survival tin

[Mandos]

so today i have started to put together my survival tin and was just wondering what else to put in it, i have so far 4 elastic bands holding together some bark tinder plasters and a matchbox striker coton wool a condom ball bearings a small razor blade 2 paper clips caffine tablets and pain killers a lighter and a snare what else would you need in a survival kit

 

[KayakFisherFinland]

I would add a fishing hook, sinker and about 5m of braided line (can be used for stitching too).

 

[Mandos]

awesome ill be sure to add although the tin is getting quite full atm might need a slightly bigger tin

 

[Gasparo]

signal mirror, wetfire tabs, small compass, small knife, sharpening stone, few nails/screws, rubber inner tubing, plastic baggies... could go for ages, get the Lofty Wiseman tin contents list and add your own ideas ontop of it : )

 

[Gasparo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgKOy0yWdz0 check out this guy's super mini tin kit, I think it's awesome and would make you have to use your head and be very resourceful if you got caught out with nothing else

 

[Mandos]

what are wetfire tablets and where can you get them from ? :/ (newbie)

 

[Gasparo]

http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/ultimate-survival-wet-fire-tinder-93-p.asp - normally come in packs of 8

http://www.edcgear.co.uk/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CK904S - singles available here

You can get them from most Bushie websites or try eBay/Amazon for good deals - "Burns wet or dry, it's odourless and non-toxic. It's very easy to use simply scrape the surface of a cube and create a small pile of shavings and ignite with your firesteel." apparentley you can light these and they will float on water still on fire, I haven't tried this however so no backing from me on this one haha... I will say this though, they are pretty much a fool proof way of getting a fire going. Always got a couple of these on me.

 

[Mandos]

awesome thanks for the advise

 

[plastic-ninja]

You dont need a mirror: just polish the lid of your tin.
Maybe some water purifying tabs and some matches ; regular and weatherproof.
Forget screws unless you are taking a screwdriver.Sharpening stones can be improvised
from almost any sandstone or gritstone.Get a good leather belt and prime it to use as a strop.
Give your cotton wool a dunk in vaseline.Fishing line is good and any small heavy object can
be used as a weight.A tiny knife is better than a razor blade as they are almost impossible to
sharpen.
Hope this helps , Simon

 

[Gasparo]

But keep in mind that
1.) A shiny metal tin does not reflect as far as a real signal mirror purposefully designed for pilots in the military
and
2.) Stones you find in the field will never sharpen your blade as well as a purpose built diamond and ceramic stone

screws/nails have 100s of uses... but are not for everyone

 

[British Red]

My advice? Chuck the tin in the bin and get hold of a belt pouch (possibles pouch). Put in that the stuff that's useful and handy to have on your travels and use it - regularly. Replace the things that don't work, aren't necessary or break. Upgrade when you need a better item.

Mine contains all sorts of gubbins. Plasters for when I get a blister or a cut, some headache tablets, a small torch, a ball of string, a lighter.....you get the idea. No need to duplicate stuff that you carry on your pockets.

Let me show you some of mine - this is my "woods" pouch. The black thing is a small monocular for watching game etc.


Old Contents by British Red, on Flickr

This is my every day pouch that lives in my jacket pocket


EDC by British Red, on Flickr

You get the idea...use the stuff it contains so that you know that, if you need it, you know how to work it and that it won't fall apart on you!

 

[plastic-ninja]

+ 1 to what Red just said.
I forgot to mention that I've never managed to get everything I need to carry in a baccy tin either!

 

[Ogri the trog]

so today i have started to put together my survival tin and was just wondering what else to put in it, i have so far 4 elastic bands holding together some bark tinder plasters and a matchbox striker coton wool a condom ball bearings a small razor blade 2 paper clips caffine tablets and pain killers a lighter and a snare what else would you need in a survival kit

I'd like to ask the question - "What does each of your included items do to progress your survival?"

Bark - can be collected on your journey,
Why the matchbox striker - but no mention of matches
Ball bearings - really!
Razor blade for what?
Paper clips - ditto - if these are in place of fish hooks, carry fish hooks, they are smaller and lighter!
A snare - have you ever set a single snare and caught anything?

If you ask yourself what each item does without the addition of other tools, you are either carrying worthless items or your kit is not comprehensive enough. I can assume from your initial list that you carry matches, a slingshot, a multi-tool - perhaps other things separately - so what happens if you forget or loose a key item of kit?

Think about the one or two most important things that you want your "survival kit" to achieve - within a given time-frame - and build a bullet proof kit to address those tasks. Once you have assembled the kit, go out and prove that it works before committing it to EDC.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

I'd recommend a read of this article on the subject:

http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2011/bushcraft-survival-kit/

 

[Graham_S]

Instead of wetfire tabs, why not make tinder straws?
Take a wide straw such as you would find in a coffee shop/fast food place (I find the ones in Costa are best, nice thick plastic)
Rub vasaline into cotton wool (I sometimes melt it in a double boiler and dip the cotton wool balls then squeeze them out in an old garlic press)
Tease the balls apart and push into the straws (a bamboo skewer helps with this.)#
Then heat seal the ends (melt and squeeze shut with pliers)
They are completely waterproof, compact, and burn hot.

 

[presterjohn]

What country are you going to be using it in? If it is the UK forget all the snares and fishing kit and such like. Keep it real as possible i.e think of what people in this country die of when out doors. It is almost always exposure or injury. For the most part as long as you have the correct clothing on a first aid kit plus a means to contact others such as whistle and mirror should suffice for most people. Other kit such as torches and pen knives etc should be in your pockets as an everyday thing when outdoors.

 

[Corso]

we should start a bin the tin campaign

seriously though they are great to make up and are a bit of a mental exercise - used to have several - on a very cold wet camp out I decided to open one up and only use that for a weekend - first thing I realised was cold and wet I wanted something with a decent handle that was easy to get to and used simple motions, God only knows what i would have done if i'd had a hand injury...

 

[presterjohn]

we should start a bin the tin campaign

seriously though they are great to make up and are a bit of a mental exercise - used to have several - on a very cold wet camp out I decided to open one up and only use that for a weekend - first thing I realised was cold and wet I wanted something with a decent handle that was easy to get to and used simple motions, God only knows what i would have done if i'd had a hand injury...

I don't know a single outdoorsy camping whatever you want to call it kind of person who has not made up at one time or another a survival kit of some kind or another. I must have made dozens over the years starting with one that was shown on Blue Peter back in the 70's. I love putting kits together. I see it as a kind of Zen gardening activity that quietly exercises the imagination and the mind.

 

[Col_M]

I agree with the people suggesting to ditch the snare in fact lose anything to do with catching food, in the UK you'll never be in a survival situation long enough to need to need it as rescue is usually within 48 hours tops.

Much more useful would be some water purification tablets, foil blanket, button compass, needle and thread, small bright LED torch, small candle and some body fuel like Kendal mint cake or glucose tablets.

 

[Thenihilist]

I've made a wee primitive version.In a wee leather pouch around my kneck, iron pyrite and flint, few pieces of amadou and some pieces of birch polypore, 60 ft nettle twine and 30 foot sinew, bone awl.My modern one has flint and steel, cigarette lighter, charcloth, couple of hexi tabs, couple of plastic baggies covered in duct tape for added strengh, puritans, painkillers and plasters, catty bands and £20.