There are a lot of ways you can to find yourself in a jam. Depending on the specifics of the situation, your environment, the time of year and many other factors the tools for getting through the situation at hand with a minimum of discomfort will vary greatly.

Lets looks at a few different scenarios.

• Stranded – Your car breaks down in a remote location. You get lost while hiking. Your boat has mechanical problems, runs out of gas, is dis-masted, or is otherwise disabled. You are involved in a plane crash. These types of events can happen to almost anyone and the common thread is the you want to be found.
• A natural disaster that interrupts normal “essential” services. Major snow and ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and moderate earthquakes all come to mind. Most locales are subject to one or more of these from time to time. In my mind the common thread is that you can, with proper preparation stay where you are and begin repairs to your own property while awaiting the restoration of normal infrastructure. Those conditions may well be better than the ones you would find yourself in if housed in a shelter.
• An apocalyptic event… something so catastrophic that the infrastructure and essential service will not be restored in the foreseeable future. Or as in the case of Fuchishima the area in which you live is no longer safe for habitation and you need to leave, as soon as possible, perhaps never to return.

While there seems to be a lot of interest in how to survive the Apocalypse, the first two scenarios are more common.They are also easier for the minimalist to prepare for.

Becoming stranded is less common than years ago. Most of us are seldom far from civilization. Cars are more reliable than ever. GPS devices have simplified finding your way on land, sea or in the air. We stay touch 24/7 via cell phones. The (over)dependence on these electronic devices often means we are even deeper in trouble when we are stranded and the devices fail.

Everyone I know who depends on a GPS device for direction has been led astray from time to time. When the device fails it may well be too late for “a map would be nice”. Maps and charts are available all over the internet. Print out a copy of you planned trip, including a reasonable distance either side of your intended route.

Let people know where you will be going and your approximate schedule. If something happens it would be nice if you were missed and a rescue effort begun promptly. Your would be rescuers would have an easier time if they knew where to start looking.

Statistically you are better off staying with your disabled car, boat or plane. It will be easier to spot and can provide some shelter. Parts of it can be utilized to make you more comfortable and easier to find.

And that is the key. Make yourself easy to find.

EPIRB’s (marine), ELT’s (aircraft) and PLB’s (personal) are the ne plus ultra in making yourself easy to find. They broadcast a signal on worldwide monitored emergency frequencies. Because they transmit intermittently they have very long battery life and will help rescuers find you day or night, good weather or bad, whether you are fit or injured. Unquestionably the best – but hardly minimalist.

Setting a brightly colored tarp in a clearing; building a large S.O.S. with branches, clothing or whatever is at hand; or building a lingering smoky fire are simple way to make yourself more visible.

A simple piece of gear that is often overlooked is the signal mirror. Here is a Youtube video show just how well a signal mirror can be seen from quite far away.

While signal mirrors only work on mostly clear sunny days they are cheap, durable and don’t require batteries.
Here is one from Amazon for $7

In a pinch the shiny side of a CD or the inside of an Altoids tin can be used as a signal mirror.

In the news recently has been the tragic story of the Canadian couple whose car got stuck in deep snow off the beaten path in the mountains of northeast Nevada. The woman was found after miraculously surviving 7 weeks on very little food. Her husband tried to walk out for help after day three and has not yet been found. I’m left wondering what efforts they made to make themselves visible. They could have taken a seat out of the van, soaked it in gasoline and motor oil scavenged from the van and built a large very smokey fire. In situations like that it’s time to put on your MacGuyver hat and get creative.