Visit our Popular Forums

stevenit · 10-05-2021, 14:15

What do you put inside the grab bag for a ocean navigation?

Portable vhf
Satellite phone
Drugs?
First aid kit
Flares
Fishing kit
Knife
Some water
Energy bars?
....
....
....

Gudgeon · 10-05-2021, 16:41

Passports, copies of boat papers, Dye makers, small line, orange streamer,

jordanbigel · 10-05-2021, 16:48

Spare clothing, vacuum packed - nothing fancy of course (jacket and tie not required).

SeaStory · 10-05-2021, 17:12

Tag along question: do most use an ACR floating bag or some other means of holding the gear?

requiem · 10-05-2021, 17:52

Last I glanced at it my ditch bag included:

- ration bricks
- blunt-tipped knife
- collapsible wide-mouth kettle and mug set
- sponge/towel
- flares
- EPIRB
- handheld VHF
- GPS
- whistle / signal mirror
- hand compass
- chemlights
- flashlight/headlamp
- spare batteries
- nylon cord
- emergency blankets
- sunscreen
- small first aid kit
- SAM splint
- pen and notepad

(drinking water would be in big jugs next to the bag)

Since you mentioned ocean, I'd make sure you have a watermaker (may be included with your raft along with air pump and patch kit?). Other ideas for items include:

- fishing kit
- cutting board
- swim goggles
- hat and sunglasses
- documentation (passports, insurance info, money, etc.)
- vitamin tablets (vitamin c, electrolytes, etc)

Also consider:
- foam pads for sitting on
- ziplock or other re-sealable bags to keep gear organized and drier.
- wet wipes, hand sanitizer, etc.

All of this stuff can start to add up rather quickly, so put some effort into compactness and organization. I just used a dry bag, but I wouldn't turn down an ACR one with the handy EPIRB pocket; it'd make it much easier to access the contents.

steve77 · 10-05-2021, 18:52

You can go nuts filling your grab bag. No kidding, we spoke with a couple at a swap meet who were quitting cruising and they had vacuum-packed cigarettes in their grab bag. We looked at them in amazement but didn't buy them.

I would say it depends on your cruising area. Most recommendations are for drinking water and items to help you get found (EPIRB, flares, handheld VHF, etc.). I think if you have those two covered you are okay for most situations. For cold waters, or extremely remote cruising, then start adding more gear.

When we last had our life raft serviced, we were given the suggestion to make sure that the grab bag and a five gallon jug of drinking water make it into the raft. In both cases, have a tether (maybe 6 feet long) with a snap hook at one end. When you toss the raft overboard, the painter will be attached to a strong point on your boat. Use the snap hook to attach the jerry jug and the grab bag to the painter so you can throw them overboard. This will keep them attached to the life raft until you can haul them onboard.

My two cents...

Steve

Cyrus Safdari · 10-05-2021, 21:54

https://www.practical-sailor.com/saf...in-a-ditch-kit

A platinum American Express card and a dinner jacket. You never know...

Montanan · 10-05-2021, 22:14

A case of Corona and limes. Don't want to get scurvy or die of thirst.

Paul L · 10-05-2021, 23:14

Wasabi paste.

Eprib/plb, vhf, flashlight, electric flare, water.
Watch getting the bag too heavy or bulky. It has to be moved in unpleasant conditions.
We had friends who blogged about adding charging cables for their iPhone and IridiumGo so they could charge up once they got rescued. A little carried away.

requiem · 11-05-2021, 00:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrus Safdari

https://www.practical-sailor.com/saf...in-a-ditch-kit

A platinum American Express card and a dinner jacket. You never know...

The only problem is getting the wrinkles out after the vacuum-packing. It's a shame these don't seem to be available any longer: https://www.spoon-tamago.com/2015/04...-or-the-beach/

**carstenb** · 11-05-2021, 00:58

we keep a smaller grab bag (which we pack just before setting off on a passage) filled with our prescription medicines, and sundry other medicines (adrenalin, morphine (wife is a registered nurse), syringes, eyedrops, etc.

We wait and pack this just before we sail so all medicines are fresh.

Otherwise the lists above are fairly complete - we have a separate bag with spam, sardines and other cooked canned foods - don't forget the canopener. You can buy military MRE's We have some and they will do just fine.

We have four grab bags - the main one that MUST go with us, number 2(medical) that must also. number 3 is food, nice to have and number four is clothes especially some warm clothes.

All four bags are lined up under our salon table and can be grabbed easily. Our number 1 bag also contains our PC, mobile phones, and our portable hardisk (all our pictures etc).