Survival kits info.

**doren** · 03-22-2009, 10:15 PM

My kit

2 7/8" Gun belt
Y Harness

Saw pouch
1 space blanket
1 4" folding knife
1 Mini Maglite

1lb coffee can containing, Fits in the saw pouch
1 Trioxane block
25 yards waxed thread Very compact about the size of a half dollar a 4 times as thick.
2 sewing needles
8 safety pins
micro compass
1 30 gallon trash bag
1 disposable lighter
50 ft of 50lbs test fishing line
5 fish hooks
5 sinkers
1 foam bobber
20ft snare wire
1 snake bite suction kit Never tried it, hopefully never will
1 Light My Fire Stryker
10 Micropur tablets

1 Pocket medic kit containing,This also fits in the coffee can
2 Butterfly closures
6 Band aids
2 2x2" Dressings
1 sting pad
Antibiotic ointment
3 wetnaps
1 moleskin
4 motrin I will be changing this later
2 safety pins
1 tick puller

Magazine pouch
food for a day or more

Canteen Pouch
Milspec plastic canteen
Canteen Cup
Canteen Stove

I'm trying to figure out what else I could use without adding more pouches. The saw pouch has plenty more space, and the coffee can has enough space for an Altoids tin worth of items. What else could I add to my kit? Or should I leave well enough alone?

**crashdive123** · 03-22-2009, 10:20 PM

At a quick glance I would add a knife, way to purify water, additional fire starting methods, some char cloth or other tinder, small poncho or additional trash bags. That's my quick glance.

**Rockgod1619** · 03-22-2009, 10:27 PM

Looks like a good all-around pack. I would definitely take Crash's advise and add a knife, etc. I would also add anything that might be necessary regarding weather and the climate in your area.

**tennecedar** · 03-22-2009, 10:31 PM

550 cord definately. Wrap it around something to keep it from knotting up.

**crashdive123** · 03-22-2009, 10:35 PM

When constructing a kit or packing some gear I tend to make sure I've got the rule of 3's covered. That'll change depending on the time of year, as Rockgod1619 said , adjusting for your climate is important.

I guess I should have asked - what do you envision using your kit for?

**Rick** · 03-22-2009, 10:56 PM

Doren - I don't see anything particularly wrong with what you have. I would prefer a good straight knife. You might take a look at the Mora 760 or 780, but Mora has a number of others that are inexpensive, good quality knives.

I would also add some paracord. Hard to beat it. A ten foot piece will yield 80 feet if you pull out the inner threads and it's tough as nails.

Find a 35mm film canister. You can soak six cotton balls in Vaseline and shove them in the canister. A canister holds about 6. Not only will you have some vaseline for first aid but it also makes a heck of a fire starter.

Beyond that, take it out and use it. The more you use it the more you'll find items that you don't need and items you need to add. It won't be long until you have a kit that's right for you.

**doren** · 03-22-2009, 11:02 PM

This is mostly for day trips maybe an occasional overnight. I live in east Tennessee so my clothing needs change drastically. Before I head out I always double check the three day forecast and dress accordingly. Just in case I'm there for two nights or more.

I do have a 4" Cold steel folder in the saw pouch. However I'm going to add either a machete or khukri later. A poncho is in my back pack But I almost never use it. If rain may be in the forecast I do take my duster which does the job nicely. The waxed thread is a good substitute for 550 cord, But I keep 550 cord in both pairs of my boots.

Besides the 550 cord that is always in my boots, I keep my Leatherman Core on my pants belt. Normally when I head into the mountains I have my walking stick. It's 5 1/2 long and has roughly 70-80ft of 550 cord wrapped around it.

I am thinking about adding some Vaseline cotton balls for more fire starting. I just don't want to add it in yet since I haven't tried it yet. I also have the water purification taken care of with the Micropur tabs. 10 should be enough for a couple of days.

At this point I'm trying to take care of the glaring holes in my kit.

**Sarge47** · 03-22-2009, 11:07 PM

I would add both a decent compass as the teeny-tiny one doesn't work well with the Topo map you also failed to list.

**Stairman** · 03-23-2009, 08:06 AM

Whistle,spork,candle,ducttape wrapped on a clothspin or stick,hand sanitizer,orange flagging tape,Imodium,folded paper towels and aluminum foil.

**lucznik** · 03-26-2009, 12:27 PM

There perhaps may be some reason(s) why you can't/don't want to include the follwing, but my kit always includes a small handgun (most often a .22LR revolver) and ammunition.

**doren** · 03-27-2009, 10:58 AM

Humans and their ancestors survived without guns for millions of years, so it shouldn't be that difficult to continue that trend. I'm not saying I do not need a gun of some kind. It's not on my immediate priorities list. One day I'll get one. But for the time being, my long bow does the job nicely.

**lucznik** · 03-27-2009, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by doren

Humans and their ancestors survived without guns for millions of years, so it shouldn't be that difficult to continue that trend. I'm not saying I do not need a gun of some kind. It's not on my immediate priorities list. One day I'll get one. But for the time being, my long bow does the job nicely.

That's true, but you didn't include your longbow (or arrows) in your list of gear either.

I'm a big longbow fan. I own two. One is pretty basic model from Desert Dog Archery and the other is a handcrafted, custom, bamboo-backed-yew bow made special for me. Although I love it, I'm not sure I would want to rely on it as my primary "survival" weapon. People may have survived sans guns for millions of years, but they were generally malnourished and tended to die very young.

**NCO** · 03-28-2009, 06:03 PM

My usual survival kit, ie hunting trip kit, is folowing:

A puukko(knife)
Matches, heads dipped in stearin so that water won't ruin them.
Extra woll shirt.
Pills for viper bites.
3 liters of water.
Coffee.
Coffee pot.
Rye crisp bread.
Sausage.
Pack or two of cigarettes
A lighter.

This I carry in old army patrol backpack.

**Rick** · 03-28-2009, 08:13 PM

What kind of pills do you carry for viper bites?

**NCO** · 03-29-2009, 07:40 AM

It's 50mg hydrocortisone tablet. Immediately after the bite you take 1 pill per every 10kg you weight. The only venomous snake we have here is Vipera Berus(Common European Viper) and it's bite isn't fatal for a healthy adult, but it's bite doesn't feel good neither way. The tablets control the swelling of the bitten limb and make one's life easier. For a child they buy time to get to the hospital.

**Rick** · 03-29-2009, 10:48 AM

I'm facinated that the puukko is so well liked in Finland and across Europe. I've seen a lot of web sites where the puukko is used or mentioned. We in North America have this weird fascination with huge survival knives and carry all this weight around with us. Yet, you folks do whatever you need to do with a simple, rugged knife.

What do you think of the Mora, Brusletto, Eka and some of the other Scandinavian knives?

**NCO** · 03-30-2009, 01:50 PM

Mora for example is not a puukko as it is sweadish. Here Mora is mostly used among costruction workers and alike as cheap an disposaple tool. It can not even be concidered as a real knife. With Brusletto and Eka Im not familiar with. As with most finnish people I trust in homeland products when it comes to puukos. Marttini is a good cheaper brand, but if you want really good puukko it has to be from Iisakki Järvenpää's Puukko factory in city of Kauhava.
As for those big "survival" knives, we have something similar. It is called Leuku, mostly used in Lappland. There you need more mass on the knife as you need to be able to cut frozen wood with it.