my bare bones, get you out of a jam- shelter kit

A couple of heavy duty contractor trash bags pack flat and can be used to to fashion a tube tent, rain poncho, rain water collector, ground cover, etc. Throw in a small roll of duct tape, and the possibilites are endless.
 
LostViking said:
Great thread!

Read the precursor, she was very lucky.

I like the bare minimum philosophy.

It has been my experience, that it is usually not a single mistake that gets you in trouble or kills you. It is usually a series of mistakes.

Choosing to skip essential gear, by itself isn't bad. Until you get lost.

Choosing to push on, when you know you should turn back. By itself isn't bad. Until the bad weather moves in. Which is compounded by choosing to leave critical gear home.

Usually it is a series of bad decisions that leads down the path to trouble.
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all very true!
the "bare bones" setup hopefully will make some more likely to keep said items in their packs; I'll stick w/ my "Boyscout" ways and carry just a bit more than the "bare bones" :D

tang1510 said:
A couple of heavy duty contractor trash bags pack flat and can be used to to fashion a tube tent, rain poncho, rain water collector, ground cover, etc. Throw in a small roll of duct tape, and the possibilites are endless.
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agreed it's a cheap/easy way to go (I keep a couple in each of my vehicles, along w/ a small roll of Gorilla tape)- but at half the weight and the size of pack of smokes and only $10, I think the AMK poncho for this crew is a better choice
 
Improvising rain gear from a trash bags kind of sucks. I'd rather carry a suitably sized poncho.
 
I have carried the standard size candle lantern since the '70s. I actuall have two, one aluminum, one brass. Hard to knock them for what they are.

I am not a super lightweight weight guy. Personally, or in what I carry. I am also a Luddite. I like simple. I also really strive to find things that serve more than one purpose. The candle lantern does. Emergency light at home, camp light, bug supression, survival item.

Up here in the Dacks I run the citronella candles year round. I like the smell and it helps repel the bugs a bit. One candle lasts a fairly long time.

Plus, the candle can always be removed and used to help light a fire. You have the obvious option to use the flame from the candle. But you can also shave some wax off the bottom end and add it to your fire efforts. If you have a single edge razor blade you can actaully cut a candle section off the bottom and use it as a seperate candle.

I haven't tried one of the micros, probably should. They also now have an led option I beleieve. But I find the simplicity of the candle and the flickering light it provides very reassuring. Time tested in my pack from when leather and wool was cool the first time.

I will be ordering three of those survival ponchos. One for the pack in my wife's jeep, one for my pack. And one to stress test and see how it holds up. I used to love to watch folks try and use their survival bivies that came all neatly packed in a bag about the size of a book of matches. Most were ripped to shreds before they were even able to get in them. And this was in calm, non panic testing. I am amazed how many were people running around who thought they were protected just buy having those in their packs.

I do also carry a few tea lights also. Too cheap and light not to. Wax is way more cool than most people give it credit for. It can fill the void when someones filling falls out, or at tooth gets broken, it starts fires, it coats and rust proofs, knives and axes.
 
Excellent kit and the fortunate ending to reason behind it! I have really liked the idea of a small section of CCF as seat pad. I’ve spent many cold, wet hours “waiting” in the military and that simple, light piece of kit is a truly a life saver. I now have the seat pad from Gossamer and that same folding seat pad you have….excellent insulation when in the “seated” survival position.

I’m going to try a few of those AMK ponchos; I like the weight! For years, I used the same setup to teach my kids and kids from other outdoors activities groups the same technique. I used the old Army sleeping pad cut up into seat-sized sections, a mylar space-blanket (yeah, the real cheap ones) and the beeswax tea-light candles with a cigarette lighter…cost was under $30 to make about four of the kits.

If lost the kids would stay put and try and find a tree or rock outcropping to provide some form of windbreak on two or three sides; sit on the pad with the mylar blanket wrapping them up and the tea-light candle between their legs. The concern is that those mylar blankets are flammable, so we often would dig a little hole for the candle to both protect the flame and keep it far enough away even if you swept the mylar over it. The biggest issue was the mylar blanket…after using the same one with four or five kids, they would start getting torn up. A heavier poncho is always a better choice, but the key word “heavy” often included larger, made that a difficult option unless it was in their day pack...which is what we always advocated; however, your purpose suits the light kit far more accurately.

This good-news story offers a powerful example that situations can lead to anyone, even a well-conditioned athlete, needing to hunker down for 12 or 24 hours in poor weather conditions. It’s good t hear the others are willing to listen to some basic precautions to help for those potential situations.

ROCK6
 
tang1510 said:
A couple of heavy duty contractor trash bags pack flat and can be used to to fashion a tube tent, rain poncho, rain water collector, ground cover, etc. Throw in a small roll of duct tape, and the possibilites are endless.
Click to expand...
I actually like to cut out a flat piece of cardboard about 3-4 inches long and just a hair wider than the duct tape and roll a couple yards around that. Makes it much easier to carry. I ranger band one to the front of my sewing/repair kit.
 
tang1510 said:
A couple of heavy duty contractor trash bags pack flat and can be used to to fashion a tube tent, rain poncho, rain water collector, ground cover, etc. Throw in a small roll of duct tape, and the possibilites are endless.
Click to expand...
Trash compactor bags = pack liners for me.
 
he's talking contractor bags- much larger (some as big as 100 gallon), typically a much heavier mill than the trash compactor bags- which I agree, do by the way make very nice (and inexpensive) pack liners :D
 
tang1510 said:
A couple of heavy duty contractor trash bags pack flat and can be used to to fashion a tube tent, rain poncho, rain water collector, ground cover, etc. Throw in a small roll of duct tape, and the possibilites are endless.
Click to expand...

STAINLESS90 said:
I actually like to cut out a flat piece of cardboard about 3-4 inches long and just a hair wider than the duct tape and roll a couple yards around that. Makes it much easier to carry. I ranger band one to the front of my sewing/repair kit.
Click to expand...

i've done that in the past although i found that gorilla tape is way more stickier than duct tape especially on garbage/contractor-type plastic bags and as the temps get lower...it's stickier that once it's on i've never been able to pull it off again without tearing the plastic.
 
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