I started this as a response to Skitertanks thread about what you really need during a survival situation (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=655055, then realized I was getting long winded and veering off course, so I thought I would start a new thread.
What keeps you alive is knowledge and the will to survive. I can survive anywhere I go camping with a blade and a way to make a fire (still kinda suck at the bow drill / hand drill / fire plow, etc. methods, but I'm working on them). So for me that boils down to a knife and a ferro rod. Everything else is for comfort and to make survival easier if I'm hypothermic, injured, etc. I've spent plenty of 2 and 3 day weekends "surviving" with just these 2 items, in a large variety of environments (mountains, desert, jungle, coast) and have always been okay, if not always overly comfortable.
I've been in enough real survival situations in the military, as a professional mountain guide, pursuing my hobbies, etc. that I feel I need to carry more to be more comfortable and in case of injuries, etc. So I carry more with my EDC than most probably do, and I could pair it down because much of it is redundant, if I feel it's important (blades, fire, signaling, especially).
On my keychain I have a BSA Hot Spark ferro rod, a mini Bic, a PJ cotton ball in a pill fob and a little Vic Classic Lite; also a keychain compass, a whistle, a Photon II light and ibuprofen in a pill fob, and an Inka pen to write my last will and testament if I really mess up.
In my wallet (an Ett-All wallet so it's paper thin) is a folded up piece of wax paper, a credit card sized piece of bike innertube (just because it's much more durable than the wax paper, which I have to replace every once in a while), a credit card sized fresnel lens, one of those junky little Brunton survival kits with crappy survival instructions and a "compass" that kinda works (I'm also eventually going to get a Tool Logic Survival Card, but may not carry that in my wallet.) There's also cash (when I have it), debit card, etc. for emergencies. I also have a plastic card with about 3 feet of duct tape on it (Gorilla brand) and about 30-40 feet of dental floss (Gore's Glide no-shred variety), but I'm thinking of removing it because it's making the wallet a little bulkier than I like.
In my pocket there's always a decent folder (today it's a Case Sodbuster Jr. in stainless) and there's always a self-defense folder clipped into the same pocket (Spydero Police today). Sometimes there's a multi-tool (usually a LM Wave) and a flashlight on my belt, if the need arises.
Sometimes I carry a backpack or my Maxpedition Jumbo and I have even more detailed kit in there:
Medical: mini trauma kit in a 6.75" x 6" Aloksak(H&H PriMed compressed gauze, Celox hemostatic agent, Tegaderm occlusive bandage, 5x9 trauma pad and SWAT-T tourniquet/compression bandage), trauma shears or Benchmade Rescue Hook, CPR kit (CPR Shield and nitrile gloves), extra nitrile gloves, trauma card, boo boo kit (Neo to Go, cute bandaids for the kids, 2x2 gauze, benzylkonium chloride wipes), and dental wax for lost fillings.
Survival: AMK Heat Sheet for 1-2 people, Micropur MP-1 tablets, modified disposable lighter, ferro rod, PJ cottonballs, blaze orange bandanna, whistle, breakaway razorblade, plastic card with 20 feet of Gorilla Tape and 220 feet of Glide dental floss, 20 feet of 550 cord and 12 feet of jute twine. There's also a multitool, flashlight and headlamp in there.
If I'm traveling I sometimes have 2 six foot pieces of 550 cord looped through my belt or beltloop and just hanging down my pant leg (doubled up if I'm wearing shorts). A trick I picked up on another forum. Seems excessive, but cord is a valuable thing to me with a billion uses (I don't know how to make cordage yet) and it's not in the least bit noticeable when you use this method. I've used it a few times when traveling overseas and it allows me to go without a backpack, especially nice if I'm wearing a suit, they don't allow bags into a place, etc.
This seems like a lot but it's not really that noticeable and you get used to it quickly.
If I'm outdoors there's another survival kit in my backpack that I'll post more on later.
