Great idea on the custom ear plugs! Beaded security ties are little zip ties that have a 15lb break strength -- they are great for securing things like whistles to your pfd but will break away if they get snagged on something. The can also be used to secure carabiners in your pfd pocket so they don't fall out accidentally but can still be instantly ripped out when needed.
You didn't mention the most important items... Swift Water Rescue training and PRACTICE. Having all the rescue / safety gear in the world, won't do sh!t for you, if you don't know how to use it. Recommend taking an ACA Level 3 SWR course (or equivalent), and doing refresher training / practice each year. Any way, here's my normal safety gear load-out In/On PFD (currently Astral Green Jacket): •THREE LOCKING carabiners •THREE SMC pulleys •TWO Pre-Tied prusiks, line diameter sized to work with whatever throw rope carried •ONE 6' Spectra sling •ONE Rescue knife (CRKT Bear Claw) •ONE Fox 40 whistle, or other high-decibel "pea-less" whistle, attached high on shoulder strap with bungee cord In Boat or PFD: •ONE Throw Rope, minimum length 50' (15 m), minimum diameter 3/8" (9 mm) for nylon/ polypropylene line, 1/4" (6 mm) for Spectra & other static lines Around Waist, underneath spray-skirt: •ONE Guide Belt (aka flip line) - 15-20' of 1" tubular webbing, with a small loop tied at each end. Sized so that it wraps around your waist four times, with a FOURTH LOCKING carabiner as a buckle. You want it snug, and high up on your waist to decrease any snagging hazard. This is a very handy piece of kit to have when you need to get "hands on" as fast as possible, as it is always on you, unlike the throw bag. In Dry Bag, or Dry Box, secured inside kayak: •ONE very basic first aid kit (contains lifeboat matches and striker) •ONE emergency blanket •ONE Heavyweight polypro fleece balaclava (cartied all year, to help prevent / treat hypothermia) •ONE Energy bar •ONE half-life bottle of water (in addition to whatever amount of water I've brought to consume during the trip) •SEVERAL FEET of Heavy-Duty Duct Tape (or Gaffer's tape, 100 MPH tape) - Wrapped around middle of paddle shaft, or wrapped around one of the water bottles. For field-expedient repairs of boats and people. I prefer the Gorilla Brand for strength & stickiness, even when damp.
knowing how to use your safety gear is absolutley clutch, no doubt. I like your setup and I have carried similars, but only for real expedition kayaking to be honest. The gear adds up real quick in terms of weight and with all that I definetely feel restricted in my range of movement. thanks for your insights! great to see!
One other thing - maybe not in the PFD, but when you go out on expeditions or rivers with possible wood - a Pocket Chain Saw - they are super light weight, small and carry easily and much quicker with way less fatigue when cutting wood. Cheers Adrian.
@@kevinhill.8 An electric lighter looks like a regular lighter. It uses a battery to generate spark instead of a spark wheel that needs to be dry. You can literally hold an electric lighter in water, pull it out, and still light something on fire.
Nice video! I love all the ideas here in the comments too. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that what you carry isn’t necessarily going to be the same for every situation. I understand having some key items always with you just in case, and so you don’t have to remember them, but if you are paddling a remote run you will want a lot of stuff that is not necessary on a roadside run.
Others have asked, but I didn't see a response on your thoughts for a fire starter. Secondly: the space blanket works nest if there is some sort of a heat source under it - if you get really cold and are wet and stuck in the wilderness, you may not be producing enough heat just from your body to not be hypothermic. In caving, canyoning the "heat kit" always has some sort of a heat source. Even one of those small tablet-type candles will increase the temp under the space blanket a lot in a matter of minutes. I had to use it several times and it works great. Not to mention having an injured person that needs to wait for a while to be rescued, it's essential to keep him/her warm.
you probably dont care at all but does someone know of a method to get back into an Instagram account?? I somehow forgot the login password. I appreciate any tips you can offer me
@Graham Felipe I really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Instead of earplugs i´m using surfer drops. That´s a mix of alcohol and vinegar. 70/30. Or Ethanol-Glycerol. Put in the ears before and after. No problems anymore. Even while playboating the ears stay warm. It´s like impregnated. Never realy liked the plugs.
