mitunnelrat
02-25-2011, 01:10 AM
This was my first ever bugout exercise, so I'm going to preface my thread by saying its The Sig's fault if you find it as ugly as I did ;) lol...
I had a mix of brand new, to used, to homemade items for this
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn165/mitunnelrat/003-1.jpg
The small bag hanging in front of me is an S-type Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack, and I've used it as an EDC/ GHB for half a year now, so I included it in my BO as regular gear. My main pack is a MOLLE II ruck sack. I got it just after Christmas. The orange is because I couldn't remember if it was still required for hunting or not, so I played it safe. I got the snowshoes literally two days before my trip. Finally, I selected a single shot .22 as my BO rifle, since it adequately met my needs for this trip.
My first lesson (reminder) came well before this trip. From what I understand, I'm not the only one with lists of gear I want. A mistake I made from this was not researching the current market enough when I bought my ruck. Back when I learned of them they were regularly selling for $80-$100. So, I got mine for $85 shipped, figuring I got a decent deal because it still appeared to be an average price with a cursory glance, but within a few days I started seeing them for $45. Doh! It was a solid reminder on double checking old research.
The snowshoes also gave me a couple lessons:
1. I had ordered snow poles with the shoes, and the "new" poles were so beat up I had to contact The Sportsmans Guide customer service for a correction. They sent me another set of poles free of charge, with intact baskets, but serious rust. I have the option of sending both sets back and getting a refund, but I saw I can make one good set from the two, so I'm not going to bother. This is my first issue with them, and they handled it swiftly, but I will say "caveat emptor". It was a reminder to work with known reputable companies whenever possible.
2. The bindings on the snowshoes can appear difficult to assemble, since the included instructions are of poor quality, but I got lucky in a member of another forum posting a link on how to do it. Snowshoe Assembly (http://www.ropeer.com/516-military-snowshoe-assembly-and-use.html). They really aren't difficult to set up, but if you don't have them properly adjusted they can work loose while you're using them. This was with the newer black bindings. I hear the older white ones are susceptible to slipping even when properly adjusted.
I had three problems due to my bindings being too loose. First, I learned the latches will pop apart if you apply too much pressure to them. I got lucky in that it popped right back into place, and just as lucky I did this in a plowed driveway before setting out. The next problem came in the shoe landing on an angle as I walked. I could place it down squarely if I paid attention to my foot placement, but that's a huge pain in the ass considering I could walk normally once I had it set correctly. Finally, the shoe actually came off as I was walking! lol... I was going through some light brush and as I stepped up I could feel it hanging. Look again at the pic of me above, trying to bend, balance, support, and adjust all of that was loads of fun.
All of this adds up to me deciding to upgrade the bindings before next winter. I'll deal with them if I decide to use the shoes again in the next 4-6 weeks.
I only hiked about 1/4 mile all told, but even in that distance I found some neglected muscles in my legs. Improperly adjusted snowshoes and a poorly packed ruck do not do you any favors. I was happy to find my campsite and drop it all. Since I'm marrying into the care of a 5 year old this year, weights and loadouts concern me more - not to mention the fact I'm getting broken and older. I have a deer cart for good weather, but a ski pulk (http://www.skipulk.com/index.html) just made my list of future winter gear.
SKI PULKS are sleds that are towed behind winter travelers with rigid pole systems and harnesses.
But I digress, and bring us back to my lazy ass sitting on a log considering my next step - my shelter, which I posted on here (http://www.shtfready.com/shelter/20-basic-expedient-shelters.html).
There is a lot of work that went into that, even if it doesn't appear so. Clearing the ground of snow, framing it, building the walls (which went faster and easier with the debris I scavenged), and roofing it. I also used the snow to close and insulate as much as I could, but most of that melted away through the night. I remember hearing snow walls should be at least two feet thick. I can see why now. After I got my shelter up, it was fire time. I used my etool to dig a small firepit, and went wood collecting. I learned from a car camping trip last August that a saw is a force multiplier in wood collecting. Way faster than chopping it with an ax. So that's what I used to get some "bigger" logs.
