After some thought I decided that more than a webpage, Kachina Rescue needed a blog where training articles and information can be posted making access easier for all members. To start off, with the addition of some new members to our group I would revisit the basic concepts of equipment and survival. In the future articles on everything from health and fitness to medical updates will be found here.

It has been almost a year since I first published the training articles on first and second line gear for Kachina Rescue. In that year I have yet again refined the equipment and supplies I carry as I find new reliable equipment. For our veterans it is time to go through our gear and update, replace batteries and expired supplies and refine what we carry. For our new family members, it is time to start organizing their own kits.

To refresh everyone’s memory, our first-line gear is our basic survival equipment that we have in our pockets and on our belts that will still be there even if we need to dump all our other equipment. Our first-line gear is actually our last line of defense that will allow us to spend the night outdoors and be found if things go bad. Our second-line gear is the stuff that we carry to accomplish our mission, whatever that may be. For Kachina Rescue, our packable medical kits and 24 hour search kits are our second-line gear. Finally, third-line gear is the equipment required to sustain us for an extended period of time, sleeping gear, food, extra water and medical supplies all can be included in our third-Line. Often, for our purposes, our Third-line gear is left in our vehicles or base-camp, but for some of our training evolutions and events may require us to carry third-line.

Let’s start with the basics and discuss first-line equipment. Everyone’s needs are different and we need to select equipment based upon our own individual needs and skill levels. The products I specifically discuss here are only suggestions, and are products that I have found to fit MY needs and are reliable enough to bet my life on. That is a question everyone needs to ask themselves when selecting gear for their kits; “Can I bet my life on this?”

First-line equipment should be carried in pockets, on our primary belts or in a specific pouch designated for the purpose. Some people dislike lots of stuff in their pockets and may choose to use a small fanny pack or belt pouch to carry their first-line gear. Some people carry more than others, but first-line gear should be light and limited to only the essentials.

What should we carry in our first-line? The answer is not the same for everyone, or every situation. I have developed a first-line setup that I pick and choose what components I carry for different conditions and missions. The foundation of everyone’s first-line gear is the clothing that they are wearing. Clothing that would be acceptable for Phoenix in July, may not be the best choice for Flagstaff in February. We will discuss clothing choices in a later article, but be prepared for the worse possible conditions. Footwear, headgear, sunglasses/eye protection, outerwear and gloves are all important part of your first-line gear. Leaving the house underdressed invites an unpleasant experience at best. If you expect the weather may change, bring the appropriate clothes with you, you can always change as the weather does.

After dressing for success, you need to decide on what equipment you want to carry in your pockets. One of the key items of our first-line gear is a quality folding, locking blade knife. While TV and movies has made huge fixed blade knives popular but some large fixed blade “Rambo” knife is not necessary, and actually is usually less useful. For my first-line kit I prefer a knife with a 3-4” straight edge (not serrated) that can be opened and closed one-handed with either hand. My preferred knife is Benchmade's RSK Mk1 designed by our good friend Doug Ritter. If the $100-135 cost of an RSK is affordable, you can’t find a better knife in that price range of less. However, there are a number of lesser expensive but still reliable knives on the market today some in the $50 range. A slightly more expensive knife is Bladetech’s Responder , which incorporates a oxygen wrench and static window punch into the handle. When choosing a knife you should look for a knife that has a fine edge blade (avoid serrated blades) that positively locks open. You note I don’t discuss sheath knives here, while a good sheath knife is a great survival tool a quality folding knife like the RSK Mk1 is lighter, fits in your pocket and can do just about everything you would need to do in a survival situation. There is a time and place for a sheath knife, but for SAR work a good locking blade knife will be adequate.

I often carry a multi-tool on my belt as a back-up to my primary knife. Multi-tools do offer you added versatility with the extra tools they come with but they are not a replacement for a quality sturdy locking blade knife. I look for four key features in my multi-tools for field use; Tools that lock open, a good saw, file and scissors. Tools that lock open are essential, knives and tools that don’t lock open tend to fold at the most inopportune times. A good saw blade and a good file can make shelter building, fire making and equipment repair a simpler process. Finally a decent pair of scissors, while not essential are nice to have handy for a variety of tasks. My preferred multi-tools are Leatherman’s Wave or Leatherman’s Charge TTI both offer similar configuration with the Charge TTi using S30V steel for the main blade. Add the optional Bit Kit to either tool and you a mini-tool box on your belt. Leatherman, Gerber, Vitorianox and others all make a HUGE variety of multi-tools, you should have no problem finding one to fulfill your needs and fit in your budget. Multi-tools are not necessary, they are just another tool that can be a backup to or can be used to keep you primary knife sharp and in good shape for an emergency.

