fire kit and redundant psk

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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Putting together a fire kit for my possibles bag< I have 3 fire lighting sources (a bright orange bic, a bright orange water proof match container w/ matches and a swedish army fire steel) and 2 sources of tinder (pj cottonballs and jute twine) Looking for a 3rd tinder source to carry. any other ideas.

Also as a seperate project I'm putting together a small sized psk based on the redundant principle of 3's
3 sources of fire, 3sources of tinder, 3 sources of water purificartion, 3 sources for signaling for help, and several miscellaneous items
So far it consists of
Fire:
bright red bic mini ligher
bsa hotspark
miniature water proof container holding 6 strike anywhere matches
tinder:
spycapsule: (courtesy of tholiver) which holds 1 pbj sat cottonball
waterproof container holding jute twine
1 pack of easy wider rolling papers (easily lit and pack flat)
Water purification
4 water purification tablets
Water purification
4 water purification tablets
1 collapsed heavy foil mini loaf pan (boiling water)
4 coffee filters (for sediment)
signaling
fox (pealess whistle)
Nova led
blaze orange bandana (might be relplaced with mirror)
misc
1 mylar space blanket
15 feet of 550 paracord
silva compass
3 powerbars
vic soldier pocket knife

Ay help of feed back on either kit is welcome...I didn't focis to much on fishing gear or sewing things or various other items as I have an ample supply in my possibles bag. Thanks for looking
 
Fatwood would be a great addition. It's a great first and second stage tinder. I just re-made my firekit and added about three finger sized pieces.
 
sounds good so far riley.. fatwood is definately good addition... :thumbup: i also take a really small zip tie and wrap it around the bic, under the gas button... it prevents any gas from leaking out while in your kit...

you could also add a small exacto blade and some spider wire fishing line...
 
Yeah, fatwood was also going to be my big suggestion. I use it as my primary and emergency tinder. It works all the time, wet or dry, and takes a spark really well. Great stuff. :thumbup:

Good kit! Would like to see pics if you ever get bored.
 
Cedar Bark, go scrape a little off the tree and put the shredded bark in a small zip lock. I have to agree with the others on the fatwood as well.

Paul
 
Forgot to add- like Mike said, a rubber band or zip tie or O-ring around the bic will do a good job of preventing leaks. You can also add some of that bright pink flaggers tape (from Home Depot, Lowes, etc) and wrap it around your bic, just tape the ends down. This makes the bic easier to see, adds virtually no bulk, and supplies you with either trail marking tape or signal gear. :thumbup: I wrap a lot of my stuff in it. Plus one roll will last you forever.
 
A little afield of your original question, but reconsider your food to water assets. You can survive (roughly--depending on the environment) only a few days without water and 30+ days without food. Four water tabs gives you only 2-4 quarts of water, or more likely only four loaf pans of water if that is all you have for a water container. A condom make great emergency canteens. A whole bottle of tabs and a condom takes up less space than one comfort food candy bar.

Also, I rarely carry chute cord anymore, if you replace the 550 with 2mm/3mm accessory cord, jute, twine, or strong fishing line, you can either give the cord a smaller footprint (or carry more). Chute cord is many times stronger than I ever needed for basic survival/camping needs. It's not like I'm rappeling with the stuff.

As for the mirror, get a small silva with the mirror on it. It gives you a "real" compass for about the same space as a mirror and a button compass. Of course, mirror isn't that big of a concern. Can't think of the last time I heard of someone getting rescued due to a signal mirror. Probably WWII. Many things will reflect. And the best signals aren't signal mirrors anyway.

I"m assuming this is a backup kit for the other items you normally have in your pack or on your SAR response gear, real canteen, knive etc. Therefore, I'd assume that space is a major concern. You would also want this kit to be small enough to be on you at ALL times in case you get separated from your sarpack/gear.
 
Great advice.. guys...Neomaz this is just a backup kit on my person I have nearly dupes if not trips of everything in my possibles pouch and my ruck.. The loaf pans are for boiling to purify more water..(I've field tested it it works) The tabs are just in case I can't get a fire going...Good stuff guys keep it coming....
 
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