Survival Kit for any situation

[fraz79]

Hi everyone. Thought I'd share with you the contents of my 'Ultimate Survival Kit'. (Not so much 'bushcraft', more for survival IF...)

Please understand that it's not what I normally take out with me (that's another list! ), this is just my kit that stays at home ready to go if the 's**t hit's the fan' & I have to head off to the Peak District asap. (I.e. if there's a severe terrorist attack etc...I'd rather be out in the peaks than in a city!)

It all fits into a 44L rucksack with careful packing (separated into various bags inside), and weighs about 15kg (but that's ok). Please make suggestions/comments if you like. (I'm aware I will be probably be criticised for 'having too much', but this is my kit to survive in the wild indefinately in relative comfort should the need arise.)

SURVIVAL KIT CONTENTS (in no particular order)
(There's also a laminated version of this list in the pack.)

Carry
44L rucksack (+ rain cover)

Water
1L Plastic bottle, x2 (US army)
4L Water carrier (platypus)
Water puri-tabs, x100+ (Cl)
Water purifying-straw (50L)
Millbank filter bag

Fire
Ferro-rod + striker, large
Ferro-rod + striker, small (spare)
Cotton-wool/Vaseline, lots
Kindling (small pouch)
Butane lighter
Matches, various
Tealight candle, x2
Magic candle, x2

Shelter
Basha + lines
Basha pole (extendable)
Aluminium pegs, x6
Goretex bivvy bag
Sleeping bag (2 season)
Sleeping bag liner (silk)
Thermarest (inc. repair kit)
Hammock

Signal & Rescue
Starflash signal mirror
Whistle
Maps, local & national (+ map case)
Compass (silva, mirrored)
Mobile phone
Phone charger (wind-up)
Waterproof paper pad + pencil
AM/FM radio (+ spare battery)
Cash, £160 (various denominations)

Tools
Fixed blade knife (frost mora)
Folding knife (opinel #9)
Machete
Folding saw (laplander)
Wood saw blade
Pliers multi-tool (gerber clutch)
Torch + spare battery (palight)
Paracord, 30m
Kite-line, 25m
Duck tape, 10m
Carabena

Clothes
Waterproof poncho
Over-trousers
Down jacket (sleeveless)
Thermals (top + bottom)
Cotton shirt
Polypropylene trousers
Underwear
Shemagh
Wide-brimmed sun hat
Wooly hat
Magic gloves
Leather gloves
Wooly socks
Waterproof socks

Rations
Rice meal, x3
Salami, 250g
Nuts & raisins, 500g
Stock cubes, x8
Teabags + whitener, x4

Other possibles
SAS survival manual, small (Colins Gem: L.Wiseman)
Foraging food manual, small (Collins Gem: R.Mabey)
Leather belt
Sharpening stone (fine)
Beta-light (attached to rucksack)
LED button torch, x2
Brass wire, 2m
Clear plastic bag, large
Rubber tubing, 1m (0.7cm guage)
HD Al foil, x2 large sheets
Ziplock bags, x5 (large)
Sew kit: needles (various), polycotton thread (20m), safety pins (various), buttons (various)

Hunting
Gill net, 6ftx4ft
Snares, x5
Catapult
Fish kit: 20lb line (150m), hooks (various), flies (various), weights (several), swivels (several)

First Aid Kit
Foil survival blanket
Rubber gloves
Soap
Scissors
Scalpel
Tweezers
Moleskin
Cotton wool
Bandages, various
Bandage ties
Dressings, various
Antiseptic wipes, x6
Antiseptic cream
Plasters, various
Elastic support bandage
Potassium permanganate
Antihistamine tablets, x1 week
Diarrhea treatment, x3+
Dioralite electrolyte sachets, x4
Paracetamol, 500mg x16
Ibuprofen, 200mg x16
Fresnel magnifying lens

Health
Pack towel
Liquid all-purpose soap, 250ml
Toothbrush + toothpowder
Toilet roll
Deodorant (unscented)
Chapstick
Multi-vitamins, x20
Sunglasses
Suncream, SPF 50
Mozzie repellant
Mozzie head-net
Insect bite-cream
Nail clippers

Cooking
Hexi stove + fuel
Spare hexi fuel
Steel pan (hanging handle & lid)
Steel mug (on army bottle)
Titanium spork
GI can opener

So there you have it...I think I've covered most essential items! On showing friends my contents list their response is often "...do you know something that I don't!"

