Survival tin --- what should a good one contain?

[Toby_2008]

Hi,

I want to make myself a survival tin but am unsure as to what to put in the tin?

Any ideas very welcome,

Cheers,

Toby

 

[Tadpole]

Hi,

I want to make myself a survival tin but am unsure as to what to put in the tin?

Any ideas very welcome,

Cheers,

Toby

In the UK, sweets, and a couple of teabags

 

[Graham_S]

You want to put things in that you're likely to need.
I would have

1. firesteel
2. waterproofed matches
3. tinder (cottonwool/vasaline) packed into drinking straws and sealed
4. mirror
5. whistle
6. brass wire
7. needle
8. strong thread (small reel of braided fishing line is good)
9. Fishhooks
10. water purifing tablets

That's just for starters

 

[crazydave]

there's loads of theories but you can have a basics tin or you can have a general helpfull tin which has extra little things like a few nails and screw eyes, superglue duct tape and so which are usefull should you end up stuck in the middle of nowhere or just need to fix something.

discusions on this topic normally degenerate because a lot of the posters dont understand the concept of survival let alone what you would carry. tins are meant to have the means to repair what you have as well as survive as in essence they are smaller quantities of what you would probably carry in pack anyway using the something is better than nothing principle. knives are a different subject.

if you havent got anything yet then i would start with a penrith survival tin at 20 quid its the best one out there in the sense of it can be used straight out of the packet. its also cheaper to buy one than get everything seperate.

havent got time to do a full post this time round and my battery is nearly dead but I'll try to make a good list up. if it goes all slaggy post wise then just send me a pm or come over to trueways and chat as we are allways discussing new additions or deletions from tin inventorys

there is recent topic up here somewhere from a few weeks back.

you can also take the principle that you are likely to have stuff on your body anyway so reduce what you stick in a tin. soem i know will add extra sewing, first aid or fishing items as they have lmf on a belt pouch and a compass on their watch strap.

 

[Wayland]

Zip ties are a useful addition for quick repairs.

A while back I took a look at my own kit as this thread shows

 

[xylaria]

i admit i don't put any of this in a tin but it would fit in one, as would I lose it, or forget it. It more sort of lives in pockets of a day sack.

Firesteel
Decorum fire cake (wax woodshavings in cake case with cotton wool cherry on top)
silver blanket
orange plastic poncho
whistle on person

Well it doesn't sound like much, but if I fell and broke my legs I should still be alive when found.

 

[rik_uk3]

Hi,

I want to make myself a survival tin but am unsure as to what to put in the tin?

Any ideas very welcome,

Cheers,

Toby

Toby, there is another ongoing thread running to about 160 replies which should answer all your questions without them having to be repeated here.

Take a look mate

BushcraftUK: Community Forum > KIT AND TOOLS > Brights, Gizmo's & toys
Personal Survival Kit contents

A good kit for the UK is a mobile phone, credit card and £50 cash

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Lots of folk forget condoms,great water carriers.

Nick

 

[rik_uk3]

Lots of folk forget condoms,great water carriers.

Nick

I'm sure they are mentioned in one of the 160 replies about survival tins in the already ongoing thread

 

[crazydave]

didn't think we were allowed to use the original term for love sock anymore

condoms are weak though its better to put the tin inside something useable as a water carrier like a 1l dry bag or heavy duty ziploc baag like the ones grated cheese comes in.

 

[Bimble]

I used to carry a survival kit in a tobacco tin in my pocket when going in bush. If you’re into this sort of thing the best book I’ve got is ‘Build the perfect survival kit’ by John D McCann (ISBN: 0-87349-967-0). It is a US book so includes the obligatory arsenal that you're more likely to kill yourself with than find useful, but the author does give a good breakdown of the essentials and it is well written.
That said, after something Mors Kochanski said at the booshmoot this year I have had a bit of a re-think about survival kits. As Mors pointed out, if you can’t get a drink or sufficient sleep you will break down in two days, make mistakes and die.
His considered thoughts were if your survival kit doesn’t help you get water and aid sleep then it’s useless unless you intend to spend more that 30+ days lost. (That’s a whole month!!! Think about it, if you can’t get rescued before then you aren’t going to be.....)
His view is that you should never venture anywhere if your clothing system is not up to it, as this will kill you quicker than anything else. Food is not needed for 30 days, at a push 40, and you are likely to waste more energy, unless you have a very extensive local knowledge, trying to acquire it than you get from it in a ‘real’ survival situation.
As for sleep, the human body will stop working after two days and shut its self down (sleep). If you are already cold, this is a very long sleep (dead).

