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Survival Kits in the Field....


Tahoma

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Good Evening everyone,

 

I'm curious to see who carries what in the field, as far as survival equipment. Do you carry a kit bought at a store? Self made one? Number of items? What's most important to you? Let's see some survival kits. 

 

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Has a lot to do with where I'm going, but if you're not very experienced it shouldn't.

Later on, today I'm going on a local day hike (1-2hr walk in the woods) I'll have a small knife/9mm.

 If I was doing a half/full day in a state/national park on a trail, I don't know well, I'd be kitted up for an overnight camp, very similar to items listed above, just no tent, always armed legal or not.

 The more I've gotten into camping/hiking the past 10yrs the less crap I carry, the most dangerous thing in the outdoors is yourself, the second most dangerous thing.... other people. 

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On 2/18/2022 at 8:44 PM, Tahoma said:

I'm curious to see who carries what in the field, as far as survival equipment. Do you carry a kit bought at a store? Self made one? Number of items? What's most important to you? Let's see some survival kits. 

 

 

No "official kit."    After 50-something years I have a pretty decent idea what I might need and what I know how to use. 

 

For me it varies by season and location.    I almost always pack a water bottle or bladder plus a filter, TP and trowel, small knife, gun, ammo, usually a disposable poncho, camera, audio recorder, and my cell phone.   (Backup cam, plus some places I go do have service .. not many.   If I had to hike out, say someone stole my truck from the trailhead, then I'd want to be able to call in the cavalry once I had a signal.)   Usually map, compass, almost always GPS .. some places I know well enough to not need them but it can be nice to mark a waypoint to return to an exact spot.   Often a bit of food .. jerky, power bar.   If it is going to be buggy, a bug jacket and hood plus gloves.   If it merely might be buggy, then a small bottle of DEET spray.    Sometimes fire starter, sometimes not.   One of my areas gets over 100 inches of rain per year ... might as well try to ignite creek water.   Other times it is fire season, no fire allowed, and even an emergency fire / beacon might turn life threatening.    Often times one dry pair of socks.    Two flashlights .. a must.   Some way to tell time .. need to know whether I can get out with the available daylight or if I should use it to make a comfortable camp and settle in for the night.   I have started carrying an UL hammock and UL whoopie slings .. nice to nap in, softer than rocks.    If there's a chance of passing a place to fish, I'll have fishing gear of some sort appropriate to the location and the fish I think are there.

 

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Most might know about this but a really nifty fire starter kit I often carry

cotton balls smeared with petroleum jelly 

waterproof matches in small waterproof container

miniature bic lighters

All this goes in a Ziploc bag in another Ziploc bag

 The cotton balls smeared with petroleum jelly and the miniature bic lighter are very handy starting a fire in the rain

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Regarding fire starters ... yeah, the mini bic lighters are great.  I do recommend testing them now and then.  I had one kinda compressed inside something and I think it must have pushed the button just far enough .. it was out of gas.

 

Not a big fan of the magnesium rod that you shave shavings off of .. they work great but present an opportunity for getting cut especially if your hands are cold.   Plus if you consider how many piles of shavings, thus fires, you can make, they're clearly heavier than needed for 1-2 days use.  

 

The cotton balls smeared in petroleum jelly are good.    Sometimes I'll add smokeless gun powder ... dunno if it helps or just makes me happy.  :)   

 

Another item for the arsenal is 0000 (4-ought) steel wool .. burns even damp.    Also some wind-proof / waterproof matches.  

 

One thing I miss from old days is the 35mm film canisters ... they'd hold all manner of useful stuff in a very compact package.

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17 minutes ago, MIB said:

Sometimes I'll add smokeless gun powder ... dunno if it helps or just makes me happy.  :)   

 

:lol::lol:

 

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39 minutes ago, MIB said:

Regarding fire starters ... yeah, the mini bic lighters are great.  I do recommend testing them now and then.  I had one kinda compressed inside something and I think it must have pushed the button just far enough .. it was out of gas.

 

Not a big fan of the magnesium rod that you shave shavings off of .. they work great but present an opportunity for getting cut especially if your hands are cold.   Plus if you consider how many piles of shavings, thus fires, you can make, they're clearly heavier than needed for 1-2 days use.  

 

The cotton balls smeared in petroleum jelly are good.    Sometimes I'll add smokeless gun powder ... dunno if it helps or just makes me happy.  :)   

 

Another item for the arsenal is 0000 (4-ought) steel wool .. burns even damp.    Also some wind-proof / waterproof matches.  

 

One thing I miss from old days is the 35mm film canisters ... they'd hold all manner of useful stuff in a very compact package.

The Exotac Firesleeve is kinda neat as it prevents the button on the lighter from being depressed so the gas doesn't escape, and keeps it dry.

 

Exotac FireSLEEVE Waterproof Lighter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011CLTF0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_85MMAPJKPC7A73QHY7T5

 

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6 hours ago, MIB said:

One thing I miss from old days is the 35mm film canisters ... they'd hold all manner of useful stuff in a very compact package.

 

The 'old days'?

 

Still available on ebay; metal with screw lids, various colors and plain aluminum. 35mm canisters  are available. Sometimes 70mm metal with lid show up as surplus.

Edited by Catmandoo
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On 2/18/2022 at 11:44 PM, Tahoma said:

Good Evening everyone,

 

I'm curious to see who carries what in the field, as far as survival equipment. Do you carry a kit bought at a store? Self made one? Number of items? What's most important to you? Let's see some survival kits. 

 

@Tahoma— Don’t miss the mention of Madison’s Garmin Inreach Mini. Others recommend this device, too. A while back I had posted about safety, asking what’s your contingency plan if you’re hurt or sick in the Outback. Calling for help if you end up in bad circumstances is right up there with keeping warm, dry, and nourished. But hopefully you won’t need to.

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  • 2 months later...

Besides a GPS I keep a “Hudson Bay” Survival kit with me that I first read about in Bradford Angier’s book How to stay alive in the woods.

 

Outdoor Life had an article about the kit a few years ago as well.


Here is what’s in the kit:
28 tea bags
50 Vitamin pills
30 oz. Pilot Bread
16 oz Butter
14 1/2 oz Strawberry Jam
12 oz Klik (canned ham)
14 oz Condensed Milk
10.5 oz Chocolate Bars
100 Matches
1 Knife
1 Spoon
1 Whistle
1 two sided mirror
1 Fishing line
4 Fishhooks
1oz Snare Wire
2 Candles
Kleenex (small amount)
Camphor

 

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I took a bow hunting education class and they said ALWAYS carry Benadryl or equivalent allergy pills. Having these in my pack saved a buddies life when he got stung multiple times by bees. Another person I know died from bee stings.

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I've swapped out the Coalcracker Tarp for an Aquaquest tarp. i'm also trying to make my kit lighter, but it's tough when i like everything in it, LOL. @Dougthat's smart. Gonna check 7=11 for individually packaged Benedryl. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a pack that sits in my SUV and has the usual gear such as a flashlight and headlamp, cottonballs soaked in Vaseline, couple of bic lighters plus fire starter rod, emergency blanket, folding wood saw, paracord, first aid kit, extra jacket and wool socks, jerky, ammo, etc.

 

I found these things a couple of years ago and they are awesome!

 

 

 

I gave them out as stocking stuffers a couple of Christmases ago to my dad and brother who are also avid outdoorsmen.  They love them.

 

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