 

[Fire Starter]

Fraz,

That is a fantastic, well thought through survival kit.

Personally, I got interested in Bushcraft and Survival so that I did not have to carry 95% of that equipment around with me.

What would you do if you left your bag on the train?

But if the **** does hit the fan - Can I come with you?

 

[Stuart]

what would you be leaving in the house?

 

[Fire Starter]

what would you be leaving in the house?

Stuart - I like your footnote, that's kinda where I was coming from.

But would'nt you like Fraz in your team with that bounty?

 

[dommyracer]

this is just my kit that stays at home ready to go if the 's**t hit's the fan' & I have to head off to the Peak District asap. (I.e. if there's a severe terrorist attack etc

I laughed out loud when I first read this list, but now I have read the above I missed it first time around) I understand why such a long list.

I guess I keep a 'survival kit' in this sense then - most of my kit lives in my rucksack for storage, so I would just grab that put on my good boots, grab the knife and be off.

 

[Aragorn]

worrying thing is as i was reading that list i said to myself, got that, got that, must get one of those, got that...

 

[madrussian]

Fraz, where did you get your water purifying straw? I tried to find one here in the US and was told that they are not available yet. EPA or FDA or whatever was still researching or something like that. Thanks in advance.

 

[madrussian]

Never mind. I found them on Ebay.

 

[EdS]

if the stuff does hit the fan I'll simply fuse the barriers and stay at home in the wood, 1 mile from the nearest public road.

 

[JohnC]

Good list...
While leaning to preparedness rather that survivalist, I think as an exercise to be able to lay your hands on what you (and your family) need to "get by" for 72hours in less than, say 5 minutes is useful. A collegues mother had to leave her house (this is in the USA, hurricane season etc) at short notice, was stuck in a car, with other cars, ran out of petrol, had nothing with them and suffered pretty badly. She now has a prepared kit, not to the extent listed, to grab on the way out the house.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

worrying thing is as i was reading that list i said to myself, got that, got that, must get one of those, got that...

Yep this was me - I do have what I call a grab bag with just the basics for a night out - but this is based on a mountin rescue senario. I have how ever ear marked two / three places to head to if the s*** gos the way of the rotating cooling device.

 

[moduser]

If you are going to have a bug out bag make sure that all your essential documents are where you can grab them; passport, insurance details, bank details etc.

Most situations when you might need to grab and run are likely to to be short term and normality will creap back in eventually - least I hope so.

david

 

[JohnC]

I'm thinking more in the lines of being evacuated (as our street was once for a armed stand-off in a nearby house) at short notice, or a flood. Being familiar with what to pack and how to use it will reduce (to an extent) some of the anxiety generated by a situation.

 

[moduser]

John C

That's as good a senario as any, if possible though your basic bag should be ready at all times.

You can find (as I did once) where the police basically knocked on the door and said grab your coats and come with us to a central evac point. No time to pack a bag - next doors house was on fire.

David

 

[John Dixon]

Sounds very comprehensive, if its a flood you may need specific kit i.e Personal Flotation devices, throw lines or canoe????

 

[Marts]

A few questions

Why a bivvy bag and a hammock?

What on earth is a "magic candle"? and "magic gloves"?

And a couple of suggestions:

LED Head Torch
Pan scourer
swop the battery radio for a wind-up one
Spare shoes or boots
Field dressing and safety pins for the first aid kit
More food

Have you met Ludlow Survivors by any chance?

 

[Chance]

If you want to go for the full "what if?", why not another list of the stockpiles to conceal in various safe havens ?
Maybe a buried chest of spices to barter with the marauding remnants of civilisation. Or, for a longer term investment, bury metals. The steel of the wrecks of Scapa Flow is valued for being pre-nuclear-testing, and therefore relatively uncontaminated by radiation.

 

[Wayland]

I have a worst case senario kit, it's called my van.

I carry enough gear in that to be comfortable for a weekor two if I'm stranded somewhere and if I need to leave the van behind I can bug out with a couple of bags from the back and still survive pretty well.

 

[Glen]

I'd suggest a second toothbrush, maybe with the handle cut in half ( for easy identification as to which is used for what function) to use as a fingernail scrubbing brush.

 

[fraz79]

Hey everyone.

