Some of us go to the REAL boondocks to camp and have to "Be Prepared" as the Boy Scouts say to enjoy and even survive being out there...
So, I wondered exactly how one might add layers of safety to get help if you did indeed break down to the extent you were not going to McGyver it with duct tape to get back to civilization.
1) Communications: Cell phone, ham radio, CB, signal fires, flares (desert not forested locations, please!) or what? Remember: nothing seems to work everywhere! Maybe a Sat phone but it needs power!
2) Notification: Who knows where you went, when to expect you back and will notify the "authorities" if you fail to check in with them when you return to civilization? ( as in the USS Indianapolis sinking)
3) Supplies: Deciding how much food and water you need for the trip...plus the extra for an unknown amount of time awaiting rescue?
4) Fuel: One of the most critical supplies: If a road is closed you needed to use do you have enough fuel to double back the way you came or find an alternate route; in other words, how much "spare" fuel should you carry?
5) Weather: This may mean carrying chains, it certainly means being prepared for cold, wet or hot, dry climate changes if you get stuck out there...are you "prepared"?
6) Spares: Tools, fan belts, tires, jack, duct tape, rope, etc. How much should you carry and how much do you need? Where to stash it?
7) Planning: Carrying maps that are up to date for the area you intend to travel in are a must and that includes once you get off the highways and into the desert or logging roads or other less-traveled roadways. Checking with Rangers or FS persons may save you time if a washout has occurred recently. Or if a road is still snowed in.
Aside from your choice of communications gear, the rest of this is just stuff you probably have on hand already but need to add to the "Idiot List" you keep when packing for a trip.
In reading many threads on WTW, some people seem really prepared while others are so over loaded with stuff I wonder if they have included or even thought about all this?
OK, most of us don't "wander" too far but many of us have been in at least one of those "Uh-oh" situations we either had to figure out or get some help with! So...as I said, "Be Prepared!"
They will pop! We put 'biners on the loop and hang them from our awning or in the camper from hooks we have in the ceiling.
