Comments on: A Paddling Emergency Ditch Kit

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:46:26 +0000

Nice tip, Larry. I’ve cooked over those before, and they’re a big plus in fire starting.

By: Larry Ausley

Larry Ausley — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:37:01 +0000

One other suggestion I’d make for firestarter tinder are Esbit solid fuel fuel tablets. I was introduced to these as a firestarter on a kayak camping trip last year and now carry them in all my emergency and first aid kits. A couple of tablets, which are pretty cheap, burn like the fires of you-know-what and are plenty to start a good fire and/or heat a couple of cups of water for a hot beverage.

By: Winter Kayaking Checklist

Winter Kayaking Checklist — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:04:03 +0000

[...] bringing the normal emergency items, such as a two-person or four-person bothy bag, first aid kit, ditch kit, extra clothing, fire starter, stove, hot water, food and so [...]

By: GearPods Shelter Kit Review | Nessmuking.com

GearPods Shelter Kit Review | Nessmuking.com — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:51:25 +0000

[...] Users combine any number of containers and gear to arrive at a customized kit, something like my emergency ditch kit. I’m currently testing out GearPods Wilderness system, which includes first-aid, survival [...]

By: Bryan Hansel

Bryan Hansel — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:58:38 +0000

For an emergency, I'd prefer a PLB, like the ACR Electronics SARLink 406 Personal Locator Beacon, because it operates specifically on a system designed for search and rescue. Once you activate a PLB, you know that a rescue will be launched. If your life depends on being rescued from a signal sent by a device, I'd personally rather have to device operating directly on the SAR system. With SPOT, I'd also be concerned about the satellite system it operates on--its uptime and the ability of the Spot to connect reliably. If you want the GPS/map tracking feature of SPOT, ACR now combines that technology with a PLB.

By: Rob Pealing

Rob Pealing — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:50:14 +0000

Thank you for this post. It is thought provoking.

I have been aware that without an emergency ditch kit losing ones boat is very serious, but have never done more about the situation than fasten my VHF radio, a whistle and lights to my PFD. I suppose if paddling in a group the chance of losing all the boats is small, but I often paddle alone or with one other person.
I think I will have to be a bit more proactive.
Any experience or thoughts on SPOT?

By: Winter Kayaking | Nessmuking.com

Winter Kayaking | Nessmuking.com — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:11:25 +0000

[...] Also bring: Extra clothing, equipment, a bothy, a thermos of hot water, first aid, emergency kit, a way to start a fire and anything else needed for an emergency, like a ditch kit. [...]

By: Bryan Hansel

Bryan Hansel — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:05:32 +0000

Thanks, Guy. Although I prefer vet wrap over duct tape for injuries, a bit of duct tape doesn’t take up much room and is definately useful. Something to consider for a ditch kit. Plus it’s cheap!

By: Guy

Guy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:37:14 +0000

Great article. I find essential for my first aid kit is a good few metres of duct tape. Multitude of uses – immobilising broken limbs, closing wounds, securing splints, applying pressure, dealing with dislocations, making slings. If you take it off the roll and stick it to itself it folds down to take up next to no space, either. Perfect.