Need feedback on my survival kit stuff...

jefroman

jefroman

Gold Member
Joined
May 17, 2001
Messages
774
I've been working on my survival kit for about a week now, and I'm looking for ideas and/or comments. The whole kit is contained in an Otterbox 1000 (great waterproof/crushproof box, BTW)

1 Spark-lite firestarter (with tinder)
1 Mini Bic lighter
Fishing line, hooks, weights, etc.
1 Whistle
16 inches of duct tape
1 medium sized candle
4 safety pins
2 needles
2 large razor blades
1 or 2 contractors grade trash bags
8 band-aids
4 alcohol swabs
1 roll of gauze
1 container of portable aqua
2 chicken bullion cubes or packets
20ft. of brass or stainless snare wire
10ft. of twisted nylon line
signaling mirror
6 small sheets of rite-in-the-rain paper
golf pencil

Other things that I always have with me when camping/hiking:
Leatherman tool
Spyderco Delica and SAK
Flashlight with extra set of batteries
emergency blanket
Compass
First Aid kit
50ft. of Rope

Thanks,

Jeff
 
It looks like a good kit to me. A few things I would consider adding (if you can fit them in) are:

  • matches
  • "trick" mini birthday candles.
  • P38 can opener.
  • Bandana.
  • Para cord or boot laces.
  • mini envelope packages of sun screen, insect rep. and antibiotic ointment (a good fire starter).
  • Antihistamine caps (Dipphenhydramine)
  • Anti-diarrheal caps (Lopenamide Hydrochlorride)
  • Pain killers.
 
You might consider adding a space blanket to your kit so it's always with you. I bundled mine in with my trash bag. You might also consider carrying fire and a small light outside of your kit.

Here's my EDC for when I leave the house on foot for a short hike or walk.

FOOD: Fishing kit in a military match container. Contents include 30' of 12# spiderwire fishing line. 1-6.5' - 6# tapered fly leader, 1 feathered popper, 4 trout hooks, 4 swivels, assorted split shot, 1 rubber winged bait, 1 lead jig, 2 wet and 2 dry flies. 30' stainless wire, safety pins, sewing needles.

MEDICAL: 1 super kotex, 2 strip bandaids, small role med. tape, travel pack of kleenex, 2 biofreeze topical pain relievers, 2 anti-microbial wipes, 2 wet naps, 1 inhaler, 2 imodium AD, 2 pepcid AC, 2 alka seltzer, 6 high potency multi vitamins w/minerals, 6 coenzyme Q10, 8 ech/goldenseal, 24 ibuprofen, 6 benedryl, 2 vicadin. The abundant meds take care of a host of things including stress. Which in a survival situation is our worse enemy. Stress will deplete our body and weaken our immune system, opening us up to a host of illnesses. The vitamins, Q 10 and the echinacea/goldenseal will tend to balance out and boost the system and help to keep the immune system up and running.

WATER: 1-1gal ziplock freezer bag, 50 tablets Potable Aqua, 50 tablets P.A. plus.

FIRE: 50 strike anywhere matches in waterproof container, 3 trioxane fuel, 1 spark-lite firestarter kit w/xtra tender, magnifying glass, birthday candles.

SIGNAL/COMMUNICATION: 1 red LED keychain light, 1 mini maglite, reflective mirror, whistle, 1 GMRS radio with fresh batteries, a space pen refill and write in rain paper, a 12" X 24" piece of foil.

DIRECTION/TRAVEL: 1 compass.

SHELTER: 1 large trash/leaf bag, 1 solar blanket, paracord.

KNIVES: 1 CRKT Apache II linerlock folder, 1 Leatherman multi-tool, 1 folding utility knife.

The radio lives in a pocket, the Leatherman on my belt and the rest have a home in a water resistent 7X4X2 camera case with a 4X4X1 pocket that either fixes to the belt, can be carried with it's shoulder strap, or both. In case I get seperated from my kit, I also carry fire in the form of a pocket torch, a blue keychain LED light and a Victorinox SAK. Can I live without a lot of the stuff I carry? You bet. But why should I. I like being as healthy and comfortable as possible. :D

I have several other kits that fit different needs including an old fishing vest, a brittish DPM issue vest, both containing the items needed to get by under different circumstances. My truck kit has knives, food, water, blankets, shovel, machete, hatchet, rope, full medical kit, stove, fuel and so on. Also have several tins shoved in vest and coat pockets so I don't have to think about picking one up on my way out the door.
 
I love the small containers of Glide dental floss. It is very strong and your dentist will have some of the little containers, about the size of 6 nickels stacked up. It is good for sewing, fishing, all sorts of cordage uses since it has a breaking strength of about 150 lbs and of course you can floss with it as well. :)
 
Two things that I forgot to add to the list of stuff that I always have with me, is strike anywhere matches and about 40 feet of 550 paracord. I will also put a couple of matches in my kit. I don't think that I can fit my emergency blanket(space blanket) inside my kit, so I'll just keep carrying it in my pack. I'll also try to put some pain killers and about 20 feet of paracord in.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, and keep them coming!

