Flight Suit Survival 'Gear' - What would you include in your pockets?

[Pumbaa]

I am reposting something Sparky posted in the uniform thread.  I thought this would be an interesting point of discussion.

My question is this.  What would you include in your 'pocket survival kit' if you could only purchase items at local stores and then fit it in the pockets of your flight suit (or BDU)?

Remember comfort, weight, durability, moisture and heat.  ie a chocolate bar might not be the best survival item in a back pocket

Also, you cannot buy a pre-made survival kit.  You have to go to your local Walmart, Gander Mountain, grocery store, etc to get your own pocket survival items.

OK post those ideas


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Plane & Pilot Magazine  - June 2008

Getting Out Alive
Survival experts show pilots what to do when the propeller stops spinning[/i]
By Marc C. Lee
http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/proficiency/pilot-skills/getting-out-alive.html

Few topics in aviation are as popular as that of survival after a forced landing. Since the tragic September 2007 disappearance of adventurer Steve Fossett, the topic has been the subject of countless hangar flying sessions and pilot's lounge discussions.

As aviators, we share a unique experience in that we operate over moderately long distances and fly over a wide variety of landforms. Even those of us who routinely fly out of well-populated areas sometimes traverse relatively remote expanses. Still, few pilots adequately plan for sudden exposure to Mother Nature, and a true survival situation could be as close as your next flight.

We spoke with two experts on the subject of survival. Tim Smith is the founder of Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service in Wolfeboro, N.H. He's a survival instructor, licensed guide, trapper and hunter with experience in Canada, Alaska, Florida and the upper Northeast. Tim is also a survival consultant for the Man vs. Wild television show.

Les Stroud is the star and survival expert on the Discovery Channel's popular Survivorman television series. He has more than 20 years experience as a naturalist, outdoor adventurer and instructor in survival, white-water rafting, sea kayaking, hiking, dog sledding and winter travel. His documentary film, Snowshoes and Solitude, about the year he and his wife spent living in the remote Boreal Forest of Northern Ontario, has won numerous independent awards.

The Reality Of Being Found
The FAA keeps statistics on how long it takes search-and-rescue (SAR) teams to find a downed aircraft. These figures are a good indication of how long a person would need to survive before help arrives. The important thing to remember is that these statistics are only averages. Many pilots have had to wait far longer than the times listed. The data also reflects certain flight characteristics, such as ATC knowing your last-known position with accuracy and the presence of a working ELT in your plane.

Current FAA statistics for length of time from last-known position (LKP) to rescue are: 13 hours for an IFR flight, 37 hours for a VFR flight with a filed flight plan and 42 hours for a flight with no flight plan. The Fossett disappearance shows that even 42 hours could be optimistic given difficult or obscured terrain and lack of a signaling device.

Surviving the forced landing is, of course, the first hurdle. The velocities and altitudes involved in flying an aircraft are such that you may survive, but be at least moderately injured with broken bones, lacerations and/or burns. According to survival experts, your ability to survive with serious injuries starts to diminish after the first 24 hours. Thus, the clock is ticking.

Physiology & Survival
The needs of the human body are surprising. According to survival instructor Smith, food is a low priority. "The average human can go 40 days without eating without ill effect," Smith says. "In a situation where two people of identical build are put in a survival situation where one completely fasts and the other eats sporadically, the one who fasts will exhibit better performance and live longer than the one who eats little bits."

Smith further explains that, "You don't really need to eat anything because the ratio of carbohydrates to calories burned changes when your body enters a fasting state." If you can eat, then fat and protein are key. "Fat allows your body to generate warmth, and protein gives you strength," says Stroud. "Meat is the best source for both. You have to be careful, though, because rabbits have no fat and it's possible to actually starve your body by only eating rabbits."

Both instructors point to water as your body's critical need. "You won't survive more than maybe three or four days without water," says Stroud, "and by day three, your mind starts going." Smith adds, "As you dehydrate, your brain and thinking change. Because our bodies are basically bags of salt water, lack of water causes serious effects long before you actually die."

Priorities
In the immediate aftermath of a forced landing, there are priorities that must be set. Survival experts agree that establishing a "survival" state of mind is one of the most crucial elements of staying alive.

Stroud says that calming down is the first thing he advises once a person is free of the aircraft. "The first priority is to calm yourself down and then deal with first aid. Too many people panic and it kills them," he says. "You have to establish a mind-set that you'll get out of this and stay rational."

