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Alaskan Survival Equipment Requirements

mbauer

Well Known Member
Been reading about RVers wanting to fly to Alaska. Hopefully you will enjoy your flight.

I'm listing the state requirements for survival gear. Almost every flight up here is "remote". We don't have many extended highways up here, towns/villages have many miles between them. If you make an emergency landing, best to be pre-pared to spend at least one night, maybe more if the weather turns bad.

Here are the required minimums:

Firearms have not been required since Sept. 27, 2001.

ALASKA STATUTES Sec. 02.35.110. Emergency rations and equipment.

An airman may not make a flight inside the state with an aircraft unless emergency equipment is carried as follows:

(1) the following minimum equipment must be carried during the summer months:
(A) rations for each occupant sufficient to sustain life for one week;
(B) one axe or hatchet;
(C) one first aid kit;
(D) an assortment of tackle such as hooks, flies, lines, and sinkers;
(E) one knife;
(F) fire starter;
(G) one mosquito headnet for each occupant;
(H) two small signaling devices such as colored smoke bombs, railroad fuses, or Very pistol shells, in sealed metal containers;

(2) in addition to the equipment required under (1) of this subsection, the following must be carried as minimum equipment from October 15 to April 1 of each year:
(A) one pair of snowshoes;
(B) one sleeping bag;
(C) one wool blanket or equivalent for each occupant over four.

(b) However, operators of multi-engine aircraft licensed to carry more than 15 passengers need carry only the food, mosquito nets, and signalling equipment at all times other than the period from October 15 to April 1 of each year, when two sleeping bags, and one blanket for every two passengers shall also be carried

All of the above requirements as to emergency rations and equipment are considered to be minimum requirements which are to remain in full force and effect, except as further safety measures may be from time to time imposed by the department.

Additional items that I have:
1) Small Gill net
2) Game snares
3) 100% DEET Bug dope can't say enough about this item-read a Readers Digest article that said if a person was to pass out the mosquitos could get every last drop of blood in 2.5 hours. Another little bug we have is "White Sox" flies. Deet helps but really no answer for these little buggers....
4) Toliet Paper....
5) Hand Held VHF radio
6) Plastic Tarp
7) Good USA made duck tape! (This will serve many purposes)
8) Good quality parachute cord

If you bring a "Very" pistol through Canada, do not call it that, say it is a "Pyrotechnic Signalling Device" your Customs visit will go much easier...

Canada will collect all pistols, had an issue with my fold up .22 cal rifle as well. Check with them before bringing any firearms across their border!

Hope all enjoy their flight and stay here to Alaska.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
It's been a while since I've flown up there but the Canadian customs officers traditionally don't have as much of an issue with shotguns vs. anything with a rifled barrel. It also offers better utility and bear defense than most firearms you're permitted to transport. If you want to have a rifle while up there, you can have a local dealer send yours to a dealer in Alaska where you can pick it up.
 
One important item not mentioned is some form of waterproof shelter. Hypothermia is a real killer. It's far easier to be warm if you are dry.
 
A friend and former hunting guide recommended a 12 gauge pump loaded 00 buck - slightly - 00 buck - slug until it was full. Don't keep a round chambered while in the plane.

DO NOT carry bear spray in the plane. They can go off at altitude, due to reduced atmospheric pressure.

Toss one or two of these Ready man cards in your kit.

If your survival gear is not on you, it may be lost with your plane. Many back country pilots use photography vests, or military vests.

Most importantly, practice with everything you have packed. Lighting a fire with flint is a pain and you need to know what you are getting into.


Www.theraf.org has some good info on the subject.
 
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Alaska survival

This is good stuff, thanks to all of you. I really like those ready cards. I have to see one of those. Keep it coming.
 
Bear Necessities...

Bill,
Great info above.
I spent several years flying in the great state of AK, military and civilian. My two close friends who still live there both own airplanes (C-180/Maule M-5) and carry similar gear.
Their "hit and run pack" is a school size backpack or in my case a surplus military survival vest with the Bear Grylls basics and signalling gear to make it out alive. One item they (and I) still carry is a small Marine Band HH transciever. Everyone in coastal areas is on VHF 16 (Bahamas too) fishing boats, businesses and the Coast Guard monitor it. Both also have packable ultralight Goretex pullover for rain and Mossies (Skeeters) and as mentioned, small bottles of 100% DEET. And, Tide Tables. Don't leave home without them, as many beaches are great emergency landing/survival strips until the tide comes in...
Longer stay items are in a larger bag on-board.
Both carry .357 Magnums. I've been through Canada several times with a Mossberg 500 and 00 Buck in boxes. No problem Eh...

The Boy Scout motto applies, Be Prepared. (that means in your brain as well)

V/R
Smokey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlQOFbe9Gtw
Mossberg 500 Tactical
 
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Great topic! Here’s my small contribution. I always add Vaseline covered cotton balls in a ziploc sandwich bag to my survival kits. These make the best and easiest fire starters. I use them all the time when camping. And best of all, they’re home made and very cheap! And get a Blast Match on Amazon to go with the fire starters.
 
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Great topic! Here’s my small contribution. I always add Vaseline covered cotton balls in a ziploc sandwich bag to my survival kits. These make the best and easiest fire starters. I use them all the time when camping. And best of all, they’re home made and very cheap! And get a Blast Match on Amazon to go with the fire starters.

I keep a half dozen of my wife's flat round makeup remover pads lightly soaked with a bit of baby oil in a zip lock bag. Works equally well as fire starter and smells nice as it burns. :D

It makes for a very flat package and you can see how many are remaining in the bag when packed in echelon formation. YMMV

Bevan
 
A couple of other things.

