Some thoughts – emergency ‘jewellery’

[Elines]

For those who don’t want to read the full post, here is what I ended up with: (but I expect I will be changing it over time)

Necklace

Bracelet

In more detail ……………………………………..

There are loads of ideas, suggestions etc in the threads for bracelets, but very little on an equivalent necklace. The only one I could find was from April 2009, and this was part of a much longer post:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40523&highlight=necklace

I have been thinking about this topic for some time (EDIT - because I wanted something that I would definitely have with me - which in my case means wearing it). But even so this is intended as a prompt for others to comment and develop, and not as a definitive ’answer’. The trigger for my line of reasoning was Paracordist’s‘Best survival Bracelet’

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73817

which has some good ideas but I couldn’t get on with it

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76021&highlight=

I also know that not everyone likes paracord bracelets

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77864&highlight=pointless

But even those who don’t like them when ‘just’ a bracelet,ie used solely as a means of storing paracord, would probably accept they have a value if they have a permanent use as well eg as in Biker’s compass on a bracelet – can’t find the thread but here is a picture:

In trying to be clear on the purpose of emergency jewellery my priorities were:

· It should be relevant to the vast majority of time I don’t spend alone in woods or the countryside generally eg when I am in town and out and about, both during the day and at night

· ‘Emergency’ was the key word, not ‘survival’; survival stuff could be added if convenient but emergency stuff came first

· Any necklace should not carry a high risk of strangling me if I caught it on something

· None of it should be too bulky

· The different bits of jewellery should complement each other in terms of what they did

What I have currently come up with is:

Necklace
Dog tags (personally I think this is the most important element)	To help me get prompt, medical treatment and let close relatives know if I have been mugged/in an accident/become totally confused. Contains name, country,post code, blood group, allergies, daily medication, next of kin and phone number Necklace is connected ‘balls’ (think sink plug chain) – should break if gets caught, but not actually tested it
Possible dog tag developments
	Polish one side to be a mirror Sharpen one edge to be adequate to cut paracord Square up one edge to provide a striker for a firesteel (I have tried all three of these but my existing dog tags seem too soft to be really effective)
Items below added to existing necklace
Whistle	To attract attention if become temporarily disabled or otherwise need help (saves shouting)
Torch	To help see at night To attract attention if become temporarily disabled
Fire steel	(this is for ‘survival&#8217 Takes up little space/weight But not sure if it will degrade from body moisture – may need a covering of some kind
Possible necklace developments/additions
Spare credit/cash card	Emergency source of money
Container for £20 note (but not found one yet)	Emergency source of money
Bracelet (I like paracord bracelets)
Cobra weave	Because I prefer cobra weave
Compass	I fitted a ‘Recta’ watch compass to the inner strands of the cobra weave. I tried to make a compass bracelet like Biker’s - he very kindly sent me instructions and pics on how to do it - but I just made a mess of it. And I already had the Recta compass. Useful when on holiday/in a strange city and need to orientate the map A conversation starter if needed. (Although I might be a sad b*st*rd I do still have a social life.)
Jute garden twine	(this is for ‘survival&#8217 For tinder – standard twine off the roll was too thin so I doubled it up using standard cordage technique.

Some things I tried and discarded because I couldn’t get them to work (for me):

· ‘french knitting’ necklace – paracord too inflexible

· Woven paracord necklace – too bulky

For those who want more paracord, I also played with creating a little paracord mat just over 90mm square - made by ‘pin weaving’ – that you can also add to the necklace. This has about 8 feet of paracord in it and gets round the objection that (a tight) cobra weave may weaken the cord's strength, as the mat is only loosely woven. The loosely woven mat is also easier to undo than a parcord bracelet. Thus in total the bracelet and mat would have about 16 feet of paracord, in two stand alone pieces of about equal length.

I tried it out and it was ok to wear eg it was comfortable but - for me – it was unnecessary, so I removed it.

If you search the internet for ‘pin weaving’ and then look at ‘pictures’ you will find lots of examples but they are all a bit *rty f*rty.So if you want to have a go, this next picture should be near enuf, gud enuff or you to get the idea. All you need are pins, bit of graph paper, thick cardboard, bodkin and paracord (or other cord/string.)

You can make the mat to whatever dimensions suit you.

