Yuri Krivonischenco's Copper wire and Silk Ribbon.

[DAXXY]

Probably for simple rabbit snares.  The strong silk ribbon fastens the wire snare noose to a peg in the ground or a low branch near the ground on a rabbit or hare track.  There are different types of snares but the wire and ribbon would be the basic essentials.

[sarapuk]

Probably for simple rabbit snares.  The strong silk ribbon fastens the wire snare noose to a peg in the ground or a low branch near the ground on a rabbit or hare track.  There are different types of snares but the wire and ribbon would be the basic essentials.

Or not. I have heard of steel and brass being used along with strong cord but not Copper and Silk Ribbon  !  ? 

[DAXXY]

Yes brass, steel, the wire here may also be being described as copper because of it's colour.  It could be copper covered steel, it might be brass and wrongly described,  would they have examined it really thoroughly ? also the ribbon fastening it to a peg takes the load off the wire if the animal struggles. Silk is pretty strong, stronger than cord of the same size. Rustem Slobodin had 2 cords also, not described as laces.  Maybe they were snare equipment too, or possibly tourniquets, Just guessing though. 
Semyon Zolotaryov had a ball of thread (maybe silk, for fishing or snares, or maybe for sewing a wound or clothing repair.  He had an onion which is antibacterial (Igor carried strepacid) and newspaper to pack under wet clothes to create an air space to prevent hypothermia. Semyon, Nikolay, Aleksander, Rustem had burnable Pieces of paper to start a fire or help the stove get going. All clever simple low tech methods.

[RidgeWatcher]

Copper wire is also an excellent conductor for radios, etc. I don’t remember if they had a radio but it wouldn’t do them much good in the Urals. There were probably several Dayton Pass hikers who could build a radio, considering their studies and degrees. Or, maybe they may have traded some inexpensive articles for the wire amongst the locals. Copper wire is very malleable and would bend very easily.

[DAXXY]

It may have been all he could get. May also have been copper coated steel.  Also when snaring rabbits the silk cord would take the stress off the wire noose if the animal struggled.  Often a snared rabbit will sit quiet once it knows its caught. Then the hunter can come back and find it and kill it quickly.  If he had the wire and silk ribbon all he would need to make is a wooden peg, if he didn't have a low branch to tie it too, and a stick with a split in one end to support the noose from the ground. (known as a Tealer)If using a ground peg you want the snare 6-8 inches off the ground and six-8 inches wide, the rabbit needs to fit his head and ears through without being spooked or knocking the noose out of the way.

I have heard that the thumbs up hand sign comes from being the right height to set a snare which is why it's seen as a sign for good fortune because it provided food for poor people.  The fingers represent the rabbits head and the thumb is the ears. 

[Manti]

I doubt they hunted.

While mountain hare lives in the Urals, the hikers were city dwellers and probably didn't know how to set up snares. But even if they did, they were on a tour, constantly moving, and generally their route didn't take them back to where they passed before so even if they set up traps, they would have no chance to check if any animal was caught.

I think there are multiple possible uses for these materials, for example silk ribbon is excellent as a shoelace. And metal wire was mentioned as the material that was used on Semyon's boots to repair them (probably this happened before the expedition, but still).

The fact they took these with themselves from the tent is not significant in my opinion because it looks like they had either no time or opportunity to take their warm clothes. So it follows they also couldn't choose what else to take, these items were simply already in their pockets when they were in the tent. Or possibly in their hand when something happened and made them leave the tent, and they later put the items in their pockets to free up their hands.

[DAXXY]

It may just have been for a back up.  in case they needed it. Like a first aid kit.  Its light weight, quick to use. Used properly very calorie efficient.   Just make a few snares, put them out in the evening,  check them in the morning.
Semyon Zolotaryov had a ball of thread, possibly silk, for fishing.  They seemed to carry these items randomly as survival kit.  Like matches, pocket knife, newspaper, the onion, the compass, all spread among the members of the group.  Survival kit items should stay on your person.  To save one person carrying it all they shared the items out.   

The personal kit list mentions matches twice, one in a tin box which I think would be for emergency use only.

[eurocentric]

It could have been a spare string for his mandolin, a D string was mentioned in the tent inventory. I've been reading how mandolin strings can require an 80% copper mix, to help give them their tone, and can be finished in bronze, which I suppose may wear off.

Though there are references in the diaries to Rustem playing it so well, according to the case files both Yuri's brother and Yuri Yudin confirmed the mandolin belonged to Yuri K. A white one, as shown in this colourised image hanging on the wall behind Igor.




Russian folk song:


They did take some odd things though, Yuri K had a toy bear, and Rustem had a rubber bear and a toy hedgehog. Semyon had a magazine called Crocodile, Igor some 'horn rimmed glasses'.

https://dyatlovpass.com/case-files-11-20?rbid=17743

[DAXXY]

It could have been a spare string for his mandolin, a D string was mentioned in the tent inventory. I've been reading how mandolin strings can require an 80% copper mix, to help give them their tone, and can be finished in bronze, which I suppose may wear off.

Though there are references in the diaries to Rustem playing it so well, according to the case files both Yuri's brother and Yuri Yudin confirmed the mandolin belonged to Yuri K. A white one, as shown in this colourised image hanging on the wall behind Igor.




Russian folk song:


They did take some odd things though, Yuri K had a toy bear, and Rustem had a rubber bear and a toy hedgehog. Semyon had a magazine called Crocodile, Igor some 'horn rimmed glasses'.

https://dyatlovpass.com/case-files-11-20?rbid=17743

For the searchers to know it was a 'D' string it must have been labeled or in a packet.  The mandolin was left in the store as unnecessary.  I think it was part of their general survival kit. Fresh rabbit or hare would have been a welcome change from salt pork loin or smoked meat.  If it was an extension aerial for the radio receiver it would have been stored with the radio.  Sometimes people will use guitar strings for snares.

In the tarpaulin jacket and pants of I. Dyatlov  there was wire,
The repair kit had wire also

[eurocentric]

According to the link Igor also had some wire, in his tarpaulin jacket/trouser pockets, and Rustem had some as part of the repair kit. Semyon's shoes had been repaired with wire.
 
Taking wire for trapping would make sense if they were setting up enough of them and remaining in one place. The animals they would seek to trap would not be nocturnal.

According to the link Yuri's mandolin string was found on his jacket, as opposed to being separately listed as being in his pockets - whatever this means.

"In the pocket of the tarpaulin jacket are found comb, compass and scissors. On the tarpaulin jacket were 2 badges: 2nd sport category and "hiker", string "D" for the mandolin, and a toy "bear"."

[DAXXY]

He might have just dropped them on his jacket on leaving the tent. Say just took them out of a trouser pocket.

I'm bald so I had 1200 rabbits tattooed on my head.
My wife asked me why ?
I told her they look like hares from a distance