Setting up a survival bag

[1stimestar]

Deploy! You have a really good opportunity there that will take care of your basic needs while also giving you time to grow up a bit. I'm not dissing you for being a young man with high ideals, I think our young men SHOULD have high ideals, but well, you may need a bit of help for a while. Then grab that GI bill and go to school and at least learn a trade.

[InTheShadows]

Edit#
Re-doing this thread cuz it went way off topic. First I've been accepted into a university for criminal justice i'm just waiting for school to start. In the mean time i'm bored out of my mind and I've been reading books day in and day out because i haven't had access to internet for a month. I'm happy to say I've learned a lot and looking back on my previous post i feel kinda like an idiot. Truth be told i had little to no experience with winter camping and i thought i needed more than i actually did. See? i read books and watched video's on winter survival and thought OH i can i do that! yeah.. i'm sure a lot of people do that. Spent a few weeks out there in the cold and reduced my kit a lot, realized what was REALLY important. With that i present my new list.. in an effort to redeem myself.

Sleeping & shelter i use 2 wool blankets, a thermal mat and a tarp.
Processing firewood i use a hand saw & my 26" foresters axe. I plan on purchasing a hatchet soon.
Cordage i carry a roll of paracord and a roll of bank line.
GI mess kit and metal bottle placed inside a small bag i fill with leaves to make a pillow. (Inside my mess kit i have a bandanna, small headlamp, & a trash bag)
For hunting/fishing i carry just some hooks (for use with bank line) and a small roll of wire for simple snares. (Still learning how to trap)
I carry a small book for plant and tree ID/ medical uses.

Rest of my pack i stuff with some wool gloves, hat and other clothes. So total weight of my pack went from 70 pounds to 35 pounds that is without food and water.. but it's winter there's water all around me. I figure a pound of food per day would suffice.
Used water proofing spray on my pack so now water simply beads up and rolls off instead of soaking in.

On my waist i carry my knife, a ferro rod with a clip on lanyard w/striker so i don't loose it. A small sharpening stone and leather belt for stropping. I made a leather pouch for my sharpening stone and at the bottom i placed some large needles and thread for repairs.

In conclusion, i think i was trying to learn EVERYTHING at once and i had no real goal in mind. I was simply trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible even IF i didn't necessarily need it. Not a bad thing but priorities have to be made here, so i don't think i can do something that i actually can't. There is a difference between knowing and doing.. thank you for your responses guys!

Deploy! You have a really good opportunity there that will take care of your basic needs while also giving you time to grow up a bit. I'm not dissing you for being a young man with high ideals, I think our young men SHOULD have high ideals, but well, you may need a bit of help for a while. Then grab that GI bill and go to school and at least learn a trade.

Absolutely! it's not a deployment but i'm being sent off for 3 months on a training exercise in a few weeks! Still pushing for one tho

[hunter63]

Congratulations on moving forward......seems like good progress?

[Tokwan]

Hi In The Shadows, I am from Malaysia.

That seems quit a bit of stuff you have in your first post on the survival kit. I'm glad you have managed to reduce your items.
I find that, the more you know what your priorities are in a survival need to situation, the more you know about the location, what stuff you can use from nature, and how to use them flawlessly, you will be able to reduce more.

I frequent Malaysia's Equatorial Forest, and my kit is so small, it will fit in my cargo pants (usually Columbia or Craghoppers or 5.11). I always have my survival kit out of my backpack. Its either on my his (so does my parang, my survival knife and my old military water bottle). Remember, in mosy cases,you will most probably have your backpack unless you camped in a wrong place and all the things get washed away in a flash flood.

Knowing the weather at the time you are hiking will determine what clothes to carry.

Knowing what is in the forest, how to use them will also determine what you need to bring.

I cannot dictate what you need to bring, but I can share what I have.

Based on the hot climate here with very high humidity, it either rains or not....with lots of wood on the floor, bamboo, lots of foliage and wild animals.

My priorities are :-
1. Shelter then fire then water.

In my kit are usually:-

1. Shelter: Sea To Summit Tarp Poncho (which serves a raincoat poncho if it gets pouring) and two pieces of 7/11 disposable ponchos. 100 feet of paracord.

