I've done the same thing with drinking straws. Different colours for different items and cheap as anything,
My mini survival kit
- Thread starter Stuart
- Start date
I got quite a nice one free from Ironclad Surplus. http://www.ironclad-surplus.co.uk/ Ordered a couple of norgies and as they didn't have my size they sent the next size up and a free compass as a 'sorry mate'.
Means I have a spare one now.
It's nice to find companies like Ironclad and Bearclaw that still believe in that rare and strange beast 'customer service'.
Means I have a spare one now.
It's nice to find companies like Ironclad and Bearclaw that still believe in that rare and strange beast 'customer service'.
I say beast as you really have to hunt for it sometimes and as it can be so elusive it sometimes seems either mythical, like Dryads and mermaids, or exticnt, like Dodos and the T-rex... 
):
):
Good thread,
It has biven me some good ideas,
The drinking straw trick works well.... I heat a air of pliers over a braising torch and pinch the ends to seal them, but here is an idea for the tube to put it all in.
Get down to B and Q and buy some 22mm copper pipe and a packet of Speedfit (Plastic Plumbing components) stop ends. Tghese things hold up to mains water pressure when put on copper so they make a great waterproof container. Should cost you about a fiver... cheaper than hacking your maglight to bits
Make sure you get the speedfit ones though (White). The speedfit ones have an easy release mechanism that allows you to remove them from the tube to open it. The grey ones do not and you have to dissmantle the fitting to get in.
You can make the copper pipe as long as necessary to fit your gear in.
This method could also be employed to make a good match safe, although being copper would probably sink, I would look to use 15mm pipe for this. I woud also use a length of the plastic speedfit pipe for the body so the thing floats... Its all well and good youre matches being dry, but it they are 10ft down.. they are not gonna be much use.
It has biven me some good ideas,
The drinking straw trick works well.... I heat a air of pliers over a braising torch and pinch the ends to seal them, but here is an idea for the tube to put it all in.
Get down to B and Q and buy some 22mm copper pipe and a packet of Speedfit (Plastic Plumbing components) stop ends. Tghese things hold up to mains water pressure when put on copper so they make a great waterproof container. Should cost you about a fiver... cheaper than hacking your maglight to bits
Make sure you get the speedfit ones though (White). The speedfit ones have an easy release mechanism that allows you to remove them from the tube to open it. The grey ones do not and you have to dissmantle the fitting to get in.
You can make the copper pipe as long as necessary to fit your gear in.
This method could also be employed to make a good match safe, although being copper would probably sink, I would look to use 15mm pipe for this. I woud also use a length of the plastic speedfit pipe for the body so the thing floats... Its all well and good youre matches being dry, but it they are 10ft down.. they are not gonna be much use.
A thought for Stuart - Your mini kit has two different methods of firestarting - steel and matches. The small steel will give you hundreds of lights and the candle will burn for some minutes, the matches will give you ten lights, burn out quickly and take up much more space. Matches are very convenient if you regularly use your kit just to get a quick light, but if it's for last resource use, wouldn't you be better off with a bigger steel / extra scalpel blade / bigger candle in place of say 6 of your matches ?
A tiny kit like this is a brilliant idea but inevitably lacks the bigger blade vital for wilderness survival. Did you have any specific scenario(s) in mind when you designed it ?
Cheers
A tiny kit like this is a brilliant idea but inevitably lacks the bigger blade vital for wilderness survival. Did you have any specific scenario(s) in mind when you designed it ?
Cheers
alick said:
I designed it with foreign travel to remote places in mind, I often spend months at a time in tropical forests and deserts. The kit was designed to be completely unobtrusive but always at hand with the essentials and was intended to be carried in conjunction with a leatherman tool.
accept when in urban areas I always carry a fixed blade knife as part of my standard equipment so I don't feel the need to include another in my survival kit and the necessary size of this kit precludes the addition of one.
Fire steels are great but require tinder and manual dexterity to operate, matches are the easiest way to light a fire under less than ideal conditions and allow you to skip the tinder gathering and go straight to kindling, in a severely hypothermic condition it would be difficult to use a match but almost impossible to operate a firesteel
the firesteel in the kit will strike almost 1000 times so i don't feel that a larger one would be of benefit, candles are a great way to maintain a flame for firelighting for as long as possible but are second in importance to the ability to generate the initial flame (you can light the candle directly from the fire steel under ideal conditions but it was patience, practice, and determination)
the Potassium permanganate is also a possible fire starter giving me three ways to get a fire going, fire of course being the primary aim in almost all survival scenarios.
whilst the matches do take up space I consider them to be worth there size, I am unable to find something which could justifiably be of more use for the space taken
Many thanks for your thoughts
I totally agree with the inclusion of matches. I think it was Chris K over at ETS that gave probably the best reason I could ever think to carry matches...famaliarity to everyone. Many people can properly prepare a fire that they start with a match, fewer can do so that uses a firesteel. If you are not the primary kit user (injured etc) and you are counting on someone else to get a fire going then my guess is that the matches would be invaluable.
I have looked at the TAD capsules but felt the price was very high....I may have to rethink that after reading this thread. Thanks Stuart.
I have looked at the TAD capsules but felt the price was very high....I may have to rethink that after reading this thread. Thanks Stuart.
