School Project - Offroad Survival Kit W/ Built-In EPIRB

Adam, happy to provide feedback but your specs are very difficult to read even with 400% magnification.
Jon W

I agree to hard to read

Plb’s/ Epirus have an aerial which needs to be flipped up and usually when you need one things aren’t going your way. Models like my CTI come with a neoprene arm sleeve to hold it once activated.
If I was designing this kit it would definitely be as a wearable backpack so you can flip the aerial and switch, then have both hands free to busy yourself minimising whatever calamity it is that you are dealing with. Putting down bags and walking away from them is easy to do when shocked.
Excellent project. Well done.

Would like to participate but as posted can not read detail. Needs to be using black ink and larger writing. Try again and only too happy to offer feedback.

Adam
I like the approach you have used to gain information, the way you have done this should be included and highlighted in Notes of your research, because it is valid as you are surveing the people quite likely to use it.
Depite being from the motor industry and heavy vehicle repair background I also travel away similar to what your research use proposes. .
In addition to that, for a period of my life I taught exactly the subject you are part of in Yr 12.
My thoughts.
Note, these comments are for assessment reasons and not only for the proposed concept use.
Anything with drawers and lids and of hard construction is unikely to be practical in vehicle or trekking etc. Although boxes look nice the practicality isn't there, so consideration and dismissal of those may be appropriate.
Like some have mentioned, a backpack is a great idea as it can be used by children and/or adults as the situation deems appropriate.
Obviously there is an EPRIB type device which should be in a compartment with misuse warning labels and proper use deployment labels. Screen printed on Velcro flap compartment lids may be good. Easy to see and luminous print if possible. The inclusion of a LED torch with a long life battery/"replacable" may provide additional safety and ability of use the gear if needed at night.
The First Aid section also should be easily included and used.
If in a box, any severe event may open the case and spread it's contents within the vehicle or thrown outside broken windows, ie, vehicle accident, so the bag of gear should have an external series of easily removed velcro bands so it doesn't disappear and can be opened with relative ease.
Regarding cost, the beacon system will largely dictate the initial cost and anything else is an add on to the overall amount. Sorry about not scoring or selecting. Realistically there are few more concepts to explore.
Special note, From my experience marking yr 12 VCE Tech Design and Development papers from state of Vic.
Many people marking VCE/Yr 12 Tech design reponses do not have a deep background understanding the subject. Some pretty good, some poor. Your efforts have to be, sort of, fool proof and unambiguous as to what message and concepts you are delivering and your selection grading of the various possible/applicable concepts. If your final paper is marked by someone who has little tech understanding and marketability nouse, then it has to be spelled out for them so you achieve a score you deserve.
Hope this adds a different perspective to the work you are doing, it is a great unique idea.
PS, Pink may be a nice colour to some, but it is a colour which is the hardest to see in the dark.
Cheers
RMD

Yeah, pics are low res and physically small, makes the whole process near impossible to give a good opinion................ IMHO

Adam, I trust your final product doesn't have the same illegible writing as your notes!!

Large, clear text, with unambiguous, concise instructions, is the very basic starting point for any product that is designed to be used by a very wide range of end-users - covering many people from substantially different cultural backgrounds, widely differing physical condition, and widely differing education, reading and comprehension skills.

Keep in mind that a large proportion of the people who need assistance in remote areas after getting into trouble, come from countries and cultural backgrounds, that are vastly different to the quintessential "Australian Outback" type, who is generally very experienced with remote Australian conditions.

Cheers, Ron.

UmAdam,

If you haven’t already done so, check out a product called “Rescue Swag”. It may give you some further ideas for your final design. As others have said, your sketches are very hard to read.Epirbs & PLBs are will ultimately determine the final cost. A Satelite phone could be something else to consider, but they need a SIM card & a plan of some description.

Macca.

Hi All,

Thank you all very much for your extremely valuable feedback, i'm surprised how much I have received and how detailed it is :)

I see the issue with the sketches, these are only initial ideas and are fairly rough.

I don't think they've uploaded as well as I hoped so I'm going to re upload them directly on to this thread in the hope that they might be slightly more legible.

Cheers!

Without wanting to dampen Adams enthusiasm, I question whether there is a genuine need for such a product. People who have any sort of a clue would already have the makings of such a kit anyway (Recovery, first aid, communications, tools, spares, and carry enough food, water to survive a few days) and the rest (e.g. backpackers) probably wouldn't even think to buy one because that will mean the beer budget will take a hit.

(reminds me of the time a bunch of backpackers drowned their car in a creek on Fraser Island and the only thing that stayed dry was the case of beer sitting on the passenger seat)

Regardless, I've suggested he might think about adding the following into his kit that he may not have thought about:
Flint and Steel fire starter (cheap, easy, lasts virtually forever and works even if everything gets wet)
Water purification tables and/or water filter
Plastic Tarp and large Plastic bags
Light Rope.
Good quality bush knife
Small torch
Small mirror for signalling
Roll of Gaffer/Cloth tape

I'm definitely no expert in remote travel so if I've missed anything obvious add it to the list.

Good Luck Adam. Let us know how it goes

Simon

G’day Adam
As you can see some people ( we do) already have developed their own “kit”
But I believe there would be a market for various levels of kit, so as to have a different price range.
Like everything, you expect to pay for what you get.

Great project! Good luck.

We carry 2 such kits in the OKA. Both are back packs. Both are easily accessible from the front of the vehicle. They are styled on the yachties "grab bags" that would be used in a "we are sinking" emergency.

#1 kit is a small back pack which we would routinely uses on walks of under 1 hour to most of the day. It has enough space to also accommodate other stuff, like extra water and lunch. Contains basic first aid kit, hand held UHF, PLB, 4L of water, fire lighting stuff etc. Probably weighs 6 or 7 kg.

#2 kit is more extensive and includes stuff like flares, space blankets, extra first aid stuff, prescription drugs, extra water torch, spare batteries, an emergency food supply, thermal under wear and probably weighs about 12-15kg. Its purpose is for the "crash and burn" event and the intention is that it can be thrown from the window if necessary.

Priorities are 1, survival and 2, communication.
We keep a list of the contents of each bag and check and update the contents on a regular basis.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Hi Adam, Have looked at your designs and the only one I think suitable is the soft pack. Can be fitted in a multitude of locations dependant on the individual's storage. Apart from the normal first aid items consider snake bite compression bandage which has the tension indicators incorporated into the weave of the bandage, thermal space blanket which can double as a tarp and a reflector to attract attention. The pack also has to be light and soft enough so whilst easily accessible but does not become a missile in the event of a vehicle roll over, the forces involved in such a situation are immense. When considering colours go with the standard industrial HiVis colours, probably the fluro yellow as the orange colour would tend to blend in with the desert background. Good luck with the project.

Now that I read the diagrams, I can see that #5 most closely follows my version of a go bag.
My go bag needs to have everything I need to egress the vehicle in haste with the possibility of not receiving help for a period of 5 days(remote camping and enabling help via sat phone in my case) and worst case the vehicle is on fire denying me any of its assets after things have calmed down..
So communication first, followed by sustaining life until help arrives.
Basically the go bag for me needs to be accessible from the driving position which probably rules out most of your 'containers'
However since there are so many possible combination of needs and expectations nothing you propose will suit everyone, but trying may help some hehe.......