Instructables

Two misspelled words in the same sentence.

Also misspelled "cought". Makes me wonder about the state of education where the OP lives.

On topic - pretty simplistic. I would rather see quality stuff, not cheap just to have something crap.

I just hate misspeled words! Looking around his website, I became less impressed the more I looked. Not recommended.

One could easily be a simple typo not corrected and the other -- let's just say there IS more than one way to spell that word. It depends which country you live in. Hint only the US spells the word "defence". The rest of the anglo world spells it defense. Also see color/colour, neighbor/neighbour or aluminum/aluminium or signaling/signalling.

I see far worse spelling mistakes in this forum than that website.

What do you base that on? As a U.S. guy for my entire life, I have never spelled it that way.

psst, roarmeister, i believe you have it backwards.
us
australia
england

I just hate spelling mistakes like this. Given the easy availability of spell check these days it shows me the writer just does not care much.

To get back to the question, I think a small fanny pack kit is a good idea, but I would not use this site for a recommendation because of his approach. I would not use a knife like he recommends for yard work, much less as a survival item. I don't think you NEED to spend $100 + on a knife for a survival kit (although I do spend a lot more) his recommendation is not acceptable in my book. Similar his recommendation for several other items.

In addition, his kit is IMHO incomplete, even with his discussion of later additions.

In all, someone who has not thought about it much, practiced it less, but willing to tell everyone.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Space blankets are too small and too fragile. Strong winds tear them apart. An extra large trash bag holds up better and is easier to configure into clothing.

I agree with you that the kit is sorely lacking.

I don't have a serious issue with the knife selection though. I think people worry way too much about having the perfect piece of gear when a barely adequate one is maybe appropriate. It is not like you are going to be using this a lot. It is for all intents and purposes a one time use kit.



That the author thinks one will be skinning, trapping, and wood cutting with a $1 pocket knife even further suggests he is clueless.

that the author thinks salt and sugar packets are important enough to put in a so called survival pack shows how poorly thought out it is.

to me the most critical item in any survival kit is a $2 poncho. it will keep you from freezing to death from the cold and wind. it is not perfect rain gear but it may well keep you from dying. hypothermia will get you long before you can trap and skin anything.

ILBob,

I agree with you that many spend WAY TOO MUCH for knives for a kit like this, but many $1 knives break on the first use. Decent knives can be found in the $10 to $20 range (I have a lot of the little Ritters at under $20 in such kits).

I agree with you about the poncho as well. A garbage bag, cheap plastic poncho, etc. is one of the most important parts of the kit. I tend to use Heatsheets at about $6 but that is not necessary. There are places where money can be saved.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I've got a $1 knife in my fire kit, BUT

-I use it primarily as a scraper for my ferro rod
-it's secondary use it to pry pine pitch off of trees
-it's third use is making wood shavings

Granted, mine is tiny, but I have a hard time accepting anyone who tells me it or one of it's family members are good for much more than that. I use my tiny cheap knife to save my good knife for the big jobs. I want something of much better quality if I'm going to be splitting wood with it, for example. My knife is something that needs to take a beating. Mine aren't high end but they're tough enough and I know I can trust them if I keep them sharp. The problem with a poor knife suggestion is that it can result in injury, especially in an emergency situation.

I am a fan of the space blanket, as it's good for shelter and first aid, but I have upgraded all of mine to Heat sheets because the standard Mylar blanket is just too fragile. That said, I really like disposable ponchos for emergency kits. I keep a couple in my purse and all my kits, and I'd pick it over a Mylar blanket or bin liner in a heartbeat - especially if someone wasn't familiar with shelter building. They're just more user friendly. They're one of first things I throw in my kiddo's kits and suggest to my Scouts and their parents. Shelter from the elements that they know how to use - The KISS theory in action.

I have found that good quality knives (usually folders) at very reasonable prices can be found at local hardware stores or farm supply stores rather then camping/backpacking/"outdoor" stores. They just look at it as another tool, not something special or unusual, and price it accordingly. YMMV.

Ditto Doug Ritter's little knife ("MK5"), I have several and just rearranged my coat closet for spring/summer - putting an MK5 in the jackets/coats I'm mostly likely to wear between now and fall.

I also have an MK5 in a few hip belt bags (in SUV, home) and in my primary mountain bike's rack bag.

http://www.dougritter.com/rsk_mk5.htm


By the way, I'd never go into the woods with just one of these little bags - mine are intended to go on a hip belt of a backpack and are more for convenient access. My main pack (daypack) has a larger knife (usually a Mora), firemaking devices (Bic, matches, firesteel), full-size compass and shelter (heatsheet, lawn garbage bags and paracord), etcetera and more etcetera.


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Argghhh.... and so I do. My bad. Hanging my head in shame....

There are a few different approaches to having a reliable survival kit. The reality of having a small pocket kit in a small pouch as described may not cut in real world induced hypothermia weather conditions i.e. wet cold heavy rain/sleet windy conditions. Building a fire may be impossible especially if there is no wood or fuel to burn or conditions make it extremely difficult (exactly when a fire is needed to survive), a lighter or Ferrocerium or other sparky survival tools fail to get a fire going properly.

Trying to get a fire started and build a weather resistant shelter when hypothermia is beginning to set in combined with a lack of available calories available (lack of Liver glycogen and brain glucose after a heavy exertion in a cooler environment i.e. the panic bonk) could be almost impossible and could easily be the difference of not making it through the night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRidCeRwjjg

A more realistic approach considering the number one killer of those that don't survive the first 24hrs when folks get lost or overestimate their abilities when walking an environment that they underestimate?

