personally, i think a water bottle should have water in it.

I totally agree. I like the molle container, and the plastic bag for shelter (always a critical component). No survival kit is complete without some type of shelter for maintaining your body temperature. Shelter, signalling, water and water purification, then fire. Remember the rule of threes!

I like adding a pair of trash bags, instructions and maybe duct tape around the outside.

Bruce, what water bottle is that that you're using? Source?



Same here.

I have a similar looking large-mouth nalgene type SS bottle labeled "guyotdesigns" (not on their website), also in an insulated Maxpedition bottle holder.

I too use a Maxped bottle holder to hold my nalgene, cup, and other items. To increase the space, I trimmed out the insulation and inner layer of fabric. I now can squeeze in a Trangia burner and a fuel container.

i always felt that a metal container was %100 necessary in any kit.
making a hot drink and food gos a long way in making a bad situation a bit better.i would get rid of the multiple fire making gizmos and get some sort of dry soup or food bar that could be cooked up in there.

Thanks, I should have also mentioned that. I carefully cut out the insulation, too. That made enough room that I can fit a bain marie pot in there. That's an insert made for commercial steam table/wells in a restaurant. They're heavy gauge SS and have a lid, and I found a 1 L one that nests nicely with my 40 oz bottle. Not as light as a $50 titanium pot much it only cost about $4 with lid at a restaurant supply store.

Thanks to to the OP for the original post. I don't mean to hijack it; it's a very good idea. Your first post gave me a few ideas to tweak my own kit. I should take a few pics of the contents of mine. Mine is also biased heavily towards fire.

Using the bottle holder does as some bulk but it also provides a means of carry. It has a should strap, plus it has a bunch of MOLLE webbing to either mount it to a pack or lash it to a vehicle. Lots of options.

At any rate, I personally don't like to carry an empty water bottle. You save the weight of the water but none of the space; plus, I would rather have the water! Of course if I lived in MN instead of SD I probably wouldn't carry water, just the container. It all depends on your environment.

I like the idea of a metal water bottle kit. I wish I could see how the split rings are attached, as that is a nice improvement if the bottle were to be used for emergency boiling over a fire. Are they wired on?

I have looked at those cheap pre-filled kits sold in a plastic water bottle and concluded that they were not worth carrying. A stainless steel bottle in which you could boil water and cook food and a kit designed for the regional needs of the user is a great idea.

I came to a better understanding of the reasons that opinions differ so much on what should be carried as I walked around the deserts near Moab, Utah this summer. Most of the things that I believe to be critical to carry in the lake and river filled boreal forest were not so important there, and other things took on a new importance for me. I don't want to hijack the thread by getting into that here.

My 'survival' kits are getting smaller, as I concede the difference between what I really need to 'survive', and what I would like to have with me for 'comfort'. I have been working on a 'core' kit that will travel from pack to bike to hunting coat. Additional gear would be added for seasonal/regional/activity differences.

I would pack the items in a cloth pouch before stuffing into the bottle. That way, when using the bottle for boiling or transporting water, all the stuff keeps together in a manageble way.

PS. Just noticed that Montanero has mentioned that.