Building a kit around a knife and sheath

Jim D. · Mar 29, 2012

Looking for some input guys, just to see what everyone else's preferences are and if I'm missing anything significant.

I'm planning on building some kits, likely to supply for a group if it turns out well, built as a bare-bones kit around a blade and sheath. The intended kit would be for temperate woodland survival. Jungle, Desert or Artic environments are not what I have in mind for this particular kit.

Without going into the full details, these kits would have:
a tuned up Mora knife (squared spine an some other undisclosed additions),
a custom made sheath built to either hang around the neck (or belt mount with some option belt loop accessories) with some innovative rivet use to reduce the overall footprint,
a neck loop that contains a healthy amount of paracord (not just a simple loop, but a woven reserve of 20+ feet),
a mini compass,
mini single led light (think micro keychain size),
some duct tape (maybe 1" wide and as long as can be wrapped around the sheath without giving it too much bulk),
micro cord (tech variant to be used for snare trigger line, fishing, sewing, etc),
waterproof storage capsule for tinder,
low profile magnesium and ferro rods that fit on sheath without adding bulk (http://firesteel.com/firesteel-survival-with-lanyard-hole/),
inner tube section around sheath to secure user supplied add-on's.

Additions I've considered would be some wire, and fish hooks. I'm open to suggestions for alternatives and modifications.

My goal is to have a kit that is manageable to wear around the neck, without being so heavy and cumbersome that no-one wants to wear it there. This would provide redundancy with a more complete kit carried in a pack, yet be "enough" that it could get you through a lot despite its tiny size.

Space blankets, signaling mirrors, etc. would all be nice, but a balance between size and weight needs to be found with contents and capability.

What do you guys think, is this something you'd find useful to wear around the neck when you're out in the bush? A handy reserve kit to toss in a pack?

I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on the topic.

Thanks!

Mistwalker · Mar 29, 2012

I like knife-based survival kits myself. I've rigged up a few like this for myself and my wife and daughter to carry on our belts, but it's too heavy for neck carry.

My neck kits are built around knives like a BK-11 and only have the basics like a button compass, a small signal mirror, a ferro rod, a capsule for chemical tinder, a small light, and maybe a ceramic rod for sharpening the knife. I've worn this one all day, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to carry much more around my neck for long term.

hung-solo · Mar 29, 2012

^ good stuff Mist (as usual). i have a very simple knife kit. its basically an ESEE 4 with a maxpedition attachment on the sheat that holds an altoids tin. in that tin i have fire making supplies. since i do not trek too long (if and when i even ever get the time). i figured a good fire was more important than anything. that being said i do need to at least add some first aid stuff. just gotta figure out where to add it..

Jim D. · Mar 29, 2012

mistwalker said:
My neck kits are built around knives like a BK-11 and only have the basics like a button compass, a small signal mirror, a ferro rod, a capsule for chemical tinder, a small light, and maybe a ceramic rod for sharpening the knife. I've worn this one all day, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to carry much more around my neck for long term.

Gotcha, yeah, the kit I have in mind would be a little bit slimmer than that (unless that's just a small blade and my sense of scale is off).

Thanks for the input!

Tankerwolf · Mar 29, 2012

Paracord around the neck can be a bad idea depending on where and by who this kit would be used. Maybe add a small section of ball-chain in case it needs to break free instead of choking you to death. Great idea though if you can keep the size and weight down.

Jim D. · Mar 29, 2012

Tankerwolf said:
Paracord around the neck can be a bad idea depending on where and by who this kit would be used. Maybe add a small section of ball-chain in case it needs to break free instead of choking you to death. Great idea though if you can keep the size and weight down.

Roger that, good call.

It's always a balance between security and "safety". I know some people who cut the back of their neck ties and velcro them in place so they can't be choked with them... but most people don't care about stuff like that.

A splice could be melted in, ball chain or reduced diameter/strength cord used in a joint, or I could just test the failure strength of the eyelets in the kydex and see what it comes out to. One of those cheap-o mini keychain carabiners might be a good load limiter, as well, in addition to providing some functionality for field use.

Thanks for bringing it up!