What do you guys carry and why?
What keeps you alive is knowledge and the will to survive. I can survive anywhere I go camping with a blade and a way to make a fire (still kinda suck at the bow drill / hand drill / fire plow, etc. methods, but I'm working on them). So for me that boils down to a knife and a ferro rod. Everything else is for comfort and to make survival easier if I'm hypothermic, injured, etc. I've spent plenty of 2 and 3 day weekends "surviving" with just these 2 items, in a large variety of environments (mountains, desert, jungle, coast) and have always been okay, if not always overly comfortable.
I've been in enough real survival situations in the military, as a professional mountain guide, pursuing my hobbies, etc. that I feel I need to carry more to be more comfortable and in case of injuries, etc. So I carry more with my EDC than most probably do, and I could pair it down because much of it is redundant, if I feel it's important (blades, fire, signaling, especially).
On my keychain I have a BSA Hot Spark ferro rod, a mini Bic, a PJ cotton ball in a pill fob and a little Vic Classic Lite; also a keychain compass, a whistle, a Photon II light and ibuprofen in a pill fob, and an Inka pen to write my last will and testament if I really mess up.
In my wallet (an Ett-All wallet so it's paper thin) is a folded up piece of wax paper, a credit card sized piece of bike innertube (just because it's much more durable than the wax paper, which I have to replace every once in a while), a credit card sized fresnel lens, one of those junky little Brunton survival kits with crappy survival instructions and a "compass" that kinda works (I'm also eventually going to get a Tool Logic Survival Card, but may not carry that in my wallet.) There's also cash (when I have it), debit card, etc. for emergencies. I also have a plastic card with about 3 feet of duct tape on it (Gorilla brand) and about 30-40 feet of dental floss (Gore's Glide no-shred variety), but I'm thinking of removing it because it's making the wallet a little bulkier than I like.
In my pocket there's always a decent folder (today it's a Case Sodbuster Jr. in stainless) and there's always a self-defense folder clipped into the same pocket (Spydero Police today). Sometimes there's a multi-tool (usually a LM Wave) and a flashlight on my belt, if the need arises.
Sometimes I carry a backpack or my Maxpedition Jumbo and I have even more detailed kit in there:
Medical: mini trauma kit in a 6.75" x 6" Aloksak(H&H PriMed compressed gauze, Celox hemostatic agent, Tegaderm occlusive bandage, 5x9 trauma pad and SWAT-T tourniquet/compression bandage), trauma shears or Benchmade Rescue Hook, CPR kit (CPR Shield and nitrile gloves), extra nitrile gloves, trauma card, boo boo kit (Neo to Go, cute bandaids for the kids, 2x2 gauze, benzylkonium chloride wipes), and dental wax for lost fillings.
Survival: AMK Heat Sheet for 1-2 people, Micropur MP-1 tablets, modified disposable lighter, ferro rod, PJ cottonballs, blaze orange bandanna, whistle, breakaway razorblade, plastic card with 20 feet of Gorilla Tape and 220 feet of Glide dental floss, 20 feet of 550 cord and 12 feet of jute twine. There's also a multitool, flashlight and headlamp in there.
If I'm traveling I sometimes have 2 six foot pieces of 550 cord looped through my belt or beltloop and just hanging down my pant leg (doubled up if I'm wearing shorts). A trick I picked up on another forum. Seems excessive, but cord is a valuable thing to me with a billion uses (I don't know how to make cordage yet) and it's not in the least bit noticeable when you use this method. I've used it a few times when traveling overseas and it allows me to go without a backpack, especially nice if I'm wearing a suit, they don't allow bags into a place, etc.
This seems like a lot but it's not really that noticeable and you get used to it quickly.
If I'm outdoors there's another survival kit in my backpack that I'll post more on later.
What do you guys carry and why?
Oh yeah, I'll also add a fixed blade (usually my Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner... although I've been seriously eyeing some of the NWAs).