Survival gear

Mushroom73

Mushroom73

Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
1,241
I have been putting together a "ditch kit" for the past year. Right now I have two kits, a 72 hour emergency kit that I take on road trips, and my "the balloon is going up" kit. I was wondering if anyone else has a kit and what they have in it. Here is what I have so far:

72 hour kit:
Ground sheet
2 emergency blankets
compass
100 feet of paracord
hard plastic water bottle
water purification tabs
first aid kit
magnesium fire starter
3 green chem lights
25' of duct tape
1 roll of sport tape
25% DEET bug repellent
water proof matches
signal mirror
Kukri w/11" blade, 2" utility knife, and sharpener
5" working blade
2 extra pairs of socks
energy bars
vitamins
small pack of wet wipes

All of this fits in a small bag that i can wear on belt or back


My balloon is going up kit:
All of the above plus
3030 rifle with 200 rounds
9mm handgun (ammo will be easier to find)
2 person 4 season tent
-40 degree recon sleeping bag
e-tool
4 sets of sturdy BDU's
Under armor long underwear
10 sets of socks
10 sets of underwear/ t-shirts
2 cases of MRE's
4 cases of energy bars
3 bottles of vitamins
500' of paracord
1 spool of .032 lockwire and pliers
200' of good rope
mess kit
Shrike hammer T-hawk (should arrive this week:D)
a good set of boots with arch supports
TP
flashlight with extra batteries
world band radio that (battery powered/wind up dynamo)
25 mile FRS/GRMS radio w/ extra batteries
solar battery charger

I'm sure I'm leaving out a few things, but no biggie.

Does anyone else have similar kits? If so, what are you carrying?
Or am I just being paranoid?
 
Hi Mushroom. Congrats on puttig these kits together. Any pics?

Here are my first impressions of the 72 hr. kit:
  • You need a flashlight, even if it is just a Photon LED.
  • What purpose does the sport tape fill that the duct tape does not?
  • You may want to swap out one of the extra pairs of socks for a watch cap.
  • Adding some tinder, such as PCBs or TinderQwik would not really take up any space and could really come in handy with firestarting.
  • If your bag is big enough to hold an 11 inch Khuk, it could probably hold a poncho and/or tarp.
Now that you've created the kit, take it out and use it. Find out what gets used and what is dead weight. My kits are always changing.

-- FLIX
 
Don't have any pics of it yet. Sorry.
I usually keep a flash light with me in the truck and I have a plastic camo rain poncho as well. The Sports tape works great for bandages and gives a lot of extra grip where duct tape doesn't. For tinder, I have a baggie of dryer lint. Works perfect and catches every time. The kukri doesn't fit in the bag though. I have plenty of hidee holes in the truck (FJ Cruiser) that I can stow all of this stuff in the back and hide it behind the panels. It all fits and I have extra room for stuff.

As for the trying out, I have a 26 hour paintball game coming up halloween weekend so a lot of its going to get tried out then.
 
do you have any ammo at all for your sidearm? you might want to consider keeping at the very least 100 rounds on stand by. you can not be serious when you say it will be easy to find. i dont know where you live, but there are no parabellum bushes in western PA and i always plan my kits with the presumption that every where is completely cleaned out of anything useful.
 
I already have about 1000 rounds of 9mm ammo. I got lucky at an auction so I have plenty. Every time I got to the range I always go and buy at least two boxes and then use the older stuff to keep it cycling out. I live in VA, but the area I will be in (while it is pretty rural) is not too far from both DC and Richmond. Trust me, there will be plenty of 9mm ammo laying around when something major happens. I foresee inner city's going up like a powder keg.
 
Your not being paranoid to me. I am doing the same thing but not as much. I just have a 3 day BOB bag in my bedroom and a BOB bag in my truck. Im always around one or the other. If things are going the way I think there gonna go for the next 4 yrs then It would be wise to be prepared.
 
I have the kukri instead of a machete. Heavier blade allows more chopping and still clears brush great.
 
Mushroom73 said:
I already have about 1000 rounds of 9mm ammo. I got lucky at an auction so I have plenty. Every time I got to the range I always go and buy at least two boxes and then use the older stuff to keep it cycling out. I live in VA, but the area I will be in (while it is pretty rural) is not too far from both DC and Richmond. Trust me, there will be plenty of 9mm ammo laying around when something major happens. I foresee inner city's going up like a powder keg.
Click to expand...

with your gift of foresight, can you please tell the rest of us when and what will happen?

you are welcome to do what you like, but like i said, i never plan on being able to find anything man made after a fall of any kind
 
I dont think anyone has mentioned this yet, but I suggested getting a stainless steel cup to fit around your water bottle. This can be used to boil water or cook food. If for some reason your situation becomes long term a steel cup will last longer than purifcation tablets as a way to get clean water. Other than that, nice kit.
 
scouter27 said:
with your gift of foresight, can you please tell the rest of us when and what will happen?

you are welcome to do what you like, but like i said, i never plan on being able to find anything man made after a fall of any kind
Click to expand...

No idea. But thats the point isn't it? I'm not one of the 2012er's or anything like that. I think it will be a pandemic of some sort though.
 
"Does anyone else have similar kits? Or am I just being paranoid?"

Well, since there's all kinds of kits here on this site, I don't guess you are.
 
Sounds like a great start to me...

Remember-

Paranoia is cured when the *sh__* hits the fan...

:D
 
Hey shroom, pretty good start I'd say.

Are you using the mylar emergency blankets? If so, they are OK, but a better product that will withstand many days of inclement weather as a shelter and folds up to be about the same packable size as the space blankets, are the Adventure Medical Heatsheets. They come in two sizes, single and double and there is also a bivy sack from the same material. Here's a review of the Heatsheet that flat amazed me. It's one tough piece of gear.

http://www.wildsurvive.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=73&topic=2998.0
 
200 rounds of 3030, thats pretty heavy I'm thinkin. all one load or do you carry different bullet weights? I like the 3030win but tube mags are very limiting to bullet type, and there arn't all that many loads available, something I'd think about in a survival rifle.
I have a similar list minus firearms at this point, but I expect to either have time to pack, or will be forced to rely on my EDC backpack. just my thoughts
 
My ditch kit is the get the hell of of dodge now option. The Larger kit is for when it's a planned evac. Takes some time to load it all.
 
I have a lot of gear I have been amassing for a while, I just need to get it packed up.
The big hurdle for me right now is what kind of pack to put it all in. I think I would be better off keeping the big kit cached someplace near a bug out location.
Hopefully I get my kit packed up before the SHTF though!:D
 
A buddy of mine has 2 55 gallon rubbermaid cans on a palate in his garage. He has them tied up on a pulley so all he has to do is drop it in his truck and go.
 
Hey Mushroom, Great topic and Kit - although it looks a little crowded! Anyway - here is mine, hope you enjoy!

MP SURVIVAL KIT...

-Tom Brown Jr. Tracker Knife





Thanks!:D:D:D:D;)
 
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