How to Pack a Snowshoeing Survival Kit

Even a day trip to go snowshoeing can become dangerous. Winter conditions are inhospitable, so you should always plan to pack a snowshoeing survival kit.

Things You'll Need

• Multi-purpose tool
• Compass
• Cook stove
• Ten feet of steel wire
• Small cooking pot
• Matches
• Rice
• Roll of duct tape
• Space blanket
• Map

Instructions

Pack a Snowshoeing Survival Kit

1. Include a Swiss Army knife or other multi-purpose tool in your pack. This can be used to fix broken gear, cut down branches for firewood, create a shelter or protect yourself.

2. Pack a space blanket. These lightweight blankets provide warmth, and they come in colors such as orange which do not commonly occur in nature. This makes you more visible to rescuers should you become stranded in the wilderness.

3. Bring along a length of steel wire. You will need this to hang your firewood. Fires will not stay lit in the snow, but by hanging the fire, you can keep warm for longer. Survival experts recommend you carry about 10 feet of steel wire for this purpose.

4. Throw a roll of duct tape into your backpack. Duct tape has multiple uses. You can mend a damaged snowshoe or even create a splint for a broken or injured arm or leg.

5. Carry some rice. Rice doesn't spoil easily, and is a high carbohydrate food that can give you the energy you will need to survive an emergency situation. About three cups of rice will last one person one day.

6. Pack a small cooking pot before going out snowshoeing. You will need this not only to cook your rice, but also to boil drinking water in. Eating snow for water can dangerously lower your body temperature.

7. Bring a cook stove. It may seem like too much to carry, but a lightweight stove may be the one thing that determines your survival in an emergency. You will need to boil all of the water you drink. Avoid propane or other gas type stoves, as the canisters may not work well in higher elevations.

8. Carry matches and a lighter. Staying warm in the snow will be crucial to your survival if you are stranded in the wilderness. While TV characters may be able to make fire with bits of wood and string, chances are you may not be so lucky.

9. Pack a compass and a map in your kit.

Tips & Warnings

• Tell at least one other person which routes and trails you will be snowshoeing so that you can be found more easily in an emergency.