What's in your bag? It may save a life!
 

I would rather be sledding on tons of snow, but with our exceptionally mild winter, I decided to do an inventory of my sled. Granted, I have the type of sled with side storage, but, I have well over 30 items related to emergency/safety. I am always looking for small items that can easily travel in my sled and hope that I never need most of them.

To start, I'll show you three items. Running out of gas can be a major issue, so a siphon can be super handy. An emergency whistle takes up almost no room. Warmth is critical, so waterproof matches are small and a must.

What's in your bag of tricks?

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Ice Picks in Jacket
 

If you're on the ice, what ice - maybe in Quebec, always keep ice picks or screw drivers in each upper jacket pocket, to claw your way out. Then ROLL away from the hole. Saved me several times. Hard to crawl out of a hole in the ice, especially with boots, down jacket and shaking like crazy.

You went through the ice several times??.... Might be time for a new hobby! :D:D. Once was enough for me!

Dan

All the guys we ride with have them on or at least in their pocket. You can buy them online for 8-10 bucks. If you have never seen them before, the pick stays enclosed and comes out with downward pressure. The rope can go over your shoulders and through your sleeves down to your hands for emergency use.

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These are the BEST picks
 

YES, this is the BEST way to save yourself. Under your jacket, down to your wrists, then outside secured with rubber bands. When you go through, everything goes crazy and your thinking is skewed. I'm going to buy two sets of these online NOW, thanks!

Thanks for posting this! I try to bring up ice picks every year here. The ones you have are great- I love how they go on thru your coat.

Ok, I'll give you another one. You never know when you will need it, but you sure will be smiling that you have it! Keep your TP dry in a plastic bag.

What else is on your sled?

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Flashlight. Just bought this one and love it. Little pricey and you can certainly get away with much cheaper ones.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...L._SL1001_.jpg

HellRaZoR004, light is essential and I am going to check out this brand. Did you purchase it in a store or online?

I currently carry two light sources. The head light is LED and allows your hand to be free. I keep the batteries out of the light, but taped to the strap to assure battery freshness. The smaller flashlight is tiny. In the extreme cold it will have limited value, but taking up no space makes it worthwhile.

What else do you all carry?

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I either ride in the lakes region or in Pittsburg. What do you do in the event of a real emergency? Pittsburg does not have cell service and even if they did, would a phone call really help emergency personnel find you? What if you are 25 mile out and there is a true emergency? I hope I never push the button, but I carry a GPS homing device in my upper chest pocket. Anywhere in the world if it were me or someone I came upon we could be found.

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TP can be used for a lot more than the average person would think, and of course, the main reason it's used :D I never leave home without it if I'm going out to where I could get stuck

I bought it on Amazon with Prime free shipping. I also have a headlamp for hands free when needed.

I found out the hard way last fall that headlamp batteries ought to be removed when the light is not in use. We did think to get the headlamps ready for use while there still was daylight, and that's when I found out my mistake. I had to rely on a backup hand-held flashlight, plus light from a fellow hiker's headlamp for the rest of the way down in the dark. When I got the headlamp home, it took some disassembly and cleaning to remove corrosion and a resoldering of a wire to restore it to use.

Besides having a second light source to use in an emergency when the primary light fails, it also becomes very useful when the batteries in the primary go and you'd otherwise be fumbling in the dark to replace them. How many of us could locate spare batteries and replace the old ones in the dark, solely by feel? I did practice that once, but I'm not sure I'd want to have to do so out in the middle of nowhere in the dark. Presumably we wouldn't be out in the wild alone, but as pointed out, a backup light takes up so little space and weighs next to nothing that having one along seems prudent.

I don't sled but I'm sure I would have enjoyed it if I'd taken up the sport. I enjoy reading all the threads on the forum no matter what they are about. I came across this item awhile back and carry one in my Expedition. The old saying about having and not needing vs needing and not having...Anyway, for nine bucks, it's just possible it could be a life saver in the right situation. Thought some might be interested.

http://www.amazon.com/SE-EB122OR-Eme...ct_top?ie=UTF8

More effective than the old space blanket.