I've never heard of vinegar. I've just used a few drops of alcohol after being in the water for years. No ear infections since. The alcohol evaporates the water and kills germs.
It's a hook that attaches to your paddle blade with a clamp. It gives you a longer reach. I've used mine to rescue boats, pull kayaker out of holes, Ive even used it as protection when I had to climb a cliff.
don't see why you would put the space blanket into the pfd, you can always have it in your boat with your first aid kit. because it never is a matter of seconds for these. only thing else that might be interesting to add ist a pully, so you can instantly set up a hoisting system without having to fetch anything else than your throwback. other than that...well i found it pretty hard at times to get to my wistle while wearing a full face helmet, so attached it to a piece of string and shoved it into one of my velcro pocket, however i with a zipper instead of velcro i dont see how you could just rip it open without damaging the zipper. so kind of a special case.
Reason why I have a space blanketin my PFD: If everything goes down south real bad and you were to take a swim, loose your boat and get stuck in the wilderness, my blanket in my boat is not gonna help me at all. I think its really nice to carry that in my PFD, its so compact and light I can't notice it anyways.
@@@Senders it see how that is a valid point. then you should also add some sort of lighter, so you can start a fire? but then again, the chance for my whole crew to loose all the boats, so we're all dependant on our lifevests inventory is pretty slim. hm...i guess if ones vest is as compartmentalised as yours is, its probably just a great addition to have, but e.g. i personally am still wearing the 2012 astral vest, which only has a big single pocket, so for me its important to be able to quickly grab the more time-sensitive gear like my knife, pully and carabiner. maybe time for a new vest? not sure
Thanx for this video! Personally I have the Aqua Lung Squeeze Lock Knife and it's fit in front of my pfd to have access to it all the time in case of been hooked under water!
You can use a sling, with two carabiners, as a tow tether / cowtail. I used to carry a webbing/ bungee cowtail with one end attached to a ring on the quick-release belt of my rescue PFD, and the other end clipped with a locking carabiner clipped on the retaining tab on the front of my pfd. However, I recently lost a friend, who drowned when her boat flipped under a strainer, and a similarly attached cow-tail became caught, pulling her from her boat and holding her underwater. I got rid of the cowtail, and now carry a 6' Spectra sling, inside my pfd, for towing purposes.
I don't use one. It's mainly used for getting kayaks to shore when people take a swim, right now I kayak in Class V(+) whitewater 90% of the time and there is no way I will connect myself to a heavy thing dragging me downstream into so many potential hazards. It's just material not a person so I am not willing to take any big risks for that. If i need something like a cowtail, I will just use my sling really quick
John Mc, I like the idea of keeping tether fully inside vest. However, if you needed to use your sling for towing where would you attach it on your end? Perhaps somewhere on your quick release belt so you could still cut it loose easily?
They will be in boat , i like the idea of clipping my pin kit to my end of the throw bag then with one swwweeett motion i have every piece of rescue gear , i carry my knife externally and have lost a few , but the one time i have used it was to cut my pfd off after getting caught up in some timber and no way could i have gone looking for it . my 2 cents anyway
Great idea on the custom ear plugs!
Beaded security ties are little zip ties that have a 15lb break strength -- they are great for securing things like whistles to your pfd but will break away if they get snagged on something. The can also be used to secure carabiners in your pfd pocket so they don't fall out accidentally but can still be instantly ripped out when needed.
