YA PSK thread...

[niftyflix]

Hello guys, interested to compare notes on pocket survival kits.

I'm new to all this, but I'm a good researcher. I started with the modest 2oz. tobacco tin kit from Brian Hildreth's 70s Puffin book 'How To Survive', which is a part-rewrite for kids of his NZ military survival books. This pretty much aligns with other online sources but it's obviously old-school so I diverged a bit.

* I've gone with a plastic waterproof box; may rethink and get an alu mess tin.

* 'Firesteel' strikers weren't available when 'HTS' was written and I've substituted one for Mr. Hildreth's waterproofed matches

* I added a tiny kerosene lighter and a creditcard fresnel lens to cover the firelighting bases

* CRKT RSK obvs. and an AtomLight with elastic thread for headlight applications and pills (paracetomol and ibuprofen or similar) and a P38 can opener. But no nails.

* There's a guy on Etsy selling a minute 12cm fishing kit which I've substituted for Mr. H's fishing line

* Mr. H mentions permanganate. Not for kids, clearly. I've ordered a doll's house spoon for doling out microdoses -- my idea of a clever hack, although I bet loads of people disapprove of the chemical in question.

* Anyone got a cheap source of unlubricated condoms? Mr. H didn't mention this useful item, but it seems to me a better solution than a Ziploc.

Related questions comin' up on appropriate forum.

N.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I have the book "How to Survive", it was my first book specifically on the subject of wilderness skills. I think that the exercise of creating a tin survival kit could be entertaining, but I think that generally speaking the kits are a waste of time in the real world.

Don't most authorities now recommend against permanganate for first aid and water purification?

How bad must a situation be to require cracking open the "Survival Tin", rather than use the knife or lighter in my pocket, the hank of string in my pack, the compass around my neck and so on? Reading down Brian Hildreth's list, I reckon I carry all that kit in a bag on many trips when I am far from home and not having it in a kit means I have no inhibition about using it. I am sure I have read others on here talk about carrying a Survival Tin with some first aid stuff in it, in a bag right alongside their main first aid kit, and a fire lighting kit.

 

[TeeDee]

Talk about peeing on someones chips..


I still LIKE survival tin concepts and find most of the fun in the design and inclusion of what elements get included over others and why.

I think its a useful exercise in survival distraction although I think collectively the forum milked 10+ pages out of the recent Tin based post I put up.

I'm waiting to see the rectal smugglers cache type survival kit get better exposure. Now , thats a kit you ALWAYS have with you.

 

[niftyflix]

Hi guys, thanks for responses. I'm an experienced walker but a total n00b on the broader subject of survival/bushcraft, and I've found that the 2oz tin or equivalent gets me thinking constructively. (In other words, it may be an stimulus to reflection rather than a practical resource.)

Permanganate is controversial, with some people praising its flexibility and effectiveness and others saying how dangerous it is. I adopted it because it's cheap, lightweight and versatile but am open to counter-arguments.

N.

 

[Broch]

There are times when the basic survival kit still has a place IMO. BUT, for it to be of value it has to be on your person not in your bag!

I still carry one on treks (overland, canoe, walking) and it will be in a pocket. Consequently, it is small. These days I fit all I want in a waterproof, sealed, brightly coloured, plastic box that will go in a jacket or even trouser pocket. If my canoe goes over and gets swept down the raging torrent with all my gear, or I slip and go down a precipice and damage an ankle leaving my rucksack behind, or someone's nicked my Defender (God help them) and I'm left in the wilderness - I'll still have the ability to light a fire, purify water, and carry out other basic tasks that will buy me hours or even a day or so.

 

[TeeDee]

View attachment 71151

Tease....

 

[Broch]

Have I ever needed it?

No, which just goes to show how well they work

 

[Broch]

Tease....

Ah, you want to see inside?

 

[Erbswurst]

They developed such survival tins assuming that a soldier could get seperated from his equipment.
It's unlikely to happen to civilians but nevertheless possible. You could loose your stuff in a river for example.

One would rather carry survival equipment in the pockets of the clothing or in a belt pouch and in another one a field bottle with nesting metal mug.