I once asked the Captian of the Pittsburg Fire Department what the most important things needed in a medical emergency. 1) We have to be able to find you. 2) Keep the person warm.

Salty dog, I carry a sleeping bag very similar to the one that you posted except it is for two. If truly stranded, body heat from another person may be life saving.

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I also carry the "space blanket" that has grommets so that you can make a tent or a wind breaker out of it. Bungee cords may be helpful to secure it.

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What's in your bag?

True story. It was early November and our last day of the season to be on the boat. It was a cool brisk day and it seemed like we were the only ones on the lake. Beautiful. I noticed a floating beer can. Drives me nuts and there is no way that I can just leave trash on the lake. I slowed and maneuvered the boat toward the can. My wife leaned over to grab the can and we both witnessed are only set of car keys disappear into the deeps. Are you kidding me? Since then we have the inexpensive magnetic key holder for the car. I don't want to ever finish a day of sledding and realize I have lost my keys.

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Think outside the box
 

Out on the trails? Feel a little chest pressure? Far from emergency services?

In this very possible scenario the single best thing you can do, besides staying calm, is to chew a couple baby aspirin. IF you are having a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, this intervention may, and probably will, save your life. Out on the trails the 'golden hour' passes quickly. Heart attack survival is all about early intervention.

Taking (chewing) aspirin at the first sign of a heart attack increases survivability and reduces heart damage. With a complaint of any chest pain the first two drugs you will always receive from emergency personnel are oxygen and two baby aspirin.

PaugusBayFireFighter that is an awesome tip and not one that I ever thought of. I actually have a blood issue and cannot take aspirin and therefore never thought of carrying it. I am buying it and adding it to my war chest of emergency items. Thanks!

You never know when there you might need to remove a tree. It could be sled that has shot into the woods or a tree that has fallen into the trail. I purchased this at Lowe's, was not that expensive, is very compact, has multiple blades and is razor sharp.

Who is going to get your broken down sled stuck out I the middle of nowhere? A tow strap can help with that as well as many other things.

Do you carry anything that can be helpful when things go wrong?

Lot of good suggestions. Trick is to find room for all the gadgets.................

When I started this thread, I thought that it would be wildly popular. Now, I am realizing that the limitations of space on the average sled make taking many of these items impossible. The point of the thread is to have us all think about what we can take that will be beneficial so that we have it when we need it. Many of the items are small that anyone can take and many of the items we may already own. For example, as PaugusBayFireFighter said, take aspirin. Or, how about a Leatherman.

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I carry 2 light sources, waterproof matches, firestarters, extra gloves, a knife, a small first aid kit, and a small tarp and bungee cords all wrapped together in a backpack. Also a couple of bottles of water and some snacks (peanuts, trail mix, etc) and have never had to use any of it in an emergency. Ice picks are in my pockets, but I tend to avoid lakes after putting a sled through the ice many years ago.

How many Lumens is that? Nothing like a super bright flashlight for anything, walking the dog, around the house, etc...

1000 Lumens, the thing is intense. By far the brightest I've owned and it has really great light concentration at long distances.

It was expensive though (~$90) on Amazon).

I completely agree (as mentioned in previous posts) with the following as I have been snowmobiling for many years and have used these items the most:

Tow straps (Especially if you ride with Ski Doo owners ha ha)
A high quality flashlight
A saw
Leatherman Wave is a must!!
Siphon
Small tool kit
Toilet paper (ahhhhhhh)
My favorite item is an "instant on" blow torch and small propane bottle. It may be a bit on the bulky side for some but easily fits in most seat trunks or saddle bags. The last thing I want to do is to try to use matches in -10 degrees with a 20 mph wind to get a fire going.
Nothing like a 2,500 degree flame the wind can't blow out to get a fire going quick, to melt snow around nuts and bolts or to loosen a frozen track.