He recommended only 6 things that he would deem truly useful for most people.

1) A tin/cup to drink and boil water
2) A Ferro fire starter (in case 3 below gets wet)
3) Matches, the easiest way to light a fire; to quote, “learn the fire bow by all means, but always, always carry matches”.
4) Wax Paper (wet fire lighting)/Candles
5) A strong knife with a single bevel, capable of making feather sticks
6) A down jacket stuffed in the cup with the rest of the bits.

He then said that other things will help, once you get past 3-4 days, if you know what you’re doing. These being:

7) Strong nylon cordage/string
8) Polythene Sheet/Survival Bag
9) Compass
10) Signal Mirror
11) Whistle
12) More tools (Axe/Saw)

After that you get into the 'big' things that will make a big difference. But then your on an extended bushcraft trip, not in a survival situation:

1) Sleeping Bag/kip mat
2) Guns/Fishing Equipment
3) Pack
4) Etc....
http://www.karamat.com/PDF%20Files/survboreal001.pd

 

[h2o]

put what you think you will use in the tin.my tin has 3"opinel a dc4 sharpening stone magnesium block with striker a candle. needle thread ,matches and wick and flints for a zippo.And cotton wool and small strips of rubber for fire lighting.

 

[deeps]

I used to carry a survival kit in a tobacco tin in my pocket when going in bush. If you’re into this sort of thing the best book I’ve got is ‘Build the perfect survival kit’ by John D McCann (ISBN: 0-87349-967-0). It is a US book so includes the obligatory arsenal that you're more likely to kill yourself with than find useful, but the author does give a good breakdown of the essentials and it is well written.
That said, after something Mors Kochanski said at the booshmoot this year I have had a bit of a re-think about survival kits. As Mors pointed out, if you can’t get a drink or sufficient sleep you will break down in two days, make mistakes and die.
His considered thoughts were if your survival kit doesn’t help you get water and aid sleep then it’s useless unless you intend to spend more that 30+ days lost. (That’s a whole month!!! Think about it, if you can’t get rescued before then you aren’t going to be.....)
His view is that you should never venture anywhere if your clothing system is not up to it, as this will kill you quicker than anything else. Food is not needed for 30 days, at a push 40, and you are likely to waste more energy, unless you have a very extensive local knowledge, trying to acquire it than you get from it in a ‘real’ survival situation.
As for sleep, the human body will stop working after two days and shut its self down (sleep). If you are already cold, this is a very long sleep (dead).

He recommended only 6 things that he would deem truly useful for most people.

1) A tin/cup to drink and boil water
2) A Ferro fire starter (in case 3 below gets wet)
3) Matches, the easiest way to light a fire; to quote, “learn the fire bow by all means, but always, always carry matches”.
4) Wax Paper (wet fire lighting)/Candles
5) A strong knife with a single bevel, capable of making feather sticks
6) A down jacket stuffed in the cup with the rest of the bits.

He then said that other things will help, once you get past 3-4 days, if you know what you’re doing. These being:

7) Strong nylon cordage/string
8) Polythene Sheet/Survival Bag
9) Compass
10) Signal Mirror
11) Whistle
12) More tools (Axe/Saw)

After that you get into the 'big' things that will make a big difference. But then your on an extended bushcraft trip, not in a survival situation:

1) Sleeping Bag/kip mat
2) Guns/Fishing Equipment
3) Pack
4) Etc....
http://www.karamat.com/PDF Files/survboreal001.pd

Surprised that a location device (whistle) wasn't further up the list than this. I suspect a lot of SAR teams would want it to be.

