"To Those in the Field"

The Ditch Bag

© 2002 Jeffrey E. Isaac, PA-C

The Ditch Bag . . . and the hope that you never use it

             Assembling a ditch bag is a formidable task. It presents the difficulty of packing for a trip when you don’t know when you’re leaving, how you’ll be traveling, how long you’ll be gone, or where you’re going. Every contingency needs to be considered; yet your package needs to be small enough to be easily lifted by anyone, waterproof enough to survive at sea, and light enough to float.

             The bag is often meant to supplement the standard survival supplies packed in your life raft (generally considered to be enough food and water to maintain a hamster for 24 hours). However, you may end up using the bag in your dinghy when the life raft fails, or ashore after stepping onto the beach you’ve grounded on, or even still aboard your wrecked boat after being rolled by the perfect wave. The ditch bag needs to be a comprehensive package designed to enhance survival and enable rescue in an emergency situation, no matter where you end up. The life raft survival pack, or anything you can salvage from your boat, is considered an extra blessing.

             So what goes in it? Think food, water, shelter, and communication. In the short term, food is supplied by high calorie, low volume delicacies like Cliff Bars, Power Bars, Pemmican Bars, or similar choices. Your selection should be high in fat and protein. You should also stock some high calorie simple sugars, like GU or even a pint can of cake frosting. This is used for rapidly warming someone with hypothermia.  

             Fresh water is heavy and inconvenient, but critical. You should pack at least a liter per person in your ditch bag. Another technique is to store a 5-gallon water jug on deck where it can be easily cut free and tossed over the side. Leave a little air in the jug so it floats. Attach a lanyard with a snap hook to the handle so it can be clipped to the raft or dinghy. Storing jugs on deck also has the advantage of serving notice to other cruisers that you really are a “live-aboard”.

             If you can afford it, an emergency water maker is a fine long-term survival addition. Its probably better to have it easily available in your ditch bag rather than have it packed away permanently in your raft.  Since diesel fuel, silt, or algae, can debilitate water makers, you still need to pack a supply of fresh water.

             Shelter can take the form of clothing, survival suits, bivy sacks, or something as inexpensive and compact as a space blanket. Pack a layer of warm polypropylene bottoms and tops. Even in the tropics, you will be cold at some point. For the penurious cruiser, an inexpensive and lightweight rain suit can serve as an outer layer. Survival suits are too bulky for inclusion in the kit, but should be stowed in the same locker, or section of the boat. You don’t want to be running fore and aft getting ready for your sudden departure.

             Communication supplies include attention attracting devices as well as a radio. You should have a signal mirror, strobe light, whistle, visibility panels, smoke, and flares. By flares, I mean the real SOLAS grade aerial rockets that rise 1000’ and burn for 90 seconds. By smoke, I refer to the orange smoke canisters about the size of a pound coffee can that float and burn for many minutes. A signal mirror is pretty simple. Landfall Navigation sells one with a whistle attached, made by ACR (ACR #1700) for about $10. You could also stash a handful of those CD ROM disks that AOL sends you every month…great signal mirrors, hole in the middle and flexible for aiming.

             You could buy a specialized survival radio that transmits on channels 16 and 6 for about $400, or a perfectly suitable waterproof marine radio for about $150 that transmits on all the marine frequencies (eg: Horizon HX260X). Add an alkaline battery tray and you can use AA batteries instead of worrying about recharging it.  It should be stowed in a stuff sack or small pelican box with an inexpensive GPS, such as the Garmen Etrex for about $100, and also takes AA batteries.

             With your strobe light (pick one that takes AA batteries), include a headlamp. A handheld flashlight ties up at least one hand, or your mouth. A headlamp minds its own business on top, and is there when you need it. Petzel makes an outstanding example sporting a powerful halogen beam for spotting sharks and buoys, and a small LED array for long lasting illumination. Totally waterproof, spare bulbs included, about $65, takes AA batteries.

If the cost of the ditch bag contents is beginning to bother you, remember that it’s contents are always easily available without inflating the life raft. It can be your primary back-up system for lights, GPS, radios, etc. Your up-to-date flares are available for Coast Guard inspection. And, when you sell the boat, you can take it with you to equip your RV.

             The bag itself should be completely waterproof. I like a heavy-duty dry bag, like the ones used for whitewater rafting (eg: Seattle Sports River Pack). Another option is a commercial abandon ship bag with a waterproof dry-suit type zipper. It should be stored where easily retrieved and passed over the side. Attach the strobe to the outside of the bag, so it can be activated when you toss it.

             I’ll suggest an inventory here. As always, this represents my opinion and experience. You will undoubtedly get other good ideas and advice.

Dry bag of appropriate size

Strobe Light

Head Lamp

Space Blanket

Cyalume Glow Sticks

Signal Mirror

Whistle

Flares

Smoke

Survival Food

Water – may also be a 5 gal jug on deck.

Water maker

Radio

GPS

Compass

Extra AA batteries

During some passages, you may want to store your passports and some cash in the ditch bag, too. If you need glasses to read GPS and radio displays, or the fine print on your life raft’s warrantee, pack an inexpensive pair of generic reading glasses (about $12).

Polypropylene clothing – top, bottom, hat

Marine gloves

Waterproof outer layer clothing

Medical Kit – including critical Rx medications

Waterproof sunscreen

Sunglasses

Fishing lures and line (entertainment, survival)

Multi-tool (eg Leatherman)

Duct Tape

Cable Ties

Parachute cord

Lighter

Zip Lock Bags

Diaper wipes in Ziploc bag (some creature comforts are required)

Ditch Bag: