Make a Survival Kit out of an Altoids Tin (and Two More Life-Saving DIY Projects)

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photo: Spencer Jones; glasshouseimages.com

By John D. McCann

The Pocket Kit
Fitting inside an altoids tin, this kit is easy to keep on hand at all times

This is ideal for anyone who wants to have the essential survival gear along each time they head into the field. Everything fits in the Altoids tin (above). It fulfills all the component groups (see "Make Your Own,-� last slide) except for shelter and protection, but add a survival blanket to your pocket and you'll be covered. Keep clicking through the following slides for details on all of this kit's components.

Test Your Survival Skills
Think you could survive a couple of nights lost alone in the winter woods? Take our ten question quize to find out. Click here for the quiz.

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Comment on This Article

At 11:42 PM, 2008-12-26, Dive_dive said:
The point behind this kit is compact and can be easily carried in a pocket anywhere you go. Obviously there are larger kits that can be built which will provide more equipment. I have several emergency kits and first aid kits in varying sizes, but I have conceded that the odds of my having one of these If lost in the wilderness are slim. When hunting or otherwise spending time in the woods, I generally have other equipment that makes carrying a large kit complete with food and sleeping bag would not be practical nor possible. The one time I found myself lost in the woods, I was out hunting and stepped away from the truck to answer the call of nature. When I turned around, I could not see the truck nor the road. After an hour, I finally realized that I had been travelling parallel to the road approximately 50 feet off. The point is that you never know when it is going to happen and when it does, you will have the necessary basic equipment to spend a more comfortable night in the woods.

At 11:11 PM, 2008-12-12, jamie said:
A small kit like this is a bare minimum, but at ready in the home, one should put together something a little more substantial.To these basics I would consider possibly incorporating a small.22lr pistol or revolver and ammo, knife(big knives can always do what small ones do, but not vice-versa)Potassium-Iodide pills(protect the thyroid from absorbing radioactive fallout)dust masks,heavy plastic trash bag(poncho,dry storage,etc)Good orienteering compass,and first aid items

At 3:52 AM, 2008-12-12, Person said:
Try putting a condom in a sock. Makes a handy water holder..

At 5:53 AM, 2008-12-11, Akapc said:
Hi I m using the altoid tin for a briefcase survival kit. So many people ere in the DC area (and in NYC) were stuck on 9/11 and had to walk home, no $$, blisters, possible eye itrritation, need for a small N-95 mask, flashlight for dark interior rooms and elevators (not for fire). I like Altoid tins because there are so many of them and it's a natural thinig to have in your brifecase.

At 8:55 AM, 2008-11-29, Pharm19 said:
very nice site!

At 12:40 AM, 2008-11-17, baldgestes said:
where can you find "small laminated card with instructions for water purification tablets and fishing knots"

At 10:59 PM, 2008-11-08, jim said:
coooooooooooooooooooooool

At 1:46 PM, 2008-10-30, monkeymonkey said:
on the quiz it is impossible to answer question 6 correctly. it doesn't matter which answer you give, the correct one or the incorrect ones, it says the answer is wrong. annoying!

At 1:38 AM, 2008-10-24, anonymous said:
you have the slowest web site known to man how pathetic can you be

At 5:54 PM, 2008-10-18, Mike said:
good kit but it needs a condom in it. the military have used them for years for storing water. use the non lubricated. note: not needed but could come in handy.

At 1:42 AM, 2008-10-03, Jeremy said:
ditch the altoids tin, use a small cooking tin, its not waterproof... yet. you pack much more into it, stitch up a pouch to carry it in, and then you use duct tape to waterproof it by covering the top so water doesnt get in. i actually use this type of kit, for more info on a better kit, check out m4040.com

At 2:06 PM, 2008-10-01, Jeremy said:
the waterproof issue can be fixed by putting everything in a plastic bag before you put it in the tin, boy scouts put everything in plastic bags.

At 11:30 PM, 2008-09-18, orangejello said:
this thang mite jus ceep yall live som dey et look lik a god ket 2 hav

At 9:18 PM, 2008-09-14, Covey said:
micheal said that the altoids can wasn't waterproof, but what about using an old tobacco tin, like prince albert. those are considerably more watertight, but a little more difficult to pack as tight as an open tin.

At 12:36 PM, 2008-08-31, silva said:
survival kits make me want to gets lost somewhere just to use it

At 12:34 PM, 2008-08-31, silva said:
survival is even harder in a chavy area

At 11:16 PM, 2008-08-29, Kenneth Lewis said:
hi i would like to know where do i buy a small liquid compass like the one in the picture? kenneth lewis jolly_green1@yahoo.com

At 11:09 AM, 2008-08-21, Mart said:
what about condoms (unlubricated)? these are useful for storing water and also burn well even when wet (useful for starting fire in wet environment). and if you do happen to pull some hot totty in the woods, you don't have to worry about picking up any nasty diseases off her.

