The unskilled survival kit

I like the Adventure Medical bivy bags, along with the usual list of multiple fire starters, first aid, high energy food, water treatment, and signal devices. IIRC, someone makes some playing-card sized information cards for survival techniques. As many said, someone without the training needs some tips.
 
I agree that removing a knife 'just because they won't know what to do' is an idea. But I believe a very simple locking folder is foundational and shouldn't be removed by any means. Who knows if it'll be your girlfriend that ends up using this kit, essentials shouldn't be forsaken for simplicities sake.

I also believe that a small amount of 550 cord is also important, doesn't take up much room and weigh that much and will be useful to just about anyone.

I don't know about the variety of tinders that your including. I would find one good one and just stick with that one in addition to the road flare for simplicities sake. Several varieties of tinder could become confusing and how many novices even know what 'fatwood' is? The road flare is an excellent idea as well as the triaxiane bars. Simple, effective and bombproof.

Ducktape rolled around a bic could be an addition because of how easy those bags rip. Not to mention it locks out the lighter so it doesn't run out of fuel. My wifes kid includes this but it may not fit in here.

I'm no expert but my .02.
 
The list sound very good to me.. It is a survivl kit and there is enough in it for someone to last 2-3 days. Even with not alot of water. If you could just talk to your GF about what she has in there and explain why she has it in there. She would do better then you think.

Sasha
 
Ok here is possibly the final version of the " unskilled survival kit" with some last minute additions.

basic initial instruction card
instruction card for signaling
whistle plus signal tape.

instruction card for preventing hypothermia
a heavy duty hooded space blanket.
a watch cap and mittens.
a tarp.

card with fire making instructions including picture of fire lay.
a road flare
large candle
a bic lighter and butane torch
2 or 3 trioxane bars
chem heating pads
sterno/esbit stove

a bottle of water, full
a flashlight to last the night
five chocolate bars
hot chocolate mix and tin cup to go with the sterno.

a small lockback knife
spool of paracord.

Outstanding Job and much thanks to everybody on the forum. Great kit I think.
 
I've got a large fanny pack in the trunk of my car with roughly this in it:

*1 large Nalgene bottle
*1 wool cap, which I think is indispensable for an overnight stay. You lose 80% of your body heat through your head, don't you?
*A couple powerbars or the like
*A bic lighter
*Waterproof matches, just in case the lighter dies
*several cotton balls (with PJ)
*Yes, a small folding knife (but I always have a swak and a small fixed on me)
*15' of paracord, for lashings, shoestrings, etc. I can even weave a fishnet with the inner pieces.
*Fishing line and a couple hooks. again, just in case.
*Pencil and some paper
*Some water treatment tabs. Katadyn micropur is what I have.
*Emergency blanket.
*Emergency poncho.
*9 hr candle
*Fox 40 whistle
*I have a pocket chain saw...you could leave that out.
*4 of the big hand/boot warmers from Walmart hunting section. I agree, these would do great in either a tube tent or inside your coat.
*Little bit of TP. Oh, the comforts of home.
*Small LED flashlight and...
*two 12-hr lightsticks. Overkill? The flashlight is for reading and the lightsticks are for the rest.
* About $2 in quarter plus a larger bill
* 1 needle and a good length of thread
* A small Purell, but in my kids' packs I've put in a small pack of anti-bacterial wipes.
*Lowes sells a roll of trailmarker tape that alternates between blaze orange and reflective gray. Works in the day and night!
*Here's a short online manual you can print:http://www.gerbergear.com/docs/GLB_Cold_Weather_Survival_2005.pdf
* Here's another, for desert: http://www.maricopa.gov/emerg_mgt/pdf/survival.pdf
*I also have a metal cup
* a chapstick
* I might add a portable cell phone battery charge.

Yes, it has some weight to it, but I got it all in the pack and feel much better about it.
 
I realy like the idea of the roll of trailmarker tape. But here we want to keep the weight down or the pack wont be taken on the hike the second time around. And about about a large bandana in red or i got one in lime green(cant miss that one ) Butan torch i dont think you want to carry it. So is the road flare. big heavy and go bad after awhil.
 
I would be comfortable giving a kit like that to nearly anyone, even the "city slicker" kids I've worked with that couldn't tell a squirrel from a raccoon. all the basics, easy to use, and confidence boosting. plus as a starter pack, they will change things out as needs, skill improve, a good training tool for people not lucky enough to have a million acre back yard!

A question, why do people pack money in a SK? I can see having enough cash stashed to fill up the car, in case of the plastic not working, but while out in the woods, it seems a little odd to me.

And if it's a nice pack, it'll get carried the second time, I've converted a few people to small wilderness packs, it may be a weight, but it also a comfort.
 
I'll second the wool cap -- a covered head can make all the difference.

And I'll remake my suggestion of strong, lightweight twine. I realize our theoretical lost person doesn't have any bush skill, but twine requires no real expertise, I think. Anyone can lash two things together, or make a belt, or cinch pants cuffs against mosquitos, etc.

Pretty intuitive, right? The upside is high, I think, and the downside is low: Twine is very cheap and very light. You'd hardly notice you were carrying it.
 
