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4x4 Search & Rescue gear.

CarnivoreMan

CarnivoreMan

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Ferndale, WA
Hey guys. I just joined a local 4x4 SAR group and am lookin for gear to buy.


I have a horrid sense of direction so I'm figurin I need a dash compass as one of my first buys. (I have some of those green maps too)

so for my immediate list of things to buy I'm lookin at something like this:

1: Clinometer
2: Hi-Lift Jack 48".. should I get the 60? I'm not sure where I'll mount it yet. 6" is kinda long isnt it? I'm running 31" tires and will perhaps go up to 36" eventually.
3: I'll be buying a long towstrap locally
4: I'll probably buy 100' or so of good rope at REI
5: I have a little collapsable shovel
6: I'll pickup an axe or haxet locally
7: I want to get some sort of lockable storage. I currently have a plastic tub but thats not really any sort of security.. just keeps the crap dry.



Ideas/thoughts?

EDIT: The main reason for our 4x4 group is the local mountains.. So most gear should be mountain driving focused I guess.. There are other things I know I want such as a winch, and a few more lights, but this list above contains my current priorities.. I cant drop $3k right now. =)
 
I helped with a local SAR and beside all the stuff you mentioned a GPS comes in handy, especially off the beaten path.
 
Skip the compass and buy a decent GPS.

Skip the rope unless you are rope rescue trained.

Definitely get the 60 inch HiLift. You may need it for another rig besides yours.

Most SAR stuff will be on foot, your rig will only take you to a staging area. So I would be looking more towards personal gear like boots, clothing, etc...
 
We had a big ol dodge ram come into the body shop last year(got sideswiped by a semi). He was in search and rescue and his truck was way overbuilt. late 90's ram with: airbag suspension, bilsteins with reservoirs, 35"s i think, ARBs front and rear, onboard air, tire pressure monitoring system, ARB front bumper, Warn 15K winch, hi-lift in the bed and a pull-pal, couple lockable tool boxes in the bed,roll bar with offroad lights and airhorns mounted on it.

Inside the truck was every gauge you could think of, tons of switches for lights, strobe lights, and other stuff. CB radio with loudspeaker. He had a monster transcooler with fan.

Under the hood it got even more interesting: the motor was bored, stroked, supercharged, and had nitrous! There was an aluminum radiator, flexalite dual fans, larger coolers for everything and four optima baterys!
That truck was nuts
 
I always keep a trail compass in my GPS bag.
I would not trust just a GPS in a survival situation. My first GPS unit failed the first night into a three day canoe trip. It somehow got enough moisture inside to fry it's innards. Probably while changing batteries.
It wasn't a big deal, as I always have the compass and Topo maps in those situations, and keep my wife updated on our position in case I'm incapacited and she has to hike out for help.
 
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Unless things are different down there, the vehicle is of relatively little importance. Up here the team works very closely, usually travelling to and from the search site together. The actual search is conducted primarily on foot.

Rope is only effective with other gear (both soft and hardware) and training.

I guess GPS is becoming popular, but I would never go without a real compass and topo map. To me GPS belongs in the Toureg! :D

60" without question.

Check with your team they likely have a list of gear they expect you to carry.
 
an the shovel note, get a full sized shovel. Sucks doing any work with a colapsable. Maybe a rook rack to mount the gear on to with keyed alike padalocks
 
firefighter184 said:
Skip the rope unless you are rope rescue trained.

Definitely get the 60 inch HiLift. You may need it for another rig besides yours.

Most SAR stuff will be on foot, your rig will only take you to a staging area. So I would be looking more towards personal gear like boots, clothing, etc...
Click to expand...


I agree. Especially the clothing. Maybe a backpack, water and food (MRE's).
Outfit yourself first with proper gear AND TRAINING, then your rig.
Also a good first aid kit and rechargeable flashlight.
 
First obligation as a SAR member is to not become a liability to your team. That means not getting hurt or lost. An Orienteering class will go a long ways towards the not getting lost part, but you have to practice regularly or that stuff slips. As sad a situation as it is, in my local area the best Orienteering classes are put on by the Sierra Club.

The getting hurt part ranges from serious injury to boots not up to the job. Good boots should be your first large ticket item. I'd expect to pay over $200 for a good set. Keep your feet happy and the rest of you can go a lot harder & longer. Get the advice of some of the old timer SAR folks. They'll know what you want in a boot for your area.
 
Ahh, thank you all for your replies. This thread covered a good range and is exactly what I wanted to see. A variety of opinions on priorities as to what to bring and why. Thank you very much.


