Survival kit for kid/young teen

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wade

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Sep 22, 2005
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I have a friend whos kid is getting old enough to hunt on his own. He wants to make some kind of a kit for him to keep with him during hunts, fishing, or day hikes. So, I told him that the things I know how to use effectivly his kid might not and the kit would need to be person specfic. So here is the project. I need help constructing a gear list for a small kit that a young teen could use effectivly without any real survival training, to make it in Oregon ( which is where they hunt and fish) for a few days. My Idea is to focus on being foud, but still having things like a fishing kit or snare wire just incase. So lets start with the basics.

First Aid Kit
Shelter- poncho, trash bags, space blanket
Water- Nalgene bottle with Micro pur tablets
Fire- British life boat matches, lighter, flint rod with char cloth/PJ cotton balls
Signaling- Mirror, Whistle, airal flares?, flashlight

Misc stuff.....Let the fun begin
Knife- small fixed or folder
para cord
compass
fishing kit
snare wire
sewing kit
duct tape
wire saw
aluminum foil
 
Wade, is this teen a total greenpea, or does he have some skills to go along with the gear?

The reason I ask is, if he has no skills, then he probably won't know what to do with most of the gear.
 
My opinion is that he should make sure he lets some one responsible know where exactly the area is he is hunting. On a map. I assume he has some experience or he would not be going out by himself, correct? Make sure he knows that he doesn't leave that area. And that he knows how to recognize that he is lost and when he does recognize it to stop and stay put so they will be able to find him if he is lost. Trying to locate a subject who is still moving is a real difficult task.

As far as survival stuff to carry. I would forget the snares and fishing stuff and replace it with energy bars or jerky. He won't be out there long enough to worry about problems from lack of food and chasing food would tend to make him wander even farther. He needs things for shelter and water and maybe basic first aid training and equipment. IMHO.

Now if it is typical for this boy to go out for a week at a time then I would ammend what I have said here.

KR
 
Read this thread, it has some very good items in there : http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=428962
You should also spend a day with him explaining how to correctly use the items.
My suggested items are:
1 AA cell maglite + extra batteries
1 fox 40 whistle (orange color)
1 BIC dispossable lighter
1 waterproof plastic tube with strike anywhere matches
30 ft of paracord
1 pen flare launcher with 3 flares (remember to match your flares to your launcher, rim fire or center fire, you cannot mix the 2)
1 sharp stainless steel mora knife
1 compass with attached mirror
1 US army issue canteen cup ( most if not all items will fit inside the cup for storage)
1 small fishing kit containing 25ft for fishing line, assorted lures jigs and plain hooks in a small tin.
1 roll of orange survey tape
1 small pad of paper and a pencil
1 small jar of iodine tablets
1 large garbage bag
1 disposable plastic poncho
3 sugar packets
1 small ziploc bag filled with flattened TP
1 small first aid kit with a needle thread and a few buttons added
1 powerbar
1 metal tube wrapped with 10 ft of duct tape
1 small survial manual with pictures.
 
Cell Phone and/or a GMRS radio.
Compass, map and GPS device.

He is going hunting on known ground , not climbing Mt. Everest.
Warm Fluids, (thermos) perhaps a small alchohol stove for heat and heating food.
Shelter material would be important, military poncho.
Fire making stuff x2. Bic and one other source of flame.
Some amount of dry tinder. Emergency whistle.
High calorie foodstuffs.

His biggest issues will be cold temps. and being caught in a freak or sudden weather event. Layered clothing and raingear.

Since he is going hunting, he is going to be "missed" in a relatively short period of time. People would be looking no later than nightfall.
With a fire, a whistle, a lightstick and whatever, they shouldn't have trouble finding him, it's not like he would be 20 miles into uncharted territory.

Oh yes, and an "emergency rendezvous point" and an absolute time for his trek back to civilization and/or an "I'm OK phonecall".
Once that failsafe is breeched, release the bloodhounds.
 
Sounds good everyone. Thanks. Keep it coming. I like the ideas of a small survival guide (know any good ones?) and a brew kit.
 
I have it, and it is very good. A little advanced for this purpose though.
 
Same kit as everybody else. Not old enough to understand,
BS. Get him to attention now, and I'm not saying that as some old military fart. Young boys like to be treated as adults especially when it comes to woods and game and firearms. They know and want to understand. I did.
 
Well I dont personaly know the kid, just his old man. So, I have offerd to take them both out on a survival skills crash course and he seems up for it. But I would the dad would like him to have some survival items and also know how to use them. So, my plan was to build thier kits, while teaching them the basics along the way, then go into the bush and teach them how to use their kits and skills together.
 
Sorry Wade, I misunderstood...I thought everbody was up to speed...still, I would suggest building the youngster a kit just like any of us would want. He'll appreciate it and will value it for many years.
 
For small survival guide, try doug ritter's quick cheat sheet. It's a one page sheet of survival reminders intended for someone with some experience and skills. Instructions are clear and illustrations are available too.
It's a great tool as the stress of being in a lousy situation can sometimes led to silly mistakes. Being just a page long, you can pretty much be sure that you'll never leave it behind because of weight.

Here's a link to the page:
http://www.equipped.com/psp/psp_survival_instructions_0206_lowrez.pdf


Doug ritter has a generally good itemisation of survival kit items on his web-page. See http://www.equipped.com/survlkit.htm#A1.
The evaluations he has of commercial kits are valuable as it helps identify weaknesses in your own kit as well.

Wade, It's really great -- what you are doing for the kid -- might save his life one day.
 
By the way, I would recommend covering the survival instructions (which ever version you end up getting) with some waterproof sealant. Either the stuff they use for maps or for protecting paintings and such. You don't want your survival instructions falling apart or the ink blotting on you in a survival situation.
 
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