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nice kit just placed a order for the Adventurer model
Altoids Tin Survival Kit
- Thread starter G.Moll
- Start date
nice kit just placed a order for the Adventurer model
Trail Edge
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Sounds like a winner!
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At first I was thinkin "wow this guy really keeps bags of breastmilk in his survival kit?!?" lmao
Took me a second
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Here are my two Altoids tins.
video of contents.
[video=youtube;EkkftwhAbkM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkkftwhAbkM[/video]
video of contents.
[video=youtube;EkkftwhAbkM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkkftwhAbkM[/video]
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- Nov 20, 2007
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This is my smallest kit. It goes with me everywhere. (I have another much more inclusive kit that is in a 4.5 x 6 Maxpedition padded pouch that fits in the side pocket of the book bag that is always with me, or at least in the truck.)
I made this out of a Sucrets tin. Painted with spray on primer and then textured Krylon paint, I believe the color was "biscuit". It has waterproof matches, a small Gerber folding knife that I have had for 20+ years, a small watchband compass from County Comm, a P-51 can opener and an emergency storm whistle.
I made this out of a Sucrets tin. Painted with spray on primer and then textured Krylon paint, I believe the color was "biscuit". It has waterproof matches, a small Gerber folding knife that I have had for 20+ years, a small watchband compass from County Comm, a P-51 can opener and an emergency storm whistle.
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The biggest beef I have with these sorts of kits is the container they come in. Try working from one for 72hrs or so and you'll soon see what I mean. To my mind the single advantage of tins is the property of being able to boil in it. If it wasn't for that the smart container would be one like you keep your FAK in, with the transparent roll out at a glance compartments to work from not one bucket that you have to dig about in. The tin is a first rate choice if you can use it as a mess tin. An RAF type survival tin would be a solid choice even if it is a bit pinched for space........................Scale that down to the classic 2oz tobacco tin size and the going starts to get tricky. Whilst you can boil water in it as you might imagine you aren't getting very much. Try making a survival gruel in it and you are going to need some patience. True, nettles wilt down like spinach but there's a clue for those of you that cook. You know what the volume is going to be like to start with compared to what you'll end up with. And yes you can toast up your earth worms on a rock and all that but the chances are you'll be boiling them up in the pot too. If you're lucky enough to have secured small game or a bird, well you aren't getting a lot of that in at one. Here's a fun one see how much instant potato, or noodles, or couscous you can knock up with a 2oz tobacco. Rinse and repeat 'till you've stopped feeling hungry. Now wait until you're hungry and go to the woods and do it over some burning sticks in the drizzle. Note also that you have tipped out all the original contents into you pockets...............................By the time we've scaled down even further to the pocket friendly Altoids tin size we've pretty much wankered the useful property of the tin. I don't have an egg cup handy but if I did I'd like to discover how many egg cups full of water I can boil in a Altoids tin at once. I believe I could cook four decent size eyeballs up in one and a bit of room for the cooking liquor and not much more. Hardly enough to take the raw from your appetite...................................My preferred solution is tin foil all the way. And the recurses back to what I said at the start about having a more useful container for the kit to begin with save for the single useful property of the tin. Voilà liberation...........................To illustrate, here's a kind of foil container I tend to use a lot anyway. Admittedly that one is fairly big but you can get them in half that size, with steeper sides and bunch of shapes to suit. The joy of them is they weigh very little and can be folded and stamped flat. They're pretty tough, you've got to fold and unfold a few times before you introduce a weak spot. Given you're probably going to unfold it once and that you can have 2 or 3 of them for a trivial penalty these are the way ahead for me................There's potentially bonus points in foil for the creative too. Unleash your imagination. Make mackerel feathers, wrapped it round a dud fuse, scavenge an old watering can and make a condenser tube to turn your piss into a win a knife. Who knows what else.
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- Nov 6, 2011
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This is my idea of a good post. It includes pictures of what you can do with it and what is in it. Too bad thriftyjoe those are not flatter in size so that you can put them in a pouch or pocket...flatter like a tobacco tin but maybe bigger around so the same volume.
