Survival
My survival kit is now made. it consists of the following, ad cetera:
30 feet or so of monofilament, 10 pound test, on a bowhunting pin
mini lighter
two small bobbers
fishhooks
a mistertwister lure
a Magnesium firestarter bar
three razor plades
a penny
a screw-in hook sinkers of various sizes
needle and thred
bandaids
a drinking tube
tacks
primer caps
a broadhead
a pencil
small silver washers
I'll be adding a little cleo lure soon. Along with the bottle of emdicines and a space bag, what do you all think? Any suggestions?
you nead some matches, a real knife, a water container, something to boil/ cook in, a hiking staff ( glue a screw in insert in the bottom of this and screw that broadhead into it and ya now have a spear). and some fire starters petrolium jelly, toilet paper etc.
Sounds a little cumbersome to me. All the gear in any survival kit should fit in an Altoids tin. Here's the stuff I have in mine, and the uses each item has.
Survival Kit
-Strike-anywhere matches (water proof them by dipping the heads in hot wax and letting them dry and break in half to save space)
-birthday candle(s) (I have 2...the trick ones that are hard to blow out work great)
-Metal match & saw striker (the smaller the better)
-Small magnifying glass (used for plant ID, taking out splinters, starting fires on sunny days, and various other tasks)
-several small fishing hooks
-fishing flies (sizes 8-14 of various nymph or streamer patterns...these are optional since flies can be made with the materials you have, but they're a better space saver than the lures listed above and they work great. Remember, big hooks can only catch big fish, but small hooks catch big fish and small fish. When you're hungry...any fish is good! They can also be used to "fish" for birds and frogs.)
-several non-lead split-shot sinkers (smaller is better)
-about 100 feet of 20 lbs braided fishing line (has a diameter small enough to catch fish, but the strenght and durability to use as snares, stitches, and strong sewing thread. A lighter test line can be used, but I wouldn't go below 10lbs. Wrap it around your needles tightly)
-Button Compass
-6 feet of snare wire
-Flexible saw (Can be attached to a bowed limb and made into a hand saw for cutting wood and various camp chores)
-Medical Kit
-Analgesic (for sore muscles, aches, and pains)
-Intestinal sedative (for indigestion and diarreah)
-Triple antibiotic ointment (cleans and heals cuts and scraps quickly)
-Antihistamine (for bug bites, rashes, and allergic reactions)
-Water stabilizing tablets (making water drinkable when you cannot boil it first)
-Electrolyte packets (for replenishing body salts)
-Aspirin (in case a you or a member of your party has a heart attack)
-Ibuprophen (pain relief)
-Band-aids (for small cuts and scrapes)
-Butterfly sutures (for bigger and deeper cuts)
-scalpel or razor blades (replaces a bulky knife. Craft a handle and use only when absolutely needed)
-1 broadhead blade (making spears and other weapons, can also be used as a back-up knife blade)
-Needles of several sizes, but with eyes big enough to accomidate your braided fishing line, and at least 1 with a large eye to accomidate leather laces)
-Condom (To use as a water bag)
-Whistle (a compact survival one take care of several items on this list. Used as a signalling device.)
-Mirror shard (signaling and several other uses)
-Cotton balls (pack as many as you can into the tin to prevent stuff from moving around, they can be used as a fire starter.)
-Altoids tin (Make your kit fit into this. The small size ensures that you are likely to bring it along with you on day trips. It can also be used to boil small amounts of water, cook small amounts of food, and if the inside is polished, it can be used as a signalling device. Close and seal with electrical tape so that the tin is as waterproof as possible)
Those are just the items in my survival kit, and yes, although it sounds like a lot, it all fits into an altoids tin. Some other items I usually have on me are my Leatherman, a good fixed blade knife, a pocket knife, a couple of industrial grade garbage bags, a hat that accomodates the season, a bandana, several feet of 550 lbs parachord (I braided it into tassels that I put on the zippers of my day pack), a tin cup, a water bottle, caribeaners of various sizes and strengths, a compass, and a write-in-the-rain pocket journal with a pencil.
