A water-tight survival kit

[333rm]

Here I am, another Sunday trying to find something creative to do. I bought this aluminum water tight case about 6 months ago thinking that it would make for a great little survival kit. It's thin, compact, lightweight, and watertight, can't go wrong there. So this morning I finally just got around to trying to see what kind of kit I could put together inside this case. Already having a bunch of Pelican and Otter cases that I've made kits out of and use for other reasons, this one does have one advantage over the others, it's lighter and more compact. You lose a lot of space due to the case thickness with the Pelican and Otter but not with this one, making it easier to carry around in your pockets and giving you more room to store more items inside. The dimensions of the case are 5" x 3.5" x 1" and the weight is 4oz. On the inside of the lid is a thick silicone gasket that seals it when you lock the clasps shut from the sides. Here's a list of the items that I put into my kit so far:

**I remade the medical pouch I had first put into the kit. The contents list and the picture are of the new pouch inside the survival kit.

1 Tops Survival Saw
1 Fresnel lens
1 Mini Bic
1 1Signal whistle
1 Rescue Flash signal mirror 2x3
1 Mini Match fire starter
1 Fold-able razor
1 P-51
1 ESEE AH-1
1 Tweezers
1 County Comm 4" pry bar
*1 20mm Button compass (not pictured)

Fishing Kit
-75' Power Pro Spectra line
-12 hooks
-8 slit shot weights
-4 torpedo weight
-8 salmon eggs
-3 grub jigs
Sewing kit
2' Duct tape
10 REI storm proof matches w/ striker
1 ITP A3 EOS LED flashlight
1 Extra AAA battery
1 Wetfire tinder
6 Tinder-Quicks
35' Snare wire

8 Katadyn Chlorine Dioxide tabs
1 (1) Quart water bag
2 Write in the Rain notebook sheets
1 Pencil

2 (3x3) Surgical sponges
2 Ben's 30% wipes
4 Iodine wipes
6 Butterfly Bandages
3 Hydro-cortisone cream packs
1 Large Band-Aid
3 Triple Antibiotic packs
5 Band-Aids
3 After Bite wipes
Immodium
Benedryl

 

[formtight]

Looks good! I dig that pry bar and saw. I gotta look into picking a couple of those up.

 

[MikePerrin]

Where did you get the tin and who makes it?

 

[luckykitty]

cool tin!

 

[Don Rearic]

Where did you get the tin and who makes it?

Mike,

I think they are available through Best Glide, but you have to purchase the entire kit, I don't know if they sell it separately or not. If not through them, BCB has them individually I think, as does Penrith. All British concerns.

I had a SIGG Alu Box and the gasket on it is flimsy as piss. Avoid.

 

[Don Rearic]

Just a casual glance and search at Best Glide, this one looks a bit different but might even be more sturdy.

http://www.bestglide.com/survival_kit_box.html

 

[333rm]

Where did you get the tin and who makes it?

I had purchased the tin through www.bepreparedtosurvive.com, but I checked the site today and I don't think they carry it anymore. There is another place that carries it though, www.cardinalgear.com. Bestglide does have a tin that looks just like it but it's about 2" longer and wider so if your looking for something a little larger that might be a good choice. It never had any manufacturers name or company name on it Mike so I'm not to sure who makes it.

 

[Don Rearic]

How tough do you think it is, without destroying it?

 

[RickJ]

nice job and very good contents!

RickJ

 

[fixer]

*I might swap out the Band-Aids and mosquito stuff for a large contractor sized garbage bag. I didn't have any extras laying around to try but I'm pretty sure that it would fit.

*depending on the size* the contractor grade bags will be fairly bulky. the bandaids and skeeter wipes are nothing compared to one.

however i tend to get the big bags.. 45 gal or so, but a 30 gal bag won't be that much smaller.

rolling up the bag, folding it in half and securing it with a ranger band seems to get it fairly compact, but it's still bulky.

i'd dummy cord some of the items together. the tweezers, P-38, folding razor, folding saw, fero rod and pry bar could all be corded together, perhaps the whistle too, or use separate lanyards for the whistle and mirror.

you could wrap some tape, either electrical tape or 1" duct tape around the lighter.

how are you packing the salmon eggs in this kit so they don't go bad? or are these artificial eggs?

