The gear you need for the field will change dramatically based on the season and the nature of the mission. Here I’ll concentrate on the items that are fairly universal to most SAR missions. Gear is an opinionated topic, lots of people love to talk about it. I, too, used to be a gear-head but I’ve become jaded and cranky about it in my middle age. I like what I like, you can like what you like. This page is not for those that already have an opinion, this page is for those looking for some advice on where to get started or are curious about how the equipment differs from standard hiking gear (not by much, is the answer).
It is not a requirement to have everything on this list, in order to participate in a mission. Some of the items on the list might be provided by your team, some items on the list might be optional. I’m giving you here a more comprehensive checklist. I would use this list for mission prep: I could always choose not to bring an item if it wasn’t necessary for that day, but at least I knew that if I went through the whole list, I wouldn’t be forgetting something major. Feel free to contact me if you see something I’ve missed.
Basic List
- socks
- long underwear bottoms & tops
- Fjallraven pants
- notebook & pen in pocket
- wool/synthetic shirt
- fleece
- thin puffy
- hiking boots
- shell jacket
- shell pants
- thin beanie hat
- visor
- leather gloves
- 2 nalgenes of water
- food for 24 hours
- nuts
- gels
- bars
- dried fruit
- jerky
- fig newtons
- cookie packs
- tuna packet
- sunglasses
- headlamp, spare headlamp batteries
- bright flashlight
- first aid kit
- emergency bivy sack
- pocket knife
- altoid survival kit
- lighter
- fire starter x2
- whistle
- iphone
- spare USB battery
- radio w/spare battery
- inReach
- cords for:
- iphone
- inReach
- sunblock
- lip stuff
- bit of T.P.
- compass old school
- map of search area on phone
- sharpie
- paracord
- ziplock baggies x 4 (protect papers/notes, clues)
- rubber gloves
- trail tape
- reflective tape
SNOW/WINTER EXTRAS:
- thin gloves, ski gloves, and ludicrous mittens
- thick & thin beanie hats
- huge puffy
- clear goggles
- balaclava
- hand warmers, foot warmers
- goggles, clear & tinted
- winter boots
- shovel
- yaktrax/microspikes
- snowshoes
- stove
- gas
- potholder
- pot
- instant miso soup
- hot chocolate
Selected Item Annotations
Phone with tried & true GPS software — OR — a GPS
No SAR responder should enter the field without a cell phone with navigation software on it (and knowledge of how to use it). The most popular app (as of late 2023) is either Caltopo or GaiaGPS. I like GaiaGPS better for personal use, but we use Caltopo (SARtopo) software on the laptop for incident base, and it mates seamlessly with the app for team tracking. Regardless which app you choose, it’s more important that you have the phone and a navigation solution preloaded and ready to rock. If the phone isn’t fully charged, you should be carrying a backup battery pack for it.
You can get away with a traditional GPS instead of the phone. The GPS has certain advantages over the phone—it is way more robust and reliable. But the maps on the iphone are far superior to the low-res garmin screen with crappy maps. And you’re going to have a phone anyway, why bother with the dedicated GPS?
Radio
Sometimes the team will provide radios so you don’t have to purchase one. Either way, having a radio in the field is crucial. You need a VHF handheld at the least, and preferably VHF/UHF dual band handheld. Using the radio properly is a topic unto itself, to be addressed at great length elsewhere.
Garmin inReach satellite texting device
This is not required—maybe 1 in 10 responders have one—but it can be very helpful in challenging situations. It’s for those times when there is neither cell service nor radio coms. This situation arises for example on longer forest road 4WD driving searches that we occasionally encounter.
There are a number of devices with the inReach feature. I have a larger, full-fledged GPS with inReach built in, but if I were buying one today I would go with the inReach Mini2. You’ll note that it has no keypad for texting—good! Texting on the keypad of my GPS is useless. The only effective way to do it is to connect to your phone with bluetooth, then use the phone app to do all the texting back and forth. The Mini2 works perfectly fine in that capacity. Caveat emptor: there’s the upfront cost, and then the monthly subscription. I pay for the bare minimum, $15/month at the moment I believe, and accept the overages when necessary. Not sure if that’s the best option.
Also, if you get one, go ahead and spring for the Garmin rescue insurance that’s offered in conjunction with the inReach plan. I’m speaking from experience here. This past fall I was on a personal canyoneering trip where I did indeed press that SOS button, and it ended in a helicopter ride. Although it didn’t end up costing me (my friend was the injured subject), I realized after I got out of the helicopter that the Garmin insurance is so cheap in comparison to a single helicopter bill that it’s silly not to have it (if you’re into adventuring in your personal life outside of SAR, that is).
Hiking Boots
Seems mundane, but this item warrants a mention. Before SAR, I did everything in warm weather with sneakers. Trail running, backpacking, 14ers, approaches to crags, technical slot canyoneering. Never needed (still don’t) anything other than a pair of sneakers for any of that. However, In SAR, there’s frequent bushwhacking (something generally avoided on planned adventures). When I first joined SAR I was dismissive of the idea that I needed anything other than sneakers, considering my previous adventures. After spending time in the field I reluctantly admitted that sneakers are not ideal. A pair of over-the-ankle sturdy boots of some sort is much better for the sort of bushwhacking that you’re likely to engage in for SAR. I have been satisfied with my Salomons, as they are the closest to sneaker-comfort that I could find in the store. You’re looking for something that you can hike in all day and not come home with mangled feet.
Matt Holmes, January 2024