survival vest

S

shadowhunting

Joined
Jan 18, 2008
Messages
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i have a military assault vest and want to convert it or utilize it as a survival vest can anyone tell me what things i need in terms of equipment and whats best
 
We've got a whole forum full of people who can help you with that. Let me move this to Wilderness and Survival Skills for you. :)
 
I like the idea of Wade's post. Maybe you can mimic his idea and then put your twist on it. I think that it pretty much covers all your bases in most situations.
 
I took a BDU shirt, cut the sleeves off by cutting the stitching. Creates a non-fishing style (those always have way too many small pockets) with 4 large pockets. Stitch a "game" pocket on the back for a folded tarp and you can also stitch water bottle pockets on the back too.

I used Alsosak bags in each pocket to protect the contents from rain.

Pockets:
1. Fire/signaling
2. First Aid
3. Food/Food procurment
4. Shelter supplies.

5. Stitch inside pockets as needed.

Result=one cheap low profile vest custom made for your needs.

Want more carry options? Wear it with cargo pants and you get two large pockets plus the regular pockets for a lighter, keys and wallet (both of which can have survival items on them), a folding knife, a multitool on your belt). Para cord bootlaces are handy too but some fine them too slippery, make them long enough is the key.
 
I am looking at those Blackhawk chopper pilot vest, $25-$50 with 7 pockets and room to add more...OD Green and affordable.
 
The only problem with vests are they could cause some sheeple trouble. Lets be serious hiking in a tac vest is suspicious and should be.

I also find vests way to warm in hot summer temps.

Skam
 
I converted my fly fishing Vest into sort of a hybrid for fishing and survival as I fish in some pretty wild/hazerdous areas. Its not as impressive as Wade's but I have basic stuff in there along with all my fishing stuff. I keep the items in a medium sized dry bag so if I take a dunk it doesnt all get soaked.

OH in case your wondering, most fly fishing vest's have a very large pocke in the back that the dry bag goes into. Most have TONS of pockets for storage and I figures since I dont use but half of them I might as well put stuff to be prepared in the others. AND you can get some vests in orange which would make a good signal flag color in a pinch.
 
Banana Republic has some nice vests or used to. These are for photography, but would work for many things. These aren't military style vests and do not have all the padding that many photo vests have. Many journalists will be wearing these when you see them in places like Iraq. Doesn't have as many big pockets as Wade's vest above however.

One thing nice about a vest is like a small pack, you can place a lot of the essentials in it and leave them there. Stuff is all in one place as you head for the woods.
 
Now that I've created my perfect LBE that's 180% customized I never use my ruck or packs anymore. A lot cooler than a vest. Modularity is very nice too.
Here it is as it's on topic (I hope so at least):


Body facing side. You can see the EMT shears I have tucked behind the 1st aid kit and the zipties. LBE bands, zipties, and tape are there to keep the straps for the pack in place.


left to right: County Comm multitool pouch, Diamondback Tactical Nalgene bottle pouch with Spec ops brand light sheath and Blackwater pistol leash,Diamondback Tactical 2qt canteen pouch with canteen (huge surprise) and compass with bandage in pocket, MOLLE utility pouch holding 1st aid kit, HSGI 2qt/utility pouch with GI M-16 mag pouch attached to hold CPR facemask,Diamondback Tactical Nalgene bottle pouch with GI pistol mag pouch with elastic to retain my folder better.
The pack is the Blackhawk SpecOps daypack IIRC (out of production) attached to BH H-harness suspenders.Belt is a GI MOLLE belt that I cannabalized off a pack, cut out the old flimsy belt and replaced that with an Eagle duty belt. I also have the tube straw kit attached to my canteen.


Just a close up to show the cross I sharpied in.

Something along these lines is what I reccomend as it works for me. A vest might be better for you as you already have one.
 
Actually a vest (or capacious jacket) is a great addition to your survival PACK. Indeed, I advocate that in the real world, where survival is a byproduct of doing 'something else', shorts or cargo pants with seriously big pockets PLUS a vest PLUS your pack are the whole picture. The BIG mistake so many of us make is to depend on just one component. Having said that, I grumble at Wade's vest due his choice of components- being mindful and respectful of his individual right to choose.
1) Where are the signaling devices, such as laser flare or handheld flare? The key to survival is to keep in mind that there are at least 1,000,000 people out there that want to help get you out of a fix. How can they do that if you WANT not to be found?
2) Communications devices. No PLB? No CellPhone? You should show everything that you're carrying, not just the vest and its contents.
3) 3 knives? A handgun AND a rifle? Where's the water and water purification tablets?
4) An SAS manual? Seriously. If you're reading this and have the wherewithal to buy and lug all that out into the wilderness, you need to have the SAS manual memorized.
5) No food????

I have 'survival' kits all over the place in my life as I believe you need them at a moment's notice. I do have a 5.11 tactical vest that is basically provisioned with the right stuff to survive 24 hrs. The rest are grabbed on the fly - from my car (72Pack loaded) + (Duffle bag with more medical , food + water) , from home there's a 7 day back pack (urban & wilderness efficacy) and in deep storage, more provisions.
I find that just running around doing my business as a photographer, a vest weighing in at 12lbs is heavy enough for my body frame size. Spreading the rest between a pack and my pants helps considerably.

Also- Recent Field & Stream has an excellent feature on Survival in the WILDERNESS.
 
i dont know why i even bother you see i havetype 1 diabetes which means while i can still go camping i need to lug more equipment than normal and more food etc etc, too hard to sustain myself with hunted game any suggestions on a pack for camping anywhere between a day and a week and viable food options like packaged carry food with nutrients and high energy also NO GUNS in australia we have extremely strict laws
 
skammer said:
The only problem with vests are they could cause some sheeple trouble. Lets be serious hiking in a tac vest is suspicious and should be.

I also find vests way to warm in hot summer temps.

Skam
Click to expand...


One vest that is great and has lots of pockets but doesn't look threatening is the 5.11 tactical vest (see post above by Moodino). I have a black one and it looks just like a photo vest, but has more pockets and is made better.
As to what to put in it, there has been endless discussion on "the 10 essentials" and there are endless variation/improvements on this theme. The links to posts above should help a lot.
Good luck!!
 
skammer said:
The only problem with vests are they could cause some sheeple trouble. Lets be serious hiking in a tac vest is suspicious and should be.

I also find vests way to warm in hot summer temps.

Skam
Click to expand...

I agree. A few years ago I was thinking about getting a tactical vest, but found that a heavy duty fly fishing vest works just fine. They also have a few ventilated areas to reduce heat.
 
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