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So...How many sample fuel for water via the sump drain during winter with ambient temps below freezing? As for me...I don't. It may seem elementary but early in my flying career in Minot, ND with temps of below -20℉ I checked the fuel via the sump only to have a small piece of ice keep the sump open draining fuel onto the ground. It was difficult to get it to stop.

So I am pretty new here, and to airplane ownership. I recently flew my Mooney VFR from the Toronto area where I live out to Millinocket Maine for a white water rafting trip for the weekend. First let me say that the trip went perfectly smoothly and we had a great time. In fact I don't think it could have gone much better than it did. There was a stretch of about an hour where we didn't see any roads, houses, or towns. It was summer time, I had a first aid kit, and my basic personal clothing and some food and water. But I did not have a real survival kit. This was my first trip of this length to this remote of an area. My friend who flew with me asked what would happen if we went down. I figured it would likely take days to be found, especially with my older 121.5 ELT. It got me really thinking about the need for a survival kit. I did a search here, and I did find a few people talking about this a little bit, but nothing that actually went into detail about it. By that I mean a detailed list, pictures, and prices of what is really needed, what is optional, and what should change based on time of year and the geographical area being flown in. Maybe as a group we can come to some sort of general consensus of appropriate gear or equipment for the various levels of preparedness that you would like to have based on your skillset and personality as well as the area of the country and season you are flying in. Perhaps if there is lots of comments and interest a moderator can make this thread sticky and I, or someone else can continually modify the various lists and update pricing with suggestions of where to buy things. Aircraft Spruce sells some pre made first aid kits and survival kits of varying degrees of quality, and intensity. I decided to make my own. Partially because I thought it could do it cheaper, but partly because I felt that some of the things listed in their kits were not necessary, and they left things out that I would like to have. Also, some items seemed of cheaper quality, or so I can only assume based on the cost of the kit and the pictures. I don't think I saved much as far as cost, but I was able to shop around at various stores and customize it the way I wanted. I will list in point form what I have included in my kit, which would be more of a 3 season kit where temperatures would generally be above +10 Celsius during the day and above 0 Celsius overnight. Obviously there would be a need for additional clothing and outerwear for colder temperatures. The first aid kit I picked apart from a larger kit that I had in my house repacked it nicely. I didn't feel the need to keep 100 band-aids, and 20 Gauze pads etc. I made it a bit smaller and I believe it would suit 2-4 people very well. The survival portion is aimed more for 2 people given certain individual use items I packed only two of, but these could be increased and the rest of the kit is sufficient to sustain 4 people for at least 48 hours. I have also included a couple pictures. First Aid Kit 2 triangular bandages 2 abdominal pads 2 large gauze pads 2 small gauze pads 1 role self-adhesive gauze bandage 1 role conforming bandage 1 role medical tape 2 pressure bandages 10 benzalkonium-chloride wipes 10 large Band-Aids 10 small Band-Aids 1 pack antibiotic ointment 1 pair vinyl gloves 1 bio bag 1 emergency blanket 10 safety pins 1 Ziplock bag Survival Kit Pellican 1400 heavy duty waterproof case 3600 calories food rations (not in picture, but it is on order from Amazon) 50 water purification tablets 2 sheets of paper & 1 pencil 1 sunscreen 1 bug spray 1 lip balm 1 dental floss 2 paper coffee filters (to pre-filter water) 1 wind-up flashlight 1 stick-on LED flashing beacon 1 whistle 1 thermometer 1 Leatherman multi tool 1 manual chain saw (essentially a rope/wire saw) 1 roll duct tape 3 sewing needles & thread 1 fire starter kit & tinder 1 match case & strike anywhere matches 30 feet parachute cord with tinder inside 2 pairs of hand warmers 2 pairs of feet warmers 1 pen flare launcher & 6 mini flares 2 large stationary flares (the ones cops use on the road - burn for 10-15 minutes) 1 compass with signal mirror 1 emergency double size sleeping bag 2 bug head nets 1 large tarp (I have ordered a cheap emergency shelter/tent as well which will not fit in the kit but I can bring in colder temperatures) 2 large garbage bags (can be used for rain ponchos) aluminum foil 1 Ziplock bag The total cost for this entire kit is in the neighborhood of $500 Canadian including our 13% sales tax. Before having a heart attack, note that 50% of that is made up of 3 items. Some of which you might already have. The most expensive part of the kit was the Pelican 1400 case which cost $109 + tax. The smaller cases are significantly cheaper so if you can cram it into a Pellican 1100 or 1200 case you can get away with just over half of that for the case. Another option is a 20L dry-sack like they use in rafting or canoeing. Obviously it's soft, but you can buy one for $30 or so. The other big ticket item was the tarp. I spent $65 + tax on a large, very durable and very compact tarp that can be used as a shelter. Obviously the ones from home depot for $6 work great but could never fit into this case with any room to spare. The Leatherman Multi Tool is worth about $60-$70 which I had already, but estimated it in the total cost. Of course you can get away with less depending on the type of tool you are looking for. I had this one so I threw it in. Some of the items I scrounged up from around the house like the sewing kit, the large contractor grade black garbage bags and aluminum foil. I bought a good chunk of this stuff from MEC which is a great outdoor adventure store here in Canada similar to a Dick's in the U.S. ***Edit Almost forgot, it weighs in at about 12.5 lbs.