You didn't mention the most important items... Swift Water Rescue training and PRACTICE. Having all the rescue / safety gear in the world, won't do sh!t for you, if you don't know how to use it. Recommend taking an ACA Level 3 SWR course (or equivalent), and doing refresher training / practice each year. Any way, here's my normal safety gear load-out
In/On PFD (currently Astral Green Jacket):
•THREE LOCKING carabiners
•THREE SMC pulleys
•TWO Pre-Tied prusiks, line diameter sized to work with whatever throw rope carried
•ONE 6' Spectra sling
•ONE Rescue knife (CRKT Bear Claw)
•ONE Fox 40 whistle, or other high-decibel "pea-less" whistle, attached high on shoulder strap with bungee cord
In Boat or PFD:
•ONE Throw Rope, minimum length 50' (15 m), minimum diameter 3/8" (9 mm) for nylon/ polypropylene line, 1/4" (6 mm) for Spectra & other static lines
Around Waist, underneath spray-skirt:
•ONE Guide Belt (aka flip line) - 15-20' of 1" tubular webbing, with a small loop tied at each end. Sized so that it wraps around your waist four times, with a FOURTH LOCKING carabiner as a buckle. You want it snug, and high up on your waist to decrease any snagging hazard. This is a very handy piece of kit to have when you need to get "hands on" as fast as possible, as it is always on you, unlike the throw bag.
In Dry Bag, or Dry Box, secured inside kayak:
•ONE very basic first aid kit (contains lifeboat matches and striker)
•ONE emergency blanket
•ONE Heavyweight polypro fleece balaclava (cartied all year, to help prevent / treat hypothermia)
•ONE Energy bar
•ONE half-life bottle of water (in addition to whatever amount of water I've brought to consume during the trip)
•SEVERAL FEET of Heavy-Duty Duct Tape (or Gaffer's tape, 100 MPH tape) - Wrapped around middle of paddle shaft, or wrapped around one of the water bottles. For field-expedient repairs of boats and people. I prefer the Gorilla Brand for strength & stickiness, even when damp.
knowing how to use your safety gear is absolutley clutch, no doubt. I like your setup and I have carried similars, but only for real expedition kayaking to be honest. The gear adds up real quick in terms of weight and with all that I definetely feel restricted in my range of movement. thanks for your insights! great to see!
Kickass!
One other thing - maybe not in the PFD, but when you go out on expeditions or rivers with possible wood - a Pocket Chain Saw - they are super light weight, small and carry easily and much quicker with way less fatigue when cutting wood. Cheers Adrian.
electric lighter, rubber chunk from bicycle tire tube(fire starter even when wet), food bar item, life straw or water purification, hand warmer, knife
What do you mean by “electric” lighter? Like a mini torch lighter? Great ideas on the piece of bike tire tube for fire starter! 🔥
@@kevinhill.8 An electric lighter looks like a regular lighter. It uses a battery to generate spark instead of a spark wheel that needs to be dry. You can literally hold an electric lighter in water, pull it out, and still light something on fire.
Cheers buddy great insight
stoked you liked it!
Awesome, thanks! what length and thickness is that first long sling?
well done. had to use ear plugs. before videos....all trial and lots of error.
Nice video! I love all the ideas here in the comments too. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that what you carry isn’t necessarily going to be the same for every situation. I understand having some key items always with you just in case, and so you don’t have to remember them, but if you are paddling a remote run you will want a lot of stuff that is not necessary on a roadside run.
Others have asked, but I didn't see a response on your thoughts for a fire starter. Secondly: the space blanket works nest if there is some sort of a heat source under it - if you get really cold and are wet and stuck in the wilderness, you may not be producing enough heat just from your body to not be hypothermic. In caving, canyoning the "heat kit" always has some sort of a heat source. Even one of those small tablet-type candles will increase the temp under the space blanket a lot in a matter of minutes. I had to use it several times and it works great. Not to mention having an injured person that needs to wait for a while to be rescued, it's essential to keep him/her warm.
you probably dont care at all but does someone know of a method to get back into an Instagram account??
I somehow forgot the login password. I appreciate any tips you can offer me
@Xander Javier Instablaster :)
@Graham Felipe I really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Graham Felipe It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thanks so much, you saved my ass !
@Xander Javier No problem :)
Instead of earplugs i´m using surfer drops. That´s a mix of alcohol and vinegar. 70/30. Or Ethanol-Glycerol. Put in the ears before and after. No problems anymore. Even while playboating the ears stay warm. It´s like impregnated. Never realy liked the plugs.