Some suggestions for the kit you have now...
1) Get rid of the bobbers...bobbers can be crafted in the field using twigs or just about anything else that floats.
2) Get rid of the bow hunting pin. It's useless and takes up space. Wrap thread around your needles. If your intention was to use it as a bow site for a hand crafted bow, use twigs. However, if you're in a survival situation, avoid hunting since it requires a lot of energy. Trapping is a much more efficient method of killing animals for food. Learn the basic figure-4 trap and snaring techniques.
3) Learn how to make some basic fishing nets, traps, and line rigs. These skills will be much more useful than a mister twister.
4) Magnesium fire starter bars are a great piece of equipment, but they are often bulky...cut it down to size if you want to keep it in your kit.
5) What are you going to do with the penny? Give it to St. Peter on your way into the gates of heaven?
6) Not sure what the small silver washers are used for either...
7) Tacs? Again...not really sure what their useful for...
8) A drinking tube can often be made out of hollow grasses
9) Not sure what you need primer caps for other than fire starting...if you format your survival kit similar to mine you will have several sources of ignition and cottonball tinder.
I too am a little confused by some of what went into your kit. I can identify more with the suggestions from BIOGUY. I even question the necessity of some of his medicinals. Survival needs to address fire, shelter, water, and food in that order. I can say from experience, when it comes to making fire in adverse conditions, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Carry no less than three methods of making fire. Carry one of those pocket sized emergency blankets and 30+ ft. of cordage (paracord) for shelter. Carry some water and some means of purifying more. Hand line for fish with the simplest of gear and try setting snares for small game before your life depends on those skills. Survival is 60% skill, 30% mindset and 10% gear.
PS; If you do not carry at least one decent knife stay home. No one should ever find themselves in the wild relying on razor blades, X-acto blades, or a broadhead for lack of a proper knife.
Agreed...the medicinals in my kit aren't even necessary...they're more of a luxury item really, but they are handy if there's some extra room.
i think you have the right idea but need to do some tweaking and upsizing on items like a knife
Curious, what is the penny and the washers for?
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PS; If you do not carry at least one decent knife stay home. No one should ever find themselves in the wild relying on razor blades, X-acto blades, or a broadhead for lack of a proper knife.
you nead some matches, a real knife, a water container, something to boil/ cook in, a hiking staff ( glue a screw in insert in the bottom of this and screw that broadhead into it and ya now have a spear). and some fire starters petrolium jelly, toilet paper etc.
Sounds a little cumbersome to me. All the gear in any survival kit should fit in an Altoids tin. Here's the stuff I have in mine, and the uses each item has.
Survival Kit
-Strike-anywhere matches (water proof them by dipping the heads in hot wax and letting them dry and break in half to save space)
-birthday candle(s) (I have 2...the trick ones that are hard to blow out work great)
-Metal match & saw striker (the smaller the better)
-Small magnifying glass (used for plant ID, taking out splinters, starting fires on sunny days, and various other tasks)
-several small fishing hooks
-fishing flies (sizes 8-14 of various nymph or streamer patterns...these are optional since flies can be made with the materials you have, but they're a better space saver than the lures listed above and they work great. Remember, big hooks can only catch big fish, but small hooks catch big fish and small fish. When you're hungry...any fish is good! They can also be used to "fish" for birds and frogs.)