The second item I always carry is a quality LED flashlight. Surefire has been, and for the most part is the gold standard for quality flashlights. Recently, the avalibility of good LED lights has increased with many manufactures added small bright LED lights to the market. Of those new lights, NovaTac’s EDC Series of flashlights are my favorites. Small, compact and durable the NovaTac EDC 120P (programmable) provides more useful features than most of the small LED lights on the market today. At $110-150 for a NovaTac EDC light, they may be too expensive for somebut like the Benchmade RSK you won’t find a better light in the price range or less. When it comes to an everyday carry (EDC) light incandescent lights are antiquated. They are less reliable, burn batteries much faster, produce much more heat and are less shock resistant then LED lights. For an EDC light I want an LED that is bright enough to light up a trail and still provide lower light levels for patient care/assessment. That is why I choose the EDC 120P; it has 22 programmable levels of illumination from 0.3 to 120 lumens! A simple programing sequence allows the user to pre-select 4 light levels or modes (including strobe fuctions) that can be simply navigated through. For reference purposes, an incandescent Mini-Maglite runs around 1-3 lumens and a Surefire 6-volt light runs at 60 lumens with the standard bulb. Recent advancements in LED technology has flooded the market with a wide range of LEDs, it should be easy to find one that finds you needs and budget.

While a $150 Novatac EDC120P may be over kill for most people, there are a number of lesser expensive options. One of those options is a series of upgrades for the old workhorse of personal lighting the Mini-Maglite. Almost everyone already has a Mini-Maglite; they are one of the most popular flashlights ever sold. Night-Ize makes a series of LED upgrades for the Mini-Maglite that has caused me to remove mine from the junk drawer and put them back into service. Night-Ize offers two LED Upgrades that replaces the incandescent bulb with either a three LED bulb module; or a single 1-watt LED bulb module; both of these upgrades gives you a brighter light, longer battery life and almost no heat buildup from extended use. Night-Ize also offers the IQ Switch . The IQ Switch replaces your Mini-Maglite’s old tail cap with a push button switch that gives you the ability to select from 3 light levels and 2 flashing modes. Together the IQ tailcap with a LED upgrade cost between $15 and $20 and give you up to 200 hours of lighting off of one set of alkaline batteries! Night-Ize doesn’t rate their LEDs in Lumens but in my simple at home comparison While slightly bigger then I would like in my pocket around town, a Mini-Maglite with these upgrades are a good choice for field carry for SAR/medical work.

Headlamps are very popular for SAR/medical work for good reason. They allow you to work hands free, we will discuss headlamps and other mission specific lighting options in future articles on our second-line gear. I will mention that a small headlamp like Petzl’s e+Lite make a great choice for a first-line kit.

A number of people also carry a backup light in their first-line kit. The primary reason is that our first-line flashlight gets used a lot and we may have rundown batteries BEFORE there is an emergency. I carry spare batteries in my second-line kit, but rarely in my first-line. As a precaution to being caught without light in an emergency I carry a tiny LED light in my personnel survival kit (PSK). The small key-chain sized LED lights that have become popular are ideal for this backup role. While Photon’s Freedom Light is the higest quality of these small LED lights, there are hundreds on the market ranging from $1-30 each. While no prefect lights to work with, they are small enough to fit into most PSKs (pocket/personal survival kits)

One last item about lights; white light is ideal for most applications however there are times when you need to preserve yours or other’s night visions. Traditionally red filters have been used for this application, but there are a few drawbacks to red light. First, red is horrible for patient assessment as it makes blood difficult if not impossible to see. Red light also causes more eye strain then other colors that preserve night vision. Light in the blue/green range are a better choice for patient assessment and care, blood is very visible and blue/green filters provide light that doesn’t affect night vision as much as white light. One warning, any colored light besides white could cause map features and details to be washed out and not visible. Low levels of white light are often the best choice for map reading.

In my front right pocket you can usually find a lighter. While not a replacement for the Spark-Lite in my PSK as an emergency fire starter, a cheap BIC butane lighter is often enough for most fire starting needs. You can spend much more money on refillable butane lighter if you wish, but be warned they are not as reliable as the BICs and are not maintenance free! I do like my Windmill lighter; it has proven much more reliable then butane refillable lighter I have owned but a $0.99 BIC is good enough for most. Zippo’s are NOT an emergency lighters and should not be considered for use in any of your back country kits, the fuel dries out too quickly especially in the desert.

