Survival kits info.

[Beans]

My Suggestion is to "layer" your equipment.

"Stuff" in your back pack.
"Stuff" in a pouch on your belt
"Stuff" in your pockets.

Always use whats in your back pack first.
If you lose your backpack, you will have enought in your belt pouch to surivive.
If you lose you belt pouch you will have enought in you pockets to surivive.

If you do use some "Stuff" from your belt pouch or pockets replenish from your back pack asap.

[BENESSE]

My Suggestion is to "layer" your equipment.

"Stuff" in your back pack.
"Stuff" in a pouch on your belt
"Stuff" in your pockets.

Always use whats in your back pack first.
If you lose your backpack, you will have enought in your belt pouch to surivive.
If you lose you belt pouch you will have enought in you pockets to surivive.

If you do use some "Stuff" from your belt pouch or pockets replenish from your back pack asap.

Excellent advice!!!!
I do a version of that when I normally travel. Don't always feel like dressing in cargo pants, vests and shirts with pockets but it's worth it, on the off chance I'm left without my carry on, pocket book, etc.

[Highhawk1948]

Sourdough, you are a wise man.




Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth. T. Roosevelt

[samfranklin]

What's your view?
Today I changed my overloaded survival kit, into a smaller more compact, what I think is more concise survival kit. (tin size like http://www.survivalaids.com/order1.php?pg=715). What do you think to smaller/bigger tins what's is better/worse? Why?
Sam

[Rick]

I think you are better off having that than nothing. But I also think you need to build a kit tailored to your needs. I may not choose to gather fish with line and hook or I may not want my water chemically treated. If you build your own kit then you can pick and choose the things you want to have and generally have better quality materials. I'll leave that last comment as a general rule since there are kits on the market that are pretty well made.

[samfranklin]

I totally agree, but that link was just an example of the size of tin I'm talking about!
Sam

[TheWind777]

Here are some of the things I chose when assembling my own Survival Kit.

I'm sure many of these have been talked about many times (Swedish Firesteel); but it's my decision on which is the best to buy out of all that's out there.

Most, if not all, of these things can be gotten from Amazon.com.

First is the box to put everything in. I chose metal so I can use it to cook with. A SIGG Maxi Aluminum Box with safety clasps.

For the Survival Kit knife I chose a Ka-Bar BK11. Paracord with the guts ripped out can be used to wrap the handle (has holes in the handle that are paracord-sized). The overall size is perfect for a survival kit, it's big enough to use for small chopping jobs, yet small enough to pack into a kit.

Tri-Seps by Gatco for sharpening knifes, pins, fish hooks. It has three sides with three different roundnesses for sharpening serrated knives.

Frontier Emergeny Water Filtering Straw. Small and compact. Filters 30 gallons of water.

Leatherman Squirt PS4 Multi-tool. Really tiny, yet rugged and has scissors, wire cutters, pliers, many other tools.

SE 11-function Credit Card Tool. Fits in a wallet, has eleven tools (knife, screwdriver, can opener, bottle opener, butterfly screw wrench, saw blade, ruler, 6 wrench sizes, compass if you fill Anxiliary indicator with water and float magnetized pin (dubious use).

Tool Logic Survival Card I. The compass works fine if you remove all metal tools. The little serrated knife is very useful, firestarter, tweezers, toothpick, magnifying glass. Can be quickly thrown into the wallet and carried at all times.

You should also include the Tool Logic T1BCC Series Business Card Ultra-slim Tool Card with 12 Features. It's small, thin and has things such as a needle and writing pen.

Storm All-Weather Safety Whistle. Bright-orange so you can't lose it, bigger than most safety whistles but even blows underwater (strange skill). Loudest whistle in the world. You must cover your own ears or you probably will lose some hearing.

The Tick Key. Easy way to remove ticks. You slide the groove under the tick and pull him off without his head coming off.

Swiss+Tech Micro-Max 19-in-1 tool. Has good screwdriver set, even has hex hole that can work with any magnetic tip so you can bring just the hex sizes or star wrench sizes you might need (good for cross-country bicycling).