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- Joined
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I messed around with a couple combinations and ended up with a SAK, a nail, ferro rod, snare wire, cordage, patch, mirror, needle, thread, a small pen, and inner tube in one tin. Im looking at getting a card sharpener ( or something like that) its a sharpening stone the sized of a credit card for your wallet. And in a second tin i have a micro mess kit
with fat wood, char cloth, wire stand for holding the tin, quartz (no flint/obsidian around me), and another ferro rod. The size of the container is limiting like baldtaco said, but they can easily becarried with you at all times.
with fat wood, char cloth, wire stand for holding the tin, quartz (no flint/obsidian around me), and another ferro rod. The size of the container is limiting like baldtaco said, but they can easily becarried with you at all times.
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PSKs are always going to be a compromise and they should be a do-all survival kit. I do think its good to address how you can augment your essentials, such as having water purification tablets or possibly a little duct tape and cordage to aid in shelter making.
Your PSK should augment you EDC. There are also two differing views on a PSK; some consider it a small insurance cache and others use it daily for minor repairs, minor medical needs, etc. Im in the latter group as Ive used the Band-Aids, needles, thread, safety pins; even the fish hooks and fish line get used when backpacking to just keep up on the skills necessary for hand-fishing or setting up a trot line.
An urban kit will be a little different from a wilderness kit. I like the addition of a small hacksaw blade and flashlight in my urban kit but I prefer extra tinder for my wilderness kits and the fishhooks and fishline. I even have a few combat PSKs that were built for specific environments.
I have a few other smaller kits including the tins; just need to get some pictures. There are some good pre-made kits that are excellent starters such as the Doug Ritter kit, TOPS kit with the Turley knife and ESEE makes some good kits. I consider them starter kits as you really need to modify for your specific needs.
ROCK6
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- Jul 28, 2012
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I have a couple different combinations of the altoids survival tin sized kit, one for firestarting, one with trapping and snare materials, etc. i have also started carrying a small tube of Carmex lip balm, has several different uses to include a nice fire starter when used with cotton balls, here are a couple of pictures of my leather pouch i carry on my belt, i can fit a altoids tin along with a firesteel and some trotline or a vaccum packed bag of tinder and firesteel, etc.
10 ft para wrapped around the box
Doug Ritter critter blade
Fire steel
Hacksaw blade
4 zip ties
3 wire
10 spider wire fishing line
5 cotton thread
4 safety pins various sizes
2 water pure tabs
Whistle
Go gear light
Windproof matches w/ striker
4 perch hools with split shot wrapped in alum foil
12 x12 HD foil w/ 1 vaseline soked cotton ball folded inside
Fire starter spread out to fill in the gaps
enough to get me hm
Trail Edge
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I really like these threads on survival tins, there some of my favorites. I mostly have a couple of the premade kits, but I would like to invest in some supplies to make more of a home made one.
I had spent some cash at an online "medical refill" type of place, and I have been happy with that, but I still wish that I would have bought the box of alcohol wipes rather than antiseptic. They can be used as a fire starter as well (I had read how hydrogen peroxide kills the tissue, so I had gone with the antiseptic wipes, but alcohol pads still work fine though from what I gather though).
Disclaimer: These pictures are just for the refill capability for my survival tins. Usability is the only reason I haven't wrapped para cord around my tin, but it still "blows up" when I open it, just because I have the tin crammed full. I'd just like to be able to use it fluently. It may take down scaling, or making them into 2 tins.
I saw that ED has a pretty good setup, it looks like it gets used. I just haven't found where to get mini sewing kits and little superglue (like I'm missing in a tin).
I had spent some cash at an online "medical refill" type of place, and I have been happy with that, but I still wish that I would have bought the box of alcohol wipes rather than antiseptic. They can be used as a fire starter as well (I had read how hydrogen peroxide kills the tissue, so I had gone with the antiseptic wipes, but alcohol pads still work fine though from what I gather though).