Sigg made a oval 0,6 litres aluminium bottle with nesting steel mug, it was the smallest and flattest field bottle that I knew. Somehow they disappeared from their homepage, but perhaps one can still find them second hand. The older version with cork closure one can find for sure. But the new one with screw closure was better of course. It fits in the pockets of jackets.

I am pretty surprised that nobody offers a steel mug with waterproof lid and folding handle that's approximately as big as a package of cigarettes. In combination with a platypus bottle it would be the optimal survival kit container. If it's sized to get the current high end survival equipment into it, one could surely sell it like bread.

I carry always a Bic lighter and a swiss army knife with nail scissors and in the woods usually a head lamp and compass and a full water bottle, even if I just go for a few hours to the next lake for swimming or whatever.

If I really go for hiking or travel by train and bus I always take a basic and very lightweight but complete equipment with me, including sleeping bag and all. I don't get in survival situations but indeed slept sometimes in the woods although I didn't plan or expect it in the morning. I missed the last bus for example because my train arrived too late or the hostel was full or closed or whatever. In such cases I don't run around like an idiot but just go for sleeping in the next forest if it's time to do so. And I have everything with me to do it comfortably.

Without equipment it would have often been unpleasant, although I have the needed knowledge, training and experience to sleep in a winter wood equipped just with my usual outdoor clothing and a cigarette lighter without getting a cold.

But I don't create such a situation accidentally in my age. I did it as a teenager and when I was a student as a sport though.

Nowadays there is very good survival equipment on the market. If you really think that you could get in such troubles, you nowadays don't dip household matches into candle wax anymore or whatever was done 50 years ago.

Have a look at the items that I listed below. That's serious survival equipment that one can easily carry on the person in daily life or could put into a little belt pouch for canoeing in remote areas for example.


What you can get in orange (red or pink) you will choose of course. Orange stuff is easier to find in all seasons if fallen on the ground.

Caperlan waterproof pouch
or something similar to hold it all.

Folding bottle, Platypus 1 litre
Micropour Forte water purification tabs
Painkiller tabs
Knife, Victorinox Farmer X Alox
Ferrocerium rod, Exotac Nano Striker XL
Match case Exotac XL with UCO stormproof matches
Lighter, Exotac Titanlight

Toilet paper or tissue
Mini candle as fire starter
Duct tape, orange, wrapped around it, as fire starter too and for field repairs.

Signal mirror
Compass Suunto Clipper or better M-9
Head lamp, Petzl e+lite (whistle included)
Spare batteries in small waterproof plastic bags (from the jewellery shop)
Cordage, Edelrid Multicord 2,5 mm, 3 m long, orange

If it still fits it woul be probably sensible to take the following:

Basic fishing kit Exotac X reel

Poncho, Defcon 5 (as rain cape, bivvy bag or shelter too)
Bivvy bag, Snugpak Special Forces or red Alpkit Hunka
Muesli and chocolate bars

Hiking map of the area in a zip lock freezer bag. Can be printed onto fabric too and worn as a neckerchief.

It would be sensible to take additional a metal container for water purification by boiling. A very small mug in the jacket pocket is better than none.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Brian Hildreth's list, for those that do not have the book is thus:

1. The container - tobacco tin which can double as cooking container or heliograph
2. Matches and striker
3. Candle
4. Whistle
5. Compass
6. Razor Blade (safety)
7. String (3m+)
8. Needle and thread (5cm needle + 5m strong thread)
9. Fishing line + hooks
10. Safety pins
11. Rubber tubing (5mm OD x 60cm)
12. First Aid
13. Condy's Crystals
14. Sugar
15. Nails (2x10cm)
16. Note paper
17. Pencil

I think if one is going to be somewhere that one really might need emergency kit on ones person, it is probably good to have a kit tuned to that environment and the most likely situations and dangers. Fish hooks, much less nails to be used to make a fish spear, are not going to be much use in the UK. On the other hand, a mylar blanket might be a life saver.

Rather than having three means of fire ignition, I would go with one very reliable source of ignition, and something very reliable to ignite.

Worth noting that the ferro cerium rods tend to corrode if they get damp, especially in contact with other metal. There are some neatly packaged ones, like the Exotac Nano, but that particular product is a lot harder to get sparks from than the simple Light-My-Fire rods, practice with the fire lighting kit is a good idea, everything should be familiar.