StarFlash Signal Mirror.

Swedish Firesteel Magnesium Starter. Get the 10,000 use one. Best firestarter. Just bring pack of drier lint with you as tinder.

Buy pack of 100 4 mil ziplock bags of size 2" x 2" and 2" x 3". They are useful for many reasons. The 2" x 2' size is perfect for packing one kleenex. Pack a few for emergency toilet paper use. Also, you can pack 12 waterproof matches into one if you clip about 3/16" off the end of the match. Stuff them in side-by-side and slip them in the side of the kit. Five "Tinder Quik" Fire-starter Tabs fit in a 2" x 2", too. Or stuff three cotton balls dipped in vaseline into one.

17% Streetwise Pepper Spray for bear, person (and dog repellent if you're cross-country bicycling). Small yet powerful.

'Real' 550 Paracord. "Brigade Quartermasters" carries good-quality paracord. I got orange so things can be seen easily when you're camping. (Model Number RAP5016 )

Pack of "Nature's Way Alive - Whole Food Energizer", 1.4 ounces. I chose the Apple-Cinnamon flavor. Has 3333% of Vitamin B12, 2500% of Vitamin B-6, 120 Calories. Good power drink to keep you going in an emergency.

Pack of "Amazing Meal, "Chocolate Infusion". 32.6 Grams. Greens, protein & Vegetables. 110 Calories. Blends superfoods adn protein for energy.

Rite-in-the-Rain All-Weather Memo Book with Waterproof pages. No. 374-M.

SOL Bivy. You get the advantage of metalized polyesther at the same time as it being a bivy. Very small and light.

Pack two NITEiZE "Figure-9" 50-pound Carabiners (definitely not for climbing) for quick taking-up-of-slack on paracord. Can be used to hang a tarp guy rope, etc. Or, one 'true' carabiner which can take a load (get in the mountaineering dept. of REI).

Fresnel "Card Magnifier" lens, 3.5" x 2 1/4" is another one that takes up no room and slides along the edges of the kit.

Stainless Steel Commando Wire Saw Model 8312. Don't pull too hard, of course, these are fragile. There's a bigger version that is really tough, but I tend to just break limbs by levering them between two close trees to snap them, or across my knee; so haven't found the need for a saw too much. Good to have, though, and packs small.

Waxed thread. You can get it at a craft store like Michaels. It is super-strong and works like iron (imagine thick dental floss). Can be easily used to make trapping nooses.

Roll of wire; I got mine at the local dollar store.

Silva "Guide' Compact Sighting Compass Model 426. Packs small, durable, works well.

Hemostat clamp.

Forehead thermometer. Use your signalling mirror to read the temperature. Walgreens has it.

Butane Torch lighter with blue flame. You should have many ways of starting a fire.

3M Steri Strip Skin Closures 1/4" x 3" - 10 Packages of 3 for when you cut yourself deep. Act as sutures.

Well, those are a few of the choice picks. Hope that helps.

[hunter63]

Any pic's?
Sound like a pretty good kit, but pic's give an idea as to size and such.

[Aurelius95]

Agree with Hunter. Good info/descriptions, but pics make me happy.

Do you think you'd need more toilet paper than 1 Kleenex? I know I would...

[Sarge47]

I don't know about other folks, but I don't cook in anything made out of aluminum.

[Rick]

Nice write up. Now test out your kit and see if they were in fact all the right choices.

Not sure what you mean by "real" 550 cord. It's either MIL-C-5040 Type III or Type III Commercial or some knock off version. The Commercial Type III will do anything that MIL-C-5040 will at about half the price.

Just so you understand, Vitamin B6 and B12 are both water soluble vitamins. It doesn't matter if your product has a trillion times the recommended dose ALL the extra is excreted mostly through urine in B6 or through bile in B12. The most you can have is 100% of what your body requires and the rest is excreted. B12 can be stored in the liver for a long time so the odds of you having a B12 deficiency is pretty slim.