At 6:44 PM, 2008-08-14, GetSerious said:
cell phones and cash were of little use to anyone in the gulf coast after katrina. and cell phones were just about useless to people in the nyc area on 9/11 and immediately after. when towers quit working (or you're not near any) you can't connect to the outside world.

At 11:42 AM, 2008-08-11, Apples said:
you might be able to use the tin as a frying pan if you need to. i don't know if it would work but it could.

At 5:35 PM, 2008-08-09, kristie said:
it seems you would need an ultralight emergency blanket or garbage bag. important for many uses

At 2:18 PM, 2008-08-08, Chris said:
these kits are making me want to try and get lost somewhere :)

At 8:07 AM, 2008-08-02, ticked said:
you can remove tick just by rubbing it gently with your finger in circular motion. the wee bugger will crawl out on it's own, and then you can flick it. =)

At 8:06 PM, 2008-08-01, Michael said:
drop the altoid tin, it isn't water proof. a good rain, and your kit is comsiderably less useful.

At 5:37 AM, 2008-07-03, BrianB said:
i noticed you cited adventure medical kits as a resource. they also make a very nice compact survival kit designed by doug ritter.

At 5:49 PM, 2008-06-18, bob said:
i think you should add survival tablets there about this big | | and you can survive off 1 a day (3 per day suggested)

At 11:22 AM, 2008-06-11, Ed said:
it dont take much. keep it simple and address the basics when putting a kit together. water food and shelter.

At 5:46 PM, 2008-06-05, vern said:
my kit is in an old shaving kit more room even has small pistol.

At 8:18 PM, 2008-05-28, cody said:
i carry a kit with me everywhere i go. you gave me some new ideas. good article.

At 8:39 AM, 2008-05-23, felix said:
good survival kit, help you a lot,

At 2:12 AM, 2008-05-20, MIC said:
thank you. it is just the info that i needed to get a kit together. great ideas and ways to organize, very cool. one only has to adapt contents to their enviroment. much appreciated! thank you. mic

At 4:04 PM, 2008-05-19, laura said:
brillaint could last a life time realy cool lol!!!

At 8:55 PM, 2008-05-16, Connor said:
very handy. kinda useless, it is way better to make a bigger kit. i made a kit with us military mres to keep fed for 3 days.

At 7:50 PM, 2008-05-15, jdizzle said:
shaniece what r u sayin man you don't make any sense,but anyway just man vs wild you can learn alot about survival by watching bear grylls

At 3:48 PM, 2008-05-15, Neo01 said:
only the strong and/or smart survive

At 10:36 AM, 2008-05-15, phil said:
ya! trick ya!

At 8:49 AM, 2008-05-15, jes said:
guess you ain't got skeeters where you live. you won't live very long without sleep or blood! good kits otherwise... try a little deet sometime..

At 3:06 PM, 2008-05-12, Evan V said:
i'm confident this has been posted at least 3 times.

At 6:34 AM, 2008-05-08, bazza said:
i got lost overnight till late next morning once .had a tin full of stuff made me feel alot better havin it than nothin at all.wish i had room in that tin for a sleeping bag though lol.

At 10:44 PM, 2008-05-05, smid said:
at 11:51 am, 2008-04-11, shaniece said: " i would take that stuff to yall people think good i hope yall dot get an that promble an relly life" huh?

At 11:09 PM, 2008-05-01, explotie said:
a mobile phone and $50 is all you need.

At 12:39 PM, 2008-04-29, Dave said:
shaniece... what? that was so bad i can't even understand it. anyways, i like it, although the tea and sugar are probably just luxuries you can give up for something more useful like a flint or some matches.

At 12:54 AM, 2008-04-26, Mike said:
sounds like a good kit to have, one never knows when something like this could come in handy

At 11:51 AM, 2008-04-11, shaniece said:
i would take that stuff to yall people think good i hope yall dot get an that promble an relly life

At 11:18 PM, 2008-02-29, nick said:
survival is cool

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Table of Contents
:: The Pocket Kit
:: The Day Kit
:: The Wilderness Kit
:: Making Your Own Kit

Additional Resources:
For more survival equipment, including larger kits for use on expeditions or with offroad vehicles, check out the author's book, Build the Perfect Survival Kit ($13; 888-457-2873; krause.com).

Test Your Survival Skills
Think you could survive a couple of nights lost alone in the winter woods? Take our ten question quize to find out. Click here for the quiz.

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