My winter safety kit

rangerjohn - October 18, 2021

Gear

Greetings all,

I love the kit builder on this site. Having said that, I put together something I am calling My Winter Safety Kit.

Feedback, comments, questions?

13  

Florida man here who has very little winter weather experience. Does it harm the yak trax when you walk on bear asphalt or concrete that doesn’t have snow or ice? Lets say you are out walking the dog and half your walk is on snowy ice and the other half is on clear road that the sun has melted, do you take them off when you get to the melted portion or does it not matter?

 

Good evening Peter44,

I have been using Yak Trax ~10 yrs or so.

In answer to your question, I wear mine all winter, I only take them off when I am inside. I haven’t noticed any issues with them being harmed by walking on asphalt or concrete, however,  you will need to use caution on smooth flat surfaces, that aren’t ice. Inside on smooth flooring, Use extreme caution.

Fortunately they are real easy to don and doff.

In my experience, one and a half winters is about normal life span for them.

The rubber tends to suffer from micro abrasions or it starts break down w/visible cracks. Not a scientist, so not really sure. I do know that I get about a winter and a half out of a set. I also know that I can run on ice with them.

If you wear them while driving, make sure they don’t get stuck on the pedals (especially the brake or clutch, less likely with the accelerator),  If that happens you can get a nasty surprise when you get out of the truck. Ask me how I know.

 

I have a pair of 180 ear warmers and I think they are much more comfortable than over the head ones. They pair well with a beanie.

How long does the pull start fire burn and does it work well? If it does, that will be a good emergency fire starter if you were injured or had minimal dexterity

Nice kit by the way. I need to start looking at my winter gear from last year and see if I need to update or replace anything.

 

Good afternoon Conrad,

Unfortunately, the Pull Start Fire units are the one piece of gear that I don’t actually have any experience with, yet. They are on the way.

I have heard good things about them.  They are supposed to burn for 30 minutes, I figure if they do half that, it should work for the purposes intended. They are also supposed to be water and wind resistant.

They were included because they are on the way, and also for the reasons you mentioned. The reduction in manual  dexterity after a plunge through event  happens quickly.

Went through the ice once as a kid, chest deep water, fortunately very close to home, and help was there. All in all not an experience I would care to repeat.

About 25 yrs ago, a close friend’s half sister died when the vehicle she was in went through the ice. That is why the ResqMe is on this list. The signal whistle is around my neck.

 

I am very interested in seeing how they work and if you like them. They sound very useful. If you don’t mind updating me with a quick post if you ever try one out, that would be great!

 

When they decide to arrive, I  will be more than happy to post my impressions.

 

Rangerjohn,

Nice list. It went down to 37Fthe other night and I started putting my kit together too. I have used a ResQme for ~30 years and just replaced them. I keep it on my keyring too. That’s a good place for it but I keep an extra on a break-away neck lanyard in the car now.

Last winter, a car slid off the road near work and it ended up on the roof in a field with a woman and child. A woman I work with stopped and used a ResQme to break the glass and pull them both out – unharmed and no car fire. She had a tough time getting them out through the broken windows.

As a result, I have thought about what I would want in similar circumstances and while ‘on the roof’ does not offer many options, I have added a 42″ pry bar and 4# engineers’ hammer to my trunk to help with stuck doors.

I modify my EDC in the winter. I don’t wear a winter coat very often. I usually wear a puffer jacket or vest, depending on the weather, and always use a waterproof shell. My shell has many pockets and a hood and it’s hip length. For some reason, hip length raincoats are hard to find – mine’s 25 years old and I would like to replace it. But it has many inner and outer pockets and I have a specific list for them: (2) bandannas,pen flashlight, extra battery, (2) pens, index cards, ibuprofen & Tums, $50, chapstick, 10maH battery for my cellphone, a modified phone list on a laminated card in case I need to borrow someone’s phone, an extra knife (small folder). 

I keep Mechanix gloves in there too because I have found that simply blocking the wind is enough for most things I do outside in the winter and they are critical when changing a tire to keep my fingers from freezing to lug nuts.

I do have a question – what is your use-case for the Neos? I have considered them the past few years but held off because I don’t know anyone that can give me an idea of their utility. I may get them or a pair of Hoffman boots ($250).

 

I started using NEOS when I was bicycle commuting, year round in New England.

They kept my feet warmer and dryer than they would have bern without the NEOS.

They primarily get used when I am going in deep snow, basically like I used to use snow pacs, they aren’t quite as warm as snow pacs. But they aren’t as gawmy as snow pacs either.

I still have my snow pacs, but they only get used in /for extreme cold.

BTW, for snow pacs, I go with Sorel.

I apologize for the delay with the response, I had to go back to work. Crazy twelve hour shifts.

 

Thanks for the info.  I’ve alway been curious about NEOS for this sort of prep and also because winter is only during travel for me.  

I got Yak Trax for a trip and found that they didn’t come large enough for my husband’s shoes even though it was listed as doing so.  Have you ever used Yak Trax on your NEOS?   Do you think the NEOs are stable enough to handle the Yak Trax?  

 

Good afternoon, Alicia,

I don’t believe YakTrax come large enough to fit over NEOS.

I  take a straight up size 9 shoe. Having said that, I need YakTrax and NEOS in two sizes, I have one set of each sized for my slippers, and one pair each sized for my safety shoes. Medium and large respectively.

Hope this helps,                               Blessings

 

Thanks it does.  Especially the NEOS based on different shoe types experience.  I’m not surprised and good to get real-life experience.

 

Shaun, 

target has raincoats that are waterproof and fall bellow your hips and bottom. Black and gray is what I found. I have had mine for two years. Wore it today, because it’s raining in Seattle😀. $44

We have waterproof Merrill’s; winter and truly waterproof. You can get them at REI or your favorite local store. Mine are 6 years old and not a blemish on site. Wore them on the east coast in NJ and PA. Also wore them on MT Rainier in serious snow. 

 

Original Man Prepper,

Thank you for the info about the raincoats. I’ll have to check that out.

Merrill’s are good gear.

Blessings