emergency kit
On most caving trips I carry a small lightweight emergency kit. This has evolved over the years, and is likely to continue to change in the future. I’ve always been a proponent of traveling fast and light, so I favor a small pack and minimal pack contents, but at the same time I believe in being prepared, which creates a paradox. I now carry two kits together in a single 1L drybag that weighs 1.3 pounds. The first kit I characterize as a “repair kit” and it contains a variety of tools that can be used to fix most things in an emergency, and a few additional items for communication… and since most of the caving I do is for the purpose of survey, I also carry a few backup items in case something gets lost, damaged or simply forgotten. The second kit is a “first-aid kit” and contains some basic bandages, dressings, medications, as well as items to keep a patient warm if they become immobilized.