As dummy proof as you can get.

Heavy space blanket
2 heavy garbage bags
2 bic lighters in ziplock bag
water bottle
snack
whistle
2 12hr light sticks
4 chemical handwarmers
twine

Teach to light fire and rigg space blanket. Other than that hope for the best sheeple die every day.

FYI, it dont matter how many times you blow a whistle as long as you do. Keep it simple.

Skam
 
Allright lets suppose we agree to add the twine. It seems to me all the controversy is around fire making, there are still some disenting opinions, they seem to be on the road side flare, the butane torch. I think I feel safe leaving the trioxane bricks in the kit as no one has objected to that, and they seem a good idea to me. The hand warmers seem to be mostly supported as well. I wonder if we could get down to agreement on the fire making gear, if we keep in mind our object to make this kit as fool proof and expedient as possible?
 
Let's look at the status of the list in terms of agreement and strong support:

basic initial instruction card-strongly supported
instruction card for signaling-strongly supported
whistle plus trail marker tape-strongly supported

instruction card for preventing hypothermia-strongly supported
a heavy duty hooded space blanket. -strongly supported
a watch cap and mittens.-strongly supported
a tarp.-strongly supported

card with fire making instructions including picture of fire lay.- strongly supported
a road flare -controversial
large candle-not disputed
a bic lighter and butane torch-bic is strongly supported, butane torch is disputed
2 or 3 trioxane bars-supported
chem heating pads-strongly supported
sterno/esbit stove-not disputed

a bottle of water, full-strongly supported
a flashlight to last the night-strongly supported
five chocolate bars-not disputed
hot chocolate mix and tin cup to go with the sterno. -not disputed

a small lockback knife -strongly supported
spool of paracord.- well supported
twine
 
Here is the list for the unskilled survival kit, if we remove all items that are either controversial or disputed:

basic initial instruction card
instruction card for signaling
whistle plus trailmarker tape.

instruction card for preventing hypothermia
a heavy duty hooded space blanket.
a watch cap and mittens.
a tarp.

card with fire making instructions including picture of fire lay.
large candle
a bic lighter
2 or 3 trioxane bars
chem heating pads
sterno/esbit stove

a bottle of water, full
a flashlight to last the night
five chocolate bars
hot chocolate mix and tin cup to go with the sterno.

a small lockback knife
spool of paracord.
spool of twine
 
From the little backyard experimenting I've done, vaseline cotton balls work damned well with a lighter too. In fact, with a butane jet lighter, they will light even if they have been held underwater for 20m first and not dried off. (You have to hold the flame on them for a little while to dry off the part you're trying to light, then the flame will dry them out fast. In fact, if you plonk them in the water after they're lit, they'll float on the surface and still burn.

I think if I were not trying to catch a spark from a firesteel with them, I would fully saturate them with PJ so they'll burn longer. Scoop some in a pot and heat it on the stove, then wipe it up with the cotton balls, they'll be fully saturated. They won't catch a spark anymore, but boy will they ever burn. I think anyone could light a fire with a ziploc of these things and instructions.
 
khalnath, yes you are 100 percent right, but there was the very cogent point before about keeping things streamlined and simple so as not to confuse the total novice. We want to keep things as simple as possible with the most effective items we can lay our hands on. This involves a trade off, sometimes entailing removing from consideration items that would otherwise be considered quite good under other circumstances.
 
I think some of those things will come down to the person who the kit is for, I know people that for all of their skills just can't make a bic lighter work well for them, in that case, a good sized waterproof bottle (I'm thinking a nalgene pill bottle) full of wood kitchen matches may be the answer. If the person is a smoker, then maybe a spare of what they normally carry. add to the fire instructions that shaving a part off a fuel bar for use as tinder, makes it dual purpose right? It's going to depend a lot on the person though, do they feel better having a bic, or REI storm matches? will small kindling be easy to come by (spruce trees) or will it require more work (areas with lots of hardwood trees) I agree with the list as it stands though. unless you want to carry around a self lighting MAPP torch, I think that it really is a personal preference thing.
 
I feel really good about this list too. This is one of the best experiences I've had posting on BF. I think that is a good kit, and something I would like to assemble for some friends of mine before they head out hunting this season. And no they aren't girls but I still suspect they may have use for it.
 
shipwreck said:
khalnath, yes you are 100 percent right, but there was the very cogent point before about keeping things streamlined and simple so as not to confuse the total novice. We want to keep things as simple as possible with the most effective items we can lay our hands on. This involves a trade off, sometimes entailing removing from consideration items that would otherwise be considered quite good under other circumstances.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I follow. What's there to confuse the total novice about "Pile wood on top of this and light it with the lighter?" They don't need to be pulled apart if you aren't trying to catch sparks...

My whole point is that they light easily, burn hot, and for a long time. They're also very wind resistant. Perfect if you have to take a couple stabs at getting your fire lit. A whole cotton ball soaked with vaseline will burn for like ten minutes. IMO they are perfect for newbie use. I should know, I'm a newbie. ;)

I'm not suggesting a fire steel, just the cotton balls, and light them with a bic/jet lighter/hurricane match.
 
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