experience with gear and kits

S

skitertank

Joined
Jun 12, 2009
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154
ya know, all gear has a purpose and its uses in the wilderness, but sometimes i think that we tend to rely soley on all the cool gadgets and gear we have and forget that we might actually have to use them..my emphasis is mostly on survival kits.while i think that they can be handy and could possibly save your life one day, i do not think that you could send your average city dweller into the woods with the largest and most expensive kit available and expect him to come out of a survival situation alive. my point being is that it may help and is good to be prepared, but knowledge and experience is the most useful tool you can have with you if you find yourself in that kind of situation.

i used to carry a survival kit with me full of all kinds of 'goodies' and stuff always kinda of hoping i would get put into a situation where i would get to test them out, and then it happened. i got lost in the woods while hunting one time and had to stay out over night in the freezing cold weather. when i realized i was lost and it was already turnin night i decided to build a small shelter and get materials for a fire. i had a little jerky and some trail mix to eat and then i crashed out till morning. i made it through the night fairly comfortable even in the 0 degree weather thanks to the shelter and the fire and made it back to the truck late the next day. when i made it back to the truck i finally realized that i hadnt even touched my 'survival' kit which was at the bottom of my bag. the only things i had used,were the things that i had practiced with the most,my knife and firesteel. with those two things i was able to build shelter and fire even in the cold snowy conditions in under an hour and had completely forgotten about the space blanket, wet fire tinder and granola bar tucked away ever so neatly in my kit.

the moral to this story is you can have all the most expensive and best gear in the world, but it will only help you if you know how to use it, the rest is up to you. i know alot of members here carry survival kits and are constantly building them better which is perfectly fine(im not bashing on kits), my only bit of advice is that you make sure that whats in there is not just a bunch of bells and whistles but rather actual tools that will be helpful to you and things you will use if put into a bad sitaution.
 
I agree with the gist of your point. I personally have a couple of kits in different places, tackle box, truck, etc. I also agree that the kit should be useful to the user not just mimic what everyone else has. I know my kit changes a bit from time to time. For me I personally don't do the small fishing kit anymore...is it good to have, yes, but in most circumstances for me it is stuff I would not use frequently enough.
 
Definitely some worthwhile observations, skitertank. These very same points are heard often around this forum - most of us try to get out there, practice skills, and learn how to 'make do' without gear as often as possible.

Glad your lost-in-the-woods experience turned out well, and welcome to W&SS!

All the best,

- Mike
 
From Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales....

pg 181

"When he'd set out on August 8, Killip had been a healthy competent, well-equipped hiker. His pack. contained everything he need to survive a least a week in the wild. Now, just over two days after taking a wrong turn off the Continental Divide, he was huddled on an icy mountainside, exhausted, hungry, badly dehydrated, injured, and dangerously hypothermic. What had began as a small error in navigation had progressed, step by innocent step, to a grim struggle for survival."
 
So nice to hear you survived that cold night and thanks for sharing the wisdom.
A buddy of mine could not.. It was this January. His body not found yet.
 
Thanks for posting. It just shows how far you can get with just the smallest kit.
And it shows the most important piece of equipment is not one you carry in your pack or pockets, but inside your head.
 
The more you know the less you can get by with but the less you know the more your extra gear becomes so much useless baggage. This reminds me to practice my bow drill technique some more. I light every fire--even the grill and the wood stove--with a ferro rod, so I think I'm all set there. Shelter building is another skill I need to practice. I'll probably try making one the next day I have free!
 
I probably need to brush up on my navigation skills. Around where I live I cannot get lost. Two larger chimneys and very flat countryside make that real easy around here ...
 
Kind of an offshoot of your topic, often don't you think a kit is more of a "feel good" than a necessity. I can remember at least two stories in the recent past where a family got lost while looking for a Christmas tree or some such. No survival supplies or skills whatsoever and they made it through days in the cold. They did not come through it well, but they did come through. The simplest of supplies like a knife and firesteel, with the knowledge of how to use them would make a great difference. (The preceeding is for discussion purposes only and is not the opinion of the owner, staff or poster.)
 
IMO, the most likely thing to kill you would be the climate, and shelter is the biggest thing missing from most of the tiny kits.

Most of the "gear" I need or use regularly, fits in a GI buttpack sized package (now a Kifaru Claymore pouch). The rest of my pack carries water, extra food (2400 Cal Mainstay ration is in the Claymore pouch), and shelter (always lots of extra socks, sometime extra base layers depending on the season, and a sleeping bag or "ranger roll" depending on season.

