oar lock retention pin, Sharpie, and some duct tape.

On top of all the extra stuff we are supposed to have in the boat, like an oar lock, plugs, ect... I carry the Boy Scouts, "10 Essentials" plus a Sven Saw, a gallon size bag of homemeade "tinder" and a really small dry bag with a change of warm, dry clothes. Also 100' of 550 cord, a tarp, and a roll of duct tape. Its an extra 5-10 pounds I dont mind rowing down river.

Only had to spend part of a night on a river once, but that was in semi-rural AK. No cell service. When I wasnt back by the time I said I'd be... It was all hands on deck to get me out.

Letting someone know your plan of attack, and what to do in case you dont return is a sound thing to do.

TP and some good whiskey.
That way you can die with a buzz on and no monkey-butt.

Drifter makes a good point that you may be the last boat down the river. I have explored some waters where i have not seen a boat all day.
Tarder I just started carrying a dry sack for all my extra jackets etc. Rather than throwing them in the cooler behind my seat. Works well and they are fairly inexpensive.
Neon your post is the reason I decided to start this thread. Good points and advice.
It would be easy enough to put together a 72 hour bag that is stashed somewhere out of the way in the boat.

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.

.357

Screw the emergency kit...I'll just take Coley

Fish on...

Todd

But, just in case I don't bring Coley...here's what's in my box:

Extra oar blades, oar, pins, and locks.
Patch kit and pump, if in the 'toon.
Two different multi-tools.
Extra anchor rope, and another good piece of rope.
Duct tape.
Super Glue.
Toilet paper.
Handheld GPS.
Cable saw.
Flashlight.
Med kit full of stuff.
Pliers.
Sunglasses.
Two pullies.
Matches.
Firestarter.

Most of that stuff takes up very little room if you pack it well...oar blades are bulky, and the pump when in the inflatable is very bulky, but I've had to use them both on the river before and wouldn't have wanted to be without them. As a matter of fact, most everything on that list has been used on the river before, if not for an emergency situation at least to make something easier or more comfortable.

Duct tape has patched waders and boats before...and a couple of years ago in northern BC I discovered that melting a steelhead worm with a lighter can be a quick and effective, but short term fix to a hole in your waders, too.

I've never "needed" the GPS while on the river, but I've used it to mark takeouts on drifts I haven't done before to make sure I don't float by it, or end up two miles from it when the sun is setting...or to mark a spot I'd like to hike into at a later date ...but the main reason I have it is so I can make my hike out as short and easy as possible if that's the way I have to get out of the woods.

Fish on...

Todd

Chainsaw(if first time down after storms. We always have one behind the seat of the truck if not with us.)

Comealong. Just standard behind the seat as well.

Extra plug
Rope (with carabiners)
Hand pump
Extra oar
extra oar lock
Lifejackets
Throw bags(double as extra seat cushions and much more likely to use than jackets)
Flashlights(two large Mags)
Cook stove/Propane cans
H2o proof matches/stones
duct tape
Small first aid kit


And last but not least=


Baby wipes

I vote Coley for Team Leader.







I keep my spare plugs installed in the bottom of my fish box in opposite corners. (I need two)
They are the newer style "low-pro" and also I like being able to open the "drains" in the fish box when washing it out.

You like whiskey as well?

No drinking for the Team Leader, sorry Coley.
I'll let you know if it's any good.

After spending hours helping to rescue boats (all be it jet boats) on two separate occasions several years ago, I went and bought a come-a-long(rope puller) and 100' of rope, along with some pullies, webbing and a foldable shovel.

I got it mainly for use in my jet boat as I fish alone alot and want to at least have chance of getting it unstuck by myself. But I also carry it in my raft as well. Doesn't take up that much room and is a good saftey net for both me and anybody else in trouble I might run into.

Of course since I started bringing it along every trip I've never had a case to use it again, but boy would it have helped out in both those instances years ago.

On a related note. In the second instance a jet boat with an older gentleman and his wife had sucked some gravel, floated back and gotten wedged against a log just below a hole with 5-6 other boats (all with multiple people on board) and were yelling for help. I was by myself and was the only boat to quit fishing and go down and help them get off the log, no small feat. The other boats just kept fishing and watched me and the old man struggle to get the boat free.

Sometimes I wonder what the hell is wrong with people.

Didn't Crown Royal save someone's life on here one time?.Good luck,
SZ

Baby wipes are saweet. I got some in my boat too!

Ah, yes.
Lemme edit my previous post...

Good whiskey and baby butt wipers.
That way I can die with a nice buzz on and no monkey-butt.