My Survival Kit/ Your Opinions?

E

Encycloatom

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
35
This is What I currently carry with me, any suggestions are appreciated and welcome.

CRK Mountaineer 2
SAK Huntsman w/saw and locking blade
E-Z-Lap pocket stone (fine)
Magnesium block and Striker
Water Proof Matches
Cotton balls in vaseline (in film container)
3 Small trioxane bars
Space Blanket
AAA Mag-Lite
2 AAA Bateries
5' Duct Tape
50'green 550 cord
50'white 550 cord
10yd. Kevlar thread
30' 12# Fish Line
30' 20# Fish Line
40' 50# Fish Line
Assorted Split Shot Sinkers 4ea.
Assorted Fish Hooks 4ea.
1 Sunto Compass
Large First Aid Kit
1oz. Tincture of Iodine(water purification)
2-1gal. Zip-Lock Bags
2-1qt. Zip-Lock Bags
1 3yr old American Bulldog

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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.
 
Well since your kit is so complete/big, here are some items that I'd add to it:

-Thompson small game wire snares(10 or 12)
-A large canteen or collapsible water conatiner
-Since you're in Florida, a snake bit kit
-A signal mirror
-A signal whistle
-Spare socks


 
Ok I've added a few things, Not sure where to get wire snares in the area. Socks are Normal carry in my backpack.

(ADDED)
Signal Whistle
2 Naglene Water Bottles
Signal Mirror

Anything else?

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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.

[This message has been edited by Encycloatom (edited 02-25-2001).]
 
Large trashbag

Lose the AAA Maglite (and batteries) and get a couple of Photons

Foil
 
Squid,

Great idea, photons instead of a maglite.
I'll have to order a couple of them.
I've also added A mil-spec Body cover.
(green on one side reflective on the other with gromets)
Not sure what the large trash bag would be useful for in this area.
Thanks for the input.
keep them commin

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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.
 
for snares contact "buckshot" at www.buckshotscamp.com good stuff and good service.

for fire, i'd add a bic lighter or two. 99¢ at most mini-marts, reliable and you can wrap the duct tape around it. keep the matches and MFS for backup.

why OD and white 550? i bought a 100 yd spool of OD, the kind with the multiple strands inside, not the "fluff". it get used to many thinge from bootlaces to you-name-it.

i prefer slip-sinkers over split-shot.

ditch the mag lite "solitare" and get a Photon micro-light, i like the turquoise. smaller, lighter, brighter.

you might want some kind of metal cup to cook in. are the Nalgene bottles that you added the wide-mouth ones? if so, you can keep most of the smalll parts for the kit inside.

the trash bags are good for all kinds of stuff, you can cut head and arm holes in it and use it for a poncho, stuff it with dry vegirtation to insulate you and use it as an improvised sleeping bag and more. find the heaviest ones you can, Wal-Mart and Home Depo have the "Husky" brand, 3 mil IIRC.
 
Regarding the AAA Maglite, and the suggested replacement of the photons ... what exactly is the intended purpose of the light? I'm a photon fan, too, and they work exceedingly well for close-up work, and inside where their light can bounce off white walls. Outside, I find them useless except for very close-up work. I personally would go with a minimum of a 2-AAA Maglite (I actually use a 2-AA Maglite, which my E1 may be replacing). Sometimes it's really handy to have a good bit of light around, and sometimes safety demands it.

I dunno, I could just be spoiled with the amount of light I like to have at hand. I'd definitely take a photon, but something brighter as well.

Joe
 
I'm with Joe on the lights, and just how ya gonna use a Photon when ya need your hands free?
For snares: get a 50yd. spool of 25#test steel fishing wire. There are many uses for the stuff. I once used a 10' section on a pole to get a sack full of spots and little red snapper off a dock at West Palm Beach. I just attached the hook and added a sinker.
Dan
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Griffon:
What's the kevlar thread for?</font>
Click to expand...

