Bag Drop: 5.11 Tactical RUSH72 Search and Rescue Pack

You by no means know the way a lot you actually imagine something till its fact or falsehood turns into a matter of life and loss of life to you. It’s simple to say you imagine a rope to be robust and sound so long as you might be merely utilizing it to twine a field. However suppose you needed to dangle by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first uncover how a lot you actually trusted it?” — C.S. Lewis, A Grief Noticed

Each time I depart my home for a search-and-rescue mission, clutching gear which I’m about to stake my life on, I take into consideration that quote from Lewis. Typically it’s a battery-operated rescue beacon to journey shotgun with me for a flight throughout the Gulf of Mexico, seeking excessive journey on Florida’s Misplaced Coast. Subsequent time, it’ll be my fancy new light-weight Staff Wendy helmet, as I’m deployed by the State of Florida’s City Search and Rescue Job Pressure within the pursuit of saving lives.

5.11 Tactical RUSH72 Backpack

Make and Mannequin
5.11 Tactical RUSH72 2.0 Backpack 55L

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MSRP
$185

URL
www.511tactical.com

The 5.11 RUSH72 bag is one such piece of drugs I’ve come to rely upon. I’m now working with my second era of those luggage, having began out with an authentic RUSH72 about 10 years in the past. I counted on it to hike rim-to-rim by way of the Grand Canyon, carrying about 30 kilos an excessive amount of of soft luxuries like a heavy air mattress and clothes. Higher but, I used to be foolishly navigating utilizing a park brochure as a substitute of the detailed topographical maps, which I had by accident left sitting within the automotive on the prime of the trailhead.

The irony of a search-and-rescue skilled getting misplaced and even dying contained in the Grand Canyon wasn’t misplaced on me, however fortunately each me and the bag made it out to the North Rim. The RUSH72 has additionally accompanied me on 4 search-and-rescue deployments for main hurricanes, in addition to the current Champlain Towers (Surfside) constructing collapse.

Lately, I principally have transitioned to a Tactical Tailor Cerberus 72-hour medic pack for mountain climbing, and I hold the 5.11 RUSH72 bag on standby completely for search-and-rescue missions. The RUSH72 isn’t a small bag. If it’s totally loaded, it will get chubby quick. I discovered this the laborious far more instances than I’d wish to admit — even after the Grand Canyon — after turning what ought to’ve been simple outings into grimace-inducing treks.

Because of this, I’ve a smaller 5.11 RUSH12 that I usually carry full-time. However due to the RUSH72’s cavernous measurement, I hold it inside a car if doable, apart from the uncommon event I’m out within the subject and away from basecamp in a single day after I put on it full-time.

Pack Contents

Here’s what I usually hold inside:

Sleeping

• ENO ProFly Rain Tarp
• ENO DoubleNest Hammock
• Mack’s Extremely Gentle Foam Earplugs
• MZOO Sleep Masks

I believe as I’ve gotten older, I’m more and more fed up with sleeping on the bottom. I’ve a Coleman ComfortSmart Deluxe Cot — the closest factor you will get to a transportable mattress — for when I’ve a car to stash my gear. In any other case, I’m bringing this hammock and its rain fly.

The MZOO sleep masks is simply $18 on Amazon. I purchase them 4 at a time, stashing them in my home and in all of my potential journey luggage. They’re the very best I’ve discovered and actually make a giant distinction for those who’re sleeping odd hours throughout daylight or underneath fluorescent lights. Mix them with the Mack’s earplugs and also you’ll stand a greater likelihood of getting the remainder you want and having the ability to carry out when it counts.

Hygiene

• Duke Cannon Chilly Bathe Area Towels
• Sea to Summit Trek and Journey Wilderness Bathtub Wipes

Throughout my deployment to the Surfside constructing collapse, we technically had entry to showers. Certain, they had been chilly showers, however they had been good clear water. The issue was, after leaving our 18-hour shifts we’d then should debrief our personal staff after which transient the oncoming shift for what had occurred throughout our shift. It was … quite a lot of pointless conferences. By the point I received finished, I used to be so smoked I simply didn’t have the vitality to undress and dig out clear garments from my bag.

I bear in mind form of stumbling into this command room subsequent door to the rubble pile, and on the counter subsequent to a field of Dunkin’ Donuts there sat a field of Firewipes. These are form of like fancy child wipes that we use to wipe contaminants like soot, smoke, and different carcinogens from our pores and skin. That night time, I took a bit of Firewipe bathe, and it was greater than sufficient. Since then, I carry wipes in every single place, though I favor the Duke Cannon model.

Security and Effectively-Being

• ResQLink View 406 MHz Emergency Beacon from ACR
• Steve’s Paleo MRE PaleoKit

Along with my Garmin InReach Explorer+ GPS and satellite tv for pc texting machine, I like to hold a 406 MHz emergency beacon from ACR as a backup. It’s silly easy — flip the antenna up and smash that energy button. I see this as a plus in a real emergency state of affairs the place you won’t be considering as clearly as you’d like.

For vitamin, I can’t say that I actually care a few keto food regimen, however I’ve discovered that my physique simply typically runs higher on gluten-free meals. These paleo kits from Steve’s are light-weight, high-quality gas that style a heck of so much higher than a navy MRE and aren’t loaded with salt.

Moreover energy banks and charging cables, B-con (bleeding management) med package, and rubbish luggage to retailer moist gear, I’ll additionally stash a great paperback e-book. Those that have served within the navy will bear in mind the hurry-up-and-wait recreation, and the identical holds true for any search-and-rescue deployment. It’s possible you’ll get some downtime whether or not you need it or not, and it’s good to have a bit of escape in your mind shut at hand. Usually, I attempt to carry a e-book that I’ve learn earlier than and would like to learn once more, which hopefully has nothing in any respect to do with my present mission. I’ve alternated between Mario Puzo’s The Godfather and Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels in regards to the Battle of Gettysburg. In a foul state of affairs, it’s all the time good to examine somebody who had it worse than you do.

Concerning the Writer

Andrew Schrader is a business pilot and City Search and Rescue (US&R) Constructions Specialist hooked up to the State of Florida’s US&R Job Pressure. Attain out on Instagram or Fb through @reconresponse or andy@reconresponse.com.

Written by Andrew Schrader