Survival Tins - Updates

Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
3,569
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Wales
Those titaner ones are copies of the original CountyComm grappling hooks.
I believe their original intended purpose was for bomb disposal. For throwing over trip wires and yanking to set of the IEDs (Iraq & Afghanistan) from safe distance.
Did seem to start a mini grappling hook craze.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
I damaged the rotator cuff of my shoulder...my handbag's getting lighter.

I think the biggest issue I have with all these survival tins is that the one tool that would literally help make anything and everything, is a decent knife, and we're not allowed to carry one easily now.
Not allowed any in a school or hospital or indeed most shops. Not allowed to carry one on public transport unless one is obviously going camping and has it safely secured at the bottom of a pack, and even then if they x ray or ask you might find it confiscated at the very least.

We all know about the legal edc, but that still doesn't address the reality of the public issues of having one readily to hand without query/stress/potential conflict and hassle.
 

neoaliphant

Settler
Aug 24, 2009
769
242
Somerset
Those titaner ones are copies of the original CountyComm grappling hooks.
I believe their original intended purpose was for bomb disposal. For throwing over trip wires and yanking to set of the IEDs (Iraq & Afghanistan) from safe distance.
Did seem to start a mini grappling hook craze.

Thats correct, Heinie is one of the main UK sellers for the itaner i think about £46
i got mine from ali express during 11 11 sale for about £32

completeley gratuitous but then so is spending £70 to watch a live streaming play from a bristol theatre rather than watching a play on youtube. I fully appreciate the hook is not a very usefull bushcraft took, complete gadget, but massive dopamine hit. its very much part of the collectable, a lot of bushcrafters like the gear aspect, but then so do fishermen, golfers, let alone the amount racetrack bikers spend on a bit of chrome for their bikes...

to put this back on to original thread topic, 30 years ago there werent many grappling hooks purchaseable, but now with modern techniques, titanium collapsible hook available that will fit in the SAS survival handbook sized tobacco tin....
 

neoaliphant

Settler
Aug 24, 2009
769
242
Somerset
I damaged the rotator cuff of my shoulder...my handbag's getting lighter.

I think the biggest issue I have with all these survival tins is that the one tool that would literally help make anything and everything, is a decent knife, and we're not allowed to carry one easily now.
Not allowed any in a school or hospital or indeed most shops. Not allowed to carry one on public transport unless one is obviously going camping and has it safely secured at the bottom of a pack, and even then if they x ray or ask you might find it confiscated at the very least.

We all know about the legal edc, but that still doesn't address the reality of the public issues of having one readily to hand without query/stress/potential conflict and hassle.

to be honest i carry a knife illegally every day i suspect, i have a lock knife that i use regularly for work, lives in my pocket, i may be called out to a job at any time when im out, not going to leave it in my car and possibly walk all the way across the city just to get a knife from the car. too many times ive had a non locking folder collapse on my fingers, im really clumsy. But if i was going on a plane flight i probably would stash it somewhere else.

it seems odd to think of having to put put a locking folder at the bottom of a backpack on a train, i remember getting odd looks when there was a sword handle sticking out of my pack and me putting a spear up in the luggage area.....
 

neoaliphant

Settler
Aug 24, 2009
769
242
Somerset
True any competent Bushcraft enthusiast could make cordage, thorn fishooks, stone tools, build a debris shelter and get a fire going by friction with locally sourced materials but and it's a big but...

it takes time, both hands and fairly good weather conditions.

So it sort of makes sense to carry some ready made items that never leave your person to skew the odds of survival in ones favour in the event of being irrecoverably separated from a backpack or vehicle. or Toddy's handbag :)
completely agree
Gear is a force multiplier in terms of survivability
my bushcraft gear is quite different to my survival/emergency kit, as im sure is the same with a lot of people here.
really quite difficult to have a 1 kit fits all.
i dont think id ever have flint, steel, charcloth in an emergency kit, at least not a non-reenactment one

but then everyone is different and we all like to geek out over the contents of other peopels kits.
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,232
1,710
Vantaa, Finland
ready made items that never leave your person to skew the odds of survival in ones favour in the event of being irrecoverably separated from a backpack or vehicle. or Toddy's handbag
As good a definition as I have seen. A long time ago I tried to get the present wife to carry a SAK in her handbag, after thirty something years I still have not succeeded. Does anyone have any suggestions left. ;)
 

neoaliphant

Settler
Aug 24, 2009
769
242
Somerset
As good a definition as I have seen. A long time ago I tried to get the present wife to carry a SAK in her handbag, after thirty something years I still have not succeeded. Does anyone have any suggestions left. ;)
perhaps try multitool or the multitool that is scissors ratehr than pliers based.
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,232
1,710
Vantaa, Finland
Multitools sound like tools and repair work an that's "a man job", sigh. Hmmm ... maybe some mini version.
 

