Altoid Survival Kits missing the most important item

Codger_64 said:
An interesting and informative read on wilderness water sanitation:

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/water-risks.html
Click to expand...

As this site points out, symptoms of giardia infection can appear in as little as two days.

The State of Maine says Giardia is found in every county of that state. It is spread by mammals and birds.

CDC, WMS, USEPA, Red Cross, Mayo Clinic all agree that iodine and regular chlorine greatly reduce risk but are not reliable against parasites like giardia and cryptosporidium because those critters form resistant cysts.

Still, whether you can make water 100% safe or not, you have to hydrate. So you do the best that you can.

Would not fit in the stylish Altoids tin, but the "disposable" aluminum pans that lots of prepared foods come in work for boiling and weigh almost zip. I am looking at one now that contained pasta, and it holds about 2 cups and weighs under an oz. Lots tougher than foil.
 
I carry an eyedropper style bottle with bleach, enough to do several gallons.

8666039863_270f6625cb_b.jpg


Of course that kit is as others have said, last ditch; everything else is gone and that is all I got.
 
I don't think of the micro kits as holding enough gear for survival. I tend to think of them as holding enough gear so you don't immediately panic. If you get misplaced away from your pack, you can sit down, have a smoke if that's your vice, and think where you went wrong. Knowing that you can start a fire if necessary can relieve some of the fear. So you're more likely to think, rather than act irrationally.
Most people have heard the rule of threes- Three minutes without air, Three hours without shelter, Three days without water, Three weeks without food. I had a sargeant who added "Three seconds without common dog-f***" (common sense to civilians). I think being able to act without panicking is important, and that is where the knowledge that you've got something helps.
Having said that, I hope I never need to worry about it, and just knowing it's there calms me.
 
DerekH said:
I carry an eyedropper style bottle with bleach, enough to do several gallons.

Of course that kit is as others have said, last ditch; everything else is gone and that is all I got.
Click to expand...

Just make sure to try and replace your bleach every 9 months or so. The concentration of hypochlorite goes down and it would just take more than normal to do the job. Of course water purification tabs don't last forever either. I just bought some micro vials to place a few into last week. I carry a small waterproof box meant for a cell phone, packed with stuff I might need. It's larger than the tins, so it fits a mini bic lighter and a few other things that seem hard to jam into one of those. I've got a few extra medical things in it like Imodium, Tylenol, etc. I just use it when I'm out without a pack and all of the kit, or when your away from camp or vehicle. I throw it in my camelback when biking trails too. I have a tin that I haven't carried that has the "normal" survival tin stuff in it. I think your right about possibly streamlining it. But at least it covers water and fire.
 
The most important item that all Altoids kits are missing is a decent container.
 
I like Altoids tins to contain fire kits but in my opinion they are small for much else. I normally fit in mines a mini lighter, magnification lens, decent size ferro rod with out handle, scraper, some times 10 or so matches and as much quick tinder as I can possibly fit, then I seal the seams with electrical tape and add several inner tube bands on the outside.

Also have repair/sewing kit built around an altoids chewing gum tin, which is about half the size of the regular mints tin. It fits a few types of needles, safety pins, thread including dental floss and a small tube of super glue. A little duct tape is wrapped outside.

Best Regards
 
This kit and a lifestraw.... the life straw can be rigged to the side of this as well... Snare wire is very useful, not only in making snares but rigging shelters, spears, and a lot more. Snare trapping is a great survival resource. it takes little effort and you can be away doing more important survival stuff while it does its job. snares are more useful in survival situations than fishing tackle in most environments.

DONT LEAVE OUT SNARE WIRE! Learn to make effective snares! Use multiple snares per squirrel pole, direct animal traffic towards your snares. practice and read.

I take part in multiple survival trips a year, I help teach several of the classes, mostly to children and young adults, like edibles and making rope from natural fibers, but one of the things we teach is to NOT put so much emphasis on food. you can go days without it and its everywhere if you just open your eyes. Water purification is very important and if space is not that big of concern i recommend the sawyer point 1 or point 2 filtration kits. they are priced great, need no filters, and will clean a million gallons! All they need is gravity... and we got plenty of that!

