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Safety & Survival Equipment Buyer's Guide
What you need in your survival kit depends on what kind of flying you do most often. Rescue lights and a personal locator beacon (PLB) are useful in any cockpit, showing rescuers nearing your location exactly where you are. A first aid kit is also vital -- the kind you get will depend on how long you may need to survive in the wilderness. If you regularly fly over mountaineous or remote terrain, expand your kit to include space blankets, a water supply and high-energy food bars. Pilots who routinely fly over water should definitely pack personal floatation devices; the farther offshore you go, the more important a life raft will be. Jump Down to: Rescue Lights | Fire Starters | Adventure Medical Kits | Life Rafts and Life Vests | Leatherman Tools Locator Beacons If you regularly fly a plane that has an older 121.5 MHz ELT, or if most of your flying is over sparsely populated and rugged areas, a PLB can be a smart investment that only adds a few ounces to your pocket or flight bag. Since PLBs don't have an accelerometer built into them to automatically activate in a crash, they're only useful in survivable crashes. That means you need to be conscious and able to physically pull the PLB out of your pocket, place it in the open and activate it. At a minimum, consider a PLB that has a built-in GPS antenna. That increases the accuracy of the location that's sent to SAR teams to within 100 feet or better. Both the McMurdo FastFind 210 and the ACR ResQLink have that feature. There are no annual subscription costs with these two PLBs -- pay once for the added peace of mind. If you want added features, like flight tracking for your friends, consider the Spot 2 Satellite Messenger. While the Spot 2 is about half the cost of the PLBs above, you will need to pay about $100 per year for the service. It provides emergency location features like other PLBs, but also offers peace of mind by allowing friends and relatives to track your progress online during normal flights. Because of the yearly fee, the total cost of a Spot device will surpass the upfront cost of most 406 MHz rescue beacons by the second year of use. But that may be worth it for the added features the Spot has, like sending a message that you need help in a non-life-threatening situation or that you've arrived safely at your destination. Spot 2 can only send basic messages, including a custom message that you must enter on the ground with a computer before your flight. If you want to send real-time updates, even update Facebook and Twitter en route, check out the Spot Connect. Similar in size to the Spot 2, the Spot Connect pairs with your smartphone via Bluetooth to let you type 40-character messages that can be broadcast on their own or along with distress signals. Let your friends know what you're craving for dinner, or send rescuers updates on your injuries and condition. Spot Connect uses the Iridium satellite network, so your smartphone doesn't even need a cell signal for all of its features to work. Service plans start at $99 per year, depending on how many messages you want to send -- a la carte messages are $0.50 each, but as little as $0.10 each when you pay for 500 at once. For continuous, automatic flight monitoring and tracking, consider the Spidertracks Aviator Flight Tracking System. The small unit rests atop your glareshield and automatically starts updating your position when the plane starts rolling down the runway. If your position stops advancing, Spidertracks automatically sends an SOS signal; a button on the front of the unit also lets you manually send that alert for in-flight energencies. In addition to the purchase price of the unit, you'll need a monthly subscription plan, which ranges from $10-$85 per month depending on the number of flight hours; rebates reduce the cost on three-year contracts. Rescue Lights The PALight uses a high-intensity LED in white, green or red with four brightness levels. The dimmest is enough to find it in the bag but barely draws any power. Or you can use it to read charts or hike at night. Finally, a super-bright strobe is visible from up to 2 miles away. Fire Starters But what good is a lighter if you don't have kindling to get a larger fire going? Use all-natural fatwood pine TinderSticks to start a fire, even when they're wet. If you want greater portability, TinderDust uses shavings from the same type of wood in TinderSticks, packed into a waterproof metal tin. Both work great with FireSteel's line of inert metal fire strikers. The FireSteel Survivor Knife and Rescue Knife both have razor-sharp blades and a notch to use with the included striker. The Survival Knife's sheath can also hold a whistle and cord for survival. The Rescue Knife has a whistle built into its handle. Already have a knife? The FireSteel Mini and the FireSteel Army 2.0 combine the striker and a small piece of steel on one lanyard to start fires; the Army 2.0 also has a built-in rescue whistle. For maximum portability, the FireSteel Combo gives you both the Mini striker and a tin of TinderDust in one package. Life Rafts & Life Vests Vests like the EAM KSE-35L8E are similar to those on airliners, storing in a small pouch until they're needed. It inflates with a small CO2 cartridge. This vest is most effective when you can grab one immediately; if you go down over water, you likely won't have time to hunt around the back of the plane. For added security on long over-water flights, consider the Revere Comfort Max life vest, available in red or blue. Its low profile and nylon exterior make it comfortable to wear throughout the flight, saving precious seconds in a water landing, since you can exit immediately without