what should you carry in case of emergency

[BigAl]

OK , All you serious snowcatters out there . What should you always have on board when you head out , in case you have an emergency ??? Seriously . I want to cover all the bases .
Allen

 

[Eric L]

If I was you, ....I'd bring a spare snowcat....


oh, sorry, you said serious snowcat..ers, sorry

Snowshoes....

 

[Pigtails]

Let's see? Bill has everything but the kitchen sink in a tote. If we have to get into the tote, one better make sure you know how it goes back together. haha. A flashlite with extra batteries is a must. a small coffee pot with coffee in a zip lock bag inside of it. Those little round candles for light and heat. Matches, lighter, back pack plate, fork, spoon kit, a first aid kit, space blanket, jerky, 2 small cans of fruit, a can of hash. Oh yes, and a small back pack propane stove with one propane tank. Some emergency flares, they also make an excellent fire starter. I'm sure Bill will let us know if I forgot something..

 

[kgracey]

Hi Al,

No snowcat at my house, but I'll share my snowmobile list:

Each snowmobile carries the following:
=======================
(2) hand warmers
(2) lightsticks
(2) spark plugs
(1) belt
(1) toolkit
(1) emergency blanket
(1) LED flashlight
(2) boxes of matches
(2) firesticks
(1) Ortovox avalanche transceiver
(1) tow rope
(1) water
(1) carabiner
(1) 5W handheld radio
(1) cell phone
(1) GPS Receiver
(1) Shovel
(1) Avalanche probe
(1) Emergency candle
(1) spare bulb

Emergency kit contents:
=======================
Benadryl
Neosporin
Anti-itch cream
Bottle Aspirin
Bottle Tylenol
Sunblock

Wound Kit / First Aid
Qtips
4" Ace bandage
Waterproof tape
Band-aids assorted
Gauze pad 3" x 3"
Gauze pad 4" x 4"
Sterile adhesive bandage 4" x 4"
Butterfly closures
Moist towelettes
Tweezers
Hand sanitizer lotion
Emergency guide book

Snowmobile guide map
USGS Topo Map
Bivvy sack
(3) Carabiners

Yours,

Ken

 

[Wannafish]

Whiskey ?

 

[Melensdad]

Art's SafetyOne website sells kits for snowcats. He has an equipment kit and a survival kit. I think Mike (Snowcat Operations) has one or both of these kits. I know there is a thread by Mike about this very topic somewhere in the Snowcat sections of the ForumsForums.

Mike may have moved to a warmer climate, but he still knows his stuff. Maybe you can coax him into posting some information about this topic.

 

[BigAl]

Hey !! Thanks Guys .
This is one reason I like this site so much . Instant answers .

Some of the answers ,I had though of and some I had not .
I plan on trying to build the "built in cover" for the engine area on my KT7 today and want to design enough enclosed space for keeping everything from bouncing around the cab .
So how much is one of those Alvalache thingies cost ???

I was actually involved in a avalache on Interstate 80 at Donner Summit . It completely covered a OSH KOSH snow blower .That blower is about 12 feet tall and 30 feet long . All you could see was the very tip of his commutication antenna . About 2" . All I heard was "Uh Ho" on the radio went it hit . Coolest operator I ever met . All of the sudden there was a explosion of snow shooting straight up into the sky and the guy blew his own way out for about a 100 feet of covered roadway .I wished I had a camera ,cause no one would believe how cool it looked !!! If it would have been me ,I would have needed to head back to the yard to get new undies !!!!

 

[mtntopper]

I always keep enough survival supplies to keep me comfortable and in the snow cat for at least 3 days. The food supplies could stretch to 5 to 6 days if necessary. Tools for minor repair, signaling devices, bag type cell phone with battery backup, shovel, local area map, first aid kit, and a small back pack style propane stove. If I ever have a major problem, I would not abandon the snow cat unless I knew exactly where and how long it would take to get where I needed to go. I have told anyone that would be worrying about me to look for the forest fire or at least a very large fire in my general direction. I also leave a very large footprint that can be followed with relative ease. I worry more about breaking my leg outside the cat and not being unable to get back to the snow cat. This was my worst fear when running a snow cat and grooming snowmobile trails. We always dress for the climate where we live. It may not be pretty but it is functional clothing for outdoors.
Bill

 

[Melensdad]

Allen,

You may want to look at this link: http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=6843

As well as this link:
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=1798

Here is a link to SafetyOne's page that has survival kits: http://www.sotc.com/kits.html

So how much is one of those Alvalache thingies cost ???

You mean one of these thingies?

http://www.tigergps.com/acrterrafixgpsi.html

You might also want to read a little bit about them here:
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=6480

 

[BigAl]

Forest Fire ???? I like that . A wienie roast in the making .

I would imagine that living as far out as you do , You must have to keep your wits about you at all times . I think I lost my wits about the time I got interested in Snow Cats .