Roger Storey is a survival instructor with the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute. Storey agrees that attitude is key: "One thing is for certain—without a will to survive, there can be no survival. If you don't have a desire to survive, there's no equipment made that will help you survive."

Stroud suggests four simple priorities: "First, assess your situation. Are you in immediate danger? Second, find out what you have with you, in your pockets and in the plane. Third, begin addressing your basic needs of water, shelter and fire. Finally, think about what you have available for signaling for help."

Smith stresses basics: "There are three things it takes not to die: 1) Keep your body's core temperature in the very narrow range needed to function properly; 2) Drink enough water; 3) Get enough sleep to remain rational. I can't overstate the importance of maintaining core body temperature and getting enough rest." Smith instructs pilots to use the fuselage of the airplane for shelter and to be inventive in their thinking: "Look at everything around you. Use everything there."

Psychologically, all survival experts agree that fire is your best friend. "Fire is an unbelievable psychological boost in keeping you alive," says Stroud. Fire is important enough that he suggests carrying three fire-making tools at all times. "It keeps the bogeyman away," he laughs. Smith adds that, "Boredom can also be a problem, so performing regular tasks helps."

Real Survival Gear
Pilots are especially vulnerable because they don't plan for survival situations when planning a flying trip. They can go from sitting in a warm cockpit wearing a T-shirt to being in an open desert or frozen mountainside in minutes. What gear should pilots carry?

Expert opinions vary, but certain items top their lists. Smith recommends a basic approach: "The key item for pilots to carry is a top-quality, down sleeping bag. Two are even better. These answer the need for shelter and warmth and, if you include water and start a fire, you can survive for a long time with only that."

Stroud doesn't hesitate to start his list off with a quality belt knife. He says, "A good knife or multi-tool with a serrated back is worth its weight in gold."

Both Stroud and Smith have strong opinions about survival kits. "Most survival kits on the market are designed to make a profit, not save your life," says Stroud. Smith adds, "Most survival kits are garbage. Make your own."

"My survival kit starts in my pocket," explains Stroud. "If you survive the crash, then what you have in your pockets will stay with you." Recommended kit items include a signaling mirror and whistle, compass, multiple fire-starting tools and, most importantly, a good first-aid kit. "First aid will be the first thing you attend to after the forced landing," says Stroud.

"Those 'space blankets' are not blankets," adds Stroud. Both men explain that these silvery Mylar sheets are useful for reflecting radiant energy or signaling by reflecting light. "But Mylar isn't a blanket," says Smith.

Prepare Early
Finally, all of our survival experts recommend that pilots prepare early by gaining knowledge before they're forced down in an emergency.

Storey explains preparation steps, "The first is to admit to yourself that 'it can happen to me.' The next step is to prepare both mentally and physically. By improving your knowledge and physical capabilities, you'll also increase your confidence. The more informed you are about your own capabilities, and about the climate and terrain over which you fly, the easier it will be to decide which equipment to take aboard your aircraft."

Both Stroud and Smith suggest that pilots "stick to the basics." Stroud concludes, "Survival isn't about building fancy shelters and tying complicated knots. It's about getting out alive."

Survivorman Stroud agrees and adds that, "Of course, after day four or five, your energy will take a dive." Stroud comments on the fact that the face of hunger changes as your body gets used to a lack of food. "Because you're in a panic stage, you won't be hungry. If you don't focus on or think about the lack of food, your mind will go into an almost Zen-like state. It's different from normal hunger."

[lordmonar]

I wear a survival vest....I put operations items in my flight suit pockets.  Maps, camera, pens, straight edge...those sort I of things I need to get to quickly.

[DC]

Multi Tool
Fire Steel
Paracord
Heavy Duty Trash Bag
First Aid Kit - Assorted Bandaids, Antiseptic, Moleskin, Small Gauze Pads, OTC Meds
Signal Mirror
Penlight

That is the basic items in my kit, enough to build a decent shelter, fire, and signal with. In a GT situation I would have at least my 24hr pack, in addition to this pocket kit. You can find some really sweet, and very functional, kits people have build online. Some of them are the size of a pack of cigarettes, but contain a huge amount of items...

[Eclipse]

Multi-tool, cel phone & ID.

In these parts, if you can survive the lawn-dart process, you'd walk to the road and ask for help (assuming your cel phone doesn't work).

