Conquering the Chilly with the Vanquest IBEX 26

Venturing out on the peak of the winter season can convey many challenges that we don’t encounter in hotter circumstances. Freezing temperatures convey snow and ice that may make navigating a well-recognized panorama difficult and switch our every day commute right into a harmful state of affairs if we aren’t ready. Gearing up includes guaranteeing now we have acceptable clothes, outerwear, and footwear. Past guaranteeing our on-body gear is protecting us protected, we additionally want to make sure our Get House Bag is able to handle the cruel winter circumstances.

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A get house bag is designed to offer all of the instruments and provides you’ll need to get again to a safe location. The problem of constructing one is discovering the suitable stability of substances and weight. Not like a bug-out bag, which is designed for 3 or extra days away from house, a get house bag ought to comprise about 24 hours of provides. Throughout warming seasons, protecting your get house bag gentle and nimble is straightforward, however the harsh climate and freezing temperatures of winter results in the necessity for added objects — leading to a heavier bag.

Whereas many is not going to be involved about further weight of their get house bag if they don’t seem to be touring on foot, wintery circumstances improve the chance we might need to abandon our automobile and transfer on foot. Snow and ice will already make touring on foot harder, and including a heavy pack to the combo is usually a recipe for catastrophe.

Mitigating this problem is a two-part course of. Sensible packing and making use of multi-purpose objects may also help cut back weight. Second, select a bag that helps safely handle extra weight.

Vanquest IBEX-26

Vanquest is a small U.S.-based firm that focuses on making top-quality mushy items together with backpacks, slings luggage, and group pouches. Past having a ardour for glorious craftsmanship, each bit of substances Vanquest designs has a objective of offering options for widespread gear hauling issues. The IBEX collection is an ideal instance of the Vanquest ethos.

The IBEX collection is out there in a 26- and 35-liter choices — for the get house bag, I opted for the 26-liter choice to keep away from overpacking. At first look, the IBEX appears just like many hiking-style packs with its tall slender design, waist belt, and quite a few exterior gear mounting choices. This design type is right for safely managing a heavier pack, as the burden is best distributed and the hip belt permits the burden of the pack to be taken off your shoulders and moved to stronger muscle teams in your hips and legs. The shift in weight off your shoulders improves stability, reduces fatigue, and reduces the chance of muscle pressure accidents. Like high-quality mountain climbing packs, the IBEX has glorious padding on the straps and a stiff however breathable again for construction and luxury.

What makes the Vanquest IBEX distinctive is that it efficiently blends the consolation and security of a well-designed mountain climbing pack with the toughness and organizational advantages typically present in tactical-style packs. Not like conventional mountain climbing packs that make use of a skinny, light-weight nylon, the IBEX is primarily constructed with ultra-durable Cordura nylon that’s each put on and tear resistant. The exterior MOLLE panels are comprised of Hypalon, which is immune to the weather, steady UV rays, and chemical compounds. Vanquest makes use of high-quality YKK zippers paired with Spartan zipper pulls that make quickly opening or closing the pack straightforward in high-stress conditions.

Along with the MOLLE panels that pouches or gear could be lashed to, the outside affords two pockets on both facet that may home quick-access objects and even broaden to suit bigger objects. The pockets comprise hook-and-loop panels, the place optionally available accent pouches could be added. The highest of the pack affords one massive pocket that can also present entry to the principle compartment with out having to unzipper the entire pack. The outside additionally affords various attachment factors that can be utilized to lash on objects like trekking poles and hatchets.

The primary compartment affords a mesh zipper compartment, secondary entry to the highest outdoors pocket, a again pocket that may simply match a big laptop computer or water bladder, and MOLLE/hook-and-loop attachment factors for added group pouches.

Packing the IBEX-26 for Winter Climate

Lots of the objects saved in your winter get house bag might be priceless in any season, although some objects might require particular consideration throughout freezing winter temperatures. Along with survival fundamentals, extra objects will have to be included to assist maintain you protected within the harsh winter climate. Let’s break down every of the classes to exhibit the place particular concerns and additions could also be required.

Hearth

The power to make fireplace is important in most survival conditions. Hearth serves as a method of cooking meals, boiling water, and producing warmth. Hearth can be used to assist sign for assist and lift morale. Within the winter months, producing warmth if caught outside is a prime precedence, and a few particular consideration is required when packing fire-starting tools for the winter. Commonplace lighters is not going to at all times work as nicely within the excessive chilly. Digital lighters could be an appropriate various, however batteries may also deplete quicker in chilly environments. We should additionally think about the excessive ranges of moisture from snow, particularly if it has begun melting.

Man-made tinder and chemical tinder will burn sizzling even when moist. Chemical tinder choices can burn extremely popular and should assist in getting moist wooden burning if no dry wooden is out there.
When trying to find wooden in snow-covered areas, it’s best to attempt to discover useless wooden that’s nonetheless connected to standing bushes and off the bottom, as they’re more likely to be much less moist than wooden discovered on the bottom.
An alternative choice is to soak cotton balls in WD-40, as they are going to be flammable and will double as lubricant for zippers and small instruments. Studying to make use of a ferrocerium rod is very priceless in chilly and moist environments; it’ll nonetheless produce sparks in these circumstances.

Water

Water is one thing we are able to’t go with out for very lengthy. Relating to dehydration, many individuals instantly consider sizzling climates, however dehydration is as a lot of a menace within the winter as it’s in the summertime. The coats and heavy clothes we put on to shelter us from the cruel winter parts may trigger us to sweat as soon as we begin exerting ourselves, which might trigger speedy water loss if we aren’t cautious.
Saved water can freeze in our packs if uncovered to freezing temperatures, so it’s best to not go away your get house bag in your automobile. When touring outside on foot, the water must be packed closest to your physique to assist forestall freezing.