This is a good video of what to expect.

Do not pack LP gas canisters for lightweight camp stoves. I have seen those valves fail in a backpack above 8,000'. I would hate to see that happen in a plane.

My preference is the Coleman Exponent Multi-Fuel Stove. You can depressurize it for flight, so there is very little risk. You can burn avgas in it, if you need. (Just cover your food to keep the led out.) This model has a small wind block around the flame that the smaller ones don't. There are no parts to drop in the snow or on the ground and get dirty. I have used mine in temperatures below zero F and above 13,000' where the LP stoves failed. They just work and are not that expensive. (I have also used it at SnF and OSH.)

I also pack two pick lighters and a bunch of strike anywhere matches in Ziploc freezer bag in my stove bag.

For a cup, I pack this Snow Peak Titanium cup. The cup is titanium and the lid is stainless steel, which weighs more than the cup. Using a Sharpe, I made short hash marks on my camp utensils; short mark for 1/2 cups and longer mark for cup measures. That way I can easily measure my water before I boil it for the camp food I bring with me.

A little preparation goes a long way!

Good luck and may you never need to use any of these tips!

For the record, I have never been stranded but have done a LOT of backpacking throughout the US and in all kinds of conditions. I have seen a lot of good equipment fail and cheap equipment keep on trucking. Make sure you know how to use everything in your kit or just leave it at home.
 
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One important item not mentioned is some form of waterproof shelter. Hypothermia is a real killer. It's far easier to be warm if you are dry.

Correct! Forgot to mention I have a small tent with a rainfly that covers it completely, did mention the tarp-it goes over the top as a 1st layer to direct the rain to the sides. Another item not mentioned: Basic 1st aid kit.

For hand protection I now carry cut resistant gloves. They work! Nothing like cutting your hand and developing an infection...


Lots of great knowledge and tips getting passed along.

In the military they taught us to have several different packs with a little of each item in it, just in case you aren't able to grab a big bag with everything in it, at least you'll have a little of the basic items to help.

I prefer the waterproof/windproof matches you can buy at sporting good stores. Have them in the old military surplus waterproof match containers.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
Sooooo... I got a question.

If when you enter Canada, and there ISN'T a CBP officer there (like I have seen many times before) how do you get your firearm permit and pay your fee for the shotgun?

:confused: CJ
 
Do so in advance. Start with a call to the Canadian Firearms Centre.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/visit-visite-eng.htm

While it's not specifically listed as an option on the web page referenced above, it IS an option which I've helped friends exercise previously.

Seriously, though... If you think it's bad trying to bring a firearm into Canada, just try bringing one into New York State. Canadian firearms regulations look mighty sane compared to what has recently been made law in NY state. I'm told NJ is just as ridiculous.
 
Great thread guys. Took the BSA Order of the Arrow course in my pre-teens. In my 20s I lived out of a backpack for weeks at a time, here in Colorado. Took the Whitmore Institute Survival Education course from Papa Bear Whitmore around that time.
It's been mentioned in the thread before (Bill, I think!) but bears repeating. In a true survival situation, your mind is your best tool or your worst enemy. Be mentally prepared. Understand how to use what you bring. Just as in operating an aircraft, panic will kill you. Knowing what you need to do and how to do it will keep that at bay. Uncertainty breeds panic, especially when your life is on the line.
Take a course if you feel intimidated by the idea of spending several nights waiting to be rescued. During a survival course, you will start out in much better physical condition than you're likely to be if you are forced down in the wilderness.
Know, at the very least, basic first aid. Bring a first aid kit but also know how to make much of what you need.
Personally, I enjoy being left alone in the wilderness. :D
 
Papa bear

Man, I haven?t heard his name in years! That guy gave a lot. I wonder how many lives he saved by teaching basic common sense in a way that kids and adults alike stayed interested in and retained?

I interacted with him a number of times as a kid and teen, and respected his knowledge and willingness to share it immensely.

Thanks for the trip down the memories...;)
 
Papa Bear

He was a wonderfully giving and gifted man. For those who never had the pleasure of meeting him: https://www.wisesurvival.com/InMemoriam.shtml
I didn't realize how long ago he passed away. Is time accelerating? :eek:
I remember when he was recounting one of the toughest instructor level survival classes he ever taught. It was late winter in the Sierra Nevada range and they experienced a near-record snowfall. It started out as fun and they joked about the Donner party. Several days into it, all talk of the Donner party had stopped until they were finally able to extract themselves from the situation.
What he taught wasn't just theory.
 
Something I recently learned about was an app called WhatsApp.

It is a telephone and texting app that works over internet protocols.

I am thinking that recent times would see more places where cell service doesn?t exist, but WiFi does.

Might just come in handy on a trip like this?

:cool: CJ
 
terrain? weather? critters? clothing?

a few quick points not to drift this thread.

we have a fantastic local survival guy .....named Pete Wise...seems a nice but odd coincidence.

I participated in a course this time last year, our local Search & Rescue, flying club, & former SARtech setup an overnite crash scenario.

I was pretty sure I could last 24 hrs in the bush.

my cotton T-shirt almost killed me! :eek:

chopping a lot of wood, setting up a shelter, sun went down, temp dropped below freezing, and I was soaked and about to get very cold!
Luckily I coped, but two of our group of 20 had to be pulled out in the middle of the nite, approaching hypothermia.

the point? yes, ravenous insects and grizzlies are bad, but trying out your gear, and taking 'the right stuff' with you is critical, for the area you are traversing.
There is 6 feet of snow in the hills here until mid-June, later if you are on the north slopes. (shotguns and sneakers will not help your situation much! ) :)
good discussion and great planning tools!
 
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