Winter car prep scenario

[Lightspeed]

Good and timely scenario reminder

In ordre of priority, this is what I could do in that situation:

1. Turn ignition OFF
2. Check for petrol fumes that might indicate ruptured fuel tank or fuel lines.
3. Check myself by feel for any injuries.
4. Locate dynamo torch in glove box and get illumination
5. Inspect wound to decide if safe to move.
6. Locate and use first aid kit in boot of car to deal with injuries.
7. At this point realise I could not walk the mile to nearest house so decide to bug out in vehicle.
8. Locate GHB in boot. Immediately put on Thick socks, fleece, Ski Jacket Hat and gioves
9. Find warning Triangle in boot of car and set up on road
10. Rig cycle clip on Red LED flasher from GHB on / inside vehicle window to mark its position.
11. Move contents of car, seat cushions etc to make place to sleep.
12. Get the now somewhat smaller GHB and myself into Sleeping bag ( permanently carried in boot between October and March)
a. Wrap Space blanket from GHB over outside of sleeping bag.
13. Recharge mobile phone with hand generator and USB Cable in GHB.
a. Telephone family know where I am and that I’m OK. They are only to use phone to get assistance to me, not to venture out to collect me ( unless they have suitable vehicle and skills to do so)
b. If Telephone is out, try comms with hand held walkie-talkie type radio. If possible get message through or seek immediate assistance that way.
c. Activate walkie Talkie’s Emergency Transponder system to allow search and rescue to locate me shuld my vehicle be buried under more snow. Ensure power supply topped up enough to last the night.
i. My family have details of Emergency transponder to pass to emergency services should the need arise.
14. Assess food / drink content of GHB. There should be sufficient for 2 days food and 1/2l water at all times, so sufficient to get me through the night.
15. Count sheep

[BeardyMan]

I've got 4 ratpacks in the car kit, so that should keep me going for 8 days (4200 calories per pack)
I have 4 different ways of cooking in there, about 8 litres of water, shelter, a distress flare, ham radio clothes, fuel, walking poles, little'uns buggy (3 wheeled off road jobby - could be used to scoot me down the road if necessary), glow-sticks, pretty comprehensive first aid kit, fire kits.

I should be okay if I'm not bleeding to death. Easy to take the seats out too, so if necessary I'd burn those to attract attention and kip in the truck.

It'd have to be one hell of a smash to make mine undrivable though - I probably wouldn't survive the initial impact if the car didn't make it!

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Also, should I not return home when expected the missus would alert the MSG and hopefully (hopefully!) they'd come out and find me.

Obviously this would be better before I've dismantled the truck and set bits on fire...

[TheGuru]

Hi guys I work in the mountains and I am out in all types of storms and weathers when normal folks are in their beds, so this is a scenario we prepare for. I have spent up to 5 days at a time stuck in shit loads of snow and ice just trying to work through it. The kit that you all mention is pretty good but there is a few things I would never be without, Quickclot can be got from the web and is great stuff, comes in pellets or sponges. I have used this stuff on myself several times and there is nothing better, also an emergency strobe and a brush shaft, yep I know it sounds daft but I just tape the strobe to the shaft and there is a hole for it on the back of my 4X4. It doesent matter about the snow drifts now as the shaft keeps the strobe nice and high.
A CB radio, there is one out there a hand held that is as good as a base station that can be modified very easy to transmit and receive from 26-30 Meg covering all the CB and Ham chanels in both FM and AM. And most importantly if you are bugging out in the car crack a couple of windows open to change the air inside. I also have my Freeveiw TV and just sit back getting some timeout from the wife and kids, she often wonders why I get stuck out so much.

[NorthernRaider]

(6 November 2012, 19:04)TheGuru Wrote: A CB radio, there is one out there a hand held that is as good as a base station that can be modified very easy to transmit and receive from 26-30 Meg covering all the CB and Ham chanels in both FM and AM. And most importantly if you are bugging out in the car crack a couple of windows open to change the air inside. I also have my Freeveiw TV and just sit back getting some timeout from the wife and kids, she often wonders why I get stuck out so much.

Yup the Intek H520 Plus

[Scythe13]

Given that you said the scenario was 1 mile from life, I'd just grab my stuff and get going. Yes it wouldn't be easy, but if my injury is that bad, I'd probably not be able to get into the sleeping bag.

In winter, I always have my snowboard gear with me. Not always my board, but boots, gloves, waterproofs, insulated clothes, and thermals. Oh, and goggles+face warmer/scarf. So I know I'd be warm enough. Worst case scenario, cut a leg off the trousers, and make do with 1 limb exposed. I run most mornings in shorts and a hoodie (even today at -1 degrees, at 6:30am) so as long as I kept a semi-reasonable place, I should be okay. On all 4's, minus 1, if I had to. If it was super cold, I'd convert my sleeping bag into a thermal caterpillar outfit (cut arm and leg holes in it) and use that to keep extra warm.