As I sit right now, my K5 equipment is as follows
  • full size shovel(special thanks to those who recommended skipping the teensy shovel)
  • axe ... not full size, but bigger than a haxet. Single blade(hammer back)
  • 30' x 4" towstrap
  • ABC fire extinguisher
  • 3 D-cell Mag
  • Duct Tape
  • 15'x 18' or so woven tarp
  • gas jug
  • I'll be ordering a 60" Hi-Lift X-Treme in a day or two here
  • I guess I'll get the clinometer I mentioned in my original post. I want to be able to watch my angles and it seems that one is my only option. Too bad I cant get one with a Blazer on it instead of a Jeep. :wink1:
Other gear that I have that would be more for the on foot aspect:
  • Asolo boots. I like'm but there is on small bunch of stitching on the tongue that presses against my ankle when laced up.
  • Some little hand compass doodly thing. I think its a good one, but I dont know crap about compasses. It was one of the more spendy ones at a real hiking store. Not wally world or anything
  • Good backpacks. Day and Overnight.
  • Compact folding shovel. This is probably good to have around here for missions. Snow is prevelent except in late summer in a lot of the mountain trails. We dont have pansy mountains like you folk on the east side :D
  • I bought all the local Topo maps minus one which was out of stock. I better pick it up.
  • a few Nalgene water bottles
  • Helly Hansen hooded snow jacket & Mountain Hardware gore-stopper thingy.. jacket I guess but no hood. Kinda like a fleece but different material. .. I should get something else with synthetic fill though for colder temps. I'm lacking in that area.
  • A laser pointer
  • campstove (white gas or gasoline)
  • I think I bought a small first aid kit.... I forget though
  • fire starter thingies
  • I have a little torchy Colibri butane lighter, but the cap doesnt stay closed anymore.. I need to fix it or get a new one
  • Stainless cooking set
  • Tent
Things I need/ need to do
  • Lockable toolbox for gear
  • cigarette lighter for accessories.. IE: spotlight, cell charger...minifridge for beer... you know for those rescued individuals
  • Better vehicle lighting
  • Improved heater & Defrost.
  • Replace old running gear components on the Blazer.. I want to make sure nothing falls off while going around a hairpin turn on a mountain. A guy in our unit went down a nice cliff a while back (Go to page 18 and the article begins with the story about the accident)
  • Rope: I believe rope is a required or highly advised item. For tying stuff down in the rig, setting up a covered area with a tarp, hauling people & things up steep slopes, etc. Rope is as handy as duct tape.
  • I'll have to throw a couple jugs of water, antifreeze, & oil in the rig.
  • Lug wrench. That would probably be a good idea
  • spare cell phone for 911 calls... and charger
  • I want to do some adding on to the stock rollbar to better protect myself & backseaters. .. and with that have a mountable location for radio's & other stuff via two parallel bars running perpendicular from the center of the stock bar to my windshield frame.
  • New front & rear bumpers.. Current are stock.. Front is a shiney new perfect chrome unit. I need to sell that one I guess.. or trade.
  • I think I'm gunna pick up one of those personal GPS units as well. That could come in very handy.
  • I need some sort of pants I think... something that can take a little rain without freezing a person to the core.
  • Extra socks
  • Someday.. a winch. But thats a ways off. I'll just have to get stuff setup to use my hi-lift for a winch.
  • Crank flashlight
  • canned food & dehydrated food
The next big problem is figuring out where to mount everything that I have & will get. I'm thinkin I'll try mounting my jack in my front or rear bumper eventually. Of course thats when I build or buy new bumpers.


hey, anybody wanna trade something for a perfect '72 chrome stock front bumper? :)




My hand compass came with a pretty thourough guide for learning proper navigation techniques. I still need to go through it though and practice. It would be good if I looked into some other trianing though. I'll see what I can find around here.
 
Im not into search and rescue, but into survival, camping, backpacking ,etc.

Somethings you need to keep in mind, most of the time you will be on foot for hours. You need to have a small backpack filled with survival gear and clothing, etc. I can go into detail as to what you should have, but wont make this post long winded. As far as vehicle, it looks like most have listed some good stuff. Remember, your searching for someone that may have been lost for a long time, so you need food, water, warm jackets/coats, wool blankets, rescue equipment, etc.

GPS is good, but a good topo map and Compass can save you as well. GPS is battery operated, batts die and equipment fails, always have backups.

In our realm of survival, we have a rule, Have backups of your backups. Do things in 3s. Meaning, if you have 3 ways to obtain water, etc. Anyways, there is more to SAR than jus a trail rig. But a good rig will get you as far as you can.
 
I see you was replying at the same time i was. lol .

Anyways a few points

1) water jugs, make sure you dont go to grocery store and buy 1 gal. jug and stick it in truck, the plastic is recyclable, meaning itll break down over time and will leak. Get a good 1 gal or 2 gal. water jug.

2) maglights are okay, but the batts only last so long and the bulbs can be fragile. Id keep the maglight, but look into some LED lights. They dont spot as far as the maglight, but they last 10xs as long. I would get a nice rechargable spotlight for long range spotting.

3)Compasses - If you dont know what you are doin with one, they are useless and you will get lost. There are things like Declination, azmuth, etc.
IMO, get with some scouts and be a leader/helper and that will help you learn wilderness and compass, etc. skills.

4) Campstoves - dont get a gasoline one, If you must use a stove, get one that will use the most versatile fuels as possible. Some use white gas, kerosene, diesel, etc. You get more for your money this way.

5) First aid kits - Dunno what part of SAR you will be, but you really need to make a specialized First Aid kit. I buy cheapo ones than then add to them to get exactly what I want. In the field you are looking at STABILITY of the vicitum and BLOOD Stoppage/Control. Your not lookin into infection control in the field, You need to stop the bleeding of someone and stabilize them. If you are goin to do any SAR, you may need to administor first aid, take some classes.courses

6) If your serious about SAR, keep in mind that most of the times itll be in remote locations. Cell phones may or may not work. I would look into HAM radio and CB radio. If you were really serious, look into SAT phone, but those are big money.

Dunno how serious or involved you are goin to get into this, I think its cool. but you need to be prepared, and perpare yourself, Ive heard of stories were the rescue parties needed rescued themselves cuz they only took a bottle of water and twinkies and got lost. Dont let that be you.
 
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