Top eight survival tools

Access to potassium permanganate has been ["bean" ^___^] drastically restricted in the U.S.

For water purification, it helps.
 
In Cubs we teach our kids the rule of 3 for wilderness survival. (It keeps the priorities straight in their heads)

A person can survive:
3 minutes without air (refers to immediate medical concerns)
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

For a short term (1-3 days) in the wilderness I would think of tools in that order.

1. First Aid Kit (If you let me get away with calling it a tool)
2. Sheath knife for making impromptu shelter and for making tinder
3. Lighter
4. Alternate fire starter
5. Some sort of shelter material (poncho, tarp, garbage bag)
6. Stainless Steel water bottle
7. Water purification (tablet, chemical, filter system)
8. Signal Whistle

If I had that on me, I would be pretty confident I would make it back alive after a few days. (Hungry and uncomfortable but alive.)
 
1) Well trained Dog
2) Scoped Rifle
3) Fire rod
4) Multitool w Tin Opener & Knife & File
5) Hosepipe
6) Cord
7) Axe
8) Poncho
 
They are all wrong. Here's mine:


1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
 
All was going fine until the picture of Nancy. I have now thrown up in my mouth and had to swallow it back down.
 
Pilot1 said:
They are all wrong. Here's mine:


1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
Click to expand...

You think the Chinese will understand Russian do you? ^____^
 
What's in my BOB tool bag...I take what I think I'll need not a set # of tools.

Gerber slide-out saw

whetrock

forklift/equipment key

p38 & p51

Gerber Freeman with scales removed and 550 wrapped.

Small pair scissors (actually the scissors that come in a hair-clipper set)

Heavy-Duty slingshot band

Tubing, mine is medical but aquarium tubing works

Large Hemostats

small pair of blunt-nose Vice-grip pliers

Sewing kit

pill bottle full of hooks, sinkers, etc. with high-test line wrapped around it. (Fishing Kit)

Bic lighter (I have like 10 Bics all over my BOB)

Roll of electrical tape

A Coleman ''streamlight'' style LED 'light

small (7''?) Stanley prybar/nail puller

Zip-Ties

Repair kit-Large sail needle, nylon patches for tent etc., safety pins, super-glue, small zip-ties, etc etc

Stanley QuickSlide Sport...stainless serrated knife, but mainly have it for the Utility Knife feature, uses the large heavy-duty razor blades. w/spare blades.

Spare batteries... 2A & 3A

On Person Tools

Sheath Knife (Becker Campanion, CS SRK, KBAR etc) with FireSteel attached to sheath.

Pocketknife (Buck 110, Case Sodbuster, Kershaw Leek etc)

Gerber Suspension multi-tool (LOL with another Bic inside sheath)



I have a roll of duct-tape, but I keep it hung on the outside of my 'pack. Also carry cordage, 550 and Bank-Line.




I also have a Fiskars heavy-duty composite material garden trowel on my 'pack...and a SOG FastHawk on there.


so around 29 items (depending on how you want to count them) not 8 LOL
 
here's my list.i often head out for 2 days with just this in a small sling bag

1.first aid kit(small tupperware with gauze roll and pads,neosporin,several travel packs of asprin/tylenol,match safe packed with alcohol gel soaked cotton balls and tweezers from swiss army knife,tube of crazy glue,lip balm w/ sunscreen,20' duct tape rerolled on 2 tongue depressor sticks,suture kit with added sewing needle and heavy thread or dental floss.the alcohol gel soaked cotton balls also make great fire starters.in the summer i throw in mosquito repellant wipes with sunscreen.make sure your sunscreen is good for UVA and UVB.also on the outside bottom of the tupperware is a glued strip of flat fridge magnet for holding suture/sewing needle while working,i used an advertising fridge magnet that came on the front of a phone book,about the thickness of 2-3 sheets of heavy construction paper)

2.water filter straw (seychelle is my current choice,drink right from the source if needed, 25gallon filter life,filters 99.99%)

3.stainless wide mouth bottle(cook,melt snow/boil and carry water,currently a klean kanteen)

4.blast match(easy one hand use if needed,best thing i've found for fire starting one handed that wasn't a lighter)

5.ultralight 6x10' tarp(with fabric tabs,not grommets.grommets can and will tear out,tabs can be sewn back on with your needle and thread or your suture kit if needed)

