Survival Kits

I 've been a crazy paranoid conspiracy theorist for awhile, so I’ve been ready since Y2K.

one surplus czech infantry backpack
one survival knife (rambo style, with the emergency kit and whetstone)
one double-sided two color cloak(black and blue)
one 8x10 monocular
one box waterproof matches, 3 lighters
one surgical kit (scalpels, stiches, stats, etc)
one first aid kit (mostly cipro and bandages)
one saw
two waterskins
two flutes (gotta have some music)
two led flashlights
12 AA batteries
one US Army surplus tent half
50 feet of nylon rope
Various clothing (mostly socks)
one copy of “Edible plants of the Gulf South”
one copy of “Where There is No Doctor”(Highly reccomend this one)
one copy of US Army Survival Manual
one copy of “Battlefield Earth” by L. Ron Hubbard

I would like to score about $300 in gold rings for bartering with idiots to go in it as well. I didn’t include shells or my shotgun either.

The one book i would bring is definitely Battlefield Earth. 1050 pages of tribal guys whooping civ’s ass, then leaving it behind!!

R

What’s a two color cloak for?

Warnth, makes a great blanket or improvised shelter, night-time stealth, it also makes me feel like a superhero when I wear it.

eventually I am going to change it out for a bulletproof, stabproof, fireproof one, if I can ever come up with the 1000USD to make it.

I wouldn’t really call this a planned survival kit, it’s just the stuff I got on hand that I think could be useful.

• Gear *
  large backpack
  small backpack
  small single person tent
  tent footprint, which also doubles as a small tarp
  bowie knife
  small leather knife
  broadsword (could be useful, who knows?)
  waterskin
  first aid kit
  flint, steel and char cloth
  bow, drill, hearthboard and a bag of dried mugwort
  compass
  coffee can with coat hanger handle for cooking
  50 feet of sisal rope

• Books *
  How to Survive Anywhere by Christopher Nyerges
  Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West by Gregory L. Tilford

I plan to get some magnesium and a swiss army pocket knife. A cloak seems like a nice idea now too.

Speaking of cloaks here is something useful for us survivalist type survivalists.
An article on EVADING THERMAL IMAGING AND RADAR DETECTION:
http://theindependentamerican.freeyellow.com/therm.html

wow that’s a great article. got me thinking…

why not shred those free magnets pizza places instead of the cassette tapes?
OR… sew a shitload of them into your cloak like dragon scales?

a cloak with this as the outer layer will beat any thermal imaging

http://www.bearclawmfg.com/o_hhf.html the pre-ox cloth.

The dragonscale of magnets to beat radar sounds interesting. you’d have to put em inside the cloak for it to be fireproof though.

Emily-
That link has some amazing info. CRAZY! What genius…“To avoid detection by radar, magnetic tape found in audio and video cassetts may be obtained and mixed into automotive or other paint. The vehicle may then be painted with this mixture. This mixture has the effect of scattering radar energy, rendering a much smaller and les effective return signal. With a less effective return signal, your vehicle will not appear to be what it is to those searching for you, thus you will have a good chance of being overlooked.”

god. I love it when people get crazy DIY!

Project of the Day:

Today I sewed a special extra-large tinder pocket in my winter coat. Here it is with the tinder and the cat that is going to go inside:

That’s paper birch scraps from an ornamental tree, but usually I use yellow birch because paper doesn’t grow here. Whenever I am out in the woods I stuff some in my pockets if there isn’t any in there already and I’m outside enough that I almost always have a tinder supply. But now I have a really big tinder supply and I can take my wallet out of my regular pocket at the grocery store without creating a mess.

Next I sewed a lighter/and or waterproof matches into the lining of that coat, a jacket, and my wool pants. I made the waterproof matches myself by dipping them in melted wax. These are for emergencies only since I would have to break the thread to get them out. I also keep lighters and matches in the regular pockets for non-emergency situations but you know how those tend to get lost, stolen, misplaced.

that’s pretty slick, Emily. I like the sew-matches into-things. I’ll have to do that to my cloak.

I’ve just started a tiny survival kit a few months ago after buying my first car. It’s mostly stuff I found around the house and thought might be useful. So far I’ve got a lighter, matches, tinder, cordage, a couple feet of tin foil, some plastic bags, paper and pen, some of those velcro strips they use around lettuce (useful also for anchoring the kit to the trunk so that it doesn’t fly around every time I take a corner too hard), citronella, compass, sewing kit, knife, a high calorie energy bar, and water purification tablets. I’ve also got a first aid kit and one of those shake 'em flashlights. I suppose I could throw some more of my gear in the back, but it gets annoying moving it out of the way when I have to load stuff in the car, so for now it’s just the small kit. I remember a few months ago when that family got lost in Oregon somewhere, and the father froze to death, I asked myself, “How would I have acted in that situation? What would I have done differently?” It was a good exercise for me.

How well do cars work as a shelter?

