Kit build project

[d_filgate]

Over the past little while, I've been putting together a kit, and would like
to get some opinions and suggestions on it.

Here is what I have so far, and as always,
comments, suggestions and advice are welcome.

Total weight of the kit WITHOUT clothing and food is about 20 lb.

I was looking at getting MRE's, but have purchased a vacuum sealer and a
dehydrator. Going to experiment with making my own first.

What I still need:
Fishing kit of some kind
Snare wire
Good whistle
Signaling mirror


My main pack. 25 litre CadPat Canadian Military design.

Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack for day trips.

Brunton Multi-fuel stove.

Firestarters. (note the welders torch igniter tool as a source for sparks)
On the left, I have dryer lint/vaseline, cotton balls/vaseline. In the small tin,
I have lighters, magnesium firestarter, and resinwood. Matches in watertight
containers, more resinwood (firesticks), a neat thing called a "fire lighter"
which is resinwood but with a coating like what you see on a matchhead.
And finally, small candles.

Assorted plastic bags and space blanket, toilet paper and paper towel, 100 ft of 550
paracord (braided to save space), stainless steel cup, Adventure Medical Kits
thermal bivy bag, rain poncho, bug jacket with hood, bug spray, sunscreen,
Steripen for water treatment.
Not pictured is my Boy Scout Mess kit, 10 X 10 tarp and a basic wilderness
first aid kit.

Fiskars Hatchet, Koster Bushcraft, Scrapyard Scrapper 6, Compass, Slingshot.
Not pictured is my breakdown Swede Saw.

Alternate cutting / chopping implements.

Sharpening kit, non-battery powered led flashlight, Leatherman Charge.
The camera case pictured can be used as an "on the belt" pack for walks
and short hikes. I've been able to fit a small first aid package, firestarter,
compass, folding knife and a couple of power bars into it.

 

[tonym]

I see you are a minimalist

Seriously. Do you always pack that much? Like say your fire kit. I can't see you needing that much redundancy. All those matches can't light as many fires as 1 ferro rod can. If you can make some fuzzsticks, you don't need to pack all those fire sticks. The PCB's will burn for like 2 minutes giving you ample time for your tinder & kindling to take.

I do think you should have all those great knives though:thumbup:

In regards to the fishing kit and snare wire, check out the Fishingkit thread that K Estela posted. Some great ideas in that thread:thumbup:

 

[texastonydobbs]

I would pick up a Adventure Medical 1st. aid kit. and add some specialized items to suite your needs.Katadyn water tablets as a back up to the steripen and the prefilter the mounts on top of nalgene wide mouth bottles.and a small fishing kit suited to your area

 

[langston302]

+1 on the AMK build to suit really.

 

[texastonydobbs]

...another thing is I would leave the S6 and carry the NWA in its place IMO with your trio of Koster bushie,fiskar hatchet and leave the S6 at home and carry the NWA instead...

 

[d_filgate]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the advice. At this point, I'm considering myself an absolute
noob to this. I think that the last time I even slept in a tent was over 10
years ago, so my skills are definitely lacking (read that to be almost
non-existant).

Can definitely say that I've been accused of being a redundancy freak a
time or two in my life...
My job as a network administrator demands that I have multiple
redundancies on my systems at all times, and it looks like I've carried over
that attitude here.

I see you are a minimalist

I'd like to be able to one day get to the point where I have a small kit.
That's my goal.

I do think you should have all those great knives though:thumbup:

Believe me, I wish I had the ability to carry all of my knives.

I'm trying to work on the "Rule of 3's" guideline, but have to admit that I'm not succeeding too well.

In regards to the fishing kit and snare wire, check out the Fishingkit thread that K Estela posted. Some great ideas in that thread:thumbup:

I havent seen that post. Will be sure to check it out

Thanks.
Dave

 

[tonym]

Here's the fishing kit thread. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577745

I'm quite the noob also, most of what I know has been learned right here and also carrying a bunch of stuff and never using most of it. If you get a ferro rod, and practice it you can see pretty much toss all your matches away. Also its good to have redundancy I think, but keep them in different places. So if you get seperated from your pack, you are still able to light a fire etc.

If you have the opportunity to take a course like the 1 I just did, you will learn alot. Its not just for noobs but even for experienced as well. You get to play with a bunch of gear and find out what works and dousn't work for you.
Probably will save you a fortune in the long run. Plus its a helluva great time.

 

[d_filgate]

texastonydobbs and langston302

I do have an Adventure Medical 1st. aid kit, but didn't have a picture of it to post.
What I don't have though is "Katadyn water tablets". Thanks for the advice on that one. I'm going to get some.

texastonydobbs

...another thing is I would leave the S6 and carry the NWA in its place IMO with your trio of Koster bushie,fiskar hatchet and leave the S6 at home and carry the NWA instead...

I really like Nick's NWA knife, and will probably use that one, but I'm curious as to why you would choose it? Would it just be a weight consideration?

The Koster bushcraft is a definite one for me to have.
The scandi grind and 3V steel are an excellent combination, and easily out cuts any of my other knives.