If I couldn't carry my whole GHB due to injury, I'd opt for a load of thermal blankets, and some chocolate!!! I LOVE chocolate. Then maybe a bottle of water, kept close to my skin, but not touching it, to stop the water freezing. It's 1 mile, and I've done much more, in the Alps, while carrying a snowboard (that would be my equivalent view of an injury, carrying a bloody heavy board, although it did come in handy quite a bit haha). Obviously, I'd have a torch with me, and my head torch. Head torch to light the path. Normal torch to signal with. And some hand warmers. Those things are great!!!

Screw the car. I can come back to that. Priority would be to get somewhere safe, while I still had energy to make the journey. If the roads are seldom used, I'm not going to risk being rescued. I'd leave a note to any would be rescuers, stating my name, age, direction of travel, the time and date I set off from, and the fact that I had an injured leg.

Then it would be a case of do or die.

Preferably not the latter.

[NorthernRaider]

(6 November 2012, 19:56)Scythe13 Wrote: Given that you said the scenario was 1 mile from life, I'd just grab my stuff and get going. Yes it wouldn't be easy, but if my injury is that bad, I'd probably not be able to get into the sleeping bag.
.

That my friend prolly would be suicide in many parts of the UK in winter, I've been stuck on Bellerby moor in a 110 FFR Landy in a convoy of three, only a mile from Layburn when the snow caught us out, we could not walk 50 feet even as fit squaddies as the snow was soft, fluffy ultra sticky and 4 foot deep very quickly, twas like trying to walk in golden syrup !!!, and thats only in North Yorks, I've seen winter weather up Otterburn area that trapped winter equipped German troops with their Marders and Gelands and thats still 50 miles short of the Scots border, Parts of Scotland are even less forgiving I'm told, not dont it myself but did read about that US Army Ranger who died way up north on a hiking holiday.

[Scythe13]

(6 November 2012, 20:20)NorthernRaider Wrote:

(6 November 2012, 19:56)Scythe13 Wrote: Given that you said the scenario was 1 mile from life, I'd just grab my stuff and get going. Yes it wouldn't be easy, but if my injury is that bad, I'd probably not be able to get into the sleeping bag.

That my friend prolly would be suicide in many parts of the UK in winter, I've been stuck on Bellerby moor in a 110 FFR Landy in a convoy of three, only a mile from Layburn when the snow caught us out, we could not walk 50 feet even as fit squaddies as the snow was soft, fluffy ultra sticky and 4 foot deep very quickly, twas like trying to walk in golden syrup !!!, and thats only in North Yorks, I've seen winter weather up Otterburn area that trapped winter equipped German troops with their Marders and Gelands and thats still 50 miles short of the Scots border, Parts of Scotland are even less forgiving I'm told, not dont it myself but did read about that US Army Ranger who died way up north on a hiking holiday.

Granted, it's a mile. But the scenario says it's 1 mile, and there's no mention of snow, just cold and icy.

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Please note, I'm not saying it's going to be easy. It's damn hard work, and each step is knackering in the snow. But since there's no mention of snow, I'd go for the midnight stroll. No point staying out over night, when it's likely that the conditions won't improve over the next few hours. They'd just get worse. Better taking 45 minutes, going a slow mile, then getting to a phone, or something like that. Even though a mile can be walked in 20 minutes, I'm accounting 45 mins for the journey, due to the injury.

Couple that with the fact that I'd be in snowboarding gear, wrapped in a sleeping bag....I'm unlikely to freeze. More chance of my injury reducing the likelihood of survival, if left for a few days. If I was uninjured, I'd do the same thing, dress up and get going, but would have full GHB with me.

If the road is unused, odds of being rescued would be low. Couple that with the low temperature, could possibly cause snow while you slept, thus greatly reducing your chances of someone coming across you, and reducing your chances of self-rescue! I'd get going while the going was good and my spirits were high.

[Skean Dhude]

For most of us the walk would be death. Best staying wrapped up and warm. You can last a long time being cosy.

[Scythe13]

(6 November 2012, 20:48)Skean Dhude Wrote: For most of us the walk would be death. Best staying wrapped up and warm. You can last a long time being cosy.

Not if you were wearing what I said I have with me.

You'd have snow gear, thermals, waterproofs, obviously hats, gloves, scarf, and all that. Then add to that a sleeping bag that you've cut arm and leg holes in. You'd toast up pretty quickly, especially with the effort required to make the journey of 1 mile. I genuinely believe you'd overheat in the journey, more than you'd freeze, as long as you kept moving. When I'm on the slopes, I usually just wear thermal top, hat, waterproof jacket, and snow pants (also waterproof) and I'm roasting!!! So having a boarding jacket, thermal long-johns, and a 3 season sleeping bag as well.....you'll toast like a pop-tart (in about a minute).

Unless your fitness was dire, or the injury was that bad, I think most people would be able to make that journey with that gear.

[Skean Dhude]

Experienced people die in that gear every year. They get lost and go in circles. In this scenario you are injured as well. Your fitness level is higher than most as well and maybe you would make it. I would wrap myself up and stay. Very few places in the UK are untravelled and it would be much safer all around. People overestimate their ability to do many things.