Ok , I'm off to go make stuff . Thanks guys !!! oh and gals too ......

Coffee is on , doors open and you know where the cups are .... Help yourself

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I would recommend a case of Snickers Bars for every survival kit. Man CAN live on 2-3 Snickers bars a day - assuming they have water. Dense, compact food with a low glycemic index which means the calories are slower to absorb. Cheap, and they last forever.

Three climbers just dies on Mt Hood largely because they didn't have enough food and supplies to weather out a bad storm in a snow cave. One injured guy died in the cave and the other two are still missing.

 

[Lyndon]

When I got my first snow cat I didn't know anyone else that had one. Since you can't call 'Triple A' from the top of Mt. Ranieer and they don't offer service to snow cats in distress, I carried practally an entire machine in spare parts. As it turned out the number one item was a shovel. This is far more important than a winch if you get stuck. You can always dig yourself out but there isn't always something to hook the winch to. Spare Gas is a good Idea too. I also brought multiple flashlights, coleman stove, coffee, tea, extra gloves, spare hardware for the track, a couple grousers and guides, a fuel pump. With OLD snow Cats fuel system problems tended to be the most common single failure. A Boat gas can with the hose, quick disconnect and primer pump (Bulb type), was a life saver. I also always carried a pair of snow shoes and a pair of skiis. When the machine got stuck or broke down I Skiied down to the truck and got the "Spare" snow cat. The Cascades are steep enough that it generally only took half an hour to Ski down to the Truck when it had taken 3 hours to get up to the point where it broke down or de-tracked. Eventually we started taking 2 machines, but we still hauled a bunch of spare stuff and often resorted to using it. Oh yes, a good jack or even multiple jacks, wood blocks and some pieces of plywood. A jack tends to sink right into the snow so a 2' by 2' piece of 3/4 plywood makes a good work platform. Wire seems to be handy, and Duct Tape!

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I know my farm jack in the back of my truck has been one of the most useful tools for my emergencies. It has lifted fully loaded trailers and pulled stuck vehicles (come-a-long). If you got a place to stick one I would bring one of those. Not exactly compact though.

 

[bczoom]

OK, I've been watching this thread but y'all are taking too long to state something obvious.

Toilet paper...

A couple others may be:
goggles and/or sunglasses
A small camping type saw for either firewood or to cut limbs (or loppers)

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

Toilet paper...

What? Spread 'em wide! If you're stuck in the snow use some handfuls of snow to scrape with!

Snow = nature's wet wipe! And it's just sooooo refreshing!

 

[BigAl]

Holy Cow ! I need a bigger Cat or I need to hurry up and make a trailer sled to pull behind it .

 

[Melensdad]

I buy my hiking and boot socks from a company called Sierra Trading Post. They also have lots of other stuff, and act as a close out company for many brands.

Right now that have Avalanche Shovels that some of you may be interested in? These are lightweight collapseable shovels from Austria designed for avalanche use. These are the best prices I've seen, much lower than on eBay. Honesly I don't know the quality of the shovels, but I can tell you from my past dealings with Sierra Trading Post that they offer good quality items, ship quickly and are good to deal with. But my guess is they will sell out quick because they usually do.

They have 2 different styles in stock right now, here is one of them.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/product.aspx?baseno=71583&CN=Komperdell-Alloy-Rescue-Shovel-

 

[Lyndon]

I doubt anyone noticed, but on the side of my old Kitten, Now Bill Harnish's Kitten, is a snow shovel mount. It's a slotted tube(silver) that nicely accomodates a big snow shovel. Snow shovels are pretty good at messing up a good paint job if tied on with bungies or rope.

 

[snowtracker]

Snowcat Check List
1 Gas
2 Engine oil
3 Candles
4 Emerg. Blankets
5 Led Flashlight - batteries
6 Chainsaw - fueled - oiled
7 Strobelight - batteries
8 Lighter - matches - zinc stick
9 Flare gun
10 MRE’s
11 Water
12 Roll of plastic
13 Extra clothes - sweats - socks - gloves
14 Cell phone
15 GPS - batteries
16 Maps of area
17 Siphon hose
18 Tools
19 Wire - duct tape - elec. Tape
20 Sharp knife
21 Snowshoes
22 Rope
23 Emergency flares
24 Back pack stove and lantern - extra tank
25 Hand warmers
26 Snow shovel
27 Hand saw
28 Snickers bars
29 2 x 4 ‘s
30 Toilet paper
31 Baby wipes ( works great to clean greasy hands )

 

[mtntopper]

Snowtracker, let us not forgot the fire extinguishers.... The rest of the list is also great to have along if it does not burn up before we need it.

 

[Grooming Snow]

Salt & pepper -fork and a good sharpe knife 1 extra person OH Ya Matches