Missing hunters in Colorado

[xziang]

The old stand by that’s not used a lot is char cloth.Nice to have to supplement your fire kit.
It will go with just the spark of a wet bic.

Best thing I learned for a fire kit was on this page. Cotton balls lathered in vasaline and keep in air tight container or even zip lock bag. (Just be aware eventually they might dry out 6 months later or so)

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

There is a big difference between getting wet from sweat versus getting wet from the elements. The issue isn’t getting wet, per se. The issue is getting wet in a continuous downpour - when cold rain/sleet/snow is continuously cycling through your outerwear and leaching your body heat.

This. Anyone who’s talking about moving around to keep warm has no idea what happened to these kids. Char cloth is an excellent fire starter, if you’ve had hundreds of reps getting it moving then into the birds nest and then into a nest of particularly selected kindling. You can’t stay warm in this weather “moving around” and anyone saying otherwise should re access their wilderness survival capabilities. A set of dry clothes is a must. Always.

 

[5MilesBack]

You can’t stay warm in this weather “moving around” and anyone saying otherwise should re access their wilderness survival capabilities.

I'm not talking about days and nights on end here folks. You only have to stay warm enough long enough to get back to the truck, sheesh. And like I already stated, IF that's not an option then build a fire until it is. Lots of ways to skin that cat too........I love the road flares as they work great with ease, but weight weenies would never carry that many extra ounces. But the most important thing is to keep your head in the game.

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

You only have to stay warm enough long enough to get back to the truck, sheesh.

This is the thinking that gets you dead.

 

[5MilesBack]

This is the thinking that gets you dead.

Then build a stinking fire already. SMH

 

[ElDiablito]

Same...scary

Too late for that…..

 

[ElDiablito]

Char cloth is an excellent fire starter, if you’ve had hundreds of reps getting it moving then into the birds nest and then into a nest of particularly selected kindling. You can’t stay warm in this weather “moving around” and anyone saying otherwise should re access their wilderness survival capabilities.

If you had to rely on char cloth to start a fire in that area on that weekend, you’d be dead. Everything was absolutely soaked. And this is coming from a guy who has hundreds of reps with char cloth….

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Too late for that…..

Obvious bot scammer trying to get post count up joined 10 mins ago.

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

If you had to rely on char cloth to start a fire in that area on that weekend, you’d be dead. Everything was absolutely soaked. And this is coming from a guy who has hundreds of reps with char cloth….

I totally agree.

 

[Bobrobheimer]

I am thinking it will turn out to have been lightning- from my selfish perspective this seems worse since it becomes more of a bad luck thing that could have gotten any damn one of us - as opposed to a matter of choices that could have been made differently or preparations or gear or skills. Though either way I think it’s gotten us all thinking about the risks of being out there and I added some fire starter and lighter to my bino harness just last night (for the dreaded pack drop/stalk scenario that shouldn’t be taken lightly)

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

Obvious bot scammer trying to get post count up joined 10 mins ago.

The information was correct.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Char cloth is not a fire starter.
It’s a way to get an ember when all else fails.
Let’s get that out.
Just the same as a bow drill.
It’s a last resort that is way easier than a bow drill or hand drill.With no weight or space issues.

This. Anyone who’s talking about moving around to keep warm has no idea what happened to these kids. Char cloth is an excellent fire starter, if you’ve had hundreds of reps getting it moving then into the birds nest and then into a nest of particularly selected kindling. You can’t stay warm in this weather “moving around” and anyone saying otherwise should re access their wilderness survival capabilities. A set of dry clothes is a must. Always.

No one said it was the best,it’s a suggestion that weighs nothing that can get an ember when your lighter goes to shit.
You should have a nest or pile of kindling anyway.
It weights nothing.
Lighter x2
Cotton ball/vas,fuel tabs or equivalent
Fire steel
Charcloth wrapped in a square of tin foil sealed up.
Use tin foil as a fire bed if ground is wet.

 

[Idaboy]

Those poor guys, just terrible, pray for their families

 

[Fowl Play]

One thing I’ll mention since I’ve experienced it firsthand. Your phone screen likely will not work in a downpour. As soon as that screen gets wet, it can no longer distinguish your finger from water and will not register taps. You will not be able to open OnX, won’t be able to zoom, won’t be able to do anything easily to use it for navigation. Just keep this in mind. Get your bearings early and cover that screen when pulling it out. (Also carry backup maps, compass, etc) I have been caught in non-life threatening downpours where my phone was basically useless for navigation because of it.

Newer phones are getting better at this, but still have issues.

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

Char cloth is not a fire starter.
It’s a way to get an ember when all else fails.
Let’s get that out.
Just the same as a bow drill.
It’s a last resort that is way easier than a bow drill or hand drill.With no weight or space issues.


No one said it was the best,it’s a suggestion that weighs nothing that can get an ember when your lighter goes to shit.
You should have a nest or pile of kindling anyway.
It weights nothing.
Lighter x2
Cotton ball/vas,fuel tabs or equivalent
Fire steel
Charcloth wrapped in a square of tin foil sealed up.
Use tin foil as a fire bed if ground is wet.