I've never heard of vinegar. I've just used a few drops of alcohol after being in the water for years. No ear infections since. The alcohol evaporates the water and kills germs.
Good selection of gear, but I always carried a paddle hook in my boat - makes it much easier to catch that run away kayak.
What's a paddle hook?
It's a hook that attaches to your paddle blade with a clamp. It gives you a longer reach. I've used mine to rescue boats, pull kayaker out of holes, Ive even used it as protection when I had to climb a cliff.
nice tool haha! way to luxury for me :P
Can you post a pic of one, ideally in use? I'd like to see it, I can't seem to easily find it on google.
Never heard of a paddle hook, but it reminded me of this hack. ruclips.net/video/dR1mwrx7jm8/видео.html
don't see why you would put the space blanket into the pfd, you can always have it in your boat with your first aid kit. because it never is a matter of seconds for these.
only thing else that might be interesting to add ist a pully, so you can instantly set up a hoisting system without having to fetch anything else than your throwback. other than that...well i found it pretty hard at times to get to my wistle while wearing a full face helmet, so attached it to a piece of string and shoved it into one of my velcro pocket, however i with a zipper instead of velcro i dont see how you could just rip it open without damaging the zipper. so kind of a special case.
Reason why I have a space blanketin my PFD: If everything goes down south real bad and you were to take a swim, loose your boat and get stuck in the wilderness, my blanket in my boat is not gonna help me at all. I think its really nice to carry that in my PFD, its so compact and light I can't notice it anyways.
@@@Senders it see how that is a valid point. then you should also add some sort of lighter, so you can start a fire?
but then again, the chance for my whole crew to loose all the boats, so we're all dependant on our lifevests inventory is pretty slim.
hm...i guess if ones vest is as compartmentalised as yours is, its probably just a great addition to have, but e.g. i personally am still wearing the 2012 astral vest, which only has a big single pocket, so for me its important to be able to quickly grab the more time-sensitive gear like my knife, pully and carabiner.
maybe time for a new vest? not sure
Thanx for this video! Personally I have the Aqua Lung Squeeze Lock Knife and it's fit in front of my pfd to have access to it all the time in case of been hooked under water!
flintstone fire starter & OB (menstrual) to start a fire and to stop wounds from bleeding, zipties for everything,
Thoughts on cowtail tether? I noticed you didn't include it in your essentials
You can use a sling, with two carabiners, as a tow tether / cowtail. I used to carry a webbing/ bungee cowtail with one end attached to a ring on the quick-release belt of my rescue PFD, and the other end clipped with a locking carabiner clipped on the retaining tab on the front of my pfd. However, I recently lost a friend, who drowned when her boat flipped under a strainer, and a similarly attached cow-tail became caught, pulling her from her boat and holding her underwater. I got rid of the cowtail, and now carry a 6' Spectra sling, inside my pfd, for towing purposes.
@@johnmc8785 sorry about your friend, that's terrible. But, I'm getting rid of my tether right now and moving it inside.
I don't use one. It's mainly used for getting kayaks to shore when people take a swim, right now I kayak in Class V(+) whitewater 90% of the time and there is no way I will connect myself to a heavy thing dragging me downstream into so many potential hazards. It's just material not a person so I am not willing to take any big risks for that. If i need something like a cowtail, I will just use my sling really quick
John Mc, I like the idea of keeping tether fully inside vest. However, if you needed to use your sling for towing where would you attach it on your end? Perhaps somewhere on your quick release belt so you could still cut it loose easily?
What about a folding saw...
Very handy to have or one of the small chain ones
Who’s off to the Hurley Classics this year?
Ellis yessss see you there
You don't carry any pulleys? I noticed most top level guys like yourself never carry their knife outside on the PFD. Do you lose them there?
They will be in boat , i like the idea of clipping my pin kit to my end of the throw bag then with one swwweeett motion i have every piece of rescue gear , i carry my knife externally and have lost a few , but the one time i have used it was to cut my pfd off after getting caught up in some timber and no way could i have gone looking for it . my 2 cents anyway