Thanks for the fantastic article.

Great article. I mean really great. Gave me some things to think about planning my first elk hunt in Colorado solo.

One of the first things I tell new soldiers to the unit out here (Carson) is that ANYTIME they go into the woods they need to have a survival kit with them.  There are too many varibles to just go on the "It'll be FINE!" mantra.  With the firemaking/starting portion- VERY important to practice.  I am a flint and steel man and also carry several cotton balls soaked in Vaseline (fit in zip loc snak bags).  A good fixed blade knife and means to sharpen it are also important.  My 2cents.....SFC B

On thing not covered so far are “Personal Locator Beacons” (PLB's) that are used for ocean going boats/ships, downed pilots and mountain climbers, to name a few. One person talked about using a “Spot”, the only problem with them you have pay a monthly charge and runs on second generation satellite technology and not very reliable. If you read the reviews on them, they are not rated very good. PLB's start a $250 and the batteries last four years, unless you need to deploy the antenna and use it. They are samll enough you don't even know you are carring one. If used or the battery goes dead after four years, they can be sent back and fixed. Once you buy one you have to register them with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with all your family information/emergency numbers at no cost. Then NOAA has you update your unit every four years to keep your contacts current. Some PLB's have strobe lights built in and when deployed, they send your exact GPS location to NOAA via satellite. NOAA then contact contacts emergency personnel and provides them with your location and family contact information. I got mine when I went to Wyoming in 2008 and even use it here in Missouri, because in most areas away from the roads or in valleys there is no cell coverage. I wouldn't trust my life to anything else and a GPS to find my way home.