If you wanted yet more paracord, then you could maybe have an ankle bracelet – but I haven’t given any thought at all to the practicalities of having one

 

[Ogri the trog]

Looks good Elines,
Compact and bijou as the saying goes....

Try using SWMBO's nail polish on your firesteel, dries quickly, scrapes off easily, easy to patch up when used and colours are not a problem unless you're OCD!

I must get around to showing my paracord belt.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Elines]

Try using SWMBO's nail polish on your firesteel, dries quickly, scrapes off easily, easy to patch up when used and colours are not a problem unless you're OCD!

Ogri the trog

Good suggestion - I'll use my own to be sure the colours won't clash

 

[shaggystu]

interesting post chris, thanks for that

i carry a similar set of emergency items with me near enough all the time but being an insatiable kit fiddler as i am i tend to swap and change where and how i carry things. most of the time (i.e. not on my own in the woods) i keep whistle/torch/ferro rod/lighter etc. with my keys, if i'm out camping then i tend to have a just a whistle and a torch around my kneck and things like ferro rod and lighter in a trouser pocket and tied to my belt.

personally i don't like the paracord bracelets but not for any particularly strong reasons. i have on occasion just wrapped a long piece of cord around my wrist lots of times and tied the ends together, that works for me.

i've been thinking about dog tags or something similar for a while, they seem to be a good idea

stuart

 

[johnboy]

Necklace

[

I can tell you don't fly very much....Also congratulations on the most formatted post I've ever seen....

 

[Neumo]

I was watching some TrapperJack videos on YouTube last night & he was using some yellow beads as lures for fishing, thatbhe kept on a necklace, so something like that may be a good idea.

 

[MartinK9]

Nicely done Chris.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I can tell you don't fly very much....Also congratulations on the most formatted post I've ever seen....

And thereby hangs a conundrum, would "dog tags" be outlawed under the current forbidden items list for air travel?

Ogri the trog

 

[johnboy]

And thereby hangs a conundrum, would "dog tags" be outlawed under the current forbidden items list for air travel?Ogri the trog

From experience plain 'dog tags' would be fine... They'd get pinged as you went through the metal detector but you'd show the security bloke and he'd be fine... Fundamentally they are the same as a necklace or a medi alert tag. Pull that little lot out and you'd get a lot more attention... You really do not want to be faffing around with airport security folk if you travel reasonably frequently. If you were flying frequently it would simply not be worth the hasstle of having that set up around your neck. Or having a fire steel in your carry on..For a while I had a TAD gear capsule on my key ring it would get picked up with regularity at airports followed by a 10 -15 minute conversation which is just a PITA when your traveling.

 

[Elines]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments - don't understand why you "can tell I don't fly very much" - why would dog tags be forbidden??

 

[Mesquite]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments - don't understand why you "can tell I don't fly very much" - why would dog tags be forbidden??

Because you've sharpened them Chris

 

[johnboy]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments - don't understand why you "can tell I don't fly very much" - why would dog tags be forbidden??

See above...Plain Jane dog tags would be fine..The ferrocerium rod would not go down too well.

 

[Elines]

Ok thanks - I can see your reasonings, but the following HMG advice

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Foreigntravel/AirTravel/DG_176922

says:

Not allowed in hand baggage:

Knife (with a sharp or pointed blade and/or a blade longer than 6cm) (NB Dog tag 'blade' would be LESS than 6cm)

Cigarette lighter (but you may carry a single lighter on your person - defined as a liquid so has to be in a clear plastic bag)


Allowed in hand baggage:

Safety matches

So ...... based on that I don't see that the dog tags and ferrocium rod should be a problem.


NB - rather bizarrely it is ok to have knitting needles in hand baggage (presumably just so long as you don't sharpen them along their length!!)

 

[johnboy]

Ah the good old Internet.I'd rather just get on the plane with minimal fuss that have to explain to some airport security guy that the sharpened dog tag around my neck is sub 6cm and no it's not 'that' concealed or that the lump of pyrophoric material next to the dog tag is actually ok to go as well...They get stroppy over a bottle of shampoo in carry on.