having to secure the life vest. When needed, a CO2 cartridge will inflate the vest to its full size in about one second. The vest also features an attached safety whistle to help draw attention to your location in the water. If you want those features in a smaller and lighter PFD, look at the Revere SportMax life vest, also available in red or blue. All lift vests are designed to keep your head above water. But that can still be dangerous in rough seas, shark-infested waters or when rescue is some time away, putting you at risk of hypothermia. For flights close to shore, an inflatable life raft will keep you dry and provide some protection from choppy water. The basic Revere Aero Compact seats 4 and inflates in less than 30 seconds (a CO2 cylinder is attached). It includes stabilizing underwater ballast pockets and a water anchor. Because it doesn't have a protective canopy and has just one inflatable tube around the outside, it's recommended for use within three miles of shore. There are several other versions of the Aero Compact depending on your needs: Add a protective bright orange canopy for an extra $200, providing vital shielding from the elements.The Aero Compact with Standard Kit includes food, water, a first aid kit and other basic signalling gear. The raft with Standard Plus Kit adds a utility knife and desalination chemicals. Finally, the raft with Deluxe Kit includes a thermal blanket, paddles and fishing equipment, as well as everything else in the other kits. All three versions include canopies. For greater durability and larger crews, Revere's Aero Elite rafts all include an inflatable canopy and floor, double-cell flotation tubes, a boarding ladder and four water ballasts for stability. The 4-person model weights 45 pounds; or choose the 6-person model or the 8-person model. All models include signalling and rescue kits. Adventure Medical Kits Adventure Medical's Survival Paks give you a variety of tools in compact packages -- but by themselves, they aren't first aid kits. The Pocket Survival Pak, at 4 ounces, stuffs the bare essentials into a very small pouch. You'll find equipment to start a fire, go fishing and signal for help. Plus, it includes small amounts of duct tape, wire, nylon thread, nylon cord and other materials that can be used for a variety of repairs and other uses. Waterproof instructions that fit in the pouch detail how to use everything. The new SOL Origin may look like a multipurpose tool on the outside, but an inner compartment packs in gear to start fires and catch fish. The case integrates signalling gear and a compass as well. If you have a bit more space, the SOL Survival Pak includes larger quantities of the supplies in the Pocket Survival Pak and adds things like a thermal blanket and compass. Or, get the Survival Pak paired with a stainless steel water bottle that includes printed instructions on the outside for purifying water and surviving longer without water. Combining an array of survival gear with first aid equipment, the SOL Survival, Medical, & Gear Aid gathers most of what you'd need in an emergency into a zippered 20-ounce pouch. The medical pouch includes latex gloves, bandages, dressings, moleskin, small amounts of basic medications and safety shears. The survival pouch features many of the same tools as in the Pocket Survival Pak but in larger quantities, plus cable ties, a survival blanket and an LED headlamp. The Comprehensive Medical Kit includes a wide array of medications and equipment to treat everything from fractures and snake bites to insulin shock and trauma wounds. You find a variety of bandages, pads, compresses and wound closure strips, making the kit suitable for lengthy backcountry trips - or a long wait for rescue. The 3-pound kit is more expensive, but can treat up to 14 people. Note that this kit contains only medical supplies: It does not include survival equipment to help you make repairs, start fires or catch fish. The Pocket Survival Pak does have all those tools, and is small enough to fit inside the Comprehensive Medical Kit. If you just need to supplement your existing supplies, consider adding a thermal bivvy, which is extremely compact and lightweight, using a metallic liner to reflect your body heat back onto yourself. The Thermo-Lite Bivvy 2.0 is good for temperatures above 50 degrees F. For emergencies, consider the Heatsheets Bivvy, which weighs just 3.5 ounces. The larger Two-Person Survival Blanket lets you share body heat in an economical package. Leatherman Tools The compact Leatherman Style is the size of a house key, but unfolds to equip you with a blade, scissors, tweezers, nail file, and both flat- and Phillips-head screwdrivers. The Squirt P4 sports Leatherman's signature unfolding pliers with a wire cutter at the base of the hinge. In addition to a 2-inch blade, The P4 holds three screwdrivers, an awl, wood file and bottle opener. It's the ideal balance of compact size and tool variety. Step up to the Skeletool and gain an outside-access blade so you don't have to open the tool first. A bit driver and four included bits let you tighten down any kind of screw. If you need everything in one tool, the Surge is the one for the job. It includes three blades: one straight, one serrated, and a saw. Several types of cutters, a crimper, two bit drivers (bits included) and two files let you tackle any repair situation. Certainly not least, the Super Tool 300 (paired with a Monarch LED torch) is redesigned for any job. Larger pliers also fit in tighter spaces. Four screwdrivers pivot out so you don't have to fumble for the right bit. And of course, count on a straight blade, serrated blade and saw to cut through materials with ease and control. |
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