Roxy

i think cars work very well as a shelter: very dry, perfect wind break. I sleep in mine a lot but you’ll need a sleeping bag because they are too cold. If you don’t have some sort of insulation, you’re better off in a debris hut or other insulated shelter. You can’t run the heater for long before the gas runs out, plus supposedly when you are not moving toxic fumes may seep in, and you can’t really start a fire or a camp stove inside without danger of carbon monoxide poisioning. I always crack the windows too when i sleep for fresh air.

i’ll second penny’s comments on cars as shelters: great windbreak, great for keeping the rain off, sucky at holding heat in. i lived in 2 different vans in college: an old dodge and a 72 vw campervan. loved the veedub for the backseat/bed. i think it’s still the most comfortable bed i’ve ever slept on.

i tried heating the veedub with an old trick my grandpa told me about using a coleman stove and an inverted ceramic flower pot. supposedly, the ceramic heats up and dissipates heat pretty evenly. i never had much luck with it. plus even though the bus was drafty, i always worried about the fumes and carbon monoxide. in the end, i just decided that a good sleeping bag was the best bet.

Car Heater (alcohol and TP in a can) http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/ggw/newsletter/winter_05/winter_survival.pdf
4 pints of isopropyl 70% alcohol will keep your car at 60 - 70 degrees for 24 hours. Carbon monoxide less of an issue because alcohol chemically has extra Oxygen in it.

Like anything in a kit, I’d test it. In this case, some coffee cans leak liquids. Not so good.

I like like using these all the time and not just for survival situation, but for all types of things. I keep them close. Just in case and never in one basket.

My gear list:

solar still set:
â–¡ tubing six feet
â–¡ stainless steel or collapsible plastic cup
â–¡ plastic sheet 6x6 feet
â–¡ find a large pebble
hygiene kit:
â–¡ tooth brush
â–¡ tooth paste (baking soda)
â–¡ floss
â–¡ comb
â–¡ soap
â–¡ wash cloth
â–¡ handkerchief (for nose)
water purification kit:
â–¡ purify tablets
â–¡ pocket water filter
â–¡ coffee filters or gauze pads
â–¡ deflatable gallon jugs
â–¡ or water bottles
â–¡ eye dropper
Identification:
â–¡ identification card
â–¡ social security card
â–¡ cash
books and maps:
â–¡ wilderness/urban survival field guide
–some maps
bags:
â–¡ water proof hiking backpack
â–¡ light weight hemp bag
â–¡ shoulder bag
â–¡ 4 large black plastic garbage bags
â–¡ 3 small bags for random things.
clothes:
â–¡ mesh insect screen hat to screen away insects from face
â–¡ rip resistant rainproof outerwear
â–¡ wool flannel shirt
â–¡ working gloves
â–¡ sleeping gloves
â–¡ water resistant camo poncho to go over everything
â–¡ underwear 2 pairs
â–¡ long wool pants cargo style
â–¡ buckskin shirt or pants (optional)
â–¡ sweat pants
â–¡ wool hat
â–¡ organic t-shirt
â–¡ light weight button up t-shirt
â–¡ think wool zipper or button up long sleeve shirt
â–¡ light weight button up wool-long sleeved shirt
â–¡ a light weight zipping hoody
â–¡ a pair of wool socks
â–¡ 2 extra pairs of cotton socks
â–¡ plastic bags to wear over my socks in my shoes during wet and raining times
â–¡ moccasins
â–¡ tire sandles (idea from Thomas J. Elpel)
â–¡ water proof boots (depends on time of year and place)
-black work shoes (optional): (if you know what I mean) they can come in handy to get you employed during a survival situation or a job loss)
sew kit/repair kit
â–¡ thread
â–¡ needles
â–¡ piece of leather
–rip resistant cloth and bag patches
–extra buttons
fish catching kit:
â–¡ monofilament fishing line
â–¡ hooks
â–¡ weights
snake bite/bee sting kit:
â–¡ three suction cups
â–¡ lymph constrictor
â–¡ surgical scalpel
â–¡ antiseptic
â–¡ instruction
tool kit:
â–¡ wire
â–¡ hammer
â–¡ pliers
â–¡ adjustable wrench
â–¡ extra heavy nylon cord (fifty feet)
â–¡ screw drivers (flat and p 2)
â–¡ machete
â–¡ shovel
â–¡ crowbar
â–¡ Carborundum knife sharpener
â–¡ light rope for mostly bow-drill tool (length???)
â–¡ hand axe
â–¡ hand saw
â–¡ aluminum shovel
â–¡ cultivator
â–¡ Swiss army knife
â–¡ 6 inch buck knife
â–¡ 4 inch folding knife
miscellaneous:
â–¡ this list
â–¡ maps
â–¡ musical instrument
â–¡ monocular
â–¡ paper and pen
â–¡ a little tent (depends)
â–¡ light weight thin cutting surface
â–¡ A wool blanket
â–¡ whistle
â–¡ walle-hawk
â–¡ compass
â–¡ aluminum foil
â–¡ steel wool and a little electrical wire
â–¡ small head phone radio to pick up radio signals and alerts (or universal cell phone thingy)
â–¡ light weight mortar and pastel set
â–¡ robber hose for siphoning
â–¡ head lamp with extra batteries rechargeable
â–¡ two belts (one for hauling and one for on me)
â–¡ battery charger
â–¡ finger long and light weight flashlight
â–¡ 0 degree sleeping bag (depends on season)
â–¡ light weight sleeping bag (depends on season)
â–¡ camo tarp 14x18 or 16x20
fire making kit:
â–¡ bic light
â–¡ water proof matches
â–¡ small water tight container for matches
â–¡ flint magnesium
â–¡ tinder
â–¡ handdrill set
â–¡ 3 long burning candles
food survival kit/rations:
â–¡ trail mix
â–¡ rice
â–¡ flour
â–¡ dry beans, lentils,
â–¡ salt
â–¡ red pepper
â–¡ vegetable oil
â–¡ dried cane syrup
â–¡ dried fruit
â–¡ dried peppermint
â–¡ dried wintergreen
â–¡ peanut butter
â–¡ multiple vitamins
â–¡ granola
â–¡ mesh kit for cooking
â–¡ can opener wood spoon
â–¡ dried nuts
medicine bag/first aid kit:
â–¡ band aids
â–¡ antiseptic clothes
â–¡ willow cambium
â–¡ lip gloss
â–¡ gauze pads
â–¡ wound rapping tape
â–¡ tweezers

