Stuff a survival vest challenge

k_estela

k_estela

Co-Moderator, Wilderness and Survival Skills Forum
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Ok, here is a quick challenge. What would you put in a survival vest to keep the weight to a minimum but meet all the requirements for hiking/fishing/woodsbumming etc.

Here is a list of contents I've come up with:

Shelter:
Emergency blanket(s)
two trash bags (lawn bags)
cable ties
15" paracord
30" duct tape

Fire:
matches in case
two bic lighters
Swedish fire steel
cotton dipped in vaseline
trick birthday candles

Water:
3" section of silicon tubing
MSR light dromedary bag (1 quart)
Iodine tablets

Food:
sierra cup
esbit stove
esbit fuel
small fishing kit (hooks, line, bobbers, sinkers, misc.)
Slingshot or small .22 pistol where legal
ammo for slingshot or small pistol
high energy food (energy bars, trail mix, etc.)

Signal/Emergency group:
signal mirror with fox 40 whistle attached
small first aid kit
LED keychain light
larger pocket flashlight
flaggers tape

Misc. Gear:
Compass/pencil/paper
blaze orange bandanna
extra paracord
pocket survival guide SAS

And of course knives/tools:
Swisstool RS
Fallkniven F1
GB wildlife or min hatchet


Fairly lightweight kit here when carried in a vest. What kind of kit can you guys come up with? Post it here. Pictures are always nice.

Kev
 
From my field time all I can say is you can't have enough of Paracord, I would find room for at least 200 Feet! But it is your Kit!!!
 
The photo shows what my Woolrich travelers vest carried when I first put the kit together. Even though I didn't look like the pillbury doughboy, it was obvious I was well equipped.

Now it hold the basics.

Shelter:

Industrial grade 55gal. drum liner
25' paracord
spark-lite firestarter kit

Water:

Bandana
1 gallon freezer grade ziplock bag
squeeze bottle of bleach

Food:

coarse ground parched corn flour
fishing/trapping kit in altoids tin

Misc items:

FAK
small fixed blade
TP

So that I'm not carrying all my gear in the vest, I carry mirror, whistle, LED light, P38, lighter and gloves in my pants pockets. I carry a SAK, compass match safe w/tinder and food kit and a BSA Hotspark on my belt in an old Gerber Gator belt pouch.

071835.jpg
 
Sounds like a good kit you put together Longbow50. I have some questions about the "squeeze bottle of bleach".
Do you use that to purify water?
Have you tried it already?
How much bleach to water?

Thanks,
Julian
 
zfox said:
Sounds like a good kit you put together Longbow50. I have some questions about the "squeeze bottle of bleach".
Do you use that to purify water?
Have you tried it already?
How much bleach to water?

Thanks,
Julian
Click to expand...

Thanks Julian, yeah, I've used it. I've found that I'm alergic to iodine, so carry bleach. I actually prefer to boil the water, but carry the bleach when hiking, etc., when I don't carry a pot to boil in. I carry it in a container that's like an eyedroper bottle. It works great at dispensing.

Here is the information that I got from the chlorox site on using their product for purposes of water purification.

Emergency Disinfection: When boiling water is not practical, water can be made potable by using Ultra Clorox® Regular Bleach. Before the addition of the sanitizer, remove all suspended material by filtration or by allowing it to settle to the bottom. Decant the clarified contaminated water to a clean container and add 8 drops of Ultra Clorox® Regular Bleach to one gallon of water (2 drops to 1 quart). Allow the treated water to stand for 30 minutes. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat dosage and allow water to stand an additional 15 minutes. The treated water can then be made palatable by pouring it between clean containers for several times. For cloudy water, use 16 drops of Ultra Clorox® Regular Bleach per gallon of water (4 drops to 1 quart). If no chlorine odor is apparent after 30 minutes, repeat dosage and wait an additional 15 minutes. Do not use scented or Splash-less Clorox® Bleaches for this purpose.
 
Hi folks ! Neat vest by the way :)
Hey instead of nasty bleach which could spill and ruin a few items , or that gross iodine , why not try these cheap alternatives ?
http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php/products_id/616
http://www.worldclassgear.com/mcnett_aquamira_water_treatment.asp
http://www.prolitegear.com/pl_42100.html

Ive tried the Straw (last link) and it worked great , granted it was slower drinking thru it , but it didnt have any wierd taste to deal with , it does up to 20 gallons , which for the price , you cant beat.
Just a few ideas.
 
Thanks Longbow50. This is an easy, cheep item to add to a bob/psk.
Thanks for your tips rebltf. Gives us additional ways to go.
The more you know...
Julian
 
Hope he don't fall in a lake.
I'd spend an afternoon looking for one item...
Where'd I put that?
:D
 
Here's a EDC carry load taken to the extreme.
Click to expand...

Sweet fancy that's a ton of goodies ! I dont even know what some of that stuff was lol. I am curious though , is this guy French or Canadian ? curious...
 
Is it ok then if he falls in the lake since he's French?
 
I guess I was assuming , for some reason when I picture Europe , I see everyone living in big cities , so I was trying to guess why he would need so much stuff from day to day living in a city , maybe I'm way off course :p
 
About Eric le Fou, I have visited his web site and read a few of his texts.
He admits that he has some kind of psychological problems: he feels very insecure and tries to reduce his level of stress by bearing a load of crap. He thinks he is prepared for whatever can happen to him and feels more confident.
One thing is sure, he must be pretty muscular by now : wearing 33 lbs of "clothes" everyday must be a good way to keep someone fit.
 
lapinot2003 said:
About Eric le Fou, I have visited his web site and read a few of his texts.
He admits that he has some kind of psychological problems:...
Click to expand...

Heh. I didn't get the name when I went to the site. For those of us who didn't take french in junior high school "Eric le Fou" means "Eric the Crazy". At least the guy is up front about it.
 
lapinot2003 said:
About Eric le Fou, I have visited his web site and read a few of his texts.
He admits that he has some kind of psychological problems: he feels very insecure and tries to reduce his level of stress by bearing a load of crap. He thinks he is prepared for whatever can happen to him and feels more confident.
One thing is sure, he must be pretty muscular by now : wearing 33 lbs of "clothes" everyday must be a good way to keep someone fit.
Click to expand...

I heard about this guy on TV a couple years ago. Someone needs to sit the boy down and share that it's not what you carry, but what you know that keeps you going. Then hand him one of them new Leatherman tools and call it good.
 
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