Alternative "mini" survival kit containers

PropellerHead · Jun 28, 2002

I've been reading up on the 'mini' or 'personal' survival kits. I've seen most are in some kind of tabacco tin or something like a large Altoids tin.

I'm wondering what other types of containers people have used for these kits. When I was in the Navy, we used a very heavy duty clear plastic bag with a 'zip-lock' type of closure for putting small machine parts in. They came in many different sizes. I still have one in one of my old flight suits with a small roll of t.p. in it.

Does anyone know if something like this would work for a small survival kit? It seems like it would be very handy to be able to see what is in the kit and where the stuff is. It could double as a water collection and holding tool as well. Keep in mind, this is not simply a freezer-bag. The plastic is at least twice as thick as the sturdiest commercial freezer-bag that I've seen.

Any thoughts on this or other types of containers? If you could include any sources on your ideas that would be really helpful.

Cheers!

PropellerHead

NorthStarXO · Jun 28, 2002

The little Plano fishing tackle boxes fit perfectly in a BDU pocket and you can use an exacto knife to carve out the dividers in just the right places to fir everything. Some are even double-sided for more space.

American Survival Guide did a small survival kit in one of those a couple years ago. I'll see if I can find the article. It's in a 1994/1995 issue somewhere. There was a blurb on the front-cover about it.

diletante · Jun 28, 2002

. . . when hiking and backpacking. I wear it backwards. It's got everything I want if I get stuck away from my pack. I use one of those super-heavy Zip-Loc bags with the gussetted bottom as a liner.

To respond more directly to your post, check out Omniseal's and SeaLine's products.

RokJok · Jun 28, 2002

Check out Otter Boxes from Fuerte Case Company. They're waterproof, dang tough, and come in many colors to either sort your gear or retain your ranking in the fashion-conscious crowd.

http://www.fuertecases.com/Otterbox.htm

mithril · Jun 28, 2002

http://www.angelfire.com/il3/bobsplace/

or

www.therangerdigest.com

Lots of good ideas in both.

Terrill · Jun 28, 2002

What I have been using are the old 20rd. magazine pouches for the M16. They are are bit more space (about twice the size) and really don't limit the contents as much as the small tins. With the alice clips they can attach to just about anything. Once I have everything I want to put inside I divide it up into ziplocks. That way I don't mix it all together when I go after one type of item.

Big-Target · Jun 29, 2002

http://www.survival.com/allen242mini.htm

2Blades · Jul 1, 2002

The vinyl ziplock holders for hunting and fishing licenses work great. If those aren't big enough REI has a larger one for wallets. The small plastic Otter and Pelican boxes will also work but I prefer the vinyl bags. Check out this thread at REI's website for the Omniseal waterproof ziplock bags. http://www.rei.com/cgi-bin/rei/searchc.pl?seq=21&cat=4500274&pix=1&query=*

PropellerHead · Jul 1, 2002

Thanks for the replies everyone!

The OmniSeal bags are very similar to what I had in mind. It just seems to me that the vinyl bags would be more flexible than the hard cases. (Pun intended.)

Cheers!

PropellerHead