I will need help carrying all that. Help of strong bones and body. I think I can carry it alone.

Also, having around some extra gear and piece of mind for helping someone out may make things easier once they can get back on their feet and give a hand. Caution: [a message to the reader] in survival situations stay away from “weirdos,” you know what they look like, you don’t have to ask any body. Turn invisible, disappear, and see what your up against, maybe even turn-the-tables if they turn on you. 8)

I’ll help carry it!

Interesting thread chaps.

I always worked along the lines of advice from a Norwegian marine instructor I worked with years ago who said:

‘Survive in your pockets, fight in your webbing, live in your bergen’

Not sure how that translates into US or civvy parlance but ‘webbing’ would be belt kit and a ‘bergen’ is just a word for a rucksack.

I also stick to the maxim that the only useful survival kit is the one you have in your pocket.

Great forum, looking forward to reading much more.

the only useful survival kit is the one you have in your pocket

I like that, Mountainboy.

One of my favorite passages of “primitive fiction” from Jean Auel’s The Valley of Horses (the sequel to The Clan of the Cave Bear) involves these two brothers whose boat gets capsized, and they lose everything but what they wore. They had only tool/weapon–a flint blade that one of them wore on his belt.

But that catastrophe barely put a dent in their journey. They crawled out of the river and started making everything they needed with the materials they found around them. Instead of the leather packs they had carried before, they made woven bags, mounted on reed frames. They didn’t have any flint to knap to make new spear tips, but they found some wood to make new spears from and hardened the tips in the fire.

That level of knowing how to start from scratch with only the materials at hand represents my ideal in rewilding–that knowledge that civilization has robbed us of.

I have 2 survival kits, my “bug out bag (BOB)”, and my every day carry (EDC). My bug out bag is basically a backpacker’s kit I keep packed in my closet at all times. This serves 2 purposes. First, If i ever have to run, I just grab it and go. Second, I can go camping at a moment’s notice.

My EDC has everything I need, and I really wish I could cut some things out of it. Some types of gear substiture for knowledge, knowledge I should cultivate so I can ditch the gear.

I love my EDC though. There’s not a thing in there I haven’t made use of in my everyday life. It all fits into a modified hip pack that I jokingly call my utility belt.

The main things it’s got:

multi-tool. I also have a swiss army knife in my pocket
Lighters
Tiny LED flashlight I only ever use indoors.
Rain poncho. Serves as a tent in a pinch.
one of those heat reflecting space blankets.
50’ of 550 lb test parachute cord.
Pen and paper.
some trail food bars.
First aid kit
Sewing kit
First aid tape
Some snare wire
some spice packets
Fish hooks
A metal tin that makes a decent cup, bowl, fire pan or shovel.
Some soap and a razor
Exacto blades and strait razors.
Water purification tablets
And a few other things I’ll remember are in there when I need them.

I keep wanting to add a water bottle to this, but I need the whole thing to be light enough and small enough that it doesn’t interfere with doing parkour, and I’ve yet to figure out how to do that with a water bottle. I also wouldn’t mind keeping a hatchet on me all the time, but that would get me in too much trouble around here. The police hassle me enough as it is.

I also keep a copy of the SAS survival guide in my breifcase, as well as a change of clothes and the water I wish I could carry on my belt.