The reality is that while there are undoubtedly rules the issue is they are enforced by humans. So on my travels I've had AA batteries confiscated flying out of the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Bolivia.A lot of hassle getting in and out of Laos and Vietnam with bag checks etc I had my empty glass souvenir coca cola bottle confiscated in Atlanta GA, a word with the airport security boys in HK, Dulles and CDG about the TAD capsule..I've also had a couple of those wee SAK confiscated and the blade on them is under 6cm.When I travel I try to look as 'normal' as possible so I don't think I've been particularly targeted but I have flown a lot and through a lot of differing jurisdictions.

For example the advice you have posted up says you can carry a small butane lighter as carry on if it's identified with your liquids and gels. If you fly domestically in China they confiscate all forms of butane lighter there is even a bin prior to the security check in the airport where you can throw them.To err is human and the default setting for the majority of airport security folk is to err on the side of caution.


Anyhow nice necklace thingy you'd make 'Ranger Rick' proud.


http://survivaloutdoorskills.com/kit-popup8.htm

 

[spandit]

I've also had a couple of those wee SAK confiscated and the blade on them is under 6cm

Yes, but they're pointed. Unless you're carrying a butter knife, it won't be allowed

Why would you feel the need to carry a survival kit on your person for a commercial flight? The chance of crashing, let alone somewhere remote enough to need a kit is pretty unlikely.

 

[AussieVic]

I had some "regular" dog tags primarily for signalling, but they quickly tarnished/scratched and became a lot less reflective than I wanted.
Then I found "TOPS Outdoor Emergcy Survival Signal Mirror" (no affiliations, just a customer).
These are a heavier material than the other ones, but they have remained brightly polished and reflective, so I'm quite happy with them (I think they may be polished SS ?). I haven't tried to sharpen the edge, but I think the result would be better than the regular tags.

 

[johnboy]

Why would you feel the need to carry a survival kit on your person for a commercial flight? The chance of crashing, let alone somewhere remote enough to need a kit is pretty unlikely.

I don't the most important bits of kit for me for a commercial flight these days are noise canceling ear phones and my iPad combine this with turning left as you get on the flight and a gold Koru card.... All important bases are covered.

 

[Elines]

Why would you feel the need to carry a survival kit on your person for a commercial flight? The chance of crashing, let alone somewhere remote enough to need a kit is pretty unlikely.

I spend even less time flying than I do alone in the woods so it wasn't a factor I took into account when thinking what I needed for an emergency.

But because the stuff IS for an emergency when in an urban area etc then the EMERGENCY stuff would be just as relevant in Rome as in Melton Mowbray. I can't comment on more exotic places. Don't forget - I only added the firesteel because I already had the necklace. I then - as a result - tried to sharpen the dog tags for use as striker and knife, and added the jute to the (existing) bracelet. The survival stuff is not a priority for me.

The dogtags were only about £4 so it would be easy enough to get another set solely for flying if necessary

(I am assuming the plane will arrive. The stuff is not for use when crashing - and surviving - in some remote place. My priority was 'emergency' not 'survival'.)

As regards the comments on the practicalities of getting through customs in different places - thanks for that. At the moment however - as indicated in the original post - the steel on the existing dog tags is too soft to give a sharp knife edge. Even as a striker the right-angle edge seems to wear very quickly and become unreliable.

I will have a look at the "TOPS Outdoor Emergcy Survival Signal Mirror" to see if it is ok for what I want. I don't know anything about these and at the moment I have no knowledge on size, suitability or how I would go about getting it/them engraved.

 

[Graveworm]

The recently changed guidelines from the CAA/FAA shown there are the minimum standard; airlines and airports can impose whatever additional retrictions they like. For example Heathrow does now allow 6cm knives etc but Gatwick still does not. As for needing it on a plane, if you want to fly hand luggage only the restrictions have a bigger impact than that, which is the main reason for the change as the airline industry want more hand baggage only passsengers.

 

[Elines]

The TOPS mirrors look ideal (EDIT - because they fulfill the primary role of being a dog tag but are multi purpose)

http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?products_id=268

Even if you can get a good mirror finish on the dog tags I bought they soon deform in use and so you lose the flat surface. The TOPS ones must be designed to avoid deformation and so are also probably hard enough to take an edge/be used as a striker.

?anybody know if they can

I haven't found them for sale in UK - anybody know a source?

They might be an economic buy from USA as postage shouldn't be too much (?and won't incur import/VAT charges?)

You would still need to get them engraved though