2. Fire Making Kit: Ferro Rod, IMCO Triplex Lighter, Cotton with Vaseline.

3. Water Processing Kit: Iodine (in my first aid kit) Aquatab Water Purification Tablet ( I hate all mass produced water filters as they do not purify. I make my own using bamboo, sand, charcoal etc). My military water bottle and cup which are always on my paracord belt made of 100 feet of paracord.

4. Cutting tools: Ontario Blackbird SK 5 and My Parang, on my belt.

5. First aid kit : Band aids, bandages, sterile strips, stitch kit, post em dressings, aspirins, anti biotics, anti histamine, control loc for gas, iodine and antiseptic cream.

6. For food: Fishing kit and 20 feet of steel snare wires.

That's about it.

In my backpack are my hiking essential items such as either a hammock or tent, tarp, sleep system, Mora Light my fire knife, saw, cookset, stove, food, clothes, a bigger first aid kit, hygenic items, food and collapsible water container. I am into Light backpacking, so my backpack usually weighs around 9 kilogram, (about 20 lbs). I carry the same things either for a 24 hour hike to a week's hike..the only difference would be how much food I would bring.

[InTheShadows]

Accident double post, thread must have been bugged..

[InTheShadows]

Hi In The Shadows, I am from Malaysia.

That seems quit a bit of stuff you have in your first post on the survival kit. I'm glad you have managed to reduce your items.
I find that, the more you know what your priorities are in a survival need to situation, the more you know about the location, what stuff you can use from nature, and how to use them flawlessly, you will be able to reduce more.

I frequent Malaysia's Equatorial Forest, and my kit is so small, it will fit in my cargo pants (usually Columbia or Craghoppers or 5.11). I always have my survival kit out of my backpack. Its either on my his (so does my parang, my survival knife and my old military water bottle). Remember, in mosy cases,you will most probably have your backpack unless you camped in a wrong place and all the things get washed away in a flash flood.

Knowing the weather at the time you are hiking will determine what clothes to carry.

Knowing what is in the forest, how to use them will also determine what you need to bring.

I cannot dictate what you need to bring, but I can share what I have.

Based on the hot climate here with very high humidity, it either rains or not....with lots of wood on the floor, bamboo, lots of foliage and wild animals.

My priorities are :-
1. Shelter then fire then water.

In my kit are usually:-

1. Shelter: Sea To Summit Tarp Poncho (which serves a raincoat poncho if it gets pouring) and two pieces of 7/11 disposable ponchos. 100 feet of paracord.

2. Fire Making Kit: Ferro Rod, IMCO Triplex Lighter, Cotton with Vaseline.

3. Water Processing Kit: Iodine (in my first aid kit) Aquatab Water Purification Tablet ( I hate all mass produced water filters as they do not purify. I make my own using bamboo, sand, charcoal etc). My military water bottle and cup which are always on my paracord belt made of 100 feet of paracord.

4. Cutting tools: Ontario Blackbird SK 5 and My Parang, on my belt.

5. First aid kit : Band aids, bandages, sterile strips, stitch kit, post em dressings, aspirins, anti biotics, anti histamine, control loc for gas, iodine and antiseptic cream.

6. For food: Fishing kit and 20 feet of steel snare wires.

That's about it.

In my backpack are my hiking essential items such as either a hammock or tent, tarp, sleep system, Mora Light my fire knife, saw, cookset, stove, food, clothes, a bigger first aid kit, hygenic items, food and collapsible water container. I am into Light backpacking, so my backpack usually weighs around 9 kilogram, (about 20 lbs). I carry the same things either for a 24 hour hike to a week's hike..the only difference would be how much food I would bring.

During winter where i live it's usually around 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and drops down to 10 or below zero at night. Summer peaks out at 90 and it's warm day and night. The only exception being spring and fall where the temp drops at night sometimes to 20 degrees Fahrenheit and below then during the day it will sometimes peak at 40 or 50 degrees. Right now it's spring.. but when i posted this i was planning for winter time camping and hiking solo. Something i haven't done out of fear as hypothermia can kill you within hours. I wanted a kit that would keep me alive in case something went wrong. What's it like in the jungle? is there a time of the year where it get's cold?