 

[333rm]

How tough do you think it is, without destroying it?

This thing is pretty damn strong for being an aluminum box. I've tested it underwater for hours at a time with absolutely no leaks whatsoever also. I guess this should be a decent measure of strength, I've set it out on the concrete and stood on it a couple times to see if it was as strong as it seemed, I weigh 175lbs and it passed. Doesn't the Air Force use this same box for one or two of their survival kits Don?

 

[Don Rearic]

I don't know what anyone is currently using.

There is so much stuff on the market right now, it used to be FRAASS Surgical and then that morphed into FRAASS Survival Systems, back in the beginning of the Vietnam War, then they had Tra-Con, Magneto, Swick and all of these other speciality manufacturers. It's an incredible history of manufacturing if you look at it that way.

I would say that your test is a good test and I would also say that I would purchase the one you already tested because there is a lot of junk out there and since you were already our G-Pig on this one, you get the big smiley!

 

[333rm]

I don't know what anyone is currently using.

There is so much stuff on the market right now, it used to be FRAASS Surgical and then that morphed into FRAASS Survival Systems, back in the beginning of the Vietnam War, then they had Tra-Con, Magneto, Swick and all of these other speciality manufacturers. It's an incredible history of manufacturing if you look at it that way.

I would say that your test is a good test and I would also say that I would purchase the one you already tested because there is a lot of junk out there and since you were already our G-Pig on this one, you get the big smiley!

In terms of internal storage space, exterior size, and durability it's the best survival kit container that I've ever found! The Pelicans and Otters are great but they're really thick and wide, only allowing you to fit their smallest one in your pocket which has very little space inside. In this tin I can easily fit my Victorinox Trekker inside which has a great 4" saw and locking blade on it.

 

[DH1]

That looks like a great container. I'll agree with the bulkiness of Otter boxes...I've got a small one, and after all is said and done with the inner rubber "tub" and outer box...I can't fit much more than my cell phone inside (which is what I use it for in my pack)

 

[Don Rearic]

That is definitely a big drawback to the Otter Boxes and Pelican Cases.

 

[333rm]

*depending on the size* the contractor grade bags will be fairly bulky. the bandaids and skeeter wipes are nothing compared to one.
How are you packing the salmon eggs in this kit so they don't go bad? or are these artificial eggs?

All of the medical items are packed into a thick ziplock type bag making the whole bundle just about as thick as a garbage bag folded up. You might be right, I might not be able to fit a contractor size bag inside, but a regular lawn/garden type I know would fit. The salmon eggs aren't in the picture but they're Berkley Power Eggs (artificial) sealed up inside a really small ziplock bag that fits 4 each. The Spectra line is wrapped around a small ss sewing spindle. The ss spindles work great since they're so small and they'll hold a ton of braided line.

 

[333rm]

That is definitely a big drawback to the Otter Boxes and Pelican Cases.

From what I can see www.cardinalgear.com is charging for the case, www.bepreparedtosurvive.com was charging half that for the EXACT same thing. I just haven't been able to find anyone else who sells it though. Maybe Mike can do a little research for us and see what he can find out on who makes it? That would be a GREAT item to be able to buy on the ESEE web site!

 

[tarditi]

nice kit - frankly, I'd ditch all the colored thread and just have 1 small bobbin full of black carpet thread or something.

I would look into some triple biotic cream - they make them in individual packets now... a bandaid could be good in a survival situation, but the wound may still get a nasty infection...

 

[DH1]

I would look into some triple biotic cream - they make them in individual packets now...

Those are the most used item in my FAK along with bandaids, I never use one without the other. It also helps gauze "stick" to your skin before you wrap it up...so yea, I agree:thumbup:

 

[333rm]

nice kit - frankly, I'd ditch all the colored thread and just have 1 small bobbin full of black carpet thread or something.

I would look into some triple biotic cream - they make them in individual packets now... a bandaid could be good in a survival situation, but the wound may still get a nasty infection...

Yeah, I need to go through and re-do the med pouch i stuck in there. I put this whole kit together in 10 minutes so I really didn't put a ton of thought into it. Tonight I'll add the antibiotic paks, immodium, benedryl, iodine wipes, and maybe some other things. Thanks!!!