third most important survival item?

Ditto the water bottle with built in purification cartridge or at the very least a container suitible for boiling water.
 
Yeah, I'd have to say the GI canteen/cup/pouch w/ chlorine tabs would be the #3 most important piece of gear.

Not sure what's fourth, probably cordage.
 
rfbadger said:
Ditto the water bottle with built in purification cartridge or at the very least a container suitible for boiling water.
Click to expand...
Can be fabricated from bark or hollowed out of wood. Anything that will hold water can have hot rocks added.
 
Yup. But I would rather have a metal container that can save time and most importantly energy.
 
Isn't a knife, firestarter and water container what Bear Gryllis carries:D. Sorry for the off subject.
 
Here is my list, in order of importance for short-term (72 hr) survival is:

1. health (psychological stress, traumatic and environmental injuries)
2. personal protection (clothing, shelter, insects, fire)
3. signaling (fire, whistle, mirror)
4. sustenance (water and maybe food)
5. location & travel (using a map, compass, GPS)

From a gear perspective I wouldn't put a knife in the top spot. The knife can help with first aid, make shelter, and make fire, but I'll put myself out on a bladeforums limb and suggest that a knife may not be in the top three items to carry. If needed I can gather firewood without a knife and I can build a shelter without a knife. For me the #1 gear item is fire-making gear (sparker & tinder), then maybe shelter (tarp or similar - around here bug dope is critical), then signaling (whistle, mirror, light), then water (esp. if going beyond a day or two). First aid is important, but more skill than gear.

Considering that a lot of survival situations are simply due to becoming lost, carrying a mapping GPS with appropriate maps for the area - and extra batteries - can help prevent becoming lost. Even my 10 year old daughter knows how to use the GPS.

If you carry a 460 Hz PLB the whole scenario changes, though shelter and fire are still very important.
 
Order of importance:

Injuries, bad ones must be treated or the rest is mout.
Shelter
Fire and or water depending on situation, harsh cold is fire, blistering hot is water
Signalling, it is the point to get rescued after all
Food

Skam
 
I have a really tough time deciding between cordage and a steel cup. However, in practice, my 'last ditch' gear is a bracelet braided with paracord holding a Vic Executive SAK and a BSA Sparklight. So I'd have to lean towards CORDAGE currently.

A steel cup is right there in importance tho' depending upon the area I'm in so I can boil water.
 
When I made the original post, I was basically fishing around for things to include in a psk. I should have specified that I was thinking about my area (New England). There's a fair amount of water around, but I wouldn't want to drink it without boiling so the metal container makes good sense. I have a small metal pot with a securely latching lid that would make an ideal psk container. Cordage and a space blanket for shelter construction would be important assets in my region too, what with its widely variable weather and all.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Hows about clothing? (appropriate to the place and season)
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Agreed.

In fact there are real cases where clothing or clothing/shelter could be
more important than a knife or fire-starting. Above timberline in the
winter, give me real warm, wind-proof clothes. Even if I descend into
the forest, the clothing will be very important.

Or, you are stuck in a ground blizzard; i.e. your pickup wont go any further.
Yeah, you could tear up the seats with a knife and use the foam insulation,
but I would rather have warm clothes or a sleeping bag. Or both. And a pad.
Stop me..I will soon have a fully stocked RV.:D
 
If we are going to pick an item that would best help to avoid a SHTF type situation, then for me a compass would be top on the list, this could help you avoid getting lost or make it easier to find your way out and avoid the need for signaling, Shelter, or any other survival necessity.

If we are talking about an Item to chose once the SHTF has begun, like a what do you grab off the sinking canoe etc. I would chose a container capable of boiling water. Either a military 1 qt with cup or A "Kleen Canteen" Metal Water bottle from reusable bags.

Not only could this be used to purify and carry water but it would give you another metal surface to try to use for reflection.

But I am basing this on what I see here in the northeast US. shelter materials, and fire wood are usually ubundant, water is easy to find but questionable as far as purity.
 
Water, water, water.
71% of the earths surface is covered with ocean and un drinkable.
33% of the remaining land mass is desert, with no visible water sources.
The majority of waterways are contaminated with nasties that I cant spell.;)
I have learned to knapp a stone blade, and I have learned to make cordage from natural material. I have become very proficient in making and using primitive weapons, but I still cant fabricate water.:eek:
I could only hope that I could get lost in the eastern united states where there is knapable rock aplenty, and rivers with fish, and trees to fashion things from.
The reality is the number one concern weather I'm in my sailboat or on the Baja, Sonora, or death valley desert is water.
Just food for thought.:D
 
bikermikearchery said:
Water, water, water.
71% of the earths surface is covered with ocean and un drinkable.
33% of the remaining land mass is desert, with no visible water sources.
The majority of waterways are contaminated with nasties that I cant spell.;)
I have learned to knapp a stone blade, and I have learned to make cordage from natural material. I have become very proficient in making and using primitive weapons, but I still cant fabricate water.:eek:
I could only hope that I could get lost in the eastern united states where there is knapable rock aplenty, and rivers with fish, and trees to fashion things from.
The reality is the number one concern weather I'm in my sailboat or on the Baja, Sonora, or death valley desert is water.
Just food for thought.:D
Click to expand...

:thumbup:My thoughts as well. Things may change from environment to environment, but there is always one constant. We need clean water to drink.

Of course, as Skammer pointed out, in the cold country, fire is the first need for warmth, as well as melting ice/snow for water, which as far as I know, requires a pot or other fireproof container. ;)
 
My survival kit is packed in a small aluminum kettle with a lid. I then found a small pack that just hold the vital item. Knife, fire starter. small mirror para cord and a plastic drop cloth. I also have two days of my medications and a pack of trail mix. This fits nicely in a medium fanny pack. Twice this kit has saved my bacon. Once when our canoe flipped in a storm just before dark on the wrong side of the lake and once when I fell and sprained my ankle in the Black Hills in November while deer hunting. I have a small pack of wood shavings and a small plastic bottle of lighter fluid. If your hands are near frozen it can be hell to try to start a fire. I always have at least two knives on my person at all times.
 
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