Two of the most commonly used items in my first-line kit are a small pad and pen. These are important and often overlooked components of a first-line kit, especially in SAR and wilderness medical service. It is expected that every member have a small note-book and writing instrument on them at all time when in the field. While you can spend $4 on a waterproof Rite-in-the-Rain notebook and another $10 on a Space-Pen, a $0.99 notebook and $0.25 pencil in a zip-lock bag work just as well. Whatever you choose, it should be on you at all times at events and in the field, you never know when you will need to write down some random but important fact.

Signaling equipment is often left out of many first-line kits. I will never understand why this is so; surviving is great but getting found and rescued is better. I carry three basic signaling items in my first-line kit. First and foremost is a signal mirror. A good signal mirror can be seen up to 20 miles away in the daytime when used correctly. I carry an Adventure Medical Kit’s Rescue Flash Signal Mirror for operational use as well as a backup in my mini-PSK (which I will discuss in detail later in the article). This mirror is light and compact enough to fit in a front pocket and it floats! I also carry a cut down VS-17 panel for passive daylight signaling. Survival Kit Solutions offers a lightweight signal panel that packs down much smaller than a VS-17 but is also much more expensive, a VS-17 can be found for less than $5 on eBay and 2-3 smaller panels can be made from one full sized panel.

Last year I started to carry a Greatland's Rescue Laser Flare in my first-line gear. The Rescue Laser Flare is a great night time signaling device in a small package, about half the size of a mini-Maglite. There are two draw backs to the Rescue Laser Flares; first they are not a passive device like a strobe is, these require the user to be awake and actively using the device to signal, they are also very expensive. For those that intend to spend a lot of time in or traveling through or over the backcountry a Rescue Laser Flare may be a good investment.

While a Rescue Laser Flare is probably not a good investment for most, in fact for the cost of the Green version you could probably buy your entire first-line kit! However, we do need to make sure that we have some type of night signaling device in our first-line kit. A chem-light is more often than not adequate as long as they are not expired and the package was intact. They are cheap, light and serve multiple purposes. Slightly more expensive, but better then a chem-light are battery powered light sticks. A number of companies make these, but two companies make products that standout above all others. Krill Lighting Products and Adventure Lights both make a variety of battery powered light-sticks. Both companies make lightsticks with various features. Adventure Lights also makes the Guardian Light, a small compact LED beacon that can flash or run steady.

We shouldn’t forget an audible signaling device, the most reliable and simplest to use is of course a whistle. There are a number of survival/safety whistles on the market but in my opinion Fox 40 makes the best. Their standard size pealess whistle is a great signaling device and I have about 30 of these strewn throughout my different kits. A few years ago, Fox 40 introduced the Micro , a flat whistle that was designed just for this application… survival kits!

Getting found and rescued is nice, never getting lost in the first place is even better. My primary compass is also carried in my first-line kit, either around my neck or in a pocket I carry a Suunto GPS Plotter Compass. Suunto’s M2 Compass is my recommendation for an entry level compass. It is a Simple base plate compass that is light, reliable and easy to use. Steer clear of electronic and lensatic compasses as well as compasses that have too many features. A small Button Compass is a good backup to have in a PSK, but are much more difficult to work with then a full-sized compass. I also keep at a minimum a USGS 7.5” map of the area I am working folded safely in a zip-lock freezer bag in my pant pocket. A Compass and a good map of the area can prevent an overnight stay in the woods as long as you know how to use them and have them with you. GPS units are great, and their reliability is increasing every year. GPS units however, rely on batteries and should be considered a supplement to good map and compass skill rather than a replacement.

The last item of my first-line kit is actually a small package with a number of smaller items in it. My personnel survival kit (PSK) is my last line of survival equipment. If I have to dig into this kit, something has gone wrong! In my PSK I keep a few essentials; in addition to my signal mirror, Fox 40 Micro whistle, my small backup LED light and spark-lite kit, I carry 6 Gerber Breast Milk bags , 12 Katadyn Micropur MP-1 water purification tablets, 20’ Type I paracord, a small button compass, a roll of 50’ of black thread, a small roll of gaffers tape a small plastic vial with 4 safety pins, 4 medium Fish Hooks, 2 Split Shot, 1 Snap Swivel and a Heavy Duty Sewing Needle. I also carry a body sized plastic bag as part of my PSK and add an Adventure Medical Heat Sheet for spring, fall and winter. I built up my PSK, but a quick, easy and cost effective solution to get most of your PSK items is Doug Ritter’s PSK already in a waterproof pouch it has just about everything you need in a package that fits in your shirt pocket, just remove and add items as you see fit.

No matter what gear you choose for your first-line kit make sure you choose reliable and durable gear. Your first-line kit is actually you last line of survival equipment, your “oh crap” gear, it doesn’t need to be expensive but it does need to works and it needs to be with you! Now you know what is in my first-line kit, what is in yours?