[Sarge47]

I use the Silva Ranger compass as it's a lot more durable than many others. I bought my parachute cord from "Cheaper Than Dirt," & for a flint/steel method I use Strike force. While I do have both a "Fox 40" whistle & a Starflash, I thought both needed improvement so I upgraded. The Whistle I like is a flat, pealess whistle & you can get a better (IMO) mirror here:

http://www.amazon.com/Rothco-8315-SI...3947429&sr=8-3

[TheWind777]

I've used the kit, in various conditions of completion, for many months.

I find that I take out parts of it and put them into a smaller pouch with a zipper that I put on my beltloop with a carabiner.

...

Yes, B vitamins pee out; but I was just giving a couple examples of what the kind of nutrition levels are in it. It is fully-packed with everyting you'd need in an emergency condition.

I don't know how to add photos in this Forum yet. I have a full PDF of the entire kit I could attach if it allows large file attachments.

Ahah. So there's a 'attach picture', 'attach link' and 'attach video'. Will try those next time. I figure that 'attach link' means something is already on the interent, rather than attaching a PDF.

So, I just opened up a new angelfire site and uploaded the PDF. Lets try a link...
****************************************

It's 4.7 MB in size and holds all the information about how to use each tool. Some of the newer additions aren't in there, like the Ka-Bar knife.

[TheWind777]

Well, success breeds rip-offs. There seem to currently be a ton of really cheap quality cord being passed-off as 550 paracord that's circling the internet. Some doesn't even have the interior 7 strands.

Many say that Brigade Quartermasters is a reliable place to buy it.

[SARKY]

First is the box to put everything in. I chose metal so I can use it to cook with. A SIGG Maxi Aluminum Box with safety clasps.

<The fact that it is aluminum throws up a red flag for cooking. Is it coated in any way? Why not invest in a decent ti. cook kit?>

For the Survival Kit knife I chose a Ka-Bar BK11. Paracord with the guts ripped out can be used to wrap the handle (has holes in the handle that are paracord-sized). The overall size is perfect for a survival kit, it's big enough to use for small chopping jobs, yet small enough to pack into a kit.

<Knives are like girlfriends(to us guys), you fall in and out of love with them and everyone has their own tastes as what is the perfect knife for them.>

Tri-Seps by Gatco for sharpening knifes, pins, fish hooks. It has three sides with three different roundnesses for sharpening serrated knives.

< I prefer non serrated knives for survival work and so a simple stone can be used to touch up the edge.>

Frontier Emergeny Water Filtering Straw. Small and compact. Filters 30 gallons of water.

<So you are good for 30 days or 2 of you for 15 or 3 of you for 10. What about after that? You said in an earlier post that you had spent months on the road, you will need a better resource for filtering water.>

Leatherman Squirt PS4 Multi-tool. Really tiny, yet rugged and has scissors, wire cutters, pliers, many other tools.

<I'll again defer to the girlfriend analogy.>

SE 11-function Credit Card Tool. Fits in a wallet, has eleven tools (knife, screwdriver, can opener, bottle opener, butterfly screw wrench, saw blade, ruler, 6 wrench sizes, compass if you fill Anxiliary indicator with water and float magnetized pin (dubious use).

<Wouldn't a SAK fill the same billet? Have you actually used it under adverse conditions?>

Tool Logic Survival Card I. The compass works fine if you remove all metal tools. The little serrated knife is very useful, firestarter, tweezers, toothpick, magnifying glass. Can be quickly thrown into the wallet and carried at all times.

<Again, I can carry my SAK on my hip at all times. I prefer a dedicated compass.>

You should also include the Tool Logic T1BCC Series Business Card Ultra-slim Tool Card with 12 Features. It's small, thin and has things such as a needle and writing pen.

Storm All-Weather Safety Whistle. Bright-orange so you can't lose it, bigger than most safety whistles but even blows underwater (strange skill). Loudest whistle in the world. You must cover your own ears or you probably will lose some hearing.