Magnaminous_G · Mar 29, 2012

Also, paracord worn around the neck will reek of human, which can make it less effective if needed to make traps

Shotgun · Mar 29, 2012

For small kits like this I'd forego any food gathering gear. A neck kit needs to be as small and light as possible or you're more likely to not wear it. You should focus on signaling and fire gear IMO. A bare bones kit for me would be a compass, light, firesteel, whistle and either a mini bic or tinder. I'd start there and see where you're at weight/size wise. Then add things like duct tape and the other things if you like.

Jim D. · Apr 1, 2012

Just finished up the prototype. The paracord is the heaviest part (about 20-24' on it). I'm thinking about thinning it out to reduce the weight and bulk... what do you guys think, is 7 or 8 feet of cord plenty for a bare-bones kit?

Mistwalker · Apr 1, 2012

Jim D. said:
Gotcha, yeah, the kit I have in mind would be a little bit slimmer than that (unless that's just a small blade and my sense of scale is off).

Thanks for the input!

The knife is pretty small at 6.75 inches over all with a 3 inch or so blade, but still not tiny. It is lighter without the scales. Much more weight than this and I'd throw it over a shoulder and bladric carry it rather than around the neck.

Mistwalker · Apr 1, 2012

Jim D. said:
Just finished up the prototype. The paracord is the heaviest part (about 20-24' on it). I'm thinking about thinning it out to reduce the weight and bulk... what do you guys think, is 7 or 8 feet of cord plenty for a bare-bones kit?

Durable cordage is hard to produce in a natural environment so any is better than none. I make paracord bracelets that are easy to access the cord of and they only have about 3 meters of cord. A lot can be done with 3 meters of cord in a pinch

cpurcell · Jun 12, 2012

For kits to wear around the neck using paracord, consider using a small cord lock instead of securing the ends with a knot.
They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and I prefer the single hole locks, as they 'break away' easier than the dual hole locks.
Something like this:

I used to wear a setup like this all the time and it was strange at first, but I quickly got used to it.

blt-2-drg · Jun 12, 2012

^this is a great idea. You can find a pack of 4 for a few bucks in the camping aisle at Walmart.

readyme · Jun 12, 2012

Jim,
I like what you are thinking...I look forward to seeing a finished product. Don't forget to make a couple for the "for sale" section.

gadgetgeek · Jun 12, 2012

8 feet of paracord is 64 feet of stripped cord which should be enough for a simple stay the night shelter. If you also had some other cord/thread/line to go with the trap/ fishhook part, that should do quite well I'd think. What do you use as "micro"cord? just Dacron braid fishing line? if you were giving the kit away, you might want to add a tips card including knots, as braid fishing line is odd for knots. the Albright knot works really well, but you have to know it to use it right?. Also my opinion is that baldric rig is safer and more comfy to carry, but to each his own.

Diomedes Industries · Jun 12, 2012

Can I throw this out? Knife kits run the risk that if you drop or loose your blade - you loose your entire kit.

I try to spread out a few of my essentials on different parts of my body.

Just a thought.

TF

umberto00 · Jun 12, 2012

Here's my "mini-kit" that I keep on my knife's sheath. Very basic, a nanostiker, compass, led light, fishing line, hooks, safety pins (under the bike inner tubes). I've also added a flat pea-less whistle (not pictured). Very compact, easy to carry. This is basically a back-up to my full-sized kit:

darthstrevel · Jun 12, 2012

Shotgun said:
For small kits like this I'd forego any food gathering gear. A neck kit needs to be as small and light as possible or you're more likely to not wear it. You should focus on signaling and fire gear IMO. A bare bones kit for me would be a compass, light, firesteel, whistle and either a mini bic or tinder. I'd start there and see where you're at weight/size wise. Then add things like duct tape and the other things if you like.

^^^This is a good post!

I like to spread out my gear on my person too. While I have a few items with the knife & sheath ... fire-steel, some cordage; the rest is spread out in either cargo pockets or vest pockets, pouches to distribute the load. I just try to cover the 10 outdoor essentials on my person w/ my normal EDC items. However, I definitely see the value in having a "grab & go" knife kit --- so that critical gear isn't left behind in the rush out the door. Personally, I found after making several "knife-kits" that my gear was so inaccessible in a tiny "altoids tin kit" like this, that it afforded little familiarity & field-testing/training with the gear I intended to entrust my life to. So now I keep it all in a backpack - and add & subtract as necessary before heading to the field. YMMV