- Joined
- Feb 8, 2004
- Messages
- 4,202
I put together a small “essentials” pouch for my son while he’s exploring around our camp site. He has his regular backpack and when we truck-camp, I have a small Camelbak bag that he carries when we do day hikes…on top of the water bladder, he can carry his essentials, sandals, rain jacket, snacks, etc…enough to act as a 72-hour kit if he was lost. Well, he likes to explore with a lot less around camp, so I based his little kit off the Boy Scout’s pouch:
I went with the belt-pouch because after our last trip, he often will just wear his swim shorts which don’t have a belt or cargo pockets. I gave him my old Air Force Survival knife (which he loves)…the old sheath is a little beat up, but I picked up a new one for him. He’s been wearing this with just his undies on!
I need to find a less bulky water bottle pouch, but this one is insulated and it fits his small 16oz Nalgene water bottle and his small nesting titanium cup. We have boiled water in his little cup over coals, so he knows how to do it without burning his hands and making a small lid out of aluminum foil. Also, we have pre-filtered (using his T-shirt and his little nylon head wrap) some clear spring water into his bottle and used the Micropur tablet…he didn’t care too much for the taste, but the drink mixes help.
I’m trying to make it as compact as possible as this is really a ½ mile-away / 24 hour kit…I need to add a small folded square of aluminum foil, but here’s the contents:
Emergency blanket
Compass
SAK (currently an OHT, but I have a Farmer for him which is a little smaller for the kit)
Fire Kit (it’s from Goinggear and he’s been through just about everything and uses it whenever he can!)
Small Bic Lighter
Tea-light candle
Whistle (extra)
LED Flashlight (single AA Jetbeam that has the strobe function as well)
100mph/duct tape (3 feet folded on an old credit card)
550 cord, orange, about 6 feet
Two large safety pins
Small square of Aluminum Foil (1x1 foot…enough to make a couple lids for his cup)
Role of utility wire (working on learning how to make a snare…more for fun and education than snaring)
Two electrolyte drink mixes
One (need another) large Band-Aid (the 1x3” variety)
Four Katadyn Micropur water purification tablets (one tablet is a little stout for a 16oz bottle, so we’re going to try and cut one in half???)
Nalgene 16oz water bottle
Snow Peak Ti nesting mug (300ml size, single wall)
Insulated water bottle pouch
It’s an evolution, but the smaller it is, the more likely he’ll have no issues wearing it. His new directives are to always have when he is going to be out of direct line-of-sight…along with his hiking stick.
Not sure if I can stick anything else in there; thinking maybe a few hard candies (but they melt like mad down here in TX). Any other recommendations or thoughts?
ROCK6
I went with the belt-pouch because after our last trip, he often will just wear his swim shorts which don’t have a belt or cargo pockets. I gave him my old Air Force Survival knife (which he loves)…the old sheath is a little beat up, but I picked up a new one for him. He’s been wearing this with just his undies on!
I need to find a less bulky water bottle pouch, but this one is insulated and it fits his small 16oz Nalgene water bottle and his small nesting titanium cup. We have boiled water in his little cup over coals, so he knows how to do it without burning his hands and making a small lid out of aluminum foil. Also, we have pre-filtered (using his T-shirt and his little nylon head wrap) some clear spring water into his bottle and used the Micropur tablet…he didn’t care too much for the taste, but the drink mixes help.
I’m trying to make it as compact as possible as this is really a ½ mile-away / 24 hour kit…I need to add a small folded square of aluminum foil, but here’s the contents:
Emergency blanket
Compass
SAK (currently an OHT, but I have a Farmer for him which is a little smaller for the kit)
Fire Kit (it’s from Goinggear and he’s been through just about everything and uses it whenever he can!)
Small Bic Lighter
Tea-light candle
Whistle (extra)
LED Flashlight (single AA Jetbeam that has the strobe function as well)
100mph/duct tape (3 feet folded on an old credit card)
550 cord, orange, about 6 feet
Two large safety pins
Small square of Aluminum Foil (1x1 foot…enough to make a couple lids for his cup)
Role of utility wire (working on learning how to make a snare…more for fun and education than snaring)
Two electrolyte drink mixes
One (need another) large Band-Aid (the 1x3” variety)
Four Katadyn Micropur water purification tablets (one tablet is a little stout for a 16oz bottle, so we’re going to try and cut one in half???)
Nalgene 16oz water bottle
Snow Peak Ti nesting mug (300ml size, single wall)
Insulated water bottle pouch
It’s an evolution, but the smaller it is, the more likely he’ll have no issues wearing it. His new directives are to always have when he is going to be out of direct line-of-sight…along with his hiking stick.
Not sure if I can stick anything else in there; thinking maybe a few hard candies (but they melt like mad down here in TX). Any other recommendations or thoughts?
ROCK6
Also how about a small pack of ChewingGum ... it has a few calories & sugar in ea. stick & they are less likeley to get choked on it like hard candy ! My twins are only 5 .