Buyers' Guide - Survival Aids

'Survival aids' may shriek Ray Mears garotting bunnies then roasting them over an open fire started by banging two dead beetles together, but we're talking a little more specifically about stuff that'll help keep you alive when everything goes pear shaped on the hill.

Number one on that list is your brain. Plenty of people die every year because they make the wrong decision, most commonly to carry on walking when they have all the equipment they'd need to sit things out and wait for help to arrive. And of course, tired, cold people often make bad decisions.

Of course, without the right kit to start off with, it's all academeic, so here are some tips to make sure you have what you need.

You should always carry a survival bag, particularly in winter. There are two basic versions available polythene and silver foil 'space blanket' types. We'd always go for the polythene, heavy duty, orange plastic bag version.

There's plenty of evidence that silver foil bags simply aren't butch enough to cope with extreme conditions and some will disintegrate while still packed away in your sac. Polythene bags are heavier, but tougher. We'd opt for a two-person bag so you can share body warmth. Don't even think about 'space blankets', you need a bag you can crawl into for maximum shelter, a blanket just simply isn't suitable for the hills.

There are exceptions to the rule. Blizzard Protection Systems produces a proven metallic-based bag with insulating properties that looks like a great option. They also have jackets in the same material.

Finally, if you already own a Gore-Tex or similar breathable, waterproof bivvy bag, you can of course, use that. Bear in mind though, that a one-person bag will work less well than larger bags if you need to share body heat.

A step up from the humble emergency survival bag, emergency shelters are made using tent fabric and come in different sizes to accommodate anything from one person to a small group. Generally you throw the bag over the group and then anchor the base by sitting on your packs on top of the fabric.

Being totally wind and waterproof, they're astonishingly effective partly because a group heats the relatively small internal volume of the shelter very quickly. That means they're not just a great survival aid, but also a big morale booster and a comfortable option for prolonged lunch stops in bad conditions. There is a weight penalty to pay, but for a group, it's well worth it. Our favourite is the Vango Storm Shelter which includes a window to reduce claustrophobic feelings, but Outdoor Designs, Terra Nova and others produce similar shelters.

The problem with shouting for help is that the human voice isn't particularly powerful and stops working after prolonged use. The answer is a whistle. Go for a power plastic model that won't freeze and stick to your lips and carry it somewhere accessible.

A whistle without a pea is best since there's no possibility of it freezing. Stick it on a cord and tie onto your jacket so you don't lose it.

The international distress signal is six blasts on the whistle, followed by a pause then repeated, the reply is three blasts. At might, you can also flash a head torch.

In the days when the heavy, bulky Petzl Zoom was the standard issue UK headtorch, carrying one was always a bit of a pain. The latest LED torches though like Petzl's 64-gramme, 150-hour Zipka and Tikka are incredibly light and compact and have outstanding battery life, so there's no excuse not to have one permanently on call in the lid pocket of your sac.

Not only will they give enough light for walking off if you get benighted, but you can also use them to signal to rescuers. If you want to go smaller still, Black Diamond's £15 Ion weighs in at just 25 grammes, has two LEDs and lasts for 15 hours with its 6-volt battery.

We could write a full article on first aid kits and undoubtedly will. You can, of course, put together your own mountain first aid kit - a short cut to this is simply to duplicate one of the commercially available ones - but for many of us, it's easier to simply buy one designed for mountain use over the counter. Lifesystems and Gregson both produce very effective hill-specific option in a variety of sizes up to group leader level.

There's a limit to what you can cope with on the mountain anyway, but at the very least you need the wherewithall to clean dirty wounds and abrasions, stop blood loss, close and dress wounds and to construct a sling to support damaged limbs. Most walkers will also want some sort of blister treatment option.

Finally, you need the basic knowledge to go with it. Several outdoor training centres, such as Plas y Brenin, run dedicated mountain first aid courses.

For the truly cautious, you can carry flashing emergency strobes - relatively heavy - and flares designed primarily for nautical use. Arguably a lot more useful is the combination of a mobile phone and a GPS and / or map.

There's still something of a prejudice against mobile use in the mountains and you need to bear in mind that coverage is patchy in the uplands, however being able to call mountain rescue from the scene of a serious incident can make a life-saving difference. A GPS unit or good map-reading will allow you to pinpoint your position exactly.

Obviously you need to use mobiles with a degree of common sense. Assess the situation and decide whether you really do need mountain rescue team assistance before dialling '999'.

If you find yourself stranded overnight, your body still needs fuel to keep running and maintain temperatures. What you carry is a matter of personal taste, but high sugar stuff like Kendal Mint Cake - yuk - and bars of chocolate - yum - are an efficient way of carrying extra calories. A tub of lard would have even higher calorific value, but hey, you don't want to eat that. Choose something you like and keep morale up, but don't be tempted to eat it prematurely...

The first spare clothing you should be carrying in winter is a hat - losing your head protection in a Cairngorm blizzard is a short-cut to hypothermia, so make sure there's a spare in your pack. The same goes for gloves. If you can't grip things then you can't navigate, open your pack and contrary to what some people believe, yes, you can get frostbite in UK hills.

If you're benighted, some form of spare insulation garment can make a big difference. Down is very warm for the weight, but bear in mind that damp will compromise its performance. You may be better off with either a fleece garment or a synthetically insulated one. Remember too, if you find yourself sheltering from the conditions, a foam sit mat, the belay pad out of the back of your sac or your pack itself will stop you from losing heat to the cold ground.

Last but not least, a large group might consider carrying a sleeping bag just in case someone goes down with hypothermia. Bear in mind though, that the more kit you carry, the slower you'll move and the more likely you may be to find yourself in trouble.

One final item you've probably never considered are some exothermic, heat-producing pads. Why? Recent research suggests that these, used in the armpits and groin, are the safest way of rewarming hypothermia victims.

More Help and Advice

Hopefully this article will have given you some basic pointers. The good news is that there's a load more advice on OUTDOORSmagic:

• Ask on the gear forum about general issues or specific items.
  
• Check the member reviews section for user experiences of kit.
  
• See OM editorial reviews on the front of the site for our impressions.
  
• Ask Richard Gear if you have a specific question you need answering.