-several non-lead split-shot sinkers (smaller is better)
-about 100 feet of 20 lbs braided fishing line (has a diameter small enough to catch fish, but the strenght and durability to use as snares, stitches, and strong sewing thread. A lighter test line can be used, but I wouldn't go below 10lbs. Wrap it around your needles tightly)
-Button Compass
-6 feet of snare wire
-Flexible saw (Can be attached to a bowed limb and made into a hand saw for cutting wood and various camp chores)
-Medical Kit
-Analgesic (for sore muscles, aches, and pains)
-Intestinal sedative (for indigestion and diarreah)
-Triple antibiotic ointment (cleans and heals cuts and scraps quickly)
-Antihistamine (for bug bites, rashes, and allergic reactions)
-Water stabilizing tablets (making water drinkable when you cannot boil it first)
-Electrolyte packets (for replenishing body salts)
-Aspirin (in case a you or a member of your party has a heart attack)
-Ibuprophen (pain relief)
-Band-aids (for small cuts and scrapes)
-Butterfly sutures (for bigger and deeper cuts)
-scalpel or razor blades (replaces a bulky knife. Craft a handle and use only when absolutely needed)
-1 broadhead blade (making spears and other weapons, can also be used as a back-up knife blade)
-Needles of several sizes, but with eyes big enough to accomidate your braided fishing line, and at least 1 with a large eye to accomidate leather laces)
-Condom (To use as a water bag)
-Whistle (a compact survival one take care of several items on this list. Used as a signalling device.)
-Mirror shard (signaling and several other uses)
-Cotton balls (pack as many as you can into the tin to prevent stuff from moving around, they can be used as a fire starter.)
-Altoids tin (Make your kit fit into this. The small size ensures that you are likely to bring it along with you on day trips. It can also be used to boil small amounts of water, cook small amounts of food, and if the inside is polished, it can be used as a signalling device. Close and seal with electrical tape so that the tin is as waterproof as possible)
Those are just the items in my survival kit, and yes, although it sounds like a lot, it all fits into an altoids tin. Some other items I usually have on me are my Leatherman, a good fixed blade knife, a pocket knife, a couple of industrial grade garbage bags, a hat that accomodates the season, a bandana, several feet of 550 lbs parachord (I braided it into tassels that I put on the zippers of my day pack), a tin cup, a water bottle, caribeaners of various sizes and strengths, a compass, and a write-in-the-rain pocket journal with a pencil.
Some suggestions for the kit you have now...
1) Get rid of the bobbers...bobbers can be crafted in the field using twigs or just about anything else that floats.
2) Get rid of the bow hunting pin. It's useless and takes up space. Wrap thread around your needles. If your intention was to use it as a bow site for a hand crafted bow, use twigs. However, if you're in a survival situation, avoid hunting since it requires a lot of energy. Trapping is a much more efficient method of killing animals for food. Learn the basic figure-4 trap and snaring techniques.
3) Learn how to make some basic fishing nets, traps, and line rigs. These skills will be much more useful than a mister twister.
4) Magnesium fire starter bars are a great piece of equipment, but they are often bulky...cut it down to size if you want to keep it in your kit.
5) What are you going to do with the penny? Give it to St. Peter on your way into the gates of heaven?
6) Not sure what the small silver washers are used for either...
7) Tacs? Again...not really sure what their useful for...
8) A drinking tube can often be made out of hollow grasses
9) Not sure what you need primer caps for other than fire starting...if you format your survival kit similar to mine you will have several sources of ignition and cottonball tinder.
I too am a little confused by some of what went into your kit. I can identify more with the suggestions from BIOGUY. I even question the necessity of some of his medicinals. Survival needs to address fire, shelter, water, and food in that order. I can say from experience, when it comes to making fire in adverse conditions, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Carry no less than three methods of making fire. Carry one of those pocket sized emergency blankets and 30+ ft. of cordage (paracord) for shelter. Carry some water and some means of purifying more. Hand line for fish with the simplest of gear and try setting snares for small game before your life depends on those skills. Survival is 60% skill, 30% mindset and 10% gear.
Agreed...the medicinals in my kit aren't even necessary...they're more of a luxury item really, but they are handy if there's some extra room.
i think you have the right idea but need to do some tweaking and upsizing on items like a knife
Curious, what is the penny and the washers for?
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