Build a Better Survival Kit

CoyotePhysics

CoyotePhysics

Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
330
Recently it seems that everywhere I go there are prefabricated survival kits prominently displayed. I've never bought one, but I always look to see if I can glean any ideas from them. For the most part they have been rather disappointing. Perhaps the appeal is the price, or the fact that it all comes together.

In my kit there are items that I have accumulated over the years, but to someone starting from scratch putting their own kit together might seem like a daunting and expensive task. Following a recent thread I found two newcomers to all-in-one survival kits, and I thought that for the money the people on this forum could do better.

So here is the challenge, how good of a survival kit could you make for $20? How about $50? (Note: I'm not expecting anyone to actually buy or source anything. Just list the Items and the approximate price)

Here is the baseline set by the most recent prefab kits I've seen:
The $20 kit
o Nylon Waterproof Bag
o Folding Knife
o Emergency Whistle
o Ferro rod
o 10 Waterproof Matches
o Snare Wire (Not visible in this kit, see below)
o Emergency Cord (Not visible in this kit, see below)
o 1 Cotton Ball (Fire Tinder)
o Survival Pocket Guide

The $50 kit
o Miniature Multi-tool with
+ Needle Nose Pliers
+ Wire Cutters
+ Plain and Serrated blades
+ Phillips and Flat Screwdrivers
+ Bottle Opener
+ Tweezers
o Waterproof Nylon Bag
o Mini Light (LED button cell key-chain light)
o Hand Saw (The wire type)
o Signaling Mirror
o Space Blanket
o Ferro Rod
o 10 Waterproof Matches
o 1 Cotton Ball (Fire Tinder)
o Snare Wire (Perhaps a meter of 18(ish) awg copper wire)
o Emergency Cord (less than 4 meters. Not 550 chord)
o Waxed Thread
o Fishing Kit (4 hooks, 4 swivels, 4 splitshot sinkers, limited amount of line)
o Sewing Kit (1 needle, 1 safety pin, two small buttons, four colors of thread wound onto a paper spool)
o Survival Pocket Guide and land to air SOS instructions

Ok, the obvious temptation is going to be to attack these kits (and that can be half the fun of this thread), but I hope to see some creative ideas of just how useful $20 or $50 dollars well spent can be.

If you don't want to do the dollar thing you could still chime in and share your thought about what a PSK must contain, What a PSK should contain, and any non-essential but useful items you would want.

Also, list any items that have no real value, but tend to be included in "survival kits."
 
if you're on a budget, use dental floss instead of commercial waxed thread. it comes on a bobbin, just bust it out if the case to save space.

kinda scratching my head over a need for FOUR colors of thread. i'd simply use one, or possibly two colors, and have the lengths of thread be longer... should reduce waste if you come to the end of the thread. heavy duty carpet and upholstery thread is easy to find in black and olive... i've never seen it in any other colors where i've looked.

i'd suggest more hooks and needles. small things are easy to drop and loose in stressful conditions. more safety pins too.

i don't see anything for capturing, storing or treating water.
 
CoyotePhysics said:
Ok, the obvious temptation is going to be to attack these kits (and that can be half the fun of this thread)...
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's what I'm going to do.

Most pre-fab survival kits, like store-bought first aid kits, are useless except for the containers they come in.

Here's why. They're not put together by experts, but are put together by committees in some conference room, where they buy overstock supplies and put them into containers solely to make small profits off the markup.

That's why your kits will contain a couple of obvious items and a variety of low-probability items and some really stupid stuff. Basically, just excuses to fill out the box.

I've bought four first aid kits over the last fifteen years and promptly dumped out the contents (I kept a couple of the items) and repacked them myself. I like the waterproof, high-visibility containers--but hate the nonsense they put in there. Okay. My rant for the day is over.
 
These posts are great sources for gaining ideas from. Over the years, just about the time I think I have all of our day bags, 3-day bags, vehicle bags, etc. pretty well set, I see something someone else uses or has made better by changing it. Two websites that I have used for information are Equipped To Survive (Dour Ritter) & Be Prepared To Survive (John McCann). Both of these sites are excellent, excellent places to get ideas & knowledge. I have ordered a "few" items from John & Denise over the years, excellent service, excellent name brand products, top notch dealer.
Lastly, I agree with the first aid kits. I bought a pre-made kit a few years ago, and within two weeks needed a band-aid for my son. I put the band-aid on & within about an hour the adhesive wouldn't even keep it together. Right idea of buying the kit then giving the contents to someone else. Good thread, hope to see a lot of posts with a lot of good ideas.
 
for $20 here's what I would have in mine:

sawzall/hacksaw blade knife- $2
firesteel (1/4" x3")- $2
mini bic lighter- $0.5
PJCB fire straws (6)- $0.5
25' 170# Spectra line- $2
AMK heatsheet- $4
button compass- liquid filled- $2
NATO whistle- $2
ss wire 20'- $2
duct tape- $0.5
heavy needle wrapped w/ 25# spectra fishing line- $0.5
MRE hot beverage bag- $0.5
aluminum foil pan- $1
heavy ziplock- $0.5

firestarting- knife, firesteel, firestraws, lighter
shelter- cordage, heatsheet, knife, wire
water- foil pan, beverage bag, zip lock, heatsheet
signaling- whistle, heatsheet, fire
repair- duct tape, wire, cordage, needle/spectra
first aid- duct tape, needle, heatsheet, PJCB
 
The Ritter designed kit seems to be the most well thought out pocket kit that I've come across. Generally though these types of kits come with things you won't need in a survival scenario, but I still keep one in the bottom of my pack out of superstition I guess. That being said, the stuff in my daypack is my "survival kit".
Here's what I consider most important:

-magnesium fire starter ($5)
-duct tape (maybe .25 cents worth)
-para cord ($3)
-metal cup (mine was $10, but you could use a coffee can, so free!)
-mylar space blanket ($2)
-disposable rain poncho ($1)
-surveyors tape ($1)
-whistle (Fox 40 for $5)

Gotta have a knife and the right clothing on for the weather and I think the above could see me through for a few days until rescue. I don't plan on fishing or trapping any game. If I did, the amounts of wire and line in these kits wouldn't be enough anyway. I would be most concerned with getting some type of shelter set up, building a fire and staying hydrated. Once that stuff was taken care of, signaling would then be my main priority. All the above is in my opinion, all that is really needed. So if for some reason I don't survive out there for lack of gear, please don't laugh at me :D
 
The Ritter designed kit seems to be the most well thought out pocket kit that I've come across.
Click to expand...

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/

I have to agree here... So much in fact that I own some of there gear and think it is put together very nice.

Most pre-fab survival kits, like store-bought first aid kits, are useless except for the containers they come in.

Here's why. They're not put together by experts, but are put together by committees in some conference room, where they buy overstock supplies and put them into containers solely to make small profits off the markup.

That's why your kits will contain a couple of obvious items and a variety of low-probability items and some really stupid stuff. Basically, just excuses to fill out the box.

I've bought four first aid kits over the last fifteen years and promptly dumped out the contents (I kept a couple of the items) and repacked them myself. I like the waterproof, high-visibility containers--but hate the nonsense they put in there. Okay. My rant for the day is over.
Click to expand...

Have you looked at the above link... or any of the stuff they offer? Just wondering... I had a doctor look at both of my FAK's and he said only to add a couple of 4X4 gauze pads.

Ski
 
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another agreement that the AMK/Ritter survival kit is probably the best of it's kind out there
 
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