A question comes to mind though.
I have a fold down Swede saw for sawing wood,
a Fiskars hatchet for chopping,
the Koster bushcraft for small work,
my Leatherman Charge for just about anything else,
a few choices for medium size knife (NWA, Scrapper, Koster Nessmuk etc),
and a few decent folders to chose from as well.
My question is: Where do I draw the line?

I can't carry everything, although I would like to

 

[tonym]

texastonydobbs and langston302


My question is: Where do I draw the line?

I can't carry everything, although I would like to

I think we all ask ourselves the same question, and I don't think the answer has been given yet.

 

[texastonydobbs]

the NWA is lighter and can handle about the same load as the S6 in standard outing conditions + the nwa is a better slicer due to the non coated blade and your last Question is one nobody has a true answer too... just carry what works for you !!

 

[d_filgate]

the NWA is lighter and can handle about the same load as the S6 in standard outing conditions + the nwa is a better slicer due to the non coated blade and your last Question is one nobody has a true answer too... just carry what works for you !!

I liked the NWA knife that I got from Nick so much, that I ordered his Camp Knife as well.
Finding out what works is the most fun because I get to explore all sorts of GREAT knives and COOL gear :thumbup:

Thanks

 

[texastonydobbs]

I think Nick builds an excellent knife ,I have two BF NWA's and 3ea. others on order(necker,chopper,fillet)

 

[jca21]

great lookin kit dude, just curious where ya got that back pack from.

 

[d_filgate]

great lookin kit dude, just curious where ya got that back pack from.

JCA21, I got it from a military supply store in Morinville Alberta Canada.
Internal frame, and what seems like a reasonable price.

http://www.cqmsltd.com

Assault Ruck, CADPAT
w/ Internal Frame

JCA, just saw that you are from BC too. Read that store to be in Morinville Alberta...hehe

 

[jca21]

was hopin u picked it up from a local place

thanks for the info filgate

p.s. could ya possibly post a few side pics and a few interior shots? that'd be sweet, website doesnt show much.

cheers jc

 

[d_filgate]

Hey tonym,

I took the advice on the firestarter and slimmed it down to be able to fit into a cabella's tin (like an altoids tin)
Bic lighter, Magnesium firestarter, 2 firelighter sticks, a bit of resinwood and a couple of Vaseline/cottonballs.
This coupled with the firesteel on my Bushcrafter knife beats the big plastic bag and cuts the weight of my pack a bit.

I'll try and get some pictures taken tonight

tonym wrote:

Seriously. Do you always pack that much? Like say your fire kit. I can't see you needing that much redundancy. All those matches can't light as many fires as 1 ferro rod can. If you can make some fuzzsticks, you don't need to pack all those fire sticks. The PCB's will burn for like 2 minutes giving you ample time for your tinder & kindling to take.

Hey JC,
It wasn't the best picture was it.
I'll try and get some good pictures of it tonight and put them up here tomorrow.

jca21 wrote

was hopin u picked it up from a local place
p.s. could ya possibly post a few side pics and a few interior shots? that'd be sweet, website doesnt show much.
cheers jc

 

[dougo83]

Dfilgate...RE:how to draw the line:

Pack what you think you need and then do about a 15 mile hike. Note how much it weighs at the end of that trek. Then...do about a 3-day camping trip. See what you actually use and make a note of it. I actually carry a pen and a few note cards along. That way I can write down what I should have brought and what I don't really need. Of course, weather should be considered and some things like a poncho and a light jacket never leave the set-up.

 

[d_filgate]

Hi dougo83,

Sound advice given and heeded. I'm planning a good hike for this weekend.
Might not make 15 miles, but it will be a good test for me...
Cheers
Dave

Dfilgate...RE:how to draw the line:

Pack what you think you need and then do about a 15 mile hike. Note how much it weighs at the end of that trek. Then...do about a 3-day camping trip. See what you actually use and make a note of it. I actually carry a pen and a few note cards along. That way I can write down what I should have brought and what I don't really need. Of course, weather should be considered and some things like a poncho and a light jacket never leave the set-up.

 

[langston302]

i think you have all the bases covered and then some.

I have to rethink all of my outdoor stuff...

my Oldest kits are modeled after the soldier i once was....

others are based off of my current job...neither make a great just go light or ultralight woods kits.

i like the idea of taking what you think you need and writing down what you really end up using. makes alot of sense... trial and error and all that.

i wonder if using a numbering system might make it easier to sort them out?

 

[d_filgate]

Hi tonym and jca21

Here are the pictures that I promised.

First, the revised firestarter kit.

Vaseline/Cotton balls, 2 firelighters, 1 Resinwood, 1 Magnesium firestarter, 1 Bic Lighter

Second, some better (I hope) pictures of the pack itself.

Can be used as a top loader

Or can be laid flat and opened like a dufflebag.

Unzips from either end so you don't have to unpack the whole pack in order
to get to something at the bottom of the pack

Top pouch is huge