I like practicing skills as much as the next guy, but I see no reason to put myself in a survival situation just to see if I can make it out of one. Just because I have the "safety net" doesn't mean I have to use it.
 
luckykitty said:
I probably need to brush up on my navigation skills. Around where I live I cannot get lost. Two larger chimneys and very flat countryside make that real easy around here ...
Click to expand...

I find myself in a similar circumstance. I live on an island--a big one, but an island nonetheless. If I just walk in a straight line I'll find civilization in a maximum of a day or two.
 
Great observation...it's not the gear it's the knowledge and will that makes the difference. With that said, I think small PSK's and kits are more hobby than a "security blanket" for most of us. I do highly recommend using your kit periodically under controlled conditions; first, to make sure everything remains serviceable and second, just so you remember what you have and if it's worth keeping or not:D. There are several commercial kits that have stuff I'll never use which is why I advise making your own which you are much more likely to use because you've invested time, practice and should have the knowledge to use what's in it. Most likely your situation is reflective of what most would encounter and the little PSK in the bottom of the pack or cargo pocket may not get used at all, but it's still a good piece of insurance.

Thanks for sharing!
 
When I made a PSK, I found all I had done was add a signal whistle, mirror and AMK Heat Sheet to my fire kit. . .LOL

I think my biggest grip with the Altoids kits is the lack of drinking provision. Yeah, I know, a baggie. Uh, no.

I think it's an artifact of trying to be the "cool kid" with the smallest kit.

Makes more sense to me to base the kit on an Army canteen and MOLLE canteen carrier. Reason being, the canteen carrier has two decent sized pouches. One can hold a Heat Sheet and purification tabs, maybe a teabag or two, the other pouch can carry the rest of the Altoids kit and then some. If you add a MOLLE 200 round SAW pouch, you can fit a GI poncho (I like heavy duty) and some paracord. Keep them together by using the MOLLE straps. If you have to use it, you can just undo them from each other and use the MOLLE straps like belt loops and carry the kit on a standard belt. That way, you start with 1 qt of water, and enough shelter to at least stay alive, if not real comfortable, to very cold temperatures (assuming you can start a fire).
 
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The truth in your words is the fact that I am never satisfied with a "PSK" unless it is a medium sized Pelican Case. You have the Altoids, the slightly larger new Sucrets tin, the tobacco tin (Brit-style) and I always end up with a Maxpedition M1, Tactical Tailor E&E Pouch or Pelican Case full of stuff.

Then...on the other hand...there are those that thinkum all you needum is fire bow and drillum or stupidum Bic lighterum and you be OK-um. :rolleyes:
 
lots of interesting responses. i no longer carry a 'survival' kit, rather i just carry a couple things in a military ammo pouch. 20 ft of paracord, a bandana and a small flashlight. i always have a fixed blade and a firesteel on my person when in the wilderness. when im hunting i also carry a small canteen. with these few things i feel i can do quite a bit to survive for quite some time. for me personally, i find that when i dont have something, i improvise. so by not having a bunch of gear, my determination to succeed in any situation stays high. thats just me..

im sorry to hear about your friend fujita yuji.
 
This business of having gear that would have been useful, but not using it, has come up for me in the past. It has been such a problem, that I have decided that whenever I am in trouble, I'll just dump my pack out on a clean sportsman's blanket(permanent space blanket), and paw through the contents, in order to remind me what I have available for the situation.

Usually, this is a day pack.
 
A Minimalist kit which is a Tin or in your wallet is what it is.. the barest tools you can have with you .The rest is in your Brain. Always tilt the Odds in your favor 3-5 lbs is better than 3-5 .oz IMHO
 
Great story, thanks for sharing! Any PSK is better than nothing, but a few basic items with a lot of practicing is a lot more valuable. Also, I think your story really emphasizes the rule of three; in most cases nr 1 priority is shelter.

Ive never really liked the "Wiseman / SAS" -type of PSKs. For example, I see no use for fishing hooks etc in this environment. If Im in the woods on a day hike, I'll have a water bottle, means to make a fire and a knife with me anyways. So my PSK is for the most likely situation; being lost or injured, and having to spend an unplanned night out. So basically I have a space blanket, an orange garbage bag, and a disposable rain poncho, and a few small items like paracord and duct tape. Thats about it. I think on short hikes a first aid kit is more important anyway. Theres really no way to build a snake bite kit with a puukko :D
 
The most improtant things in my PSK are : SAK with wood saw,firesteel and various tinders...
 
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