The Tick Key. Easy way to remove ticks. You slide the groove under the tick and pull him off without his head coming off.

<I really like the tick key but would not be without a pair of tweezers as well.>

Swiss+Tech Micro-Max 19-in-1 tool. Has good screwdriver set, even has hex hole that can work with any magnetic tip so you can bring just the hex sizes or star wrench sizes you might need (good for cross-country bicycling).

<I love gizmos and gadgets as much as the next guy but I think you've gone over board with them.>

StarFlash Signal Mirror.

<Good item but a good compass with mirror (Silva, Ranger) does double duty.>

Swedish Firesteel Magnesium Starter. Get the 10,000 use one. Best firestarter. Just bring pack of drier lint with you as tinder.

<Have one and like it but prefer the BlastMatch.>

Buy pack of 100 4 mil ziplock bags of size 2" x 2" and 2" x 3". They are useful for many reasons. The 2" x 2' size is perfect for packing one kleenex. Pack a few for emergency toilet paper use. Also, you can pack 12 waterproof matches into one if you clip about 3/16" off the end of the match. Stuff them in side-by-side and slip them in the side of the kit. Five "Tinder Quik" Fire-starter Tabs fit in a 2" x 2", too. Or stuff three cotton balls dipped in vaseline into one.

17% Streetwise Pepper Spray for bear, person (and dog repellent if you're cross-country bicycling). Small yet powerful.

'Real' 550 Paracord. "Brigade Quartermasters" carries good-quality paracord. I got orange so things can be seen easily when you're camping. (Model Number RAP5016 )

Pack of "Nature's Way Alive - Whole Food Energizer", 1.4 ounces. I chose the Apple-Cinnamon flavor. Has 3333% of Vitamin B12, 2500% of Vitamin B-6, 120 Calories. Good power drink to keep you going in an emergency.

Pack of "Amazing Meal, "Chocolate Infusion". 32.6 Grams. Greens, protein & Vegetables. 110 Calories. Blends superfoods adn protein for energy.

Rite-in-the-Rain All-Weather Memo Book with Waterproof pages. No. 374-M.

SOL Bivy. You get the advantage of metalized polyesther at the same time as it being a bivy. Very small and light.

<Another item I really like. I've got the 2 person size which they don't make anymore.>

Pack two NITEiZE "Figure-9" 50-pound Carabiners (definitely not for climbing) for quick taking-up-of-slack on paracord. Can be used to hang a tarp guy rope, etc. Or, one 'true' carabiner which can take a load (get in the mountaineering dept. of REI).

Fresnel "Card Magnifier" lens, 3.5" x 2 1/4" is another one that takes up no room and slides along the edges of the kit.

<If you can't start a fire with a firesteel, how do you expect to start one with a magnifier lens?>

Stainless Steel Commando Wire Saw Model 8312. Don't pull too hard, of course, these are fragile. There's a bigger version that is really tough, but I tend to just break limbs by levering them between two close trees to snap them, or across my knee; so haven't found the need for a saw too much. Good to have, though, and packs small.

<Again, the saw in the SAK works just fine for what you need.>

Waxed thread. You can get it at a craft store like Michaels. It is super-strong and works like iron (imagine thick dental floss). Can be easily used to make trapping nooses.

<I prefer 65 or 80 lb test SpyderWire and I can use it in building a shelter.>

Roll of wire; I got mine at the local dollar store.

<What kind if wire? I carry .020 stainless safety wire in my kit.>

Silva "Guide' Compact Sighting Compass Model 426. Packs small, durable, works well.

Hemostat clamp.

Forehead thermometer. Use your signalling mirror to read the temperature. Walgreens has it.

Butane Torch lighter with blue flame. You should have many ways of starting a fire.

3M Steri Strip Skin Closures 1/4" x 3" - 10 Packages of 3 for when you cut yourself deep. Act as sutures.

