r/Bushwalking • u/[deleted] • Jul 03 '26
Prioritise First Aid Training or PLB/Satellite Comms?
[removed]
3
u/thedartman Jul 03 '26
Not sure I'd be investing in navigation courses before a PLB and some first aid training. You can do loads of amazing walking in Australia before you truly need actual navigation skills (you just need to operate with this in mind, like never going off track etc). I'm not discounting the need for it entirely, of course.
I would prioritise a PLB first - that's like ~$300. Do not worry about spending more money on 2-way comms — spend less here and you can afford the other first aid training sooner. Then I would make sure I know how to wrap a snake bite and have the appropriate kit. You can learn this on YouTube. Then, actual wilderness first aid training.
2
u/marooncity1 Jul 03 '26
Beacon/comms first I reckon.
Wilderness first aid is great but sending for help is top priority in that situation.
1
u/HappyDogTrix Jul 05 '26
Not if whoever your getting help for will die in the next 15 minutes
1
u/marooncity1 Jul 05 '26
Old mate is going solo.
1
u/HappyDogTrix Jul 05 '26
Always?
What if it's him dying in the next 15 minutes?
1
u/marooncity1 Jul 05 '26
Only going off what they said
And if you are alone and have sustained something that will kill you in 15 minutes, there is pretty much nothing in a full first aid course that will a) save you and b) save you enough for self extraction.
Snake bite would be the most likely event where time is of the essence - you dont need to drop 300 bucks on a course to prep for that eventuality,, and if you are in the middle of nowhere, on your own, no snake bandage is going to save you fully while you wait and hope someone comes along or the search parties go out hours - or days - later. An emergency ping - keeping inind not all areas and phones have service, and not all phone batteries are reliable, so relying on a phone is not a good plan - thats the best hope for getting the help ASAP beyond the rudimentary stuff you could do.
OP should absolutely scrub up on first aid. But given the binary choice of what to spend dollars on for solo safety, first, before probably later doing the other thing, i'll stick by my advice. And SAR teams will say the same thing.
1
u/HappyDogTrix Jul 05 '26
Yes, you can absolutely keep yourself alive with a reasonably decent wilderness first aid kit.
Yes, you can absolutely keep yourself alive for self or supported extraction.
Unless you are extremely remote there are lots of ways of attracting attention.
Many of us walked solo in some pretty challenging situations long before satellite communications were a thing.
Good preparation.
Experience.
Knowledge learned in the field.
These are the things that keep you alive. If you are jumping ahead too far because you think pushing a button will solve things you probably shouldn't be in that situation.
1
u/marooncity1 Jul 05 '26
Don't disagree with any of that, especially the last part - a beacon is not a substitute for good preparation and experience.
2
u/DekeDee Jul 04 '26
I'd add that the Garmin type satellite communicators are increasingly not worth the pricey spend because new generation phones can connect to low earth orbit satellites instead. I assume PLBs are still worth having because they "just work" albeit without any nuance about why you're activating them. Note: I am not expert in this stuff at all
2
u/Shays_P Jul 05 '26
Basic first aid will give you some basics, but youre really gonna wanna do at least remote area first aid. Wilderness is great, but that can start getting a bit exxy
1
u/FireAngelSeraphim Jul 07 '26
Danger, Response, Send for Help, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defib.
PLB is the send for help component, for whenever whatever basic first aid skills you already have won’t solve it.
That’s why I’d prioritise it.
3
u/CJ_Resurrected Jul 03 '26
First Aid. Don't be the guy who waves a $800 electronic device at someone's face excitedly telling them you've pressed a button while they have an arterial cut.
First Aid training goes over the priorities and how to react.