HAHA,

I also agree with wolfe,

The SAM splint is a great nifty piece of FA equipment but hardly a must have piece of gear. I would trade off the volume weight of it for real mil spec para cord or duct tape anyday.

I own several (in house and car trunk kits) and they are great splints but are bulky and can be improvised very easily.

SK's range from the paranoid complete to the arrogantly incomplete. From a million dollar fully equipped mountain hideaway to a credit card and everything in between.

That being said there are bad, good and best choices for gear and rational for any level. It all depends on the item and your budget.

Mike

my thoughts were a PLCE water bottle pouch and mess tins. About a year ago I bought an olive green utility pouch for that purpose, but have now decided to use a water bottle pouch instead as you can clip it onto your belt instead of having to slide it on. This is fine as I already own two sets of olive green 90 pat. webbing with an excess of water bottle pouchs. Where do you purchase SAM splints?
thanks

I did write survival bag (I called it a space blanket). I would rather have a spork but the only one ive ever seen is a titanium one on tad gear for about £20. I dont think i'd pay that for a fork!

I intend for this kit to be used when hiking on hills in UK. It will either by thrown into a daysack or clipped on a belt. It is not an evacuation kit. There is not much need for that in rural Somerset. I live on the doorstep of the Somerset levels, for any of you who know then. They are suseptable to flooding, but I live on a hill so I don't even get that. No definatly no need for evacuation. <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Ditch,

This may give you some ideas.

My bob is split up into modules like some other people have done.

My first module is based on a fanny pack with items on the belt as well.

This pack is kept in the car and can be grabbed fast. Its intent is to be able to get home from anywhere locally <20 miles and grab the full BOB.

Realtree camo soft material fanny pack. Its got a good web belt, zipper and buckle for heavy use. Wallmart $15.

On fanny pack belt:

Magazine pouch: with large Blue civi poncho, same specs as military but lighter and less bulky, gromets for tie down shelter etc...
Cold steel SRK, with Gatco diamond hone and pouch glued to front of sheath.
Leatherman Wave

Fanny pack Front 2 pockets:

1 Silva Ranger compass
1 Bic lighter
10 fabric bandaides
1 chapstick
1 sunblock spf 30 small tube
1 Iodine bottle tabs 25 litres worth of purification
$20 mixed bills and change in zip lock bag
$50 phone card

Fanny pack main compartment:

6 chemical heat packs (its winter here) will change for bug juice in summer
small roll of duct tape, flattened and rubber banded
6 wet wipes
2 alcohol disinfectant wipes
1 small tube of campers liquid soap
1 hotel soap bar
4 power bars
10 hard candies
1 small first aid kit (adventure medical, pocket medic)
Small plastic meds vial containing:
10 aspirin
10 motrin
10 tylenol
15 Doxicycline Antibiotic
10 Immodium
5 benadryl

Small role of tums

2 Niosh N95 rated surgical masks (will filter airborne TB, anthrax etc..) Zip locked baged, will use duct tape to ensure tight seal if warranted.
2 pairs nitrile medical exam gloves, better than latex.

1 camo OD triangular bandage
50 ft Para cord the real stuff.
20 coffee filters and rubber bands
1 space bag (not the blanket but the bag)
2 HEAVY duty contractors garbage bags, green
1 8 hr candle
20 ft of brass snare wire
1 Film canister of waxed strike anywhere matches, lid duct taped
1 Film canister of vaseline soaked cotton balls, lid duct taped
1 gerber strike force
1 AA black minimag with black nite eyes head strap, extra bulb and red night lens filter
6 AA batteries
1, 1 litre platypus water container
1 Very small hotel sewing kit, size of book of matches
Altoids tin fishing kit:
200 ft of 50lb spider wire fishing line
40 dif size hooks
20 dif size weights
15 swivels
5 leaders
a dozen assorted lures, worms, wigglies, spinners etc..

