The March, 2006 issue of Boy's Life (a magazine for youth in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts) has a nice article on survival. The author is Peter Kummerfeldt, a survival instructor at the Air Force Acadamy. Keeping in mind that the target audience is 6-18 year old boys, here are the highlights of the article:


#1 Tell someone where you're going.
#2 Build a survival kit:
•1 heavy-duty 4mm orange plastic bag, approx. 38"x65" (2?)
•1 metal match with scraper
•cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly
•1 plastic whistle
•1 glass signal mirror

#3 Stop moving around.
#4 Think about what needs to be done.
#5 Observe your surroundings.
#6 Plan a course of action and implement it.
#7 Stay warm.
#8 Hydrate or die.
#9 Start a fire. He mentions he'll get some heat for this due to concerns of fires getting out of control, but adds to be careful!
#10 Make yourself BIG.

Last weekend I went on a winter cabin outting with my son's new Boy Scout Troop, and though I'm sure they had all of their Outdoor Essentials packed inside their daypacks, while those boys were hiking through the woods, those daypacks were neatly stowed underneath their bunks. Being a new assistant Scoutmaster I kept my mouth shut, at least for the first outing, but I also understand that the boys don't want to haul all that gear with them while running around.

At our next troop committee meeting I'll be recommending that boys put together and carry a minimual survival kit that stays with them at all times - maybe in a small fanny pack or in their pockets. The contents of the article's kit pretty much sums up what I'd put in the kit, though I'd probably include a disposable butane lighter and either a second large plastic bag or a mylar survival blanket (one over you & one under you) as well. The boys each carry a pocketknife too.

Your thoughts?