[flyerthom]

I carry a swiss army knife and a multi tool, cell phone, pen light, and ID in my CAP flight suit.
At work I add EMT shears, pens and 2 14 guage IV caths and an N95 mask in my work flight suit. The N 95 will work as tinder. 

[Jerry Jacobs]

Whenever I fly I carry my cell phone, a signal mirror and a flashlight at the least.  I think the signal mirror is most important, it is easy to use, extremely effective and all I need is light.

[Auxpilot]

A photo of your kids.

The most important factor in survival is to not give up. Having something to remind you of why you want to live another day when you are ready to quit is a great motivator.

[RiverAux]

Survival vest with singal mirror, some minor first aid supplies, matches, strobe light and a few other things like that.  Have cell phone on me.  Not so much interested in survival, but in signalling. 

[stratoflyer]

Protein bars--you know, in case you get hungry while walking along...

[SarDragon]

Survival vest with singal mirror, some minor first aid supplies, matches, strobe light and a few other things like that.  Have cell phone on me.  Not so much interested in survival, but in signalling. 

You're gonna put the vest in a flight suit pocket?

[Pumbaa]

Again remember the rules of this exercise.  What would you put in your flight suit pockets to aid in survival if you could not bring any other kit.

[RiverAux]

Keep in mind that not everybody wears a flight suit or BDUs while flying.  So carrying survival items on you is even more of a challenge....hence the survival vest. 

[ol'fido]

Number 1 would be my cell phone and a GPS if the cell phone didn't have that capacity. Keep it charged and withfresh batteries in the GPS. A Silva type compass and map.  If you are in a limited area, you can cut a few pages out of a Delorme atlas and laminate them or put them in a plastic baggie. A signal mirror and a bike light. The bike light is one of those square red "taillights" they sell for bikes. It has a constant red light or 2-3 strobe like settings and is very compact.  A butane lighter and strikeanywhere matches in a waterproof container. The so-called waterproof matches are crap. Put these in  separate pockets so if youlose one you will still have a way to start a fire. A good quality multi-tool or one of the lock blade Swiss army knives.  A yard square orange bandana. Go to Wallie World, buy a square yard of the brightest day glo orange or yellow cotton cloth they have and put a 1/8" hem all around it. Many uses. Make a Fox 40 whistle your zipper pull on your flight suit or use some cord to attach it to the  top button hole of your BDUs. Don't put it around your neck as it may catch on something and choke you.  Round this out with a micro maglite and a boy scout fire steel on your key chain. Last but not least a couple of baby bottles with water.

Altogether:
Cell Phone
GPS
Map
Compass
Signal Mirror
Bike Light
Butane Lighter
Matches in W/P Container
Multi-tool or Knife
Bandana
Whistle
Micro Mag-lite
Boy Scout Fire Steel
Almost forgot, dip some cotton balls in petroleum jelly and put in a film container or very small ziplock baggie.

That's 14 items. Sounds like a lot but will fit in a flight suit or in BDUs if you distribute it am ong the pockets.

[Jerry Jacobs]

Should you really carry things that easily catch on fire with us in a plane?  I know were wearing NOMEX,  but I think if this stuff in your pockets it could catch on fire in the event of a fire(especially the lighter).

[jimmydeanno]

but I think if this stuff in your pockets it could catch on fire in the event of a fire(especially the lighter).

All the smokers in the world - can't say I've ever seen one spontaneously combust...

I think you have a better chance of electrical fire in the plane than the lighter in your nomex flight suit pocket.

[Jerry Jacobs]

but I think if this stuff in your pockets it could catch on fire in the event of a fire(especially the lighter).

All the smokers in the world - can't say I've ever seen one spontaneously combust...

I think you have a better chance of electrical fire in the plane than the lighter in your nomex flight suit pocket.

I wasn't saying it would just blow up, but in the event of a fire inside the cockpit I wouldn't want a lighter in my pocket

[SarDragon]

You would be seriously incapacitated by the fire already if you stayed around long enough for a butane lighter to explode.