 

[Mike Ameling]

In the end, Knowledge is the best thing. All the rest of the "toys" just make things ... easier.

And getting your priorities right in the situation you are in. As pointed out before, food is great for "comfort" and "moral", but low on the "survival" list.

That old Rule of Three's really becomes important. You can generally only last:
3 minutes without air - suffocation
3 hours without heat - hypothermia
3 days without water - dehydration
and
30 days without food - starvation

Knowledge and Priorities are more important than gear, "toys", and gimmicks.

Just my humble opinion to share. Take it as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[rik_uk3]

didn't think we were allowed to use the original term for love sock anymore

condoms are weak though its better to put the tin inside something useable as a water carrier like a 1l dry bag or heavy duty ziploc baag like the ones grated cheese comes in.

don't wind them Dave or this thread will drag out for another 160 replies like the other survival tin thread

 

[crazydave]

well my pannier dumped my pocket vest onto the m25 the other day and it was two hours till I found it with not much left so the tin discussion applies to me now as I lost a survival kit, first aid kit, binos, raybans, two mp3 players and other goodies.

just rebuilt them after they lost my luggage earlier in the year so I've got to start again.

last time i based it on a doug ritter PSK and added a few extras like speed hooks, led lights, wax firepaper, folding scissors, half a hacksaw blade etc.. into a mini mess box.

left the love socks out as they go into the first aid kit

 

[Bimble]

My guess is that the whistle is only useful if there are people around to hear you. I would always carry one in the UK as it is a good way of attracting attention, for example if you fell and broke your leg while fell walking. Though this is ‘annoying ‘, it is hardly life threatening if you’re wearing the right clothes, carrying your pack and told someone where you were going and what time you'd be back.
Where Mors roams, Canada, I doubt a whistle is going to make that much difference if you’re lost. A signal fire/mirror (shiny part of the cup) is much more likely to attract attention of a search plane!
Conventional wisdom would have you think that a compass is also really useful, but in reality they are pretty limited without a map. You can gauge your direction of travel by the sun, algae on rocks, tree lean towards sun, etc. In a place like Canada you can never travel in straight lines anyway as lakes and rivers end up dictating your direction. Moving any direction other than up or down river systems is pretty pointless in a survival situation anywhere on the planet. Anyway, you’re more likely to be found staying put which is one of the golden rules of survival.

 

[squantrill]

Firesteel
Decorum fire cake (wax woodshavings in cake case with cotton wool cherry on top)
silver blanket
orange plastic poncho
whistle on person

Well it doesn't sound like much, but if I fell and broke my legs I should still be alive when found.

I tought about this myself the other day iusually carry a tin always with me and the contents are somewhat similar except I have a water filter bag instead of a silver bag. Anyhow.. the thought came to me if you have a firesteel and matches to light a fire and a saw to cut wood and a candle to help start a fire....wait for it

In the event that you fall and break your leg how on earth are you going to fetch wood!!..

So.. Space blanket, themos flask a mars bar and a mobile phone might be the order of the day

Simon

 

[crazydave]

the hard part is picking the contents so its usefull all over the world and not just the local woodland.

also actually knowing how stuff works and what else it can be used for. it should be the first thing in your bag along with your multitool and first aid kit not the last.

 

[xylaria]

I tought about this myself the other day iusually carry a tin always with me and the contents are somewhat similar except I have a water filter bag instead of a silver bag. Anyhow.. the thought came to me if you have a firesteel and matches to light a fire and a saw to cut wood and a candle to help start a fire....wait for it

In the event that you fall and break your leg how on earth are you going to fetch wood!!..

So.. Space blanket, themos flask a mars bar and a mobile phone might be the order of the day

Simon

The thing with mobile phones, where I walk you are ok the at the top of valley but the time you have fallen down to the bottom of it, the phone is more broken than you are, you are out of signal range anyway. The space blanket and orange plastic poncho I got from tescos for a £1. My daughter has used the orange poncho when she has ripped her waterproof, it looks nasty but was really effective for it cheapness. The whistle and signal mirror really help S&R find you quickly. A normal lowland walk I don't bother with any equiptment, apart from a phone and taking note of the weather.