Cheers for all the comments. Thought some of you might find the length of the list amusing! Never expected a response quite like this...my first 'discussion' thread started...I'm quite emotional!

Anyway, [cough], to answer some of the points brought up. Lots of issues raised, but I'll try and work through them. Bear with me...

What would you do if you left your bag on the train?

Well, can't see myself taking it on a train really...it's just a back-up to my other kit! However, I do carry around an 'Altoids Tin' survival kit everywhere I go. (In the Lofty Wiseman fashion.) Also, when I'm in the car (or in the wild) I have a medium size kit that goes on my belt. Hopefully these would be enough to get me back to my house to get the full kit should the need arise, or I'd make do with the essentials I carry on me. (Maybe I'll share a contents list for my tin & medium survival kit's in another post!)

where did you get your water purifying straw?

Well, I got mine for £7 here. Free shipping in the UK, but would have to email them to get international prices. As you say, they also pop up on Ebay too.

I think as an exercise to be able to lay your hands on what you (and your family) need to "get by" for 72hours in less than, say 5 minutes is useful. A collegues mother had to leave her house (this is in the USA, hurricane season etc) at short notice, was stuck in a car, with other cars, ran out of petrol, had nothing with them and suffered pretty badly. She now has a prepared kit, not to the extent listed, to grab on the way out the house.

Totally agree...far better to be prepared. I make sure I have at least SOME kit everywhere I go. (Small knife & fire-steel at the very least.) Also try and keep the car stocked with blankets, first-aid, spare petrol & water too (plus my medium survival kit)...just incase.

If you are going to have a bug out bag make sure that all your essential documents are where you can grab them; passport, insurance details, bank details etc. Most situations when you might need to grab and run are likely to to be short term and normality will creap back in eventually - least I hope so.

Yep, good point. I DO need to put important documents in there too...it's now on my long 'to do' list.!

Sounds very comprehensive, if its a flood you may need specific kit i.e Personal Flotation devices, throw lines or canoe????

Yeah, true. (Can't quite tell if you're being sarcastic or not though! ) Don't think flooding is a problem with me though: Sheffield is about as hilly as you can get! Having said that, there was the 'Great Sheffield Flood' of 1864 where 250 died due to a collapsed dam, but I trust they re-built it a little better next time!

Why a bivvy bag and a hammock?

What on earth is a "magic candle"? and "magic gloves"?

And a couple of suggestions:

LED Head Torch
Pan scourer
swop the battery radio for a wind-up one
Spare shoes or boots
Field dressing and safety pins for the first aid kit
More food

Some good points there...
- Bivvy bag is my prefered option, but the hammock (a small 'net' type) is there just incase I can't find level ground, or it's water-logged etc.
- A 'magic candle' is one of those trick birthday candles that keep re-lighting when you blow them out. Had some left over from my survival tin and put them in. Very useful from a 'one match, one fire' stand-point...light the candle & use that to light the tinder.
- 'Magic gloves' are those thin stretchy ones that fit everyone. I like them as liner gloves.
- Have thought about putting in a head torch...may well do that.
- I have a wind-up radio, but it's a bit bulky. From experience the battery on my small 'walkman' type one lasts ages anyway.
- My walking boots always live beside my kit: if I had to grab the kit, the boots would go straight on.
- I do actually have field dressing & safety-pins in the 1st aid...must have forgotton to put them on the list!
- Fair point about the food. My strategy is that I could (hopefully) just about get by on hunting/foraging & the rations are just there so I can get to a suitable place. Guess you can never have too much food though!

If you want to go for the full "what if?", why not another list of the stockpiles to conceal in various safe havens ?
Maybe a buried chest of spices to barter with the marauding remnants of civilisation. Or, for a longer term investment, bury metals. The steel of the wrecks of Scapa Flow is valued for being pre-nuclear-testing, and therefore relatively uncontaminated by radiation.

I detect a hint of sarcasm creeping in here...

I'd suggest a second toothbrush, maybe with the handle cut in half ( for easy identification as to which is used for what function) to use as a fingernail scrubbing brush.

It's an idea! Think I'll make do with the nail cleaner on my nail-clippers though! Got to draw the line somewhere! (Though I'm sure my fiancee wouldn't mind me putting a nail-brush in there! )


Cheers for all the input. Keep 'em coming!