Photocopies of:
Health Insurance
Drivers liscence
Birth certificate
Proof of address
Innsurance documents
All vacum sealed in plastic

$100 in various bills zip lock bagged

End

This kit is designed to be the core of my BOB, because of expense duplication was not possible for some items.

YES, it all does fit haha. I had to vacum pack it to reduce bulk but it does fit just.

This core kit is not light, it weighs 6-7 pounds, it carries nice around the waist tho. It should get me out of all kinds of trouble while returning home to the main kit, and serve well as the core for the main BOB.
Also in the car is a FULL change of clothes from underwear to outerwear to boots. Items will chage with seasons. 5 days worth of car stable foods and water also in trunk. Of course your typical car breakdown gear also included.

I came up with list by taking ideas from others posts and putting together what suites me. This kit is not cheap approx $350 not including the cash. I figure it will be worth it if needed tho.
I also have a duplicate kit for the wife with a few substitutions/mods IE: USAF knife, gerber multiplier, some female related stuff but essentially the same.

I carry always on my person: 3 inch SAK, Wallet with credit cards, cell phone, Bic lighter,
AAA minimag and leatherman micra on the key chain, CPR kit.


Any thoughts? I am always looking for new ideas.

Mike

No offense meant, so I'm glad none was taken. I would suppose a SAM splint is great if you're on a SAR mission and you have reasonable expectation of finding the party injured. Also, I would at least consider bringing one if it was a large group outing (maybe 6 or more) for several days, especially in rough terrain; I might reasonably expect to use a more comprehensive FAK in that situation. But if it's just me and one or two friends, and it's only for a couple of days (planned), I personally would take a handful of granola bars instead. It's a personal choice.

A powerbar or two of food will be good measure, and to me it's worth the extra weight. During the initial anxiety, I feel that readily handy food is a great calmer, and good for when the squirrel hunting doesnt go as planned. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Youhave obviously put a lot of thought into your kit. I, too, am carrying a loaded fanny pack more and more. Definitely holds more than an Altoids tin.

One thing I would suggest is to substitute LEDs for the minimags you are carying. You will be able to increase your effective illumination time while cutting back on the number of batteries you are carrying. I have been carrying a Petzl Tikka for the last eighteen months and it has seen regular, although not heavy use. It is still on the original set of batteries. I used it for about forty-five minutes recently during a power outage and it provided perfectly adequate light. There is at least one highly regarded LED conversion kit for the AA minimag, although it costs about $26.

Then you would have room for an elastic bandage, a key item for my FAKs. Not all will agree with that choice, but if walking might be on the agenda, I want to be able to hold ankles and knees together.

Don,

HAHA don't get me wrong I would love to carry A Lot more but one must limit the space and weight or it becomes too much.

One note, I do not carry this on me at all times but is always within a few hundred yards at most in the car trunk.

The public has a problem with sheath knives on the belt.

I do carry some minimum stuff in my pockets as noted at the bottom of the list. Like I said this kit is to get me home, back to my full BOB kit.

I like the LED replacement module idea for the minimag.
I think I will keep the minimag for now because I have used the tika and other such lights and the durability is in question IMHO. The tikka and zipka are not waterproof and have flimsy plastic cases and I am hard on my gear. There are other LED headlamp options that are more durable like the Princton Tech Aurora, but it is too large and bulky for my fanny pack kit but I think I may get one for the full BOB.

I like the ace wrap idea but have no more room for it. I could however steal one from the FA kit in the trunk and stash it in my pocket if I have to grab the fanny pack and run.

I too love Dougs altoid tin SK. I am in the process of making one up identical for me and the wife. However, the only reason to have one is that it is with you ALL the time because of its size. I think Doug will admit that it is not designed for anything real serious but rather a stop gap measure with some basic tools for a limited time frame.


Mike

You might consider the Princeton Tec "Attitude" (($17) instead of the LED conversion for the mini mag. See Doug's review as well as that at www.candlepowerforums.com.