If you purchase a kit, like i did, no matter what kit you get its important to go through it and replace stuff, or add to it, based on your location and skills. Its very important to practice with the stuff in your kit, dont be scared to use it and replace stuff as needed, If you dont know how to use the stuff, no matter the gear you have it is worthless.

pwlg.jpg
 
I have a related question regarding water filtration. Figured I'd ask here instead of making a new thread.

My water filter (Platypus Gravity Works) removes everything except viruses, toxins, VOCs and heavy metals. How big of a risk am I taking using it for river water? (river touring on a kayak)

I've been looking to supplement this filter with a carbon filter add-on (should help with toxins and VOCs), and a UV stir rod to kill viruses. Overkill or good setup? Any other suggestions? I don't want to use tablets or bleach or the like.
 
I think an altoids kit with some extreme survival gear is a good idea... if...

...it's in your pack as an addition to the Ten Essentials and other regular hiking gear.
 
Concat said:
I have a related question regarding water filtration. Figured I'd ask here instead of making a new thread.

My water filter (Platypus Gravity Works) removes everything except viruses, toxins, VOCs and heavy metals. How big of a risk am I taking using it for river water? (river touring on a kayak)

I've been looking to supplement this filter with a carbon filter add-on (should help with toxins and VOCs), and a UV stir rod to kill viruses. Overkill or good setup? Any other suggestions? I don't want to use tablets or bleach or the like.
Click to expand...

It is said (and I can't find anything contrary) that viruses are not a significant risk in North America. Any commercial water treatment chemical used according to directions kills viruses, but you do not want to use them. UV will work, at a rate determined by temperature and clarity of the water, if the water is above freezing, the batteries are sound, and you have not broken the UV device.

Some American rivers have troubling levels of toxic heavy metals. Information is your protection.

The western U.S. has areas where arsenic is an issue. Again, information is safety, both as to know hazards and signs of arsenic contamination.
 
Last edited:
Hmmm... food for thought. Thanks Thomas.

I will at least be getting the carbon filter to further improve the water quality. Parhaps the UV isn't needed... I'd just hate to get some gastro viral infection out in the bush. And I suppose if my filter breaks, the UV would still function as a good backup.

This is what I'm currently eyeing: http://www.steripen.com/adventurer-opti/
 
I agree and keep much more purification tablets in my kit.

top two most important items for me would be
1. lighter and ferro rod
2. water purification

the reason the lighter would be more important to me is because I live here in utah and hypothermia and the cold temperatures would kill me much faster than dehydration.
 
Concat said:
Hmmm... food for thought. Thanks Thomas.

I will at least be getting the carbon filter to further improve the water quality. Parhaps the UV isn't needed... I'd just hate to get some gastro viral infection out in the bush. And I suppose if my filter breaks, the UV would still function as a good backup.

This is what I'm currently eyeing: http://www.steripen.com/adventurer-opti/
Click to expand...



I don't know if this test is relevant today. http://www.backpackgeartest.org/rev...raviolet/SteriPen/Owner Review by John Heubi/

or http://www.trailspace.com/gear/steripen/classic/
 
I have kondies crystals in a vial for water purification , its kinda reactive stuff so it can be a firelighter as well .
The downside to it is , you DO have to be able to see color and to know that it takes a seriously tiny amount to work .
Its cheap relatively easy , but only a back up to the lifestraw and the sawyer filter I use .

lifestraw tho is a pretty big thing to fit into a psk .
 
I've wondered if you're separated from your pack/other gear, where does the container come from to use for water purification? You have to put the iodine/bleach/tablets into something. I suppose someone will chime in 'I'd whittle me a kuska.'

If the purpose of the altoids tin thing is an emergency supply of stuff in case you're separated from your pack, my main focus would be on signaling and fire. A good whistle, a quality signalling mirror and some fire starting gear would be my main focus. I've used a whistle twice this last year. Once because I was separated from the main group in jungle and I wanted to figure out what direction they were in, and the other time was to signal a boat to tow our sinking raft to shore. LOL!

I've also caught far more fish than I have successfully snared varmints, but maybe I'm just a poor trapper and trapping is the way to do it. That being said, I usually end up traveling by and camping by water like most humans and other animals. The expedition I was on this year and last was fed mostly by fishing, but we carried some rice, noodles and oats along as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top