6.2 space blankets(one to lay on/string up,one to roll up in,easy to spot from ground or air if they have to send out the search party for you.also makes a great heat reflector pitched under the tarp if you make a nice bed of evergreen branches to sleep on)

7.compass with lexan 2x2 signal mirror velcro'd onto the back(also easy to separate with one hand if needed)

8.large 8" sheath knife(sheath holds smaller lightweight folding knife or multi tool,wrapped in 30+/- feet of paracord,cord secured with a few loops of duct tape)

9.3600 calorie pack of mainstay emergency rations/9 bars(I've stretched a pack of these and a 1/2 lb of jerky for four days,not easy but doable)

if i had to drop one item it would be the the compass,if the point is survival there are other ways of telling basic direction,plus i have a needle and a magnet.you can make a simple water compass from those.

if i'm feeling the need for a little more comfort or heading into really unfamiliar territory i sometimes throw in(not necessarily in any order):
9.led shake light(shake for 30 seconds = 10 minutes of light)
10.thumb fire pen flare gun with 3 red flares(easy to load fire with one hand)
11.small axe/hawk(razor sharp,haft wrapped in more paracord,cord secured with duct tape)
12.more food(jerky,ramen noodles,chocolate,drink mix)
13.wire finger saw with added 8" nylon hand loops for easier sawing(mostly in winter when fire wood will be frozen)
14.gun(glock 36,one extra mag. a nine or a 357,even a 40 with hollow points MIGHT expand but a 45 won't get any smaller,flat and light,tritium sights,hottest ammo i have on hand)
15.small fishing kit(half a dozen small/medium hooks,a few lead bb sinkers and 50-100' of line 8-12lb depending on what i have available)


finally i wear a good belt that will make a good tourniquet(heavy nylon strap type with a slip buckle that will tighten all the way down.no time to punch a new hole in your leather belt if your wounded.one that will easily carry the weight of my sheath knife and if taking it along my holstered pistol) layer your clothes and wear a good boots,and if possible,a good wide brim hat and gloves

nothing with batteries or needing anything other than me to power it.if you need your iphone,ipod,gps,headlamp,gold,silver, books,rubbers,shovels,wool blankets,bible,canoes and kayaks, etc etc etc you should probably stay home or stick to car camping.some of the stuff i have seen listed is just ridiculous.I mean really,a forklift key,a prybar?binoculars? 8 knives?

the best thing about this kit is it's light,small,cheap to assemble and really works,may not be pretty and full of the latest techno gadgets and creature comforts,but it will keep you hydrated,fed,dry and warm i.e. ALIVE for 3 days.plus you can submerge this kit and it will still do it's job.
 
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Obviously the unstated is knowledge and experience. But since the focus of the thread is on items, assuming the other two, the 8 essentials of survival are as follows.

8) A Wheel of Cheese
7) 12" Cast Iron Skillet
6) 20lb Sledge Hammer
5) Magnum Research BFR in 45-70
4) Norse Great Axe
3) Bearskin (with head and claws)
2) Chuck Noris
1) A Buffalo

EDIT: This assumes you are wearing a kilt, if not, then No. 8 should be a kilt.

If you can't survive with those things, you deserve to die a horrible agonizing death, probably at the the fang filled mandibles of a spiderbear.


God bless,
Adam
 
jumpmonkey said:
Obviously the unstated is knowledge and experience. But since the focus of the thread is on items, assuming the other two, the 8 essentials of survival are as follows.

8) A Wheel of Cheese
7) 12" Cast Iron Skillet
6) 20lb Sledge Hammer
5) Magnum Research BFR in 45-70
4) Norse Great Axe
3) Bearskin (with head and claws)
2) Chuck Noris
1) A Buffalo

EDIT: This assumes you are wearing a kilt, if not, then No. 8 should be a kilt.

If you can't survive with those things, you deserve to die a horrible agonizing death, probably at the the fang filled mandibles of a spiderbear.


God bless,
Adam
Click to expand...

Thanks Adam, I needed a good laugh. ;)
-Bruce
 
Bruce,

Glad you got a kick out of it. Truly, I believe important for survival anywhere and in any situation is a sense of humor. Maybe when I'm not so tired I'll post up a serious 8, but I don't think I have anything particularly new or useful to add.