[Rangercap]

Number 1 would be my cell phone and a GPS if the cell phone didn't have that capacity. Keep it charged and withfresh batteries in the GPS. A Silva type compass and map.  If you are in a limited area, you can cut a few pages out of a Delorme atlas and laminate them or put them in a plastic baggie. A signal mirror and a bike light. The bike light is one of those square red "taillights" they sell for bikes. It has a constant red light or 2-3 strobe like settings and is very compact.  A butane lighter and strikeanywhere matches in a waterproof container. The so-called waterproof matches are crap. Put these in  separate pockets so if youlose one you will still have a way to start a fire. A good quality multi-tool or one of the lock blade Swiss army knives.  A yard square orange bandana. Go to Wallie World, buy a square yard of the brightest day glo orange or yellow cotton cloth they have and put a 1/8" hem all around it. Many uses. Make a Fox 40 whistle your zipper pull on your flight suit or use some cord to attach it to the  top button hole of your BDUs. Don't put it around your neck as it may catch on something and choke you.  Round this out with a micro maglite and a boy scout fire steel on your key chain. Last but not least a couple of baby bottles with water.

Altogether:
Cell Phone
GPS
Map
Compass
Signal Mirror
Bike Light
Butane Lighter
Matches in W/P Container
Multi-tool or Knife
Bandana
Whistle
Micro Mag-lite
Boy Scout Fire Steel
Almost forgot, dip some cotton balls in petroleum jelly and put in a film container or very small ziplock baggie.

That's 14 items. Sounds like a lot but will fit in a flight suit or in BDUs if you distribute it am ong the pockets.

Nice list... you should also add paracord. Not the cheapo crap... the good stuff. Remove you boot laces and replace each with a 6 foot length. That way you always have it. This gives you 60+ feet of cord if you gut it out. Need your boot laces? Reuse the casing and keep the finer strands in your pocket.

Brian
PAWG

[DC]

Number 1 would be my cell phone and a GPS if the cell phone didn't have that capacity. Keep it charged and withfresh batteries in the GPS. A Silva type compass and map.  If you are in a limited area, you can cut a few pages out of a Delorme atlas and laminate them or put them in a plastic baggie. A signal mirror and a bike light. The bike light is one of those square red "taillights" they sell for bikes. It has a constant red light or 2-3 strobe like settings and is very compact.  A butane lighter and strikeanywhere matches in a waterproof container. The so-called waterproof matches are crap. Put these in  separate pockets so if youlose one you will still have a way to start a fire. A good quality multi-tool or one of the lock blade Swiss army knives.  A yard square orange bandana. Go to Wallie World, buy a square yard of the brightest day glo orange or yellow cotton cloth they have and put a 1/8" hem all around it. Many uses. Make a Fox 40 whistle your zipper pull on your flight suit or use some cord to attach it to the  top button hole of your BDUs. Don't put it around your neck as it may catch on something and choke you.  Round this out with a micro maglite and a boy scout fire steel on your key chain. Last but not least a couple of baby bottles with water.

Altogether:
Cell Phone
GPS
Map
Compass
Signal Mirror
Bike Light
Butane Lighter
Matches in W/P Container
Multi-tool or Knife
Bandana
Whistle
Micro Mag-lite
Boy Scout Fire Steel
Almost forgot, dip some cotton balls in petroleum jelly and put in a film container or very small ziplock baggie.

That's 14 items. Sounds like a lot but will fit in a flight suit or in BDUs if you distribute it am ong the pockets.

Nice list... you should also add paracord. Not the cheapo crap... the good stuff. Remove you boot laces and replace each with a 6 foot length. That way you always have it. This gives you 60+ feet of cord if you gut it out. Need your boot laces? Reuse the casing and keep the finer strands in your pocket.

Brian
PAWG

If you put six feet on each boot then you will have 12ft, not 60.... Unless you have 10 legs...

[stratoflyer]

A little bottle of water purification tablets would fit easily into a pocket.

[IceNine]

^ Old school and taste's horrible.

MIOX is the way to go.  Light, portable and around the same size as a mini Mag

[jimmydeanno]

^ Old school and taste's horrible.

MIOX is the way to go.  Light, portable and around the same size as a mini Mag

Nifty, but the $140.00 price tag is a little steep.  I think water purification tablets are around $2.00. 

[DC]

$$$$$$

EDIT: Never mind, jimmydeanno beat me to it...

[Rangercap]

If you put six feet on each boot then you will have 12ft, not 60.... Unless you have 10 legs...

Nope, I only have two legs, and I always pack paracord with 8 strands... hence,  "stay away from the cheapo stuff"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracord

Brian
PAWG

[Rangercap]

^ Old school and taste's horrible.