I Just had it lying arround, didn't take up much space, so I threw it in(you never know).

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them commin.


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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.
 
How much does this kit weigh? Sounds like you'll have to toss in a forklift to carry it....
(I can't estimate weight of all items since I dont know exactly what they are)

Best regards
Daniel
 
Since this is a large kit why do you not have some type of small cook pot in it? A cook pot is valuable when it comes to actual nutrition from the wilds. Broths and soups from the whole animal give you much more than staking a fish out over the fire to cook it. One thing you will always find with the jungle people is some type of cook pot. They learned a long time ago to get the most out of their food. If you work it right you could actually house your whole kit inside of the cook pot.

Jeff

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Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com
 
Clayton,

I've heard that those orange DOT trash bags were the best ones going, but I don't know how to obtain them (other than pulling my car off the side of the road and asking the road crew chief if he could spare a few!!)

If I need to go "hands-free" with my Photon, I'll hold it in my mouth. I, too, used a AAA Maglite for a while. Personally, I thought beam quality and run time were inadequate. Besides, if I'm in a survival situation, and it gets dark, I'm setting up camp - I don't need a light to light my path because chances are, I'm staying put for the night.

Looking at your kit contents, it would seem like you're going light - that's why I suggested Photons. If I was going to carry the kit in something larger than a fanny pack, then I'd carry a AA Maglite (with a brighter Brinkmann bulb and lithium batteries) and a "hands-free" Jackstrap.
 
I suggest checking out the Hoods Woods Vol. 3 video covering just this topic. It helped me decide what the basic are, and the mini kit is so compact, I always have it in the woods.
 
Sounds like you have an awfully good knife for your kit. How do you like the Mountaineer II?

BTW, I'll vote for the AA Maglite for a large kit.

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Sgt.D:
How much does this kit weigh? Sounds like you'll have to toss in a forklift to carry it....
(I can't estimate weight of all items since I dont know exactly what they are)

Best regards
Daniel</font>
Click to expand...

The total weight right now is arround 23oz.
Not including the Mountaineer 2 and the SAK.

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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.

[This message has been edited by Encycloatom (edited 02-26-2001).]
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by JeffRandall:
Since this is a large kit why do you not have some type of small cook pot in it? A cook pot is valuable when it comes to actual nutrition from the wilds. Broths and soups from the whole animal give you much more than staking a fish out over the fire to cook it. One thing you will always find with the jungle people is some type of cook pot. They learned a long time ago to get the most out of their food. If you work it right you could actually house your whole kit inside of the cook pot.

Jeff

</font>
Click to expand...

Jeff,

I own a Peak1 Personal cook set. If I used the largest pot (1qt.) and lid would that be adequate? I could also use it as a container for the survival kit.

Thanks for the pointer
smile.gif




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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Hoodoo:
Sounds like you have an awfully good knife for your kit. How do you like the Mountaineer II?

BTW, I'll vote for the AA Maglite for a large kit.

</font>
Click to expand...

I havent actually gotten the knife yet. It's due any day now, cant wait to see it. I do have a AA Maglite i'll proably use that.




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He Who dies with the most toys still dies.
 
I think you are on the right track. However, I would ditch the magnesium and just carry a large sparking rod. This is because magnesium will kill your edge unless you have a shaver and also it is a flash tinder. That is it puffs a nice flame but dies out quickly. I would include a length of surveyors tape(mark snares, signaling, trailmaking) and maybe some duct tape wrapped around a match case or water bottle. It is there when you need it and doesn't take up too much space this way. Also, Collins Gem puts out the "SAS Survival Guide". This little book covers a lot of ground and takes up only a little space. It is great to have considering you might not be thinking clearly in a real situation and it is nice to have as a supplement. These are just a few suggestions and in no way do they cover all the necessities. Good luck with the forever ongoing quest to making a perfect survival kit.
 
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