For summer, i only carry the 5 c's which are combustion, cordage, cover, cutting and container. So maybe a poncho, flint & steel w/ some sulfur matches, 550 paracord or bank line, a knife & hatchet, lastly a pot or container.. preferably stainless steel. Not much different than yours. I think with preparation anybody can go camping any time of the year, it's with little preparation where knowledge is needed. Thus, the terms survival and camping. and like you said the more you know the less you carry but at the same time you don't want to purposefully put yourself into a survival situation. I don't mind a heavy pack. I carried a 70 pound rucksack on a 10 mile ruck march during BCT. I remember my feet went completely numb, it felt like i was walking on air by the 5th mile. I try to keep my pack under 50 pounds so my arms don't go numb from the straps constricting blood flow. I'm not a big guy iether, I only weigh 160 pounds but i pass my PT test with flying colors every time. Since i can carry the weight, i carry it but i'm still trying to learn how to lighten things up a bit for a more comfortable trip.

I don't carry a medical kit only some alcohol, cotton bandanna and a small roll of gorilla tape. I think simple is better and complicated is a pain to maintain. That's just my opinion, small burns, cut's and blisters i just suck it up. No need for band aids. Personal hygiene like i said i still carry a strait razor for ease of maintenance and i can use the soap to clean up if i want. Somebody mentioned it was dangerous?.. i don't know it's not as bad as the romans with pumice rocks haha. A toothbrush and some paste is nice too but sometimes i'll just use warm water with it to reduce the clutter.

[outdoorfan]

Super post, thanks everyone, my bag is getting heavy though

[Antonyraison]

Edit#
Re-doing this thread cuz it went way off topic. First I've been accepted into a university for criminal justice i'm just waiting for school to start. In the mean time i'm bored out of my mind and I've been reading books day in and day out because i haven't had access to internet for a month. I'm happy to say I've learned a lot and looking back on my previous post i feel kinda like an idiot. Truth be told i had little to no experience with winter camping and i thought i needed more than i actually did. See? i read books and watched video's on winter survival and thought OH i can i do that! yeah.. i'm sure a lot of people do that. Spent a few weeks out there in the cold and reduced my kit a lot, realized what was REALLY important. With that i present my new list.. in an effort to redeem myself.

Sleeping & shelter i use 2 wool blankets, a thermal mat and a tarp.
Processing firewood i use a hand saw & my 26" foresters axe. I plan on purchasing a hatchet soon.
Cordage i carry a roll of paracord and a roll of bank line.
GI mess kit and metal bottle placed inside a small bag i fill with leaves to make a pillow. (Inside my mess kit i have a bandanna, small headlamp, & a trash bag)
For hunting/fishing i carry just some hooks (for use with bank line) and a small roll of wire for simple snares. (Still learning how to trap)
I carry a small book for plant and tree ID/ medical uses.

Rest of my pack i stuff with some wool gloves, hat and other clothes. So total weight of my pack went from 70 pounds to 35 pounds that is without food and water.. but it's winter there's water all around me. I figure a pound of food per day would suffice.
Used water proofing spray on my pack so now water simply beads up and rolls off instead of soaking in.

On my waist i carry my knife, a ferro rod with a clip on lanyard w/striker so i don't loose it. A small sharpening stone and leather belt for stropping. I made a leather pouch for my sharpening stone and at the bottom i placed some large needles and thread for repairs.

In conclusion, i think i was trying to learn EVERYTHING at once and i had no real goal in mind. I was simply trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible even IF i didn't necessarily need it. Not a bad thing but priorities have to be made here, so i don't think i can do something that i actually can't. There is a difference between knowing and doing.. thank you for your responses guys!



Absolutely! it's not a deployment but i'm being sent off for 3 months on a training exercise in a few weeks! Still pushing for one tho

Thanks for the Update!
Yeah it's problematic dude... I encounter many guys on forum and in Real life, that maybe over think things, or maybe under think things..
The reality of the situation is most guys can give you an idea of what to take or what not to take, and the person themselves would have their own Idea of what to take...
and for the most part, it is going to be something between all of this... as One actually needs experience and dirt time to Develop their own Style and see what genuinely works for them.
I been Going out on trips for years now to wilderness to practice skills and "survive" off the land for a few days, upto a week at times , in various seasons and various different areas...
And I can tell you Kit has changed Big time from the 1st trip to now.
After each trip I basically take a part my bag and set apart the things that haven't been used to the things that do.

