Here's the idea for the contest: design a survival kit costing less that $50.

Your kit description should start with some idea of what kind of scenario it covers: I doubt anybody can design a do-it-all kit for that kind of money, so make some assumptions, and make them explicit! I'm doing this partly for fun, partly to refine some ideas, but mostly to learn!

Suggestions: URLs for items which can be purchased online, nearest-dollar or rougher accounting, and sub-dollar/commodity items can be assumed to come from home at no cost. Or do it your way :-)

Here's my first entry: Muppet's Lost-In-The-Woods Kit

A $50 buck basic survival kit for the "briefly lost in the woods" scenario. The sort of thing one might carry on a day hike which suddenly turns out to take a little longer than expected due to a sprained ankle, or a minimalist kit to outfit an inexperienced friend with.

----------------------- the easy stuff -----------------

- two person sized space blanket - actually a very cool item, I saw them today.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductD...gory_rn=4500522
$5

- whistle with compass. REI sells this at three different prices, branded by Coglins, Sunnuto and For Kids.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductD...ory_rn=11549413
- OR whistle with compass and waterproof match case
http://store.yahoo.com/wj-enterprises/5insurwhis.html
$5

- Iodine for water purification (either potable aqua or 2% tincture of iodine) plus vitamin C to kill the taste
OR
- Potassium permangenate crystals. These sound great, but I can't find any solid information on them online.
$5

- Lifeboat or equivalent matches, plus a bic lighter and a bit of a candle
$5

- Cheap LED flashlight (Dorcy AAA from Walmart or the Energizer LED headlamp for $12)
$10

------------ now some harder choices, $20 left --------------

- knock-off swiss army knife with wood saw (or a cheap or craft knife and a cheap folding saw, also around $10)
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=knif...mp;amp;start=30
$10

- metal cup / mess kit pan to heat water.
$5

- small bottle of hand sanitizer, and some bug repellent/sun screen
$5

-------------- No money left, stuff from stores, assumed at marginal cost. ----------------

- Recycled soda bottle to carry water.
- String
- Sticking plasters
- Food
- Pen, paper
- Stout garbage bags
- Duct tape :-)
- Safety pins

---------------------------------------------------------------

Your turn :-)

PS: I've crossposted this to a couple of other forums, to see how different communities approach the problem... hope that's OK.

I bought a jar of Potassium permangenate at Sears Hardware. It's used to clean water softners. I found a web reference for the Kenmore 20 oz. bottle fo $13. But I think I bought a smaller bottle for around $7 about 2 years ago. Of couse a bottle goes a long way!

fox 40-----------------------------------------------4.00
signal mirror, boy scout----------------------3.00
led lite (?) -----------------------------------------5.00
suunto watchband compass----------------4.50
25 ft. white para cord (real stuff)-----------1.00
15 yellow 6 inch wire ties----------------------.25
folding saw with metal &wood blades----3.00
bottle of Potable Aqua-------------------------4.00 (?)
trioxane bar------------------------------------------.16
ferro bar----------------------------------------------2.00
18 inches 3/16 tubing-----------------------------.25
2 qt heavy duty sealable bag-----------------3.00
sparklite w/tinders--------------------------------8.00
50 ft mil trip wire------------------------------------.25
"space blanket"-----------------------------------3.00
cheap poncho--------------------------------------1.50
lifeboat matches-----------------------------------1.50
first aid kit--------------------------------------------6.00
TOTAL------------------------------------------------50.41 (close enough)

COMMODITY ITEMS
extensive fishing kit (from my own tackle box)
sewing needles/safety pins (from wife's sewing box,,,sshhhhh)
p-38
fishing line/sewing line
duct tape
electrical tape
razor blades
matches
cotton
vaseline
etc.......

correct me if im wrong, but the Potassium permangenate in other threads was used to clean/ filter water etc.

but when i checked out the link, the bottle says "harmfull if swallowed".

My understanding is that, like Chlorine or Iodine, a little isn't too bad for you, and a lot will kill you stat.

What I can't find is any real, solid, scientific looking data on it's effectiveness. For example, cysts are pretty resistant to chlorine if I remember correctly. Does Potassium Permangenate get them?

I don't know.

If anybody does, I'd love to know!

http://www.equipped.org/ubbthreads/showt...amp;amp;fpart=1

I found it. Potassium permanganate is apparently not a good water purifier.

Given that $50 is about all I have left after paying my taxes today, this is spot on.

Here's my kit:
Item Cost
Heet Sheet 2 Person Blanket $4.50
Adventure Medical Pocket Medic $5.59
Mini Fox 40 Whistle $4.50
Bic Lighters (2) $2.00
1 Liter Soda Bottle filled with water Free
2 Granola Bars $1.50
I Sheetrock Knife with Blades $5.00
100' Mason Line, Nylon, Bright Yellow $4.00
LED Flashlight $10.00
Plastic Trash Bag $0.50
Flat Duct Tape $2.00
Chapstick $1.50
Zip-Lock Bags, 3 (Gallon) $0.75
3 Candles $1.00
1 Metal Cup $2.00

TOTAL $44.84

Now I could also buy a ready-made kit from REI for less than $25 and add $25 worth of stuff to it!
http://tinyurl.com/352jc