Well, those are a few of the choice picks. Hope that helps.<

<What do you carry water in?>
<Run it through the mill a time or two, then let us know where it shined and where it failed. Just remember this, "Shiney, fancy crap is sitll crap">

[Canadian-guerilla]

first i heard of the Tick Key
now i gotta see if i can make my own

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

[Sarge47]

Cheaper Than Dirt sells the real deal & have been doing so for many years.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/Searc...d&pagenumber=1

I bought the 1000' spool myself.

[Rick]

(Pssst. That's Commercial Type III cord. But don't tell anyone.)

[Rick]

Well, success breeds rip-offs. There seem to currently be a ton of really cheap quality cord being passed-off as 550 paracord that's circling the internet. Some doesn't even have the interior 7 strands.

There is probably some truth to that statement. When you are looking for paracord if you can pick up 1000 feet for $50 (or about that) it's Commercial Type III. MIL-C-5040 will cost you about $80 or so per 1000 feet. You can also pick up on the description in many cases. It's easy to gloss over the descriptions so really read it. Some retailers will try to pass off Commercial as MIL-C-5040 and you'll never know the difference when you have it in hand. But the price is a sure give away.

[TheWind777]

As for toilet paper...

When I pack a survival kit it's usually particular to things.

The things it is particular to in my case are extremely long term cross-country bicycling and the desert.

When you're crossing the country by bicycle in all seasons and for many months-at-a-time every item you bring is survival gear, not just what is in the one box. The box contains emergency stuff, but other more immedite-need stuff also finds its way there.

Toilet paper, I just use a roll of it. But, disasters happen always in a cross-country situation. I got flooded out once, I had a flash flood once, I had what was probably a tornado bouncing over me once, I had storms that would tear the tent flat, sometimes water would find its way into tent and things got wet.

So, those are the times that you need whatever is in the box.

I had a huge box on the first bike trip. It was called a 'Rec-Pac' by Anzen (now defunct). It was a hard canoing pack with a rubber seal. It saved our a** many times, and really saved our lives a couple times. I would have been dead once if I didnt' have all that dry gear in the Rec-Pac.

So, Survival gear extends outwards from the little box and into the little box. Sometimes need blends and a thing that used to be just in the survival kit moves to a more accessible area.

Toilet paper is always the one you need at all times. Sometimes it was used to absorb thunderstorm water as it leaked under the tent floor, sometimes it would absorb my sweat which would build up as condensation under my sleeping bag. On the second trip I had gotten a plastic container which exactly fit a whole roll (had to strip a few feet off the outside, but basically a whole roll).

So, toilet paper isn't generally much in my survival kit. It's too much a necessity. I don't have the luxury of taking room in my survival kit for it much. I think it to be quite an extravagance to put two tissue pieces in two plastic bags in there. To me, that's maybe too much.

It's like candy. I put one fireball in there. But, usually that gets supplanted by more important things like water purification tablets (first trip I just used drops of bleach. Second trip I used a couple drops of regular iodine from a regular iodine bottle.)

Most of the things that are taken for granted now-a-days (that you get a bottle of water purification tablets) I just used simple things and they worked just fine.

I had a regular four-way screwdriver, a hand drill with a 1/8" drill bit (which I used to drill through copper pipe one time to create a mirror mount for the bike), a broken hacksaw blade, etc. There were no prepared tools back then. I just improvised. When the Rec-Pac lid busted in Tennessee I had to fashion a new one out of sheet steel and angle aluminum which I cut with the broken hacksaw blade and drilled with the hand drill and 1/8" bit hole-by-hole until I was done. Glued on the cut edges with a gray epoxy weld, glued on the old rubber seal with 'Scotch Super Strength Adhesive'. Had to stop in a store in a town to borrow a pop-rivet gun to transfer the two snap hasps to the new lid.

So, you use what you have, then you improvise the rest.

I put few (what I'd term) luxuries in my true 'Survival Kit'. I basically put the things I hope I will never have to use in the survival kit. I have other bags for the more used items. If I find I am using something from the emergency kit too much, it gets shifted to a more easily reached place.