While I can see the appeal of the permanganate for versatility, I can also see that as a problem. If you want it for water purification and first aid, you don't want to be burning it. I have played with the permanganate/glycerine mix and as a chemical reaction it is very much influenced by ambient temperature. If it is cold, it doesn't react.

 

[Nice65]

I'm waiting to see the rectal smugglers cache type survival kit get better exposure. Now , thats a kit you ALWAYS have with you

A lanyard helps.

 

[Jared]

A lanyard helps.

And a lubricated condom.

 

[TeeDee]

A lanyard helps.

Always find a buddy when you need to one to lend a helping hand.

 

[Jared]

Sigg made a oval 0,6 litres aluminium bottle with nesting steel mug, it was the smallest and flattest field bottle that I knew. Somehow they disappeared from their homepage, but perhaps one can still find them second hand. The older version with cork closure one can find for sure. But the new one with screw closure was better of course. It fits in the pockets of jackets.

I am pretty surprised that nobody offers a steel mug with waterproof lid and folding handle that's approximately as big as a package of cigarettes. In combination with a platypus bottle it would be the optimal survival kit container. If it's sized to get the current high end survival equipment into it, one could surely sell it like bread.

Vargo titanium Bots are about as closest I've seen, https://vargooutdoors.com/bot-700.html
They also have a larger 1l one.

 

[Laurentius]

The survival tin is essentially a military thing. I am not saying I do not carry one, customised to my own use, but I can remember back in the day when the only survival items I would carry for a long hike were a waterproof jacket, a packet of sandwiches, a sheath knife (cos boys will be boys) and some spare cash for the phone box.

 

[Erbswurst]

How to Build a Survival Kit on Bushcraft Principles.

How to build survival kits by selecting bushcraft and survival equipment that you can use on a day-to-day basis without diminishing its potential to help you in a crisis.

paulkirtley.co.uk

 

[niftyflix]

Hi guys, thanks for all responses (this one will run and run) and especially to Erbswurst who gave me so much reading. Delighted to say that I chose exactly the same Chinese waterproof non-tin as Broch, but I'm considering going to metal for cooking opportunities. Does anyone make a folding mug that will go on a fire? W.

 

[Erbswurst]

I think that's still impossible or would become too expensive if meant for regular use. I never have seen a folding mug that you can use over wood fire.
One could fold thick aluminium foil for single use, but as such a short term solution the Micropour Forte tab with Platypus 1 litre bottle is the best solution anyway. The metal mug is the durable long time option.

Sometimes you can find metal cigarette cases as advertising for cigarette brands that are more or less shaped like the usual cardboard packages.

They aren't totally waterproof but would of course protect a waterproof plastic bag inside. They could be closed fix with a piece of well fitting inner rubber tube and if you drill holes into the sides you could add a wire bail that's continued to a tripod via stainless steel cable from the boat shop.

If these things are waterproof at the bottom what I never tried out this would be some kind of pocket mug that serves well as kit container.

There are for sure somewhere in the universe technical stainless steel pieces in the same dimensions that are built in somewhere and one could easily weld on a folding handle, cast a rubber lid or even make a metal lid with rubber sealing and clips that hold it.

To make such things is no rocket science.
The problem is just to find these containers that surely exist somewhere.

If there is some kind of national engineers club one could ask them the question.

 

[Jared]

There are for sure somewhere in the universe technical stainless steel pieces in the same dimensions that are built in somewhere and one could easily weld on a folding handle, cast a rubber lid or even make a metal lid with rubber sealing and clips that hold it.

To make such things is no rocket science.
The problem is just to find these containers that surely exist somewhere.

If there is some kind of national engineers club one could ask them the question.

Stainless steel lab ware is too heavy and expensive.

Stainless Ware

samplingshop.com

 

[Brizzlebush]

How to Build a Survival Kit on Bushcraft Principles.

How to build survival kits by selecting bushcraft and survival equipment that you can use on a day-to-day basis without diminishing its potential to help you in a crisis.

paulkirtley.co.uk

Looks like he's taken the link down? Which seems odd.
I tried finding the article a couple of ways. No good.