Its hard to exactly tell a person well listen your idea is silly or you goal is lofty..
generally I advise people to take the general basics and then advise them to out practice and do a few trips 2-3 days at 1st, then extending to a week.
in various seasons. Practicing skills and Ideas and methods.
Many take it the wrong way and feel I am shooting them down and believe they cannot do it, but nothing can be further from the truth..
I actually want to help them and Gave them the best advise.. and actually want them to Do well and survive hahah ( I did not advise this this time)
But you back and have began doing this. This shows me you mean business and that you truly are thinking about it and getting out there and doing it.
Well done!

[hunter63]

AR...Well said...
Rep sent....
Oops, guess I need to spread it around.

[Kildar]

-
That was a fast response. Anyway, bushes aren't really a problem up north unless you go near the swamps. I stay clear. Any wood working i can do with my axe.
A full sized pot would be cool, i could maybe hang it on the outside but i'm afraid of rust.

Sea to summit has a really nice folding pot the base is metal rest is heat resistant silicone so you can use it to cook.

[Antonyraison]

AR...Well said...
Rep sent....
Oops, guess I need to spread it around.

Thanks man. Always happy to help

[hunter63]

Sea to summit has a really nice folding pot the base is metal rest is heat resistant silicone so you can use it to cook.

This is actually pretty cool....Thanks for posting.

Does make me wonder how it would do on an open wood fire....looks like just stoves?....vid didn't play for me..

[Kildar]

This is actually pretty cool....Thanks for posting.

Does make me wonder how it would do on an open wood fire....looks like just stoves?....vid didn't play for me..

ya i am thinking just stoves but you could prolly use that Swedish fire log method just avoid the fire touching the silicone part i would guess there are plenty of reviews on youtube for it and they have a whole line of stuff although they are kind of expensive i plan to get some of it soon. those little metal box stoves you use wood with should work as they focus the fire.

[hunter63]

ya i am thinking just stoves but you could prolly use that Swedish fire log method just avoid the fire touching the silicone part i would guess there are plenty of reviews on youtube for it and they have a whole line of stuff although they are kind of expensive i plan to get some of it soon. those little metal box stoves you use wood with should work as they focus the fire.

I'll pass...I would want a pot that could be used under ..."any"..conditions.

If you get one let us let us know what you think.....

[Kildar]

I'll pass...I would want a pot that could be used under ..."any"..conditions.

If you get one let us let us know what you think.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2aHKOYkrpA this one may work for you then its all metal and folds flat.

[hunter63]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2aHKOYkrpA this one may work for you then its all metal and folds flat.

Yeah, Thanks.......
But due my slow modem and buffering times out here in the boonies ....I don't watch too many You Tubes unless I really have a reason.

[crashdive123]

Cheap ole pot from the kitchen works just as well as these high dollar "bushcraft" pots. I have many unspectacular kitchen pots and pans in my camping gear.

[Antonyraison]

ya i am thinking just stoves but you could prolly use that Swedish fire log method just avoid the fire touching the silicone part i would guess there are plenty of reviews on youtube for it and they have a whole line of stuff although they are kind of expensive i plan to get some of it soon. those little metal box stoves you use wood with should work as they focus the fire.

Try a dakota FIRE pit, they work well to cook on...
We used on on this trip

[finallyME]

This is actually pretty cool....Thanks for posting.

Does make me wonder how it would do on an open wood fire....looks like just stoves?....vid didn't play for me..

Chances are, a fire would destroy it. The bottom is aluminum, and the sides silicon. None are really good with fire.

[finallyME]

Cheap ole pot from the kitchen works just as well as these high dollar "bushcraft" pots. I have many unspectacular kitchen pots and pans in my camping gear.

Well, momma sometimes frowns upon this. Of course, go to the local thrift store and get a pot. They are usually less than $2, and many less than $1.