Survival kits info.

[Sarge47]

I was looking at some of the pre made survival kits that someone can buy (even thought I think it is better to make your own) and i saw a pencil in some what survival purpose dose it have??? seems like they would only put things in there that would only help you survive and the only thing I could come up with was strickly for mental reasons

while im here I have been wondering about the age of the people here

Okay Dawg, I'm 60. But my wife'll give you odds on that as she claims I've never "grown-up". Guess I'm maxed out on "Peter-Pan Syndrome". My music choices give my peers headaches, but like we always say, if it's too loud yer too old! The pencil should be included in all survival kits along with some paper. (I recommend "Rite-in-the -Rain") This can help you draw a map of your present position in case you want to strike out a bit in either direction but be able also to find your way back. You could also leave a note of where you're heading in case a search party comes up behind you. And finally, if you shaved it down with your knife it would make great "emergency" tinder.
Maybe RickSAR has more on this, or any other wolves here.

[ZTGuy]

Hey there SurvivalScout! I like your take on using Survival kits. You HAVE to take the darn things out in the bush and test them out. You HAVE to practice using the stuff in those kits. Trust me, just because you have some hooks and fishing line in your kit, don't assume it's easy turning that into fresh food! Just for fun, ask some of the guys that love fishing if they catch fish all the time, even with their fancy and high-tech gear? Will that little pack of salt help you when you're needing nutrition? Can that dinky little Xacto blade or razor blade in there, actually do anything bush related, when you need a blade?

Everything in your kit should be tested and used by you, personally and either in there because it works or out of there because, for you it doesn't work well enough. There have been SO many advancements made in this area in the last few decades, that a person can put together a VERY powerful little Survival Kit, without breaking the bank these days. That, along with the real knowledge of how to use it, will instill a pile of confidence, even in the shyer types of survivors out there. Being positive and confident, in life, is your ace in the hole, your hidden magic, that will keep you alive where others of lesser metal would perish from depression and anguish and fear and stupidity or the cold, long before hunger took them...

Thanx for posting this SS, and for reminding all of us to get out there even more often, and practice our skills even more than before. Life is short. Let's do stuff we really like, more often than we did before even...


lb

Amen, brother!!! Very well stated.

[wareagle69]

vilwest are you insinuating that fire is higher on the priority list than shelter?

[wareagle69]

i don't think so shelter is always #1
if you had a fire and no shelter what is going to protect you and the fire from the elements

[FrankyFourFingers]

I always bring duct tape. It can do anything. Make arrow flights, temporarily patch up blisters, help tie a raft ( or shelter), fix clothing and shoes. Obviously this is not the most important thing (it is not more important than a knife or flint) but it might be the most versitile thing you can carry. I usually re-roll the tape on a ball point pen or pencil to make it more compact to carry. If you bring your wife along ( my wife will occasionally make it on a camping trip or two), it can also be used as a noise reducer if you place it correctly across her lips ; ).

[FVR]

Fire = life.

I will prep. for a fire before bldg. a shelter. Nothing worse than a nice shelter, with no fire for warmth.

But then I do my trekking in the winter months. And anyway, if you have a wool blanket and a piece of canvas, your shelter is just a wrap away.

Wool blankets are a wonderful thing.

[spiritman]

Fire=shelter. what does a shelter do? what does a fire do? when you list off what each does for you the list will match with the exception of stop precipitation so put it under a tree which i guess is a simple shelter but is not always necessary. fire + tree = shelterus personalis beneficious maximus

[owl_girl]

Fire=shelter. what does a shelter do? what does a fire do? when you list off what each does for you the list will match with the exception of stop precipitation so put it under a tree which i guess is a simple shelter but is not always necessary. fire + tree = shelterus personalis beneficious maximus

Or fire + tree = really really big fire!

[Sarge47]

Fire=shelter. what does a shelter do? what does a fire do? when you list off what each does for you the list will match with the exception of stop precipitation so put it under a tree which i guess is a simple shelter but is not always necessary. fire + tree = shelterus personalis beneficious maximus

What if your in an area where there are no trees, and building a fire is out of the question, like in the artic, desert, above tree line in the mountains, or at sea?

[trax]

What if your in an area where there are no trees, and building a fire is out of the question, like in the artic, desert, above tree line in the mountains, or at sea?

Also, if you build your fire in a place where you are still largely exposed and the overall temperature is quite cold, that fire is going to be pulling cold air in from behind you, any kind of shelter is better than that, even if you're just keeping your back covered from the wind.

[WildGoth]

i've trying to make a good survival kit here is the list of items that i can think of off the top of my head

1 buck fixed partially serrated knife
1 normal bladed knife
6 glow sticks
1 medical kit bandages,ontiment etc
1 hatchet
1 saw
1 survival thermal blanket
1 muti-tool
50 feet of nolyon cordage
1 whistle
2 signaling mirror
2 compasses

that is all i can think of

[wareagle69]

i would double the para cord. drop to only one signal mirror and only one quality compass. my compass is attached to a lanyard which is always afixed to me, so not much chance of losing, but would aslo suggest a topo map of where you are going. now if this is a survival kit that would mean you are using it in a survival scenario i would not be travelling anyhow(unless staying put meant certain death) i would be waiting for ricsar to come rescue me.

[Sarge47]

Like WE69 I'd double the para-cord and lose one of the mirrors. You have both a hatchet and a saw but nothing to start a fire with. I like flint & steel as it also works in any conditions at any time. Add some water-proof matches in a match safe and a candle, it has many uses. 2 or 3 trash bags would also be good. You should also have a large square of aluminum foil and a water container like a Nalgene water bottle or a military canteen with a canteen cup as the cup can be used as a cooking pot. Unless you've studied on how to use a compass and have a pretty good idea what lies around you even one compass isn't any good, however you only need one good quality compass along with a good topographical map. You also need to learn how to use them, otherwise why carry them? Remember, your most important item of survival is your mind and what you put into it! If you already have the knives you listed that's cool, but if not I would make one of them a folder. Now go buy yourself a good swiss army knife. Your local Target store should carry an assortment of the Victorinox brand,if you can't find one there consider also Wenger, but I wouldn't waste money on any of the others. The last two items are important: A poncho or rain coat and a tarp. The MPI All weather Sportsman's blanket, which is the original space blanket by the way, can also be used as a tarp. They range in price up to about $15. I like the one with the bright orange on one side but if your into camo Major's Surplus 'n Survival carries them in od. Hope that helps, I thought we did this already on another thread.

[robneville73]

I might consolidate the fixed-blade knives and hatchet into a single, large Kukri as it will serve well in all of those capacities.

Ditch the glow sticks in favor of one of those keychain LEDs, just make sure it's one with a switch so that it says on, not one you have to hold down to keep it on.

I might leave the bandages and instead wrap duct tape around something in your kit. It has a million uses and can be used (with something as the actual dressing) as a bandage as well.

I'd keep both compasses, just in case and it's always reassuring when two of them point the same way - as long as they're small enough.

I agree with the others, more para cord. Wrap some around the hilt of you knife or something. 100ft minimum - this stuff, like duct tape has SOOO many uses it's ridiculous.

For fire, I would have a magnesium firestarter and a cheap butane lighter. Both are waterproof, compact and will provide thousands of fires, long after matches will be used up. Practice using a bow-drill and your firestarter when camping, they're both pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

I might also throw in some stuff to help catch food: small game snares, bare-minimum tackle (i.e. some fishing line and some hooks) maybe a slingshot band?

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[trax]

as rants go, that one was not bad at all. Pretty good rant. I think it would probably get a 95 or 96, because the Russian judges are always biased.

[wareagle69]

yep what he said..

[WildGoth]

you guys have any ideas as to where to get some waterproof matchs or a flint stiker i've been looking for one for a long time

[nell67]

amazon.com is a good place to look,also google survival gear,or look at the site sponsers ,listed on this site.

[Tony uk]

My turn to rant.

Another survival kit thread ?
Are people even reading threads ?

Just in this section we already have 4 threads on survival kits, and 2 were started by.........Wildgoth. Hellooooo!

Talk about redundancy. I understand that some topics will come back over and over again, and that's ok, since new people arrive all the time and questions have to be answered. But another survival kit thread is just...not needed.

so here we go again...
Amazon
Book
Build the perfect survival kit
Buy
The end.

If you do have to talk about it, for advice or who knows what, don't start a new thread, just continue the one(s) that is(are) appropriate.
Saves space and time.

End rant.

If you want then ask Chris to merge them !, My rant is over for the day

I had some.....Ideas about a survival kits when i started off but i reccomend following a shop bought kit and taking out the stuff you will less likely need and putting in the stuff you normaly use

[WildGoth]

yeah but if you make one your self you can trust it unlike a store made one because some don't care if you are in danger they just want to make a quick buck it happened to me when i brought a mageiusm lighter