I'm getting ahead of myself though. My fire starter was materials I routinely carry in my EDC bag anyway. A pack of Kleenex, a tube of chapstick, and some toilet seat covers for a bit more paper :D
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn165/mitunnelrat/017-1.jpg
I had a mix of brand new, to used, to homemade items for this
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn165/mitunnelrat/003-1.jpg
The small bag hanging in front of me is an S-type Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack, and I've used it as an EDC/ GHB for half a year now, so I included it in my BO as regular gear. My main pack is a MOLLE II ruck sack. I got it just after Christmas. The orange is because I couldn't remember if it was still required for hunting or not, so I played it safe. I got the snowshoes literally two days before my trip. Finally, I selected a single shot .22 as my BO rifle, since it adequately met my needs for this trip.
My first lesson (reminder) came well before this trip. From what I understand, I'm not the only one with lists of gear I want. A mistake I made from this was not researching the current market enough when I bought my ruck. Back when I learned of them they were regularly selling for $80-$100. So, I got mine for $85 shipped, figuring I got a decent deal because it still appeared to be an average price with a cursory glance, but within a few days I started seeing them for $45. Doh! It was a solid reminder on double checking old research.
The snowshoes also gave me a couple lessons:
1. I had ordered snow poles with the shoes, and the "new" poles were so beat up I had to contact The Sportsmans Guide customer service for a correction. They sent me another set of poles free of charge, with intact baskets, but serious rust. I have the option of sending both sets back and getting a refund, but I saw I can make one good set from the two, so I'm not going to bother. This is my first issue with them, and they handled it swiftly, but I will say "caveat emptor". It was a reminder to work with known reputable companies whenever possible.
2. The bindings on the snowshoes can appear difficult to assemble, since the included instructions are of poor quality, but I got lucky in a member of another forum posting a link on how to do it. Snowshoe Assembly (http://www.ropeer.com/516-military-snowshoe-assembly-and-use.html). They really aren't difficult to set up, but if you don't have them properly adjusted they can work loose while you're using them. This was with the newer black bindings. I hear the older white ones are susceptible to slipping even when properly adjusted.
I had three problems due to my bindings being too loose. First, I learned the latches will pop apart if you apply too much pressure to them. I got lucky in that it popped right back into place, and just as lucky I did this in a plowed driveway before setting out. The next problem came in the shoe landing on an angle as I walked. I could place it down squarely if I paid attention to my foot placement, but that's a huge pain in the ass considering I could walk normally once I had it set correctly. Finally, the shoe actually came off as I was walking! lol... I was going through some light brush and as I stepped up I could feel it hanging. Look again at the pic of me above, trying to bend, balance, support, and adjust all of that was loads of fun.
All of this adds up to me deciding to upgrade the bindings before next winter. I'll deal with them if I decide to use the shoes again in the next 4-6 weeks.
I only hiked about 1/4 mile all told, but even in that distance I found some neglected muscles in my legs. Improperly adjusted snowshoes and a poorly packed ruck do not do you any favors. I was happy to find my campsite and drop it all. Since I'm marrying into the care of a 5 year old this year, weights and loadouts concern me more - not to mention the fact I'm getting broken and older. I have a deer cart for good weather, but a ski pulk (http://www.skipulk.com/index.html) just made my list of future winter gear.
SKI PULKS are sleds that are towed behind winter travelers with rigid pole systems and harnesses.
But I digress, and bring us back to my lazy ass sitting on a log considering my next step - my shelter, which I posted on here (http://www.shtfready.com/shelter/20-basic-expedient-shelters.html).
There is a lot of work that went into that, even if it doesn't appear so. Clearing the ground of snow, framing it, building the walls (which went faster and easier with the debris I scavenged), and roofing it. I also used the snow to close and insulate as much as I could, but most of that melted away through the night. I remember hearing snow walls should be at least two feet thick. I can see why now. After I got my shelter up, it was fire time. I used my etool to dig a small firepit, and went wood collecting. I learned from a car camping trip last August that a saw is a force multiplier in wood collecting. Way faster than chopping it with an ax. So that's what I used to get some "bigger" logs.
I'm getting ahead of myself though. My fire starter was materials I routinely carry in my EDC bag anyway. A pack of Kleenex, a tube of chapstick, and some toilet seat covers for a bit more paper :D
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn165/mitunnelrat/017-1.jpg