If one is carrying a pack with the capacity in the video, then properly chosen gear will allow positively comfy existence in almost any conditions - luxury survival, including packing a nice small conventional stove which will prepare almost any hot food you might prefer, including the iconic nice cup of tea. Many small tents or even elaborate bivvy sacks could be incorporated as well

The flameless hat pack shown in the video looked like the smaller Trekmate brand, whose flameless cooker I purchased a few weeks ago - very nice unit. it does a nice job of cooking, including the very best omelet I have ever prepared, but the packets are kind of pricey - not recommended for routine use.

Conspicuously missing is any discussion of finding shelter - the assumption seems to be that the victim will simply plop down wherever and gut it out. Looking around just a bit can make an enormous difference. Finding a rock overhand or a down tree, even just a few feet away, can improve the situation a lot. I have found that the very best shelter, exceeding even the most expensive tent you can obtain, is a nice dry rock shelter or cave mouth (at least when rattlesnakes aren't denning). Survival is the quite easy, if not downright cushy. My very best nights in the outdoors have been spent snugly camped in rock shelters, with a nice compact camp stove.

Of course, rock shelters are a lot more common in the American Southwest than on the windswept moors of Merrie England...

To Liath's point, Bear Grylls (I know, I know) did an episode of Man Vs Wild called "Norway, Edge of Survival" that had a interesting experiment in hypothermia hidden in the middle it. They simulated wind and rain at night, and his goal was a make a shelter and get a fire going. (These are something our emergency kits should help us with, IMO.) He aborted the mission when the hypothermia risk got too high, and he couldn't get a fire. He made a smart observation about the importance of waterproof clothing.

That episode has stuck with me since it originally aired a few years ago, and reinforces my personal belief that a rain poncho is an important addition to any pocket kit, or GHB/BOB/INCH/whatever, at least in this neck of the woods. Combined with hikermor's look for natural shelter approach, it's a pretty good shelter solution for an emergency bivvy. (The links on YouTube suck for isolating just this segment, and other than the river segment, I shake my head at most of the rest of the episode, so i'm passing on including links.)

Back on the subject of the Simple hip pack Survival kit article. If the article get people to at least thing about survival or even make a survival kit, it would be a nice step in the right direction.

I agree, Tjin. We often criticize the shortcomings, and debate philosophies, but something is usually better than nothing. If a simple kit building project gets people thinking, it's a god thing.

I have invested in these two items. Kifaru woobie xpress and Snugpak poncho.
I believe they will make me comfortable whatever mother nature throws my way.
Together they form a "minitent" in which one can sit down
with feet tucked under the rainponcho and woobie having ample isolation against cold.

Even warmer when arms are pulled inside.

Snugpak poncho pack size is a couple of (manly)fists. Kifaru woobie bigger but can be compressed quite a bit. Perhaps into a size of 3 litres.

I don't live in the extreme climates of Herman, Jacqui, and most of the rest of the members, but my inclusion of a 2mil contractor trash liner is to act as a bivvy ...with poncho and mosquito netting ... seems like a good way to get off the wet ground (most likely leaning against a tree) a chance to remove your shoes and allow your feet to dry... from AFLM's video, the addition of a high quality candle is a good idea

Contractor's bags are great, Les. You can do so many things with them. I keep one or two in most of my kits. They make an instant dry patch of ground, you can cut em and wear em, stuff em and lay on them, cut them and make a roof out of them, you can make water potable with em if they're clear, you can carry stuff in em, wrap stuff with em, make signal flags and trail markers, etc., etc... I'd put them right up there with the bandana.

It occurs to me that if you were going to make a survival kit out of a fanny pack, you might want to consider one with a water bottle holder, or a water bottle holder add-on.

FWIW....a 2mil contractor bag can be vacuumed down to about 3/8" thick at the fold and 5 1/2" square... without puncturing the bag, it is difficult to remove all the air with my Food Saver...

I don't have an issue with minor differences in philosophy, but a kit made up like the one the OP showed exhibits horrible ideas that will not be helpful in any real emergency. Those kinds of things ought to be exposed for what they are. Talking about why they are such bad ideas is a good thing as it makes us think a little about just what such a kit ought to cover.

I have never been a big fan of the Altoids type kits. I just don't see them as especially useful. The way I see it the stuff that is truly useful in such a kit would probably fit in a 35mm film canister. The rest of it is just there to fill in the empty space. But, I do see talking about the contents of such kits to be useful.

a little more sophisticated and better quality... I like the thought process of Beast 12101.. in case you have not seen this reply for a 20 item "survival kit"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa4oiYwtLbE

Off topic, but it made me giggle: "Canada, the land where you can get a sunburn and frostbite in the same day."

On topic : Today was the perfect example - sun, high winds, rain, hail and snow, alternating all day long. I don't know what the actual temps were, but it went from warm to chilly and back again several times, and it's almost cold now. (By Canuckian standards.) I would've hated to be voluntarily camping in it, never mind getting caught out it in. My kits, especially in Spring and Fall, need to cover all the elements dependably. Shelter, fire and water are top priorities, and in these seasons of heightened hypothermia risk, high energy food makes the list too.

If you're going to take along a pocket kit to help you battle these elements, you need good quality stuff that you can depend on. That doesn't mean top of the line but, especially if you're less experienced or with less experienced people, you don't want to have to depend on cheap, easily broken stuff

Of course, a wise person would have checked the weather report and planned accordingly, including getting out of it when things started turning ugly.

it was 33F this morning when the beagle and I went out for our morning 3.25 mile walk.

it is supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow.