Survival Vest - ongoing project #264

Just putting this out there, I've learned so much from these forums, maybe this will help someone working on a similar idea. The thought is...what if I can't get my wonderful first-aid kit and survival bag out of the plane? You'll have what you are wearing.
pics here

http://picasaweb.google.com/payaremchuk/SurvivalVest#

(Hey, I realize this thing will not allow my svelte form to egress thru a tiny gap in a broken canopy, so it might just be left behind also!...along with some skin. )

Inflatable fly-fishing vest, about $130 from the local sports store. Found a fabric blend that breathes a bit, although the actual air bladder is like wearing a plastic bag over your chest, so you ARE going to sweat in this. The back has some mesh. Many fly vests are all nylon, as fishers don't' want them to absorb water.

Contents of vest, taken from a vast number of survival sources.
about 50 items, depending on how you count'em.
The really cool Mil-spec stuff, or course, I can't get here, so it's off to Wal-Mart ( cringe) for the cheap, crappy version by Coghlan's.
a lot of the stuff should be on a lanyard, with a toggle so you can attach it to your wrist.
and I added a little chunk of glow-in-the-dark stuff for obvious reasons.
Most stuff is in a zip-loc bag. Might even float.

I tried to have things have 2 functions, for instance, wrapped my cord around the flashlite to save bulk. Duct tape around the other laser light etc.
gets a bit bulky as you'll see from the pics, and you really have to plan where your shoulder harness is going to sit, so you aren't driving a tin can or other rigid thing into your chest on impact.
total wieght of the vest & gear, 4 lbs. need to add a water pouch, & For summer, some bug juice. .and I'm putting together a fishing tin not shown. ( I'm allergic to fish!)

For winter, I'll add some hot chemical pads. I'm a bit on the fence about attaching flares to my body, or as some of you are able, a loaded .45! ( not an option here!)
Should I lose the vest, I carry some gear in my pockets, like a Swiss army knife, lighter etc.
still need to find a good strobe, some great, inexpensive ones I had in my car for the last 20 years have corroded, and the current crop o' **** from offshore have poor intensity.

FIRE +

tinder
rubber tire tube
butane lighter with piezo igniter on lanyard
tungsten sparker,
magnifying glass

FIRST AID
- tailor to personal medical needs of course
most is typical F. A. stuff, in smaller quantities

inhaler ( asthma)
surgical tubing, gloves
antibiotic cream
anti histamine, pain killer tylenol etc.
anti-diarrheal pills
bandaids, safetypins, compress, triangular bandage,
large compress, tape, dental floss
water pure tabs
alcohol wipes
fem. pads
toilet tissue, mylar blanket
sunscreen stick/balm
insect repellent
ear plugs
bandana, compact towel

FOOD

vac, bagged chocolate, emerg. rations
( the stuff like pie-crust)
fruit bar

SIGNAL

flashlite LED with colour & laser point
mirror, compass, whistle
lite stick, paper , pencils
heavy foil, orange flagging tape

TOOLS +

multi-tool pliers
eyeglasses, 20' cord
wire, large & small neede & thread, duct tape
orange plastic bags, zip ties, coins & cash


anyone with some 'must have' comments I'd love to hear them. ( sources too if you know!)

thanks for your interest & feedback.....

safe flying
safer crashing!

Maybe I missed it but a 406 MHz PLB with GPS may be your best purchase. If they don't know you are missing or where to look, all the other stuff may just delay the inevitable.

plb

you are right on there Ron...........

I have a SPOT, but it has to be on the dash to send a signal. Hopefully I can grab it on the way out!

We are still waiting for the final wording on the ELT rules here in Canada, so if I don't have to install a fixed $1000+ 406 ELT, then the PLB is what I will go for.

thanks for the idea.

I would say there's a good chance of being hurt (especially in rough country), so maybe a quickclot bandage, painkillers (percocets), spaceblanket to make it through the pain until rescue arrives after activating the PLB.
--Also a portable radio to talk to rescuers.

Survival Vest

Agree with Ron's comment regarding the PLB. The new ACR SARLink models are a good deal and many vendors have SunNFun specials right now.

The best source of equipment lists IMHO is Doug Ritter's www.equipped.org. Not sure what's up with another "DR" operated website, but it works for me...

MILSPEC vests and military survival equipment (strobes, panel markers, etc.) are often available in good condition on Ebay. I find the Vietnam-era SRU-21P vests to be more comfortable; newer ones have added features (extraction harnesses, etc.) that make them heavier/more bulky/hotter to wear.

Strobes, etc. are available from many vendors; check www.amazon.com or marine supply stores like www.westmarine.com. My preference is the Firefly 3 series (MILSPEC or civilian).

Also recommend you check out the kits at www.aeromedix.com. The site posts equipment lists for their kits.

Good luck,
Mike

#1 Cause of Death is Exposure

Here in Montana, the #1 cause of death if you survive the crash, is exposure. We have a lot of plane crashes in this state. The average time to rescue is 72 hours. Experience has shown that is you are aren't wearing it, you usually don't have it after the crash. To survive exposure you need a wool cap and some know how; a space blanket is not a bad idea either. A garbage bag makes a decent wind and water resistant vest. Smart wool socks keep your feet warm and double as mittens. I harp on wool because it doesn't like to burn, and insulates when wet. Make yourself a shelter, a snow shelter insulates amazingly well. Fire is nice, but there could be conditions that don't allow a fire, so you need to be prepared to survive without it. Vaseline impregnated cotton balls burn for a while, and are lightweight and cheap.

A 406 PLB (less than $200 USD now) should be in your vest or pants pocket. A strobe is not nearly as effective as a fan type laser. A hemostatic bandage or two makes nothing but sense, bigger is better than smaller.

What you don't need is food, or water tabs. You can survive 72 hours without water and weeks without food. The water tabs are so light and small that I can understand adding them. Also include a simple ziplock bag or two to use as a lightweight canteen. I like the idea of duct tape; a parachute cord might be handy. I would skip the tool and go with a lightweight knife.

The weight, bulk and comfort of your survival vest is critical; the more you add to it, the more likely you are to not be wearing it when you need it most. Think minimalist. Here is the story of Sparky's Imeson's first crash in Montana.

File a flight plan, have a PLB on your person, survive the crash, then survive the cold. You are mostly likely to go down where you fly the most.

flyboy1963 said:

you are right on there Ron...........

I have a SPOT, but it has to be on the dash to send a signal. Hopefully I can grab it on the way out!

We are still waiting for the final wording on the ELT rules here in Canada, so if I don't have to install a fixed $1000+ 406 ELT, then the PLB is what I will go for.

thanks for the idea.

Click to expand...

Just put it in your mind to hit that 911 button on the way down. Better yet, have a passenger do it!

At least it works! My wife sat her headsets on the SPOT which activated the 911, just after landing. Within two minutes, my cell phone was ringing. They could see that I was at the airport, and off the runway, but needed to know if........ all was alright.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

I should have mentioned Spot. In some ways it offers advantages that a PLB does not. Examples: It should be providing a cookie trail of your path. It should have a GPS lock when you hit the 911 button (or whatever it is called).
There supposedly is a new version out now that may be smaller.

That reminds me, I need to send in my old PLB battery for a new one. I got it five years ago which may predate Spot. If I install an APRS system, that will provide a trail for rescuers in addition to whatever signal the PLB should transmit.

If I lose an engine up high, the PLB will ideally be activated well before reaching the ground.

Perry, if you have a Spot, why are you not using it in track mode all the time? By "track", I mean the mode where it sends out a position at some set interval? Then since it is on, all you have to do is activate the 911 function while airborne if possible.

For those contemplating survival vests, also consider tactical vests as worn by the SASR. You can add whatever you want to the basic vest in an almost limitless number of positions, and they come with any number of pockets and pouches that clip right on.

Might make things a bit easier to route around your harness, if your... ahhh..... "insulation", restricts an off-the-shelf vest...

I'll reiterate what has been said about water... You can generally last an easy 3 days without water, more if you put down in a cold climate. I'd forgo the water and include another bandage or a spare battery for the ELT in my other pocket.

For fire, consider the use of cotton wool balls soaked/dipped in vaseline, then in a tiny ziplock bag. A magnesium flint on a stick will ignite them-but use caution if you're in a salty environment, the magnesium will corrode. Another option is a 9V battery and steel wool. Didn't believe it at first, but it works. Don't try this inside, your respective RVatrix's might get annoyed...

A couple of condoms (the unlubricated ones), when placed inside one of your socks, will hold upto 3L of water. If you can find water that is. Even salt water can be filtered/distelled if you are able to move around and use what is left of your bent bird.

Tampons are excellent for stopping serious bleeding from a major wound, and are already sterilised. Small too.


I've misplaced the survival kit I did up for the RAAF Combat Survival course, but will have another look for it tonight and see if I can remember where I've put it and see what I've got in it.

EDIT: Actually, I've found my old kit....It was under my nose the entire time, sitting on the back corner of my workbench...

It contains:

A flat signal mirror, taped to the underside of the lid. A shiny piece of polished steel/aluminium is more than sufficient.
3 condoms
A tiny ziplock bag of small fishing hooks
A 2" diameter, reel of fishing line & hook
Small bottle of Puritabs
Small box of matches
A matchless fire-starting kit
1/2 dozen safety-pins
Small ziplock bag of sinkers & swivels
Wire saw (two keyrings either end, and diamond wire in between)
Razor blade
2" swatch of DPCU fabric
Small cardboard with various green cotton wound on it, and needles
Sharpening stone
Space-blanket

Bear in mind this kit was fitted out for the last exercise we did - coastal survival and doesn't contain the Leatherman, Mini-maglite that I carried on my person, or the magnesium firestarter that died after saltwater immersion. It's packed into a tin that's about an 1x2x6 inches.

For the kind of flying I'd be doing in Australia, the fishing tackle could probably be dropped freeing up a significant amount of space. To replace this I'd probably include a laser pointer and a few button-batteries and the above-mentioned tampons, maybe a roll of electricians tape, red or yellow if possible. Maybe even a small pack of lifesavers or something for that morale-boost you need right after realising you're going to have to drive another million rivets.

Ron Lee said:

Perry, if you have a Spot, why are you not using it in track mode all the time? By "track", I mean the mode where it sends out a position at some set interval? Then since it is on, all you have to do is activate the 911 function while airborne if possible.

Click to expand...

ah, haven't bought the tracking option, as I've not gone very far from home yet ( less than 25 miles, up & down the valley) I think I can get it free from our COPA association, so will add it this spring before my first x-country!

You know, by the time I subscribe to everything, ( like SPOT etc.) and pay my insurance for the year, I'm at about $5000, so every dollar after that for avgas is precious!

thanks for all the tips guys!