Glad to hear from another hunter! I chose rubbermaid because its quiet and the size was perfect for what i needed. I thought about snarewire, but my kit can't hold another item. Thanks though.

I have also magnesium firestarter (but I don´t use it at all, I have casted it aside). But there was a warning that you should not shave the magnesium in advance and carry it like that. I guess the warning is there for a reason but I don´t know what exactly would be the problem.

As for the Spark-lite I don´t trust it at all - but that´s just my experience and personal opinion. Anyway you have a backup. See my review on EDC forums http://edcforums.com/index.php?topic=17216.0 (my nickname there is "vfx", "raptor" had been already taken).

I would also add some small candle to your kit.

" so one As far as the 32oz. nalgene over the 16, the Potable aqua pill bottle says two tablets per quart. 16oz. is 1/2 a quartpill should do it. Am I wrong?"


No, I frogot some require 2 pills per quart, I use the type that only require 1

Because it's not flammable as long as it's in bar form. If you have a bag of magnesium shavings and somehow it gets ignited, nothing is going to stop it from burning.

Swap the razor for a SAK or multitool. If you take the SAK, a small pair of needle nose pliers is a great thing to add, particularly if they have GOOD wire cutters. You can find barbed wire in the darndest places.

Bigger water bottle, maybe even a pair. I really have come to like having a Gouyet stainless steel bottle in my gear, just as much as I like have a GSI/Olicamp cup on the bottom of my lexan bottle(s).

+1 on the dental floss. It's tiny and darn useful.

I know people like their Fenix's, but a headlamp is so freaking useful. A year ago, I would have said "well, their OK", then I got a good one. It's been in my EDC since the new year. :P

And the reason some people don't suggest pre-shaving the magnesium is that it will oxidize. IIRC, the oxidization reaction is largely self limiting, so it is only the surface, but a spark or even a match won't light it at that point.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Best Glide has some neat tins for storing equipment. Another site you may consider is bepreparedtosurvive.com. They have lots of interesting items and storage containers of various sorts that might be of interest.

An additional storage container for treating water might be something to add to you small kit. A large oven bag for roasting a turkey packs down really small. If you cut it in half it'll compress to the size of a condom, but much more durable. You can pre-measure it and mark it with a Sharpie for convenience.

Never thought about this. My pill storage container has an o-ring seal, I wonder if this will prevent the oxidation?

Doubt it. Probably plenty of air in the container.

-john

I’m going to leave the shavings in it all winter long, have to see what it looks like this spring.

Just fill the container with an inert gas.....

:-)

-john