Ok
It’s only September. Have fun and be safe everyone. Lots of hugs and kisses to your loved-ones on your way out the door.

 

[mikeafeagin22]

Then build a stinking fire already. SMH

I was hunting in the same drainage that night. It was a hell of a storm and the temperature dropped quite a bit but it was not so cold that you couldn’t hike two miles to the truck. Everyone keeps talking about this like it was 10 miles in the backcountry in a blizzard. It’s not possible to be more than two miles deep in that bowl. There are some bad deadfall spots and I do not know exactly where they were or what was going on but there’s quite a few old logging roads, the main road running up the center, etc that make for fast traveling in there. You fight through a rough spot or two then you can move quickly. You’re never more than an hour and a half, two hours max from the truck. There is no real getting turned around in there. The terrain funnels you down. You’re either going up or you’re going back down to the road. Hunkering down and making a fire in a downpour is not a better decision in this case than walking two miles to the truck. Unless one of them hurt their leg bad enough that they didn’t want to hike out at night or something along those lines, I just don’t see it.

And before everyone argues with me about it, I was dumb enough to not throw any extra clothes in my pack that afternoon because I was going in to pack one out so I was in that storm in a Kuiu gila long sleeve and a Sitka kelvin active short sleeve hoodie. I was three miles from the truck and at no point in that night was I ever even close to thinking that I needed to stop and make a fire to save my life. When I got back to the truck I swapped shirts out and threw a jacket on then went back out for the last load. Yes it was cold and yes it sucked but when we first heard about this, there was not one person in my group of four that were out there that night that even thought hypothermia could be a possibility. But the thought of staying out there all night with nothing didn’t either. That’s the problem with hindsight. It’s easy to look at a situation afterwards and say what should have been done. We have no idea what was going on for them to make the decisions they did. That being said, my initial reaction was lightning. Two phones, onX, InReaches, etc and not one message or location ping seems like lightning to me.

Regardless of what actually happened, it’s a shame two young men lost their lives out there.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

A reminder to to keep your inreach on you - in the pack doesn’t help if you’ve dropped it for a stalk, or if you walk off from your glassing spot for any reason. I attached mine to my bino harness which is on me more than anything else I wear except maybe my boots. Cole Tac makes a sweet little molle pouch for them.

I just switched mine off my pack to my harness.

 

[mikeafeagin22]

I am thinking it will turn out to have been lightning- from my selfish perspective this seems worse since it becomes more of a bad luck thing that could have gotten any damn one of us - as opposed to a matter of choices that could have been made differently or preparations or gear or skills. Though either way I think it’s gotten us all thinking about the risks of being out there and I added some fire starter and lighter to my bino harness just last night (for the dreaded pack drop/stalk scenario that shouldn’t be taken lightly)

I agree with you on all points.

 

[Thomas11]

I was hunting in the same drainage that night. It was a hell of a storm and the temperature dropped quite a bit but it was not so cold that you couldn’t hike two miles to the truck. Everyone keeps talking about this like it was 10 miles in the backcountry in a blizzard. It’s not possible to be more than two miles deep in that bowl. There are some bad deadfall spots and I do not know exactly where they were or what was going on but there’s quite a few old logging roads, the main road running up the center, etc that make for fast traveling in there. You fight through a rough spot or two then you can move quickly. You’re never more than an hour and a half, two hours max from the truck. There is no real getting turned around in there. The terrain funnels you down. You’re either going up or you’re going back down to the road. Hunkering down and making a fire in a downpour is not a better decision in this case than walking two miles to the truck. Unless one of them hurt their leg bad enough that they didn’t want to hike out at night or something along those lines, I just don’t see it.

And before everyone argues with me about it, I was dumb enough to not throw any extra clothes in my pack that afternoon because I was going in to pack one out so I was in that storm in a Kuiu gila long sleeve and a Sitka kelvin active short sleeve hoodie. I was three miles from the truck and at no point in that night was I ever even close to thinking that I needed to stop and make a fire to save my life. When I got back to the truck I swapped shirts out and threw a jacket on then went back out for the last load. Yes it was cold and yes it sucked but when we first heard about this, there was not one person in my group of four that were out there that night that even thought hypothermia could be a possibility. But the thought of staying out there all night with nothing didn’t either. That’s the problem with hindsight. It’s easy to look at a situation afterwards and say what should have been done. We have no idea what was going on for them to make the decisions they did. That being said, my initial reaction was lightning. Two phones, onX, InReaches, etc and not one message or location ping seems like lightning to me.

Regardless of what actually happened, it’s a shame two young men lost their lives out there.

Best post I’ve saw on this thread! u hit the nail on the head

 

[*zap*]

If your going into hypothermia and everything around you is soaking wet where are you getting dry material to light with cotton balls? Char cloth is simarially useless in a situation like that. JMO, YMMV.

Go outside in pouring rain and give those methods a try.

Mf22 your post was very interesting, thanks.