Oh you can get them to work after you dry them out or warm them up, but a match is more instant in those cases. The temperatures I go out in, and the corresponding cold weather gear necessitated by those temps make it really not handy to have a lighter on an inside pocket. I normally do, but I don't rely on it. You have to remove mittens to dig down into an inside pocket to get it. I realize the OP probably wont be out in -20 and colder but it is possible even in Colorado.
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I can't think of anything a snakebite kit would help with besides a good laugh at what a joke they are. Don't tourniquet, don't cut with a razor, and don't try sucking it out. Keep it below your heart and try not to do anything that will get your heart rate up. Remove any overlying clothing/jewelry that may constrict when it swells. Flush with clean water away from the site. If possible sit still and try to send for help.
Last edited by RandyRhoads; 02-12-2012 at 03:44 AM.
I carry a zippo, a candle and a couple 55 gallon trash bags. I like the big bags in case i have to make a palmer furnace.
Of course if you go to sleep using a Palmer furnace you become the lesser known Palmer Cadaver or the Palmer Bonfire, which reverts you to the Palmer Cadaver.
Just joking, Randy. It is a good, last ditch effort to prevent or reverse hypothermia.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
well yea LOL, air is essential for survival. Any info out in cyberspace or elsewhere on the seneca fire hole?
You can't remove the poison from the wound any more than you can suck out the liquid injected with a shot. By the time you retrieve a snake bite kit and get it open the venom has already been absorbed into the surrounding tissue. Never cut the bite area. Then you not only have a snake bite to deal with but an open wound. If you can mark the bite area then do so. That way in the unlikely event that you are bitten by a poisonous snake and can't respond to questions those treating you can find your injury.
Most snakes in the U.S. are non-venomous and even if you are bitten by a poisonous snake there is no guarantee that your were injected with venom or a load large enough to cause significant injury. The snake has the ability to activate the glands or not via the temporal muscle that surrounds the venom gland. It may only be a warning strike. If the snake has just recently eaten then it may not have enough venom to cause injury.
Remember that snakes use venom to retrieve food and they don't waste the venom if they don't have to.
Randy's advice is spot on. Otherwise, avoidance is your best bet.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Snakes are rare at high altitudes.
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You just need to cook them longer at high altitude. You can get them well done if you try.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
Lol. Funny you should mention that I had more but i'd pick them out when I felt like tanning a skin and eating one. Now i'm down to one breeding pair and 2 sub adults that can't breed yet.
"Hey Randy, how many snakes did you say you have?"
"Four. Why?"
"Cause there's only three in here."
"Uh oh."
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
SARGE
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Albert Einstein
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It's one of the reasons I carry a walking stick. It steps over downed logs before I do. Don't want any surprises when my foot touches down on the other side. I'll let the walking stick startle anything that might be laying there....curled up.....ready to strike.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
I'm with you Rick, I never hike without a walking stick. the walking stick I have now is just the right circumference at the bottom to fit my SOG Spirit (the handle unscrews to become a spear head)
I use a threaded broom repair adapter for a pressure fit, I had to grind off some material on the threads to get it to fit.
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The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
(106 BC - 43 BC)
Another thing you might consider besides the headlamp flashlight is a hand crank rechargeable flashlight multi tool.
Extra batteries are heavy and if a short trip turns into a long haul they may not last long enough anyway.
This one might be a good option to consider Multi Tool with Hand-crank Rechargeable Torch
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The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
(106 BC - 43 BC)
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