Hi everyone
I am a new member although I have visited this site quite often.Some thoughts? I am interested in military individual survival kits and their doctrine. Many of their ideas are good and spin over into the discussion area of this forum.The outdoors survival training scene has benefited greatly from the military especially Gen Curtis Le May and Lt Col Burton T Miller after World War 11. Of course some of the doctrine has been flawed
Has anyone visited the Freedom Industries website and looked at their pdf 2006 brochure. Included in it are both the USAF personal survival kit and escape and evasion kits with quick clot, handcuff key etc. Some good kit ideas.The photos are pretty good and it is in the public domain.By the same token has any body visited the stinet.dtic military documents site and looked at the study and design of the Special Warfare Individual Aid and Survival Kit for 1963.It is unclassified. Interesting.
I have not seen any comment on the current BCB kits and I am not impressed with their so called Special Forces Survival kit as issued to SAS etc.
If any body is interested I shall post a couple of genuine SAS and SASR survival kits list just for comment.
cheers
Vin 7

I did like the warning not to set up sleeping arrangements under a coconut tree.

Tim

Vin7,

Welcome to the fire! Sounds like you'll fit right in.

-Blast

Vin7,
Welcome. Could you post some links to the sites/sources you mention?

I'm curious as to what's in the genuine kits. So please do list away.

Yes, please post links. Not finding FI.

Your search-fu is weak Grasshopper...

Actually, I am having a little problem with the FI link too.
BUT...


The Defense Technical Information Center...etwork (STINET)

SMALL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT FOR INDIVIDUAL AID AND SURVIVAL KIT FOR SPECIAL WARFARE

They have some INTERESTING things on that site...


!!!!!!

Ah, those must be the sharks I ordered with frikken' laser beams straped to their heads.
Buwaahaahaa!!

-Blast, who is one step closer to ruling the planet!

Welcome Newguy!

Funny, I never thought of LeMay in any contex other than Attack Attack Attack...

Hi BillyM,
The url to Friendship Industries is www.friendship-industries.com
They are a firm who put together packages and kits for various industries. The kits are in their online pdf catalogue. As to the other kits I need to get to my notes and books for precise references as i have just moved to New Zealand from Australia. I am ex military and always kept my eyes open for survival doctrine. I debriefed everybody that would talk informally. The first SAS kit is published and was used by 22 and 21 and 23 Regiments from the 60s into the 70s. It is photographed in a Leroy Thompson and Ken Mc Swan book on the SAS.
The kit is basic and has no consumerables in it as per then Commonwealth doctrine. It consists of a simple dark vinyl pouch with tape ties,magnifying glass, larger brass button compass, steel shirt pocket size heliograph, half heavy duty hacksaw blade,wire saw,water sacs(vinyl bags) MOD Nato approved fishing kit,like the BCB one and a brass wire snare. All wrapped in brown vapour inhibited paper. I guess they supplemented it with the matchless fire kit ( similar to the BCB) water sterilising tablets, milbank filter bag, insect repellant and stolen aluminium pocket sized med kits ripped of RAF aircraft. The pocket NZSAS medical kit of the period was a simple pill tube roll in canvas. i worked with them in the 1970s but they were equipped in many ways for the 1950s and 1960s.
As to the other kits one was put together by a trooper of SASR in the 1970s and one is a dixie kit (mess tin) kit put together by a 22 SAS man of the same period. I will check my notes on these. The other lists are what troopers carried as emergency packs for when they broke contact with the enemy, often shrugging off their web gear and heading to their emergency RV. Some were given to me and one has been published in Horners Phantoms of the Jungle History of the Australian SAS.
More to follow
Vin7

Welcome aboard Vin7!

I am a bit worried about this WW 11 you speak of though... I missed all of them after 2 I think. Kidding.

Welcome!

Yes it is interesting. As a young guy I was really keen to see what the other carried. Australian army gear of the 60s and 70s was so minimal and we bought a lot of our gear or sewed it ourselves. A Kabar was a big deal. To put it all into context do a seach on google on the lrrp sites which influenced their patrolling doctrine of that era in the same way as now the British influence the New Zealand SAS and the US Special Foces and SEALS influence SASR. SASR are situated at Swanbourne Western Australia and if you look at companies such as Kitbag in WA you can see the material commercially available to the troopers there.
I am interested in the development of the personal combat survival kits much of which has a lot to do with the small bug out bag concept
I will dig into my storage and get my notebooks and post the rest of the lists. I collected lists of kits pre the internet so it might be good to pot them. Their contents are not exotic though.
Regards
Vin7

e komo mai, vin7

Welcome to the forum

Aaaah. "Friendship" not "Freedom" industries. My search-fu may not be as bad as implied then, lol.

Vin7.
Mil-Spec kits are for S.E.R.E. Survival Escape Resistance Evasion.

What we do is S.T.B.R. Survive To Be Rescued.
If you want a decent basic kit buy one of Doug's and put it in a tobacco tin. You will have enough room left over for a poly bag and some MP-1 tablets.

I accept your point re SERE and perhaps this is the wrong forumt for a military kit discussion. However there is a survival and rescue component in SERE and the military are really involved in that. Doug in his appraisals of gear such as the laser flare refers to its military role. For my part I feel that the military kits which every survival orientated person has cannabilised when available offer quite good components despite criticism and people engaged in the outdoors can learn form them.For example I dont think that signal mirror development as seen in its higher form such as made by Rescue Reflectors would have got far without a military interest. And by military I include the Coast Guard and Government paramilitary type rescue organisations. Still perhaps I should leave the leave the military them alone although I did notice a SERE thread on this site.
regards
Vin7

hi vin7 welcome to the site...i myself enjoy military survival lore and collect and use military survival equiment...my personal survival kit and theory is based on the british S.A.S theme...please continue to post any info and web links on military survival kit and E & E kit....again welcome to the site..vince g 11b inf...

No! Don't stop posting! I'm already hooked!