God bless,
Adam
 
In the area that i am fimiliar with, Which is a mixed soft and hard wood forest, swampy forest where we have cold wet snowy winters and hot humid summers, For me i think this would be a good kit.
1. Appropiate footwear, and warm clothing.
2. Farrocium rod
3. Tarp/Space blanket
4. Wool blanket
5. Sturdy Knife (i like the BRKT Bravo1 personaly)
6. Guyot bottle (nesting cup)
7. Parachord
8. Axe

I know that a saw is more efficiant for cutting up wood and is safer, But in my opinion the axe is a more versitile tool. I can use it to cut a hole in the ice for fishing
 
Given that the OP hasn't been here since October 01, 2011 i'm can't see any good reason to feed a troll's troll...
 
fmajor007 said:
Given that the OP hasn't been here since October 01, 2011 i'm can't see any good reason to feed a troll's troll...
Click to expand...
Whether or not the OP has been here in a while, I still think it's a useful thread in that you can give others an idea of what works (or not) in a survival situation.
I personally have been enjoying this thread. Will I load up a 1 ton truck with everything I see here? Probably not. But meanwhile I can get ideas from this thread. And it's good to throw a little humor in once in a while. (This way we can see who's paying attention) ;)
-Bruce
 
Answering this without reading beyond the first page in order to force my own imagination.

I agree in putting the axe No.1, if not just because it's much easier to manufacture or improvise a simple slicing tool versus a hickory hafted, deferentially tempered tool steel axe. If you don't agree with me, take your bushcraft knife to a piece of seasoned, dried hickory and tell me just how long it takes you, how many bites you give yourself and how many tenths of an inch you have to grind off your knife blade width in sharpening before you whittle yourself out a hickory handle.

Fire starting is important, but a firestarter can be manufactured in most situations with the application of developed skills and basic bushcraft knowledge. That said, in emergency situations I'd want a tool that will allow me to start a fire expediently, and for that I allow it to remain on my top 8, but drop it down from No. 2. In it's spot, I would add cordage. We all rant and rave about 550 chord, but until you've tried to improvise or manufacture your own cordage with simple bushcraft tools and natural materials, you'll truly gain an appreciation for reusable nylon cordage.

For No. 3, I think I would keep a solid high carbon fixed blade knife. Again, more easily manufactured or improvised than an axe, though the time, caloric energy, etc to make sure you have them on hand and useable in a tool that is needed so often makes me feel inclined to leave the no-frills knife at number 3.

Multitool, as in pliars, knife blade, saw blade, scissors, awl, file, can opener, screwdriver, wire cutter, cap crimper all in one? Heck yeah, it deserves No. 4. A little complicated to keep maintained all the time in the field, and I wouldn't want it to be my baseline survival tool, but as a supplementary all-in-one for making life easier, it deserves this slot.

Personally, even just for sake of my sanity and self confidence, a compass would be solidly on my list. Without any kind of instrument giving me some kind of sense of direction, time, etc, I'd go crazy, and having a tool that I could open on a whim and all of a sudden regain sense of direction, that would put a spring in my step when the emotional bell starts to toll.

Binocs can be incredibly useful for navigation, and E&E purposes if the need arises. That said, there are many other tools I'd put before them. One would be a sharpening stone-with skill and experience, a person with the will to survive should be able to rely on a sole MAINTAINED tool. A Lansky puck or softstone would increase the lifespan of your knife, multitool and axe one hundredfold. Another item I'd want is a water filter/carry system over binocs.
 
1. Pulaski
2. Large tarp
3. Down sleeping bag
4. Lighter
5. Edible & medicinal plant book
6. Paracord
7. Medium size fixed blade
8. Cooking pot
 
For me, (So far) this is the list;
1. Water Purifier.
2. Something to carry water in.
3. Fixed Blade Knife.
4. Fire Starter. (various options here)
5. First Aid Kit. (This may contain Quick Clot)
6. Winter Jacket.
7. Paracord.
8. Cell phone.
9. Does the bag to carry all this count?
10. A muti tool would be nice. (Maybe this should be the Top Ten?) ;)
-Bruce
 
1. Appropriate clothing
2. Survival knife (like Fallkniven A1)
3. Firesteel
4. Stainless steel water bottle with cantine
5. Paracord
6. Poncho
7. Signal mirror or loud whistle
8. Multitool
 
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