MIOX is the way to go.  Light, portable and around the same size as a mini Mag

Do you like the miox? How long to the batteries last? I've been thinking about picking one up.

One more item... EMT shears... and you can use them with one hand. (try opening a swiss army knife with one hand).

Brian
PAWG

[DC]

If you put six feet on each boot then you will have 12ft, not 60.... Unless you have 10 legs...

Nope, I only have two legs, and I always pack paracord with 8 strands... hence,  "stay away from the cheapo stuff"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracord

Brian
PAWG

I was being sarcastic, if it wasn't obvious. I still want to know how six feet on each leg equals 60+ft...

[Rangercap]

If you put six feet on each boot then you will have 12ft, not 60.... Unless you have 10 legs...

Nope, I only have two legs, and I always pack paracord with 8 strands... hence,  "stay away from the cheapo stuff"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracord

Brian
PAWG

I was being sarcastic, if it wasn't obvious. I still want to know how six feet on each leg equals 60+ft...

No, it wasn't obvious... But you caught me... a 6 foot length of 8 strand paracord, has 48 (6 times 8 is 48) feet of strands. Plus the casing, 2 ea @ 6ft = 60 feet total.

My head hurts with all this math -->   now, I'm being sarcastic  ; )

Brian
PAWG

[DC]

If you put six feet on each boot then you will have 12ft, not 60.... Unless you have 10 legs...

Nope, I only have two legs, and I always pack paracord with 8 strands... hence,  "stay away from the cheapo stuff"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracord

Brian
PAWG

I was being sarcastic, if it wasn't obvious. I still want to know how six feet on each leg equals 60+ft...

No, it wasn't obvious... But you caught me... a 6 foot length of 8 strand paracord, has 48 (6 times 8 is 48) feet of strands. Plus the casing, 2 ea @ 6ft = 60 feet total.

My head hurts with all this math -->   now, I'm being sarcastic  ; )

Brian
PAWG

Okay, 60ft if you take it apart, I've never done it, but if you do that would you not only get a fraction of the strength that Paracord is so renowned for?

[Rangercap]

Sorry if this thread gets hijacked...

Certainly they will not be the same strength as 550 cord. But if you're in a bind for some string, like for an emergency filter, tying a shelter together, traps and snares (whip out your survial manual if you have one), it is nice to know EVERYTHING you have available in your situation...  we're talking survival. Tie the ends with fisherman's knots or square knots. Try to take apart some cord sometime... you'll be surprised at what you can do with it.

It's also mental thing. It gives you that little boost of self confidence, that if you are EVER in a survival situation, it is there for you to use, and you maintain the mental fortitude to ride it out until you are rescued. Being prepared (physically and mentally) will dramatically increase your odds of getting out alive.

Every CAP plane has a survival kit and I would bet that half the pilots in CAP wouldn't know what's in it off the top of their heads. Maybe I'm wrong... but there are a lot of civilian pilots in CAP that haven't been in the military, let alone to a SERE school, or even been in a survival situation, real or training.

Brian
PAWG

[Teal 37]

Nice listing of items olefido. I would suggest adding a small Rescue Strobe Lite for night time signaling... mirror in the day and the strobe at night.

A Firefly2 takes up very little room in pockets.

[IceNine]

^ Old school and taste's horrible.

MIOX is the way to go.  Light, portable and around the same size as a mini Mag

Do you like the miox? How long to the batteries last? I've been thinking about picking one up.

One more item... EMT shears... and you can use them with one hand. (try opening a swiss army knife with one hand).

Brian
PAWG

It's also on my "hit list" one of the guys in my unit has one, he loves it and says you can use it a couple dozen times before you need to replace teh batteries (if you use duracell industrial).  You still need to carry salt, but you only need one crystal (solar salt) for 5+ gallons of water.

[Rangercap]

^ Thanks for the info. I will still hang on to my First Need.

Brian
PAWG

[IceNine]

just saw one on ebay sell for 45 delivered

[ol'fido]

This is for Teal37. The bike light I included is a strobe light. We,ve tested these and you can see them as far away as a purpose built strobe plus they are are smaller and run on 2 AA batteries. Also, my memory and eyesight may be failing( I have three grandkids) but I do believe I included the signal mirror somewhere in my list. I did mention the baby bottles above  but not in the itemized list.

