survival kit

[huntermj]

I've read the stickies here and still have not seen a general agreement about what to carry for a 3 day bob or general survival kit. i have a greet place to try out a kit less then a mile from my house. If you people can come up with a three day kit i will take it out and and try it. This would be from Friday after work till Sunday afternoon. And i will only include what the folks here agree on as a final kit. Chances are if you can think of it , i most likely have it, if not , ill buy it.within reason. So i will put that kit together and use nothing else, This will be a real life serinero. The mods will have to be the final judges as to what is in the kit. if they agree. The kit should be appropriate for my area. I live in Grand Isle county Vermont .And i could fish in lake Champlain. The kit should be no bigger then what a day hiker would carry. I would like to eventually see kits listed for all different climates. but lets start with one for now. This would be for weekend of aug,6, For my part il will live this and take pictures and videos i just would need one person to say this is what u get.

[Rick]

I don't think you can come to a consensus on what a kit should hold. It's going to depend on where you are, what season you are in and what knowledge you have. My kit for winter survival here in the Midwest would be much different than Crash's in Florida and Sourdough's in Alaska. Old Soldier might not carry as much in his kit for winter as I would in mine because he has military survival training and I don't. Someone might not believe in or need backups whereas I'm a firm believer in them.

I think the key is what is right for you. If you can answer that question then all of the other opinions really don't matter in terms of what you should carry. Just my opinion.

[huntermj]

Thank You i believe you are correct.
But i am willing to try this. Its summer in new England and your lost. You thought you were on a day hike. But now your lost. Whats in my pack? or rather what should be in my pack.
If this was winter i would not be so open to suggestions but, lets see what this may bring.

[huntermj]

Oh' experince level, lets say joe dayhiker. Average joe. My experince level is not important. as i will only have what is given. As so many people come here with just average joe experince.
In the end i woud like to see good kit list for all seasons on this site. not just general info. please provide a list of what i will need with the reason why i will need it. A final list aproved by the mods would be br great.

[your_comforting_company]

It is all dependent on the environment. Wareagle packs extremely differently from what I pack, but each of our packs are designed to be efficient in our locale.
Odds are, you aren't going to just wake up one day stranded somewhere that's not on a map. There should be lots of general geography books available at your local library (gotta love the library!)

I think the effective list you are looking for is going to be a list of terrainss, with "bare necceties for that environment" with stuff added to that.

Rather than setting up a scenario, lets define several different terrains, like dense forest, prarie, desert, snow, etc, and we'll all have a go at setting up kits for the ones we have experience with.
Maybe a better idea? I really would like to see more specific kits. There are several different types of terrain around here and I like to pack for all, but if I had a few seperate smaller bags in the bigger bag, everything would at least be more organized!

Maybe you could keep the lists updated in the OP up top?

[welderguy]

Here is what I always carry , not just when out hiking, but daily no matter where I am going.
On my person:
1. 1911 ( personal defense)

2. Gerber obsidian folder

3. lighter ( not only because I smoke but for starting a fire)

4. small flashlight ( single AAA cell on key chain)

5. small fire steel rod ( also on key chain)

6. leatherman surge


In my Bag.

1. first aid kit

2. fire starting kit ( contains fire steel , striker, matches, lighter, PJ cotton balls, tea candles)

3. mess kit ( 3 tuna packets, 3 spam packets, 2 instant oatmeal packets, 2 instant grits,pack of beef jerky, 4 instant coffee, 2 tea bags, salt, pepper.

4. stainless water bottle

5 . small lock blade

6. 2 fixed blade knives, a Mora, and a bushman.

7. compass

8. small fishing kit ( 6 hooks, 25 yards 6# line, 25 yards 12# line assorted split shot, several assorted crappie jigs)

But no matter how much gear an individual has with them is worthless if they don't know how to use it.

[Sarge47]

I'm going to suggest you read the book: "Build the Perfect Survival Kit,: by John D. McCann. There you will find all of the info you need. :cool2:

[SARKY]

ideally you want to cover the basics,
1: water
2: shelter
3: fire
4: food
5: signals
6: map & compass
7: first-aid

[Ken]

ideally you want to cover the basics,
1: water
2: shelter
3: fire
4: food
5: signals
7: first-aid

And watch your 6. You don't wanna' lose that. Really tough navigating without a 6, I'll tell ya'. :innocent:

[Rick]

What Sarky said. The 10 Essentials are a starting point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials

[skully]

I don't think you can come to a consensus on what a kit should hold. It's going to depend on where you are, what season you are in and what knowledge you have. My kit for winter survival here in the Midwest would be much different than Crash's in Florida and Sourdough's in Alaska. Old Soldier might not carry as much in his kit for winter as I would in mine because he has military survival training and I don't. Someone might not believe in or need backups whereas I'm a firm believer in them.

I think the key is what is right for you. If you can answer that question then all of the other opinions really don't matter in terms of what you should carry. Just my opinion

well idealy you would have a kit that suits all terrains ie(wind & water proof matches rope and so on) i have a kit like this and if you attempt to make a kit like this and find you have too many items then you dont have enough knowledge on survival its best to know what can replace an item with some knowledge.

[welderguy]

Looking at my list I posted and actually looking at my bag this morning I seem to have omitted a few key items, space blanket, rain poncho, trash bags.

[Rick]

It's Sarky, Ken. His six is all about stealth. I know if I needed someone on my six I'd want Sarky there!!

[Ken]

Looking at my list I posted and actually looking at my bag this morning I seem to have omitted a few key items, space blanket, rain poncho, trash bags.

I carry a space blanket AND a space bivy in my kit. (I also keep a tube tent in my medium size pack.)

The space blanket is a true multi-purpose item. It can be used as ground cover, as a rain barrier, as a heat reflector, as a rain water collector, and as a signalling device, among a few thousand other uses. Thing is, it makes a lousy blanket by itself. It's too small and flimsy, and if you plan on wrapping yourself up in one, just plan on staying awake to hold it in place.

The space bivy solves that problem. Just climb in like a regular sleeping bag. It'll help keep you warm and dry far better than the blanket will. It takes just a bit more room than the blanket in your kit. With the nylon stuff-sack, it weighs in at 6.9 ounces and opens to 84 x 36 inches.

http://media.rei.com/media/q/1057185.jpg (http://www.rei.com/features/zoom.html?img440=/media/q/1057185%26style=750938%26sku=7509380015&imageServiceHost=http://www.rei.com/&productInfoServiceHost=http://www.rei.com/&TB_iframe=true&height=513&width=700)

http://media.rei.com/media/rr/5de4f505-9d29-452d-be05-3558230559ec.jpg (http://www.rei.com/features/zoom.html?img440=/media/rr/5de4f505-9d29-452d-be05-3558230559ec%26style=750938%26sku=7509380015&imageServiceHost=http://www.rei.com/&productInfoServiceHost=http://www.rei.com/&TB_iframe=true&height=513&width=700)

http://www.survival-gear.com/survival-gear-images/tube-tent.jpg

Just remember, for added warmth, you can build a debris shelter OVER/AROUND the tube tent. Thing is, it weighs 17 ozs. My Black Diamond HiLight 2 tent weighs 3 lbs. 2 oz. and packs to 6 x 9 inches. Sometimes having so many options makes it so hard to decide.......... :innocent:

[welderguy]

Ken, what are the dimensions of the packed up space bivy?

[Ken]

Ken, what are the dimensions of the packed up space bivy?

About 4" x 7"

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.summithut.com/img/230/17/DA8C/233/320w.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.summithut.com/products/thermo-lite-2-bivy-sack/&usg=__XZaGe9PmttLJjdhcqE4akqnuY7k=&h=319&w=320&sz=15&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ZNthsPJ2I3TVaM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dadventure%2Bmedical%2Bbivy%2Bsack%26u m%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

Or you can check this one out........

http://gearjunkie.com/gear-review-adventure-medical-kits-bivy-sacks

[welderguy]

Thanks for the links Ill have to add that to my bag .

[mountain mama]

my BOB includes:

Waterproof matches
candle
Flint
Magnifying glass (fresnel lens)
Needles (several, 1 lrg eye) & strong thread
Fish hooks & line
Luminous button compass
Beta light
Snare wire (2-3 ft) brass
Flexible saw
Medical kit
Analgesic – hydrocodone
Immodium
Antibiotic
Benadryl
Water sterilizing tablets
Anti-malaria tablets
Potassium permanganate
2 Surgical blades
2 Butterfly sutures
Bandaids – assorted sizes
Condom
1 Leatherman Micra / spyderco folding wallet knife
char cloth
duct tape
5 tinder-quick fire tabs
Photon micro-light II
Small packet of antibiotic ointment
Piece of glue stick
Instructions for water purification tablets and fishing knots
6 Safety pins
2 ft aluminum foil
Tweezers
Golf pencil
3 sheets waterproof paper



SURVIVAL POUCH
Tallow candle
Snakebite kit
SAS Survival Handbook
Mess tin – aluminum
Fuel – stove
Flashlight
4 flares
Marker panel
Matches
Food
Tubes of butter
Dehydrated meat
Salt tablets
Electrolite powder
Survival bag/space blanket – polythene heat-insulated
Survival log
Folding knife
Parang
Wet stone
Duct tape
2 heavy duty (55gal) trashbags
550 cord
.22
50mg hydrocortisone tablet
Emergency poncho
Antibacterial wipes
Socks/underwear in Ziplock bag
Frontier water filter
MREs
Bouillon cubes
Whistle
Bandana
Travel roll toilet paper
Zip lock bags
Butane lighter
safety pins
cotton balls soaked in Vaseline in a 35mm plastic film canister
40 steel wool
4 ft surgical tubing
Pink lady candle
Bleach
Bear spray
Roll up sunglasses
Bible

[huntermj]

The comments here have helped me to define what im thinking and asking.
Ok YCC had a good idea. A bob should be for the environment your in and I‘ll add season your in, as an example, In Idaho a person could go from woods to desert to prairie. In New England its all the same, deep thick woods. But we go from highs of 95 deg. To lows of -20 deg. Depending on the season. I have taken out and used nothing but my emergency pack before but it has been several years and that was in Colorado and there water is really a big concern while here its of almost no concern. Except for treating it like I apparently failed to do well enough on my backpacking trip as I now have an infestation of Giardiasis
.I guess my question is, is it possible to put tighter a bob for all seasons and environments in the lower 48? That does not require a semi to haul it. Something under 20 pounds.
Impossible I know. But there are some good thinkers here.

[Ken]

Under 20 lbs? Impossible, Hunter. Just the weight of the clothes and shoes I wear changes by 15 lbs. between September and January. Add in all of the other seasonal stuff..... not a chance. Not for me, anyway.

[Rick]

I don't want to make this a list so I'll give you some categories to think about and then you can fill in what you need.

Personal needs such as glasses, medications, durable medical goods (diabetes, ostomy supplies, etc.), clothing, gloves, hygiene, sunglasses (winter and summer).

Baby needs. diapers, powder, formula, pacifier, powdered milk, prescription meds, play things.

Anything that deals with disabilities; hearing, visual, communicative, cognitive, wheel chairs. All those things have to be thought out.

Pets; collars and tags, copies of shot records, food, etc.

Farm Animals: Pre-arrangements in advance for relocation or other options such as slaughter.

Personal records, licenses, certifications, wills, land deeds, DOD, Birth certificates, marriage license, etc. (copies of course)

Money and barter items.

Sanitation supplies

Food and water

Tools

Communication methods and plan

First Aid kit

The purpose of your BOB is to sustain you and your family for a period of X days. You might even have to start life over in some other location. A lot of folks never went back to New Orleans after Katrina. That means your Paramedic License had better be in your BOB if you want to go to work in short order.

Think about what you would need to live for whatever period of time you want to plan for. And considerable the possibility that you may not be able to return to your home. What documents and records would you need to start life over?

I know that sounds like a lot but your tools might be a multi-tool, a knife and some duct tape. It could also be a lot more. Either way, it's up to you.

Hope that helps.

[welderguy]

The comments here have helped me to define what im thinking and asking.
Ok YCC had a good idea. A bob should be for the environment your in and I‘ll add season your in, as an example, In Idaho a person could go from woods to desert to prairie. In New England its all the same, deep thick woods. But we go from highs of 95 deg. To lows of -20 deg. Depending on the season. I have taken out and used nothing but my emergency pack before but it has been several years and that was in Colorado and there water is really a big concern while here its of almost no concern. Except for treating it like I apparently failed to do well enough on my backpacking trip as I now have an infestation of Giardiasis
.I guess my question is, is it possible to put tighter a bob for all seasons and environments in the lower 48? That does not require a semi to haul it. Something under 20 pounds.
Impossible I know. But there are some good thinkers here.

Huntermj, I cant see having everything needed for under 20# , my bag and gear with minimal water weighs close to if not a little over 20# and thats in warm weather, in cold weather I add a change of cloths, along with boots, and im sure that almost doubles the weight. just a question, but are you maybe thinking just a survival kit and not a BOB?

[huntermj]

Ok under 30 pounds. With the right kowlage in any conditions, I feel a person with the Knowalage and three days of gear will figure it out, I just sppent 7 days out with 35 pounds. if it had been winter it would have been maybe 50 pounds.,I guess im just hoping for added info on what to carry no mater where i am,i am.No matter what time of year it is.

[welderguy]

Ok under 30 pounds. With the right kowlage in any conditions, I feel a person with the Knowalage and three days of gear will figure it out, I just sppent 7 days out with 35 pounds. if it had been winter it would have been maybe 50 pounds.,I guess im just hoping for added info on what to carry no mater where i am,i am.No matter what time of year it is.

The best thing you can carry with you in the field is Knowladge, remember that saying " the more you know the less you have to carry"

[BushedOut]

Hi,

Just to add (and possibly repeat(reinforce :-)) it really depends on.

1) Where you are (Climate etc)
2) What you can use.

My kit includes:
-Flint & striker
-Waterproof strike anywhere matches (broken in half to save space)
-Cotton balls (tinder and prevents items from rattling around)
-10 ft of snare wire
-6 small hooks
-6 small splitshot sinkers
-Bandaids
-Butterfly sutures
-Razor blade or flat 2 edged broadhead blade
-Needles wrapped with braided 10lb test fishing line
-Triple anti-biotic ointment
-Anti-histamine tablet (benedryl for allergic reactions)
-Aspirin (in case of emergency heart attack)
-Ibuprophen (pain relief for injuries)
-Wire saw
-Small piece of candy or chocolate
-Electrolyte packet or tablets
-Water purification tablets
-Button compass
-Boullion cube or packet
-Mini magnifying glass (can be found with most eye-glasses repair kits)
-Compact emergency whistle
-Birthday candle (preferably the trick ones that are difficult to extinguish)
-Condom (used for a water bag)

Hope it helps!

[finallyME]

Yeah, I think you can get under 20 lbs for winter for 3 days. A backpacker who carries their own food and shelter and not surviving can do that. 3 days is a very short time. For 3 days, your food load should be around 4.5 lbs. That is not starving but eating over 3000 calories a day with no foraging or hunting. The question is what "comforts" can you go without, and how much are you willing to spend?

[Ken]

Yeah, I think you can get under 20 lbs for winter for 3 days. A backpacker who carries their own food and shelter and not surviving can do that. 3 days is a very short time. For 3 days, your food load should be around 4.5 lbs. That is not starving but eating over 3000 calories a day with no foraging or hunting. The question is what "comforts" can you go without, and how much are you willing to spend?

I agree. However, I interpreted hunter's question to ask about a BOB that would cover all 4 seasons. I could never achieve that, especially if I started out this time of year. Why? Because I wouldn't be WEARING my winter clothes - they would be in my BOB, adding substantial weight to the pack. Now, if we were in January, I would be wearing those clothes and could probably get by with a 20 lb. pack.


.I guess my question is, is it possible to put tighter a bob for all seasons and environments in the lower 48? That does not require a semi to haul it. Something under 20 pounds.
Impossible I know. But there are some good thinkers here.

[mountain mama]

According to the book "Organize for Disaster", your Essential Documents should include:

• PROOF OF YOUR IDENTITY
1. Driver’s License
2. Birth Certificates
3. Passport
4. Social Security Cards
• VITAL CONTACTS AND VITAL CODES
1. Employer
2. Banks, investment institutions
3. Credit card companies
4. Insurance agents and appraisers
5. Power, light, gas, and other utility companies
6. Dept. of Motor Vehicles
• IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
1. Trust records, originals
2. Copies of the first two pages of your state and federal income tax returns for the past two years
3. Copies of your credit cards (both sides) or the most recent statement from each credit card company
4. Deeds, titles, escrow, mortgage notes, or other loan information for real estate
5. Stock and bond certificates
6. Vehicle titles and registrations including automobiles, motorcycles, boats, campers, recreational vehicles, etc.
7. Appraisals for rare, collectible or expensive items such as artwork, antiques, and jewelry
• Unique family documents


I keep all this stuff in a divided notebook next to my BOB along with $300 emergency cash

[finallyME]

I agree. However, I interpreted hunter's question to ask about a BOB that would cover all 4 seasons. I could never achieve that, especially if I started out this time of year. Why? Because I wouldn't be WEARING my winter clothes - they would be in my BOB, adding substantial weight to the pack. Now, if we were in January, I would be wearing those clothes and could probably get by with a 20 lb. pack.

Ken, your thinking is sound, I was purposefully interpreting it differently. I am interpreting the 3 days part more literally. Personally I would never make a BOB that only lasted 3 days. But, the OP said 3 days in any weather. Your point is that it is a BOB, and hence everything is in the BOB including all clothing. I still say it can be done. You will just have to make a lot of sacrifice, fiscally and comfort wise. All your insulation will have to be down. All fabric will have to be very light weight. Your food is all non-cook, and you only carry 2 L of water. You have tablets to purify. You use a tarp with no bug net, and ccf pads instead of air mattress. No soap, or hygiene items. Your first aid kit is very small. Your foot wear must be very minimal (no boots). Your pack has to weigh less than 3 lbs. 3 days is not very long, and thus makes this all possible.

[huntermj]

yas i think this is possable. And the more i thike about it , doable. and 3 days is doable as a bob or ghb. any season. I think the abilty to build a shelter and a fire is key. knoldge is the best tool. Yes i want to put toghter a bag that help me in all seasons, from 95 deg, to -20.

also i dont need to carry water. there too much of it here.

[Beans]

A

I keep all this stuff in a divided notebook next to my BOB along with $300 emergency cash

I hope your emergency cash is all in small bills. It would suck giving someone $100 for something that could have been purchased for a couple of bucks if you could have made the change. :winkiss:

Better yet it might be better in silver coins (dollars) as paper money might not be worth anything.