Wild water sources could be restricted within the winter, and even when working water is discovered, it’s not so simple as bottling it and consuming it. Even in chilly temperatures, water could be house to pathogens that may make us sick. Purification or disinfection strategies equivalent to boiling, chemical therapies, or filters must be used. In the event you carry a transportable water filter, you will need to know whether it is rated for freezing temperatures.

Consuming chilly water may contribute to quickly cooling our core, growing the specter of hypothermia. Snow or ice ought to by no means be consumed for hydration for a similar causes chilly water shouldn’t be instantly consumed.

Shelter

Having shelter or carrying the objects you want to make a shelter is a vital addition to any survival package. Within the winter, we could also be carrying heavier clothes, however sheltering ourselves from wind, snow, and freezing rain may also help prolong our capability to outlive outside longer.

Within the winter, we have to account for larger winds and the burden of snow and ice when constructing a shelter. This implies heavy-duty tarps could also be a greater choice than one thing skinny. Guarantee tarp supplies that gained’t take up moisture, leading to chilly water dripping into your shelter as the inside space warms up.

Protecting your physique off the chilly floor can be important, so plan on carrying or being able to create insulated floor cowl.

Clothes

Within the winter, we must be dressing appropriately even for a brief tour away from house; issues occur, and also you don’t need to be caught out within the chilly with out correct safety from the weather. It’s also very important to hold a spare set of dry garments with you.

Moist clothes is a significant contributor to hypothermia. In the event you fall right into a physique of water or your clothes turns into saturated with water or sweat, moving into contemporary dry garments can maintain you alive.
Wool is a perfect materials for winter use, as it might maintain you heat even when moist. Whereas it’s nonetheless finest to get dry clothes on, if there is no such thing as a extra dry clothes, wool is a greater choice than cotton.
Protecting your spare clothes dry is vital whereas your pack could also be water-resistant, however including an extra layer of safety like a dry bag or perhaps a tightly tied trash bag may also help guarantee clothes stays dry.

Navigation

Snow could make navigating harder. Even a well-recognized space can seem alien when it’s lined in snow, particularly areas which can be much less traveled. Paths and trails change into unattainable to see, and acquainted landmarks could be obscured by snow cowl.

Having and figuring out the right way to use a compass may also help provide you with a way of route whereas on the transfer. A stand-alone GPS unit may also help information you to snow-covered paths or trails, however like all electronics, it might endure from quicker battery depletion within the chilly. If counting on electronics, at all times carry backup energy and maintain electronics and backup batteries as near your physique as potential to scale back battery drain from the chilly.

Mild

A technique of sunshine manufacturing is one thing everybody ought to have out there of their on a regular basis survival package. Mild is much more vital for prolonged emergencies. One benefit to snow is that it’s gentle reflective, permitting higher visibility from each artificial gentle sources and the moon at night time.

When contemplating gentle sources, we should account for chilly climate battery drain. Lights with alternate shade modes past simply white may also help cut back glare from snow and protect pure night time imaginative and prescient.
Headlamps could be useful to provide hands-free gentle, permitting you to maintain your fingers in your pockets for heat or make the most of different instruments.

Instruments

Fundamental instruments could make a giant distinction in survival conditions and play an vital position in our survival kits. Knives, multi-tools, saws, hatchets, and axes can serve simply as nicely within the winter as they do within the hotter months.

When selecting instruments for winter survival, we should always think about instruments we are able to successfully use with gloves on. If we should take our gloves off to make use of a device, take into account that metallic handles can get very chilly if uncovered to the weather, so it’s finest to choose instruments with polymer or wooden handles.

Meals

Meals supplies priceless gasoline to maintain our our bodies shifting. Within the chilly months, we are able to see a major improve in caloric burn to assist maintain our our bodies heat, so accessing energy is vital.
Wild meals sources could also be plentiful within the heat months, however they’ll change into scarce within the winter. Packing shelf-stable meals objects which can be much less delicate to freezing could be useful. Like water, meals objects must be saved closest to your physique to forestall freezing.

Self-Protection

Having one thing to defend your self in an emergency is vital. Take into account that a few of these instruments could also be affected by freezing temperatures.

Pepper spray could be much less efficient in freezing temperatures, having diminished spray patterns, and canisters could be broken or rupture in excessive chilly temperatures. Protecting your pepper spray near your physique can maintain it practical. Firearms can be broken or have efficiency points with extended publicity to freezing temperatures. Correct lubrication and upkeep beforehand can cut back each corrosion and efficiency points.

First Assist and Medical

Fundamental first assist objects to deal with a minor damage are a should for any survival package. Extra objects to cowl extra extreme accidents can imply the distinction between life and loss of life in an emergency, however solely have worth with the correct coaching to make use of them.

Many disinfectants, like alcohol pads, can double as a hearth starter in an emergency. Drugs, particularly liquids, could be prone to diminished results if uncovered to the chilly for prolonged intervals of time.
Bleeding management is crucial when dealing with excessive chilly, as blood loss can quickly velocity the onset of hypothermia.

Within the winter months, it might be useful to pack extra objects associated to slip-and-fall accidents, together with splints and cloth wraps.

Remaining Ideas

With a pack just like the Vanquest IBEX-26 and a few cautious planning, you can be able to face the challenges that come together with touring in the course of the winter months. Whereas all of us hope by no means to face an emergency, it’s a far safer guess to be ready with the data, abilities, and tools wanted to maintain us protected ought to catastrophe strike.

See our full assessment of the Vanquest IBEX 26 Right here

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Editor’s Notice: This text has been modified from its authentic model for the net.

Written by Nicholas Italiano