Disclaimer: These pictures are just for the refill capability for my survival tins. Usability is the only reason I haven't wrapped para cord around my tin, but it still "blows up" when I open it, just because I have the tin crammed full. I'd just like to be able to use it fluently. It may take down scaling, or making them into 2 tins.
I saw that ED has a pretty good setup, it looks like it gets used. I just haven't found where to get mini sewing kits and little superglue (like I'm missing in a tin).
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Trail Edge
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Anywise, here is some shots of mine 
The End.
The End.
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Heres my EDC which consists of a Maxpedition Micro organizer and Altoids tin. I always carry both, the altoids tin never leaves my pocket and the Maxpedition gets moved around from pocket to diaper bag depending if i have my daughter with me. I can also comfortable carry the Altoids tin on my belt at the small of my back with the knife on the inside. The bands work very well for this.
Heres my Maxpedition H-1 waistpack i recently put together. I carry it on hikes and keep it on my bike while out riding in the desert.
Heres my Maxpedition H-1 waistpack i recently put together. I carry it on hikes and keep it on my bike while out riding in the desert.
Lots of great ideas here. I'm no expert, but have attended an expert class. Couple things learned...more than one type of fire is best. A cotton ball smothered with Vaseline is one of the best, which I've tested well. Next is some pitch wood; which I saw one pictured in the thread. I've tested that one since I was a kid. Love that stuff if you are lucky enough to live where it can be found.
The other thing I learned from the class is space blankets are garbage and usually rip into shreds when you need them. The orange plastic survival bags will save your life in the cold and you can cut a hole in the corner to make a poncho if needed. I never actually opened a space blanket package before so Im taking the teachers word on that one.
Also, adding a antihistamine in your pill pack might save your life. My buddy almost choked on his tongue after rolling up a yellowjacket in a burrito 8 hours from the nearest doctor. My other bud had an antihistamine that probable saved his life, or atleast saved me from punching a hole in his neck.
I also learned that I need a legitimate small medical pack for my outdoor adventures and I need the training to use it. Because medical emergencies are at the heart of most survival situations.
The other thing I learned from the class is space blankets are garbage and usually rip into shreds when you need them. The orange plastic survival bags will save your life in the cold and you can cut a hole in the corner to make a poncho if needed. I never actually opened a space blanket package before so Im taking the teachers word on that one.
Also, adding a antihistamine in your pill pack might save your life. My buddy almost choked on his tongue after rolling up a yellowjacket in a burrito 8 hours from the nearest doctor. My other bud had an antihistamine that probable saved his life, or atleast saved me from punching a hole in his neck.
I also learned that I need a legitimate small medical pack for my outdoor adventures and I need the training to use it. Because medical emergencies are at the heart of most survival situations.
You can get mini sewing kits from most motel front desks for free. They are about the size of a book of matches.
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A thought on alcohol swabs. The alcohol does as much damage to the tissue as hydrogen peroxide, so if you can clean the wound with clean water, and just a bit of soap, that is best, otherwise the antiseptic is good. almost all of the antiseptics do at least some damage, so its a personal choice. I've noticed with myself that I heal faster than I used to, and I used to either hydrogen or alcohol all my cuts.
Cool kits so far guys!
I noticed that USB stick blt-2-drg, I carry one mostly for work, but I do have some personal info on it for ID purposes. Anyone else carry one with medical info and the like? some of them are tiny, and with a password protection you could carry a high res scan of your important papers.
Schmiddy, I've found that half of my experiences and training in regards to first aid, is that getting a good assessment is key. Most people rush, think the problem is worse than it is, or do things that are unnecessary. Most medical stuff is in the boo-boo category, so its nice to have the knowledge to treat things as best as you can, and the materials to make that easier. Lets say your buddy gets a nasty gash on his forehead, six hours from town, on the first night of an overnighter. He's got no concussion that you can tell, but is worried about a scar. you could clean things up, steri-strip it closed, (or use band-aids, butterflies or whatever) and call it a night. OR you could throw a gauze patch on it, race back to the trailhead, leave half your gear, get to an ER and then have the Doc either rip the bandage off and ablate the wound (more chance of scarring) maybe do stitches, maybe not, and the trip is ruined, and you left behind gear has wandered off in the time it takes to get back. Most first aid courses don't teach that kind of stuff, because they assume that you are either going to 911 it, or go straight to a doc (truth is, most of the Docs and Nurses I've worked with can't bandage worth a damn) There are quite a few good wilderness first aid guides around, that tell you not only how to do a procedure, but when it is warranted, and when it is not advised.