For all and sundry, a little paracord might be useful and I use it to dummy cord alot of items I mentioned.  The thing about this whole exercise is that in my neck of the woods there is some point of civilzation within 5 miles of anyplace. So having all these little doohickies may be academic.  In my old age, I think I'll follow the advice of the SAS and have a shelter, food, and water for 72 hrs before I start going all Davy Crockett.  I was mostly going with what I would have for the exercise and for me. You may need something different.

[Stonewall]

For about 18 months of my Air National Guard career I was a Life Support guy; the ones who stock, care for, and steal inspect aircrew survival gear.  This is how I got to go to SERE school.

I don't have an "official" list of what we packed into an aircrew member's survival vest with quantity and actual NSN numbers, I pretty much memorized the equipment.

Survival Knife (we used Gerber)
Leatherman
GPS (Etrex)
Waterproof Matches
Signal Mirror
Pen Flare
Fire Starter (good ones, cost like $60)
Water Purification Tablets
Water Reservoir
Strobe w/IR and Blue Filter
PRC Survival Radio w/243 MHz Beacon
Pen Light
550 (para) Cord, approximately 50'
Lip Balm
Sun Screen
Bug Juice
Compass (Lensatic)
Razor Blade
Fishing Kit
Individual (waterproof) First Aid Kit packed by the Medical Squadron
Survival Saw
Ziploc Bags
Survival Manual
MK 13 Day/Night Flare/Smoke
Sewing Kit

I was in a C-130 unit so these things vary between units, commander's discretion, and aircraft types.  These items are inspected regularly and items such as batteries are replaced well before their expiration date.

[Duke Dillio]

I wonder if they make a civilian version of the Phoenix lights we had in the Army.  They were an infrared programmable strobe light that fit to the top of a 9V battery.  You programmed it with a penny.  Anyone seen one of those around.  That would be a great thing to have.

[RiverAux]

Not sure how helpful those would be to the average person in the US considering that the chances of being searched for at night by somebody with the equipment to see them is very low. 

[Duke Dillio]

A civilian version would entail white light versus infrared.....  My bad for not being a little more clear about that...

[RiverAux]

Plenty of civilian strobe lights out there.  I carry one with my gear.  What do you program into these?

[Duke Dillio]

The strobe pattern.  The light is only about 1/2" high and fit right on to the top of a 9V battery.  There were like two pins on the top of it.  You would take a penny and tap the pins in a specific pattern and it would memorize a ten second pattern and keep repeating it with the light flashing in the pattern you set it to.

Here's some info on the military version:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/phoenix-light.htm

[Stonewall]

I have a few of these, IR and visible.  Pretty cool.

[Duke Dillio]

Are yours the green or the red or do they make a white light one?  I have an IR one but it isn't any good for anything civilian...

[Stonewall]

Not sure.  I've got them in an ammo can and haven't looked at them in a few years. 

[Duke Dillio]

If you have a few spares that you would part with, I'm sure I could find you somebody who would want to buy them....   

[CAPLAW]

 In my pockets I carry the following:
Singal mirror
Protein bar
Sure fire flash light
glow stick
survival knife
extra pair of glasses
parchute crord
matches
whistle
cash

[blackrain]

Has anyone mentioned a standard aviation band handheld? Don't most airliners monitor 121.5? I do know that they are monitoring the enroute frequencies. In a survival situation I would scan and listen for aircraft flying overhead and try to contact. If your outside of cell coverage the handheld might be a viable alternative. I actually carry mine in my flightsuit pocket.

[Pumbaa]

Remember this exercise was IN YOUR POCKETS.

[blackrain]

Remember this exercise was IN YOUR POCKETS.

My Yaseu VXA-220 will just fit in my chest pocket of my flightsuit with the antenna on. I'm sure some other models would as well, especially if you disconnected the antenna and put it in the pocket next to it. My Yaseu is also about as waterproof a radio as I've seen.

[Timbo]

Remember this exercise was IN YOUR POCKETS.

I would stuff my pockets with delicious veal.  I can then cook the veal in the fire that was once my airplane.  If you are going to be stranded......might as well do it with some style.  PLUS any wild animals that come my way would eat some veal instead of me.  (very logical....I know!)

[Mustang]

I wonder if they make a civilian version of the Phoenix lights we had in the Army.  They were an infrared programmable strobe light that fit to the top of a 9V battery.  You programmed it with a penny.  Anyone seen one of those around.  That would be a great thing to have.

http://www.s-lite.com/products.php?id=3