BCBIN ultimate survival kit

[RichardDickson]

Hi im richard and i just bought the BCBIN ultimate survival kit. It consists of a water bag, nylon cord, wiresaw, ziplock bag, waterproof immediate survival instructions, sewing kit, safety pins, fishing kit, flint and steel striker, emergency whistle, book matches, signalling mirror, button compass, single edge blade, multi purpose mini tool, x2 salt sachets, candle, pencil, x20 water purification tablets, brass snare wire. I used all the book matches so replaced them with water and windproof storm matches. sorry for the long post, but is their anything else absolutely essential i should add to this kit? I'm new to this kind of this thats why i'm asking, thanks

 

[spandit]

Welcome, Richard. I'm hoping you're not a spambot but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I'd add some antiseptic wipes, plasters, surgical tape & cotton wool - the latter will make great tinder too

 

[ateallthepies]

It depends on what you want the kit for, for me personally I feel I'm unlikely to need anything to actually survive 99% of the time, so I have filled my tin with stuff I use on a daily basis. About half my tin is medical stuff, I do have a proper first aid kit but it is just that bit too large to cart around everywhere. One item I'm always using is the cash I have in it usually a twenty pound note and a few pound coins. It's a great feeling if I'm skint somewhere and then remember I have some cash in my tin!

Here is my thread on my tin for some ideas... http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79135&highlight=

Steve.

 

[AussieVic]

You might consider some emergency tinder.
If you don't mind "growing" the kit a bit then you could consider adding a large garbage bag as a multi purpose rain cover, shelter, seat, jacket, or justas a big bag.
Some people like to carry a Space Blanket or bag too.

 

[3bears]

ello!

welcome to the madness...

here are a couple of threads that might be worth a read to you, I started one upon the whole survival tin subject and one on my findings

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66872&highlight=

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76558&highlight=

hope they help you in building your own kit

 

[The Ratcatcher]

I used to carry a survival tin when I was in the military, but I don't see the point as a civvy, because it's highly unlikely that I'd need to bug out and leave all my kit behind, or escape from a prisoner of war camp. I carry all the survival kit I'm likely to need in my pockets or attatched to my trouser belt. (If I ever do have to bug out, the first thing I'm going to grab is my pants, with the belt attatched.) With what's on the belt kit and in the pockets I could carry on for quite a while, and the kit is less likely to be lost because it's all in different pockets and pouches.

 

[Martyn]

Empty everything out onto a table and replace it all with a PAYG mobile phone and a £20 note. That's all the survival kit you'll ever need in the UK.

Sorry if that sounds a bit facetious, but these survival kits in a tin are more of a fun thing. We've all made em, but I dont thnk anybody takes them seriously.

 

[ateallthepies]

I like the romanticism of the idea that a tin full of goodies will keep you alive until you are found or you can walk out of trouble. I am coming round however to accept that on this heavily populated isle you could walk in any direction and before you die of thirst you will bump into help. Obviously there are remote places that could test this theory but if you are there unprepared you probably deserve a wake up call.

The phone and money plan should be sufficient but there is always the chance of hurting yourself in a remote area with no signal or taxi rank! In this situation a tin of stuff could help for a while but you will still need to be found quickly, especially time of year depending, to have any hope of living so maybe a whistle is an important bit of kit which incidentally I do not have in my tin?

So in all I think a survival tin should be geared more towards stuff that the individual finds useful on a daily basis, medical needs or repairs and the such that will get used often unlike wire saws, compasses or snare wire that will probably never be used. As I said previously, my tin gets used a lot and I'm even thinking of taking out several un-used items to allow more room for other useful stuff. I now no longer view my tin as a survival tin and more as a handy tin.

Making a tin is a fun exercise and it will probably evolve over time. A lot of the gear that fits inside will be a bit of a compromise, it will do the job but maybe not as efficient as a full size version of whatever item.

So to sum up I think a person needs to gear up according to the environment they will be in and not rely on a tin of compromise to endure. The prospect of having to rely on a survival tin in a situation where you have not previously got ready for, say surviving a plane crash from Glasgow to the Orkneys and coming down in the middle of no-where and relying on only your tin is a nice fantasy but in reality will not happen.
Much better to have a tin full of stuff you use regularly than a tin of unused items for a near non-existent future event.

Just my opinion but as long as your having fun then all's good,

Steve.

 

[sandbender]

Hi im richard and i just bought the BCBIN ultimate survival kit...is their anything else absolutely essential i should add to this kit? I'm new to this kind of this thats why i'm asking, thanks

You should nip out somewhere remote-ish with just that tin for a couple of nights, by the morning of day three you will know what needs to be added.

Some folks are quite keen on the survival tin idea, others knock it, it isn't my kind of thing but I suppose it does get you thinking about some of the things you might find handy in odd situations.

Realistically in the UK, a credit card, a phone and some cash are possibly the most useful things to carry.

Have a look at this article by Paul Kirtley 'How to Build a Survival Kit on Bushcraft Principles' you will find some good advice there.

 

[Wayland]

Another thread to add to the reading list.