That said, first aid stuff gets bulky quick, and you need to balance how much you might need per wound, what wounds are likely, and how often can you re-stock the kit. Even my little boo-boo urban kit is bigger than a altoids tin, and that is just an EDC comfort kit. The back country kit could easily fill my Remora, if not more. for off-roading it should be bigger, with at least a decent sized burn kit. I guess that's why I don't do the altoids tin thing, as in my mind one band-aid isn't going to fix any problem that is anything to worry about. It is neat to get all the other gear as small as possible, something that I've been doing for quite some time now (you should have seen my early "survival" kits!) and I'm finding that there a minimums I don't like to go below. One skill set I know I should be working harder on is "no-kit" skills, but its proving to be challenging enough to even get out, never mind practice stuff.
As for the space blankets falling apart, yeah, the cheap ones will after a decade or so. The AMK ones seem to do pretty well (although if you spill tomato juice on them, it will corrode the metallic layer) carry whatever you like.
To each, his own, YMMV and such like that. My opinions are worth less than the sticker price!
Cool kits so far guys!
I noticed that USB stick blt-2-drg, I carry one mostly for work, but I do have some personal info on it for ID purposes. Anyone else carry one with medical info and the like? some of them are tiny, and with a password protection you could carry a high res scan of your important papers.
Schmiddy, I've found that half of my experiences and training in regards to first aid, is that getting a good assessment is key. Most people rush, think the problem is worse than it is, or do things that are unnecessary. Most medical stuff is in the boo-boo category, so its nice to have the knowledge to treat things as best as you can, and the materials to make that easier. Lets say your buddy gets a nasty gash on his forehead, six hours from town, on the first night of an overnighter. He's got no concussion that you can tell, but is worried about a scar. you could clean things up, steri-strip it closed, (or use band-aids, butterflies or whatever) and call it a night. OR you could throw a gauze patch on it, race back to the trailhead, leave half your gear, get to an ER and then have the Doc either rip the bandage off and ablate the wound (more chance of scarring) maybe do stitches, maybe not, and the trip is ruined, and you left behind gear has wandered off in the time it takes to get back. Most first aid courses don't teach that kind of stuff, because they assume that you are either going to 911 it, or go straight to a doc (truth is, most of the Docs and Nurses I've worked with can't bandage worth a damn) There are quite a few good wilderness first aid guides around, that tell you not only how to do a procedure, but when it is warranted, and when it is not advised.
That said, first aid stuff gets bulky quick, and you need to balance how much you might need per wound, what wounds are likely, and how often can you re-stock the kit. Even my little boo-boo urban kit is bigger than a altoids tin, and that is just an EDC comfort kit. The back country kit could easily fill my Remora, if not more. for off-roading it should be bigger, with at least a decent sized burn kit. I guess that's why I don't do the altoids tin thing, as in my mind one band-aid isn't going to fix any problem that is anything to worry about. It is neat to get all the other gear as small as possible, something that I've been doing for quite some time now (you should have seen my early "survival" kits!) and I'm finding that there a minimums I don't like to go below. One skill set I know I should be working harder on is "no-kit" skills, but its proving to be challenging enough to even get out, never mind practice stuff.
As for the space blankets falling apart, yeah, the cheap ones will after a decade or so. The AMK ones seem to do pretty well (although if you spill tomato juice on them, it will corrode the metallic layer) carry whatever you like.
To each, his own, YMMV and such like that. My opinions are worth less than the sticker price!