Minotaur

Native
Apr 27, 2005
1,624
246
Birmingham
I think the biggest issue I have with all these survival tins is that the one tool that would literally help make anything and everything, is a decent knife, and we're not allowed to carry one easily now.
Not allowed any in a school or hospital or indeed most shops. Not allowed to carry one on public transport unless one is obviously going camping and has it safely secured at the bottom of a pack, and even then if they x ray or ask you might find it confiscated at the very least.

We all know about the legal edc, but that still doesn't address the reality of the public issues of having one readily to hand without query/stress/potential conflict and hassle.

to be honest i carry a knife illegally every day i suspect, i have a lock knife that i use regularly for work, lives in my pocket, i may be called out to a job at any time when im out, not going to leave it in my car and possibly walk all the way across the city just to get a knife from the car. too many times ive had a non locking folder collapse on my fingers, im really clumsy. But if i was going on a plane flight i probably would stash it somewhere else.

it seems odd to think of having to put put a locking folder at the bottom of a backpack on a train, i remember getting odd looks when there was a sword handle sticking out of my pack and me putting a spear up in the luggage area.....
EDCing a lock knife is fine as long as you have a good reason which work is. I only carry my Leatherman when I have my bike other wise it my people friendly rough rider canoe and sak huntsman in a pouch in my bag. My EDC blade is not in a tin because of football matches. I had not heard about hospitals, or shops and never been stopped at a station. Schools are the law however my mate is an electrician and has never had it mentioned.
If I have my survival tin I do not think the taped sealed tin with the crkt psk in it is going to be the problem after they find the cold steel bushman.
I was watching a video last night with Mors Kochanski talking about knifes he used through his life and taught with from the early days it was basically pen knifes. It was only much later he got to Moras etc.
He has his own tag on Youtube which I am going to work through. Very jealous his first book was the Ashley Book of Knots which I still have not got.
 
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TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
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Exeter
For me , I still think my original thinking that at its most basic a Survival Tin should contain elements to make Fire and items to collect and purify water was its most simplified and salient.

Anything over that is a bonus OR a distraction - a good quality knife in there would be a bonus but comes at a weight/seize consideration.
 
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Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
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Gloucestershire
I think it was the late, great Mors Kochanski who said that the things he would need to survive were a knife, a steel mug and a down jacket. All the other things would be covered by his skills as an outdoorsman. This made me think that you could take a steel cup, like a Crusader, get a lid for it and a strap to hold it in place and then have room for one or two other useful things inside it. It's not the tobacco-tin sized version but it might allow you to include a few less fiddly but more substantial, genuinely useful bits and bobs. I suppose the problem is its size but it might prove to be a more serviceable solution...?
 
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TeeDee

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Nov 6, 2008
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I think it was the late, great Mors Kochanski who said that the things he would need to survive were a knife, a steel mug and a down jacket. All the other things would be covered by his skills as an outdoorsman. This made me think that you could take a steel cup, like a Crusader, get a lid for it and a strap to hold it in place and then have room for one or two other useful things inside it. It's not the tobacco-tin sized version but it might allow you to include a few less fiddly but more substantial, genuinely useful bits and bobs. I suppose the problem is its size but it might prove to be a more serviceable solution...?

Its a good point.

Tobacco tins are not ideal ( for boiling of water ) due to its shallow limited dimensions but makes it easy to pocket and forget.

A crusader mug ( with lid ) is a great in between step en route to a full size nalagene bottle.
 

neoaliphant

Settler
Aug 24, 2009
769
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Somerset
a trangia billy tin would be a good upgrade, smaller the british army mess tin, has a lid and so can be sealed up, id say about the size of two tobacco tins stacked, perhaps a bit bigger.
 
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Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
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Wales
Vargo have extended their BOT line putting butterfly handles on them. But now seem to be only making them in pricey titanium.

 
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neoaliphant

Settler
Aug 24, 2009
769
242
Somerset
Seen videos of Mors talking about his survival kit. It was more of a large zebra billy sized can. Not something which fits in the pocket.
Yep, not all survival kits have to fit a pocket after all, mine are a series of small molle pouches, some people go for bug out bags as survival kits, variety is spice of life
 
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MikeeMiracle

Full Member
Aug 2, 2019
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Northampton
One of the items he placed in it was a saw blade rolled around the inside which he could then make a frame out of. Brilliant idea I thought so I bought a saw blade but its too thick and will snap if I try an bend it to fit into a 16cm billy. Any recomandations for a saw blade thin enough to fit inside a 16cm billy?
 

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