Going Alone - Single Vehicle Wheeling & Safety

Great post! Thank you! Def need to pick up a few things before taking the truck off road.

 

VS 17 PANEL

 

Nice! Sub'd

 

To clarify, it’s actuallt pretty unlikely you’ll lose the limb if the tourniquet is removed in 8ish hours. Study after study has disproved this myth. Not being an asshole, just stating what the new research is showing. Most EMS protocols now state that if bleedinf is “bad” don’t waste time with pressure bandages. Apply the tourniquet as high as possible. If that doesn’t work apply another one 2-3 inches below the first.

 

Outstanding! I hit print before i even finished reading. i am/was a soldier & learned a few hard lessons. i have been called McGyver numerous times for my 'prep', but your practices and logic are hands down, twice as intense and well thought out as mine ever were. My daughter rolls her eyes when i load out her (my) car with just road basics like a compressor, flares and tire plugs. but, she will learn like i did or lead a very charmed life. i didn't need validation, but it's damn nice to have it!! Thanks again.

 

Thanks OP! Being new to the whole offroading thing, this write-up really hits the mark. Now I just need to find a local mentor for some proper instuction.

 

Yeah, this is good stuff..thanks for your input on this thread.

 

Good info,

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

Good thread. I recently got helplessly stuck in 2’ of snow at 1030 pm(dark), alone but with my dog. Phone almost dead, vehicle not running, battery low with no way to charge it. Cold and wet, had been wet since 8am that morning. Pouring snow all afternoon and still snowing.

Managed to make an emergency call that was about 2 minutes long to get help on the way. Only had to walk about 200 feet up hill from where I was.

I had lots of things going for me but lots working against me. I’m going to go against this list.

 

It's refreshing to know I already packed some of this. It's not so refreshing to know what I was missing. I'll be updating my kit soon.

 

Nice thread @Mxpatriot - surprised I haven't come across it earlier, as we too do quite a bit of solo truck. The "never exceed your walk out distance" rings especially true - it's something I often tell other folks who as "what if X or Y happens?" - if you can walk out over the course of a couple days, that's always a reasonable resort IMO.

Keen to track for myself and others, I recently put together a reasonably similar post for what I carry in the truck on a normal adventure. I'll leave it here since I think this is a great place to accumulate that type of information:

Gear Roundup - What I Take With Me On Trips (2018 edition)​

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If you’re going alone, bring more than you think you’ll need. That goes for fuel, clothing, recovery gear, time, food water. I’ve been snow wheeling alone all winter and have gotten into lots of trouble. But made it out on my own power except for the one night I really got jammed up.

Here’s photos of a couple self recoveries/fixes. A long way from civilization, gnarly trails, no one knows where I was. And this is only last Saturday.

In a nice big rut dragging mirror- scooping with B pillar.


Blown bead. Got it seated and aired up without ether. I forgot I took out my ether this day. Stupid mistake




Rear end was getting pulled into huge rut. Had to winch the rear end over with front winch




Serious trouble easily avoided.

Some recovery gear that can be a huge lifesaver when alone-
Snatchblocks- I have 3. Very glad I had them
Multiple shackles- regular metal bow and soft
Lots of rigging and winch extensions. And a long winch line. Don’t go alone unprepared. It’s ok to turn back. I should’ve but didn’t. But got out because of the gear, and knowing how to use it.

 

This is really a great post! The further away from civilization, and the rougher the terrain, the more prepaired you have to be. We have been caught in a few situations in the past where we were underprepared. And the sad thing is, the hard way is the way we learned! Thanks for getting this info out there!

 

Thanks for the share, and glad you made it out alright.

 

What watch is that?

 

It was mentioned briefly in the OP but if you don’t want to pay for a monthly subscription or worry about charging batteries get a PLB. 5 year shelf life and if you activate it the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center gets the message and you can be sure someone is coming for you. It doesn’t have the 2 way messaging capability of satellite messengers but it is as reliable as it gets when the shit hits the fan.

acr 2880 ResQ Link PLB-375 Personal Locator Beacon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005E1OU1A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_t.N-Cb26PR48R

 

PLBs are very reliable but for 4x4 exploration, the two way messengers are the best choice because of the nature of the majority of our issues in remote places (broken down/stuck versus immediately life threatening emergency).

The PLB shoehorns you into two bad options during those most common situations:

- Activating early and wasting rescue resources.
- Working/waiting the situation until it becomes an emergency worthy of rescue resources, bringing more risk into the situation for no reason.

 

Ran across a missing persons truck on black mountain truck trail in Idyllwild. Found out he was found a few days before. However his truck had been up there since Jan. Be safe out there

 

Good thread but will state the PLB does not necessarily "shoehorns" one into bad options. Assess the situation and use common sense when considering activating a distress signal using the PLB.

I'm a proponent of the PLB such as the ACR 375 Resqlink especially if one is solo. That gem of a PLB is too cheap in price not to have one with you in case $hit hits the fan.

Anything can happen in remote areas and a two way might not get the response you need in a hurry like a PLB will. A rattlesnake bite, a serious injury or a thousand other mishaps could very well require a PLB.

Better yet carry both a two way and include a PLB in your kit. These folks and/or their relatives wish they had carried a PLB:

https://abcnews.go.com/2020/kati-kim-tells-heart-wrenching-story-family-ended/story?id=12884927

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kim

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/73-year-dogs-rescued-days-remote-oregon-64570937

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-07-mn-949-story.html

https://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-nevada-couple-found-survivor/story?id=17895702

https://www.popularmechanics.com/ad...ly-becomes-a-survival-success-story-16256428/

And one off roader who used both a two way and his PLB:

https://www.acrartex.com/stories/gravelly-mountain-montana-sled-dog

Don't be stupid, purchase and carry a PLB not just for yourself but your passengers as well.

Be realistic about what the hazards are and be prepared to mitigate them if they occur.

 

To clear up some confusion from the previous poster's post:

The inReach has both a text message and beacon like SOS function. The InReach's SOS beacon is going to the same regional rescue coordination center that a PLB is. The only difference is which satellite network it uses to carry its signal.

The article he linked references a two-way amateur radio, not a two-way satellite messenger. It also states that the PLB's coordinates were off by a mile and it took the forest ranger three hours to find them. With an InReach, the forest ranger would have had GPS level accuracy on the coordinates and could have communicated with the victims to determine the best route to reach them.

The only downside compared to a PLB is monthly subscription requirements.

The advantages are numerous - ability to send text messages w/GPS info embedded to friends, ability for others live-track your location via the internet, ability to have 2 way communication with rescuers once an SOS is sent, ability to get live weather reports, and ability to communicate InReach to InReach in the field.