We
like to prepare a fanny pack that has enough stuff in it
to handle a lot of emergency situations. The fanny pack
has rain gear tops and bottom, mosquito mesh to cover
faces, gloves to protect the hands, compass, duct tape,
multi-tool, swiss army knife, matches, lighter, signal
mirror and some basic repair items.
Whenever
possible, we wear the fanny pack at all times. If someone
gets lost or there's an upset in the canoe that seperates
a person from the rest of the crew, there's enough gear
there to keep the bugs and weather at bay, make a fire
and signal if a rescue plane comes looking.
Its also
a good idea to have the tools at hand which would allow
you to do quick repair jobs. Often, a quick repair job
can short circuit a chain of events that might lead to a
much bigger problem. Tightening that loose screw in the
seat after a portage might mean it didn't lead to an
upset later when it comes off in the middle of a tricky
rapid and makes the paddler loose their
balance.
Having
the rain gear so close at hand makes it very simple to
compensate for wet or cold, there's no need to dig around
in the packs.