Jeff
 
Don't forget to throw in a $20.00 bill and maybe a phone card. Sometimes we prepare for the worst of the wilderness when civilization is only 3 steps away.

Other wise, it looks good to me. (REALLY like the otterbox BTW)
 
I think that the "right" kit varies from person to person, depending on experience, preferences, location, etcetera. That said, here are my comments about your kit:

I'd add 1 or 2 trioxane bars. You can read my comments about them here:

http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000069

I'd get rid of the alcohol swabs. Alcohol swabs are good for sterilizing a site before making a puncture or incision, but are not the best choice for cleaning an open wound. They are rather harsh on the damaged tissue, and will leave a lot of dead cells, which are prime culture for growing whatever bacteria or whatever remains in the wound after disinfection.

I'd replace the alcohol swabs with a tiny squeeze bottle of povidone iodine, a better choice for cleaning and disinfecting open wounds without killing a lot of tissue. The povidone iodine can also serve double duty as a means for sterilizing drinking water.

If I replaced the alcohol swabs with povidone iodine, I'd ditch the potable aqua, as it would no longer be necessary.

I'd get rid of the 2 bullion cubes. In my view, they aren't enough to be worthwhile, but they are enough to attract large predators due to the smell.

I'd replace the roll of gauze with cotton balls, which can work like gauze, but can also be used as tinder with the Spark-Lite.

I'd carry a lot more duct tape. You can use it to patch gear, prevent blisters, bind limbs together when building shelter, even to make into spare packstraps or hats.

I'd dump the band-aids. If you have duct tape and cotton balls/gauze, you can make band aids as needed.
 
jefroman, you may want to look at www.equipped.org for some great advice and pointers on PSK's and larger survival/emergency and first aid kits. This is where I got all my initial information. You will find that urban psk's are different to wilderness psk's in terms of certain items. What whistle do you pack?

I would add:

- Any specific medication
- small sewing kit
- some water purification tablets
- more cordage
- 2 large refuse plastic bags for shelter

Do you have a pic of the otterbox 1000?
 
Thanks for all of the good advice guys. I'll see what I can do.

ThorTso, I guess you didn't notice on my list that I have portable aqua purification tablets. I carry the smaller version of the Storm whistle.

I'll try to get some more medication in there, too.

Jeff
 
Hmmm...

I was thinking of tossing some stuff, based on the assumption that this is taken along with the usual outdoor gear.

But before I get ahead of myself, is this a kit to take in a backpack, or is it a kit to have in a ready place like a vehicle?

Scott
 
Here are the things I would omit or change:

Related to my particular (lack of) skills, I would ditch the fishing and snare supplies. They are of no use in my unskilled hands :)

I used to carry duct tape, but found it a little too sticky and waterproof for most uses. I carry paper medical tape, which I have used with great success closing open wounds, protecting blisters, fixing a torn tent, and various other mends. This alleviates the need for band-aids too.

Alcohol swabs are fine for topical or prepping a needle, but as mentioned already, there are stronger disinfectants for things like open wounds. I use chlorhexidine. Iodine products are stronger, but some people, like me, are allergic.

But then, if you already have a separate medical kit, al of the above can go.

Also already mentioned are the bullion cubes. They are a good source of salt, but of limited value given space requirements.

Since you already have tinder, the candle could be replaced with an LED keychain light or left out altogether. Same goes for firestarters. I use 1 primary (lighter) and 1 redundant (a flint & steel rig by Gerber).

If you don't have any gear that needs the specific tools in your leatherman, it can go, as can any extra knives. Razor blades make decent emergency knives for fabric or cord. You can burn or break wood. Again, 1 primary, 1 redundant.

Depending on your needs, cord and string may be give better efficiency than rope. 100 ft of cord can be doubled or tripled and used for rope, while remaining suitable for shoelaces, lashing, and splinting. 3/4 inch webbing is also pretty strong for the size and weight. If you are climbing, that's a different story.

An actual signal mirror is hard to beat, but if your compass has a mirror, that will work in a pinch while providing you with much greater compass accuracy.

I carry the following. Things I only get into in the event of an emergency are "E"; regular gear is "R."

pocketknife R
scalpel blades E
headlamp R
led keychain light E
mirror compass R
chlorine water disinfectant R
chlorhexidine wound disinfectant E
paper tape E
gauze pads E
50 or 100 ft cord R
needle & heavy thread E
garbage bags E
rite in the rain paper & #6 wood pencil R
lighter R
extra lighter E
sunscreen R

Some of my "regular" stuff will be put to use in an emergency, so I only carry a few things specifically for waste-splattered fans. In fact most of my non-medical gear is just in case I lose that particular primary thing, or have an equipment failure. Just enough to get me home alive, really.

Scott
 
I know how to make snares and have succesfuly caughten small game with them. I've also made fishing poles from tree branches, line, and a hook only.
Thanks for the advice about the disinfectants and the bullion cubes.

Jeff
 
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