Schwert said:
Your right Schwert the price is high I had the good fortune to get one free to test, if you know anyone in engineering it would be fairly straight forward to make one on a lathe
A friend brought one of the black Tadgear survival containers for me from the States. It came with an SAS compass and an aviation fire starter. Looks extremely usefull, small, you can operate it one handed.
I have managed to get the compass a small candle, the firestarter, two blocks of tinder, fishing wire (wrapped around the handle of the firestarter), two weights and a hook, two matches and a leather needle in there. I did not put in a blade, because that would make it illegal to bring on a plane. i think the current content should be OK. There is still room for more. Thinking about some snare wire. I will have to take a closer look at your contents Stuart.
Very sturdy thing indeed. Wouldn't be afraid to drive my car over it or drop it out of an airplane....
Lennart
I have managed to get the compass a small candle, the firestarter, two blocks of tinder, fishing wire (wrapped around the handle of the firestarter), two weights and a hook, two matches and a leather needle in there. I did not put in a blade, because that would make it illegal to bring on a plane. i think the current content should be OK. There is still room for more. Thinking about some snare wire. I will have to take a closer look at your contents Stuart.
Very sturdy thing indeed. Wouldn't be afraid to drive my car over it or drop it out of an airplane....
Lennart
I dont think you will get away with the kit on a plane Ducky.
I recently flew back from Northern Ireland. Going through security i was stopped and had my day sac searched. The security officer was concerned with my 10m of paracord. Apparnetly it should have gone in the hold as you could tie up or strangle somebody with it. As my day sac also contained all my other blunt bushcrafty stuff. bird id books plantlore and compass etc he allowed me throudh with it. I dont think metal wire and fish hooks would have got through.
I recently flew back from Northern Ireland. Going through security i was stopped and had my day sac searched. The security officer was concerned with my 10m of paracord. Apparnetly it should have gone in the hold as you could tie up or strangle somebody with it. As my day sac also contained all my other blunt bushcrafty stuff. bird id books plantlore and compass etc he allowed me throudh with it. I dont think metal wire and fish hooks would have got through.
Stuart
I see only very limited logic in the rules for what you can bring on the plane. They don't feel I could strangle anyone with my shoelaces but they think paracord is dangerous :?:
When I came back from bushcraft course in the UK I brought my firebow (since I wanted to keep my set as a momentum). They were unsure if I could take the stick on board since you could hit someone over the head with it. I explained that a walking stick, crutches or a laptop computer could do much more harm than my stick. They eventually let me take it on the plane.
What serious damage could I do with a fishhook that I could not do with any other bit of metal (for example a piece of zipper from my jacket or a small key)?
Why bring my own wire on board if I want to strangle anyone, when I can just reach under my seat and use the belt on the lifejacket?
It must be me.... I don't get it. The people you should really fear are the ones who don't need anything to cause serious bodily harm :yikes:
I am looking forward to having a go at taking the container on board an airplane. I do like a good discussion.....):
Lennart
I see only very limited logic in the rules for what you can bring on the plane. They don't feel I could strangle anyone with my shoelaces but they think paracord is dangerous :?:
When I came back from bushcraft course in the UK I brought my firebow (since I wanted to keep my set as a momentum). They were unsure if I could take the stick on board since you could hit someone over the head with it. I explained that a walking stick, crutches or a laptop computer could do much more harm than my stick. They eventually let me take it on the plane.
What serious damage could I do with a fishhook that I could not do with any other bit of metal (for example a piece of zipper from my jacket or a small key)?
Why bring my own wire on board if I want to strangle anyone, when I can just reach under my seat and use the belt on the lifejacket?
It must be me.... I don't get it. The people you should really fear are the ones who don't need anything to cause serious bodily harm :yikes:
I am looking forward to having a go at taking the container on board an airplane. I do like a good discussion.....
): Lennart
Taking paracord from people and using the excuse that it can strangle people, is a bit harsh IMO. :roll: Any kind of soldier who have learnt a few fighting techniques would be able to 'take out' at least a few people. I have an example, but that would be off topic. 
And BTW, almost every piece can be used as a weapon, for example I know that a wet piece of tight clothes can really hurt if you're hitting hard. :roll: A towel perhaps :?: !
And BTW, almost every piece can be used as a weapon, for example I know that a wet piece of tight clothes can really hurt if you're hitting hard. :roll: A towel perhaps :?: !
DUCKY why does your last post start with "stuart"?
I have a few of the US aviation fire starters they are very very poor for use with natural tinders such as birch bark
when i flew to Finland I had my hennessy hammock confiscated :shock: apparently i could strangle somone with it :yikes: I'm serious!!!!!
but i do not know of any rule which states that you are not allowed string on a plane, if somone does know where this is written could they enlighten me
I would not try to take my kit on the plane it would almost certainly be confiscated and would most probably be "lost"
I have a few of the US aviation fire starters they are very very poor for use with natural tinders such as birch bark
when i flew to Finland I had my hennessy hammock confiscated :shock: apparently i could strangle somone with it :yikes: I'm serious!!!!!
but i do not know of any rule which states that you are not allowed string on a plane, if somone does know where this is written could they enlighten me
I would not try to take my kit on the plane it would almost certainly be confiscated and would most probably be "lost"
Para cord can be weaved as a belt with plastic buckles at each end and probably wouldn't raise any alarms.
http://www.slatts.fsworld.co.uk/slatts-knot.htm
just a thought
http://www.slatts.fsworld.co.uk/slatts-knot.htm
just a thought
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