Equipment practice questions for Alberta

Equipment questions

1. 1You dress in three layers for a long cold sit. What job does each layer do?

   1. AThe base moves sweat off your skin, the middle traps warm air, and the outer blocks wind and water
   2. BThe base blocks wind, the middle blocks water, and the outer traps heat
   3. CAll three do the same job, so only total thickness matters
   4. DThe base traps heat, the middle blocks wind, and the outer moves sweat
   Show the answer

   AThe base moves sweat off your skin, the middle traps warm air, and the outer blocks wind and water

   Layers work because each one has a different job and you can add or shed them as your effort changes. Piling on thickness alone traps sweat against your skin, and damp skin is how a cold sit turns dangerous.

2. 2One hunter keeps his skinning knife razor sharp and another lets his go dull because he thinks a dull blade is safer. Who has it right?

   1. AThe dull blade is safer, since it cannot cut skin easily
   2. BThe sharp blade is safer, because a dull edge needs force and force is what makes a knife slip
   3. CNeither, because sharpness has nothing to do with safety
   4. DThe dull blade is safer as long as gloves are worn
   Show the answer

   BThe sharp blade is safer, because a dull edge needs force and force is what makes a knife slip

   A sharp edge does the work with light, controlled pressure that you can steer. A dull one makes you lean on it, and when it skids off a hide all that force keeps going somewhere you did not choose.

3. 3Your handheld GPS dies in the cold on the second morning of a backcountry hunt. Why does the map and compass in your pack still matter?

   1. AThey weigh less than the GPS unit
   2. BThey need no batteries and keep working when wet or frozen, so they are a backup that does not fail with the electronics
   3. CThey are legally required to be carried
   4. DThey show more roads than a GPS does
   Show the answer

   BThey need no batteries and keep working when wet or frozen, so they are a backup that does not fail with the electronics

   Cold drains batteries quickly and screens crack, so any electronic navigation has a failure mode built in. A map and compass have no power source to lose, though they only help if you practised with them before the day you needed them.

4. 4A slip on a steep sidehill separates you from your pack, which slides into a creek. Where should the core of your survival kit have been?

   1. AOn your body, in pockets or on a belt, so it stays with you no matter what happens to the pack
   2. BIn the lid of the pack where it is easy to reach
   3. CLeft in the truck at the trailhead to save weight
   4. DSplit evenly between your pack and your partner's pack
   Show the answer

   AOn your body, in pockets or on a belt, so it stays with you no matter what happens to the pack

   A kit only counts if it is still with you when things go wrong, and packs get dropped, soaked, and left behind. Fire starter, a signal, and a way to make shelter belong in your pockets.