Since the weather is getting nice I got to thinking about a simple (and light) survival kit that can be stashed in the daypack. Everything is housed in a Sea to Summit dry bag and the total weight is exactly 1.0 lbs. Here's what I came up with:

AMK Heatsheet Bivvy (nested inside mug)
BiC Mini lighter
Fox 40 whistle
Frontier filter straw
LMF Scout firesteel
MP1 water purification tabs
Paracord (550)
Petzl e+Lite
REI Stormproof matches w/striker strip
Rescue Flash signal mirror
Silva Type III compass
Snow Peak Ti 300 mug
Spare CR2032 batteries (x2)
WetFire tinder (x2)

Looking at the contents I'm trying to keep it limited to providing water, shelter/warmth, and signaling. Our daytime temps have been in the 100s (F) with our nighttime temps dropping to the 40s-50s (F). Between dehydration and exposure those are probably the two biggest threats right now.

Adding to this at least 2L+ of water, some snacks, an extra pair of synthetic socks, jacket or fleece, hat, GPS, map(s), modified AMK ultralight FAK, and a SAK Farmer everything comes in at about 8 lbs. for a dayhike.

Any suggestions or comments welcome!

Firesteel, matches and a bic - not taking any chances then ;-) ?
If you are cold and wet a toque is a good idea before a fire.

looks fine but i wonder why all of us seem to go so heavy into the fire making gear?..lack of trust in one method or item?..
i'm in the same boat,canoe rather,i went over the stuff i took and found i had a full box of wood matches,a bottle of flamers with heat tabs two Bics,a windproof lighter and a tank lighter.
i like the bag you have it in,that would carry alot of water in a way that it would not spill..

Thanks! Yeah, fire-making gear is the one thing I don't mind having redundancies of. Maybe it's something going back to our caveman days. If the lighter leaks, the matches get wet, at least there is still a backup plan with the firesteel.

That's a good kit. Much better than the AMK S.O.L. kit.

I presume that you intend to use the dry-bag as an emergency water carrier? Otherwise a 1 ltr zip-lock bag might be a worthwhile addition.

I personally would add a small knife. Something like a SAK farmer. Knife blade + saw for shelter building etc.

I carry both the bivvy bag and the regular heat sheet. I figure this will allow me to make more of a shelter (to block sun, wind, rain, etc.) and still have the bag to crawl into for warmth.

Good kit. I like the dry bag and the fact that the whole kit is only 1 lb.

Thanks! I decided not to include a water carrier because I always have at least a 1L Nalgene at my side. For a dayhike I would add a second Nalgene and/or a 2L Platypus reservoir.

I was torn about including a knife in the kit. The SAK Farmer rides in the daypack. Plus I always have either a LM Wave or Benchmade Mini-Grip clipped to my pocket. So it seemed like the sharps were covered.

Even though Jeremiah Johnson is one of my favorite movies, I just can't see myself wandering away from the trail and needing to live off the land for a few years.

What I needed was something to throw on my back after leaving the truck for whatever reason... geocaching, cutting a Christmas tree, day hike, fishing, etc. Previously my kits were too heavy, so they kept the truck safe but didn't do much for me and the family.

I like this kit. Really has some nice basics... I'm like you, I like to carry several types of fire starting methods... One of those things you don't want to be without...

I always assume that one is going to be separated from everything except the survival kit. Including my pant's.

As in the situation has FUBAR and TSHTHF on me.


Possibly I'm being paranoid. However it's better to be paranoid and right than not paranoid and wrong.