Thanks to everyone for all the replies on vacuum packing survival items. I have a plan that I will be trying soon and will post my results for anyone interested.

I now have some other questions and one tip.

Tip:
The Spark-Lite Firestarter provided in the AMK Pocket Survival Pak kit failed to ignite samples of Wet-Fire tinder in repeated attempts. This comment is in no way meant to cast a bad light on either the Spark-Lite or Wet-Fire tinder. In all honesty, Wet-Fire recommends only the Blast Match and matches to ignite Wet-Fire, and the AMK kit supplies Spark-Lite Tinder-Quik for use with the Spark-Lite. Neither provider can be assigned any culpability here, but I felt the need to make this comment after conducting some in-home experiments in case anyone esle out there made the same ass...umption that I did that all you need to ignite the Wet-Fire tinder is a sparking device. I tested neither the Blast Match nor any other sparking device to try to light the Wet-Fire so I can't comment on what else will work. Regular paper matches DID lite it with no problem. I also found that the Spark-Lite easily ignited the "fluffed-out" cotton head of some Vaseline-packed Q-tip swabs (Johnson brand tested) like I am now carrying in my kit. The swabs have an added benefit of the rolled paper stick that not only burns well, but makes a little "handle" by which the tinder can be moved or more carefully placed after lighting.

Questions:

Seeing as how current airline carry-on regulations restrict just about anything with a sharp point in a personal survival kit, does anyone have any idea of how "round" a butter knife blade must be to pass security checks? The thought of relying on only a stainless butter knife as a primary survival tool is confidence-shaking enough, but worlds better than no knife at all. Does anyone out there actually carry one? Since I wouldn't want to have to expend hard-to-replinish energy trying to grind a point on a circular blade using a rock in order to make a spear for fishing, I would like to know how close to a pointed blade I can carry and still be acceptable to security. Any ideas?

I have ordered a pocket-sized diamond sharpening stone/file as available from http://www.commandoproducts.com and hope that it will pass security after grinding any sharp points or edges off of it. That should make it easier to put a point and reasonable edge on my butter knife before putting it to use in a survival situation. Anyone else own one?

I can't seem to get a reply back from TSA on a security question. The last I checked it was acceptable to carry a disposable BIC butane lighter onboard an airliner. Is that still the case and does anyone know the restrictions?

Finally, since it seems that while the airlines are making it increasingly hard for terrorists to kill flight personnel without carrying their knitting needles onboard (still a potentially lethal weapon), they are also making sure that no passengers will survive a ditching for any length of time by restricting carry-on items such as fish hooks, small pocket knives, sewing needles, safety pins, etc. (maybe the plan is to cut down on the number of law suits from survivors by making sure that there are none? :-)). Has anyone come up with an airline-accepted pocket survival kit? I am interested to hear from anyone who has any ideas.

Thanks.

Did you try to break apart the wet tinder cubes when you tried lighting it? I've found that the cube works best if you shave small pieces similar to what you would do w/ a magnesium fire starter.

Sadly when I travel I have to check my gear. Here in the US you can check almost anything including firearms (if you're a law-abiding citizen and willing to jump through the proper beaurocratic hoops). I too would LOVE to hear ideas about airline carry-on acceptable PSKs. I liked the previously mentioned laminate counter top knife idea. I tried it. Not exactly razor sharp but certainly a more effective cutting tool than my teeth.

BTW: A fancy metal ballpoint pen is as good a weapon as any knitting needle and a laptop computer is full of "dangerous weapons" once you smash it open. Don't tell the TSA that though or computers and writing utensils will be banned too. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

When was the last time commercial aircrash survivors had to rely on longterm survival skills? The famous soccerteam crash in the Andes is the latest I can recall. Butterknives will not endear you to security personel. My gameplan is to dress infire retardant clothing, sit over the wing next to an emergency door, avoid alcohol and lose myself in a good book, SHARK ATTACK! or AIR CAPMPAIGNS OF WW2 with graphic photos of bombers spiralling down in flames. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> My PSK gets enough attention stowed in my baggage. I just mail it ahead now.

I hear you, Chris - but if you REALLY want attention from the TSA, just go with your kids to the gate to see them off to visit the ex. Some more enlightened airlines let you do that now, but to the TSA, that makes you a major threat since God alone knows what you might try to do in the terminal. Not only did my kids get the complete shakedown at the ticket counter and the security checkpoint, but I was all but stripped naked even thought I wasn’t getting on the plane. The big, beefy SFB screener who wanded me, after I had taken off my shoes, etc., said he had to “resolve an issue” around my waist … the metal zipper on my shorts! He had me pull my shirt up and proceeded to pat around my waist … firmly … and after about a minute of this I told him, very politely and calmly, that unless he wanted to lose the use of that hand forever he’d best finish up. I was promptly waved through. Sheesh!

Thanks for the response. I did break it into several chuncks from dust to about 1/8 inch before I tried it. If anyone gets different results, please post as I may have some defective material on hand. I just ordered/received it, but it could be old stock or contaminated, I guess.

I agree about the possibility of using many of the declared "safe" items as weapons. A metal knife of any kind in a survival situation is almost certainly better than not having one IMHO. Thanks.

With all due respect Chris, isn't that the whole point? We never know when we will need to be equipped for surviving for hours, days, or weeks, do we? The idea of mailing the PSK ahead is good and I have considered that, but mailing out of the USA has some built-in risks and there has to be a place to mail it to where it will be safe until picked up. I feel like what you are saying about the butter knife is probably right. It would serve to arouse suspicion if nothing else. The book idea is a good one - I love that WWII gun camera footage! I don' t know if there is a good answer for an airline-approved PSK, but it is an interesting idea to me. Thanks for your time.

It's sure harder to get any warm fuzzies these days when it comes to security. Working so hard to protect us from ourselves must take an emotional toll on some of those folks. Seriously, times they are a-changing and we have to get used to added inconveniences. I just wish we didn't have to give up a lot of our good-old American independance and self-reliance in the process. Time alone will take care of all the necessary social adjustments. We will have to keep searching out the middle ground as we go. Thanks for your post.

I don't want to get used to the "inconveniences" because it reminds me too much of the road Germany went down before WWII.

I would rather change the "inconveniences" while it is still possible.

Bountyhunter

Remember that Germany was able to kill most resistance at the beginning of the war because of gun registration... Think about it.

I travel with a modified mess kit in my bag, including knife, fork and spoon. I have had it questioned once. And that was because the lady had never been a scout. Her supervisor looked at the utensils and waved me through. It helps that I also travel with a chefs bag with my knives in check-thru and put up a fuss if I think they are going to treat it with less than enough respect.

Hey, just because I have an Anaconda next to my 10" german chef's knife... <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I'm not a caterer, I just play one on t.v..

Rena

With all due respect, I don't think you have to put up with inconveniences. The United States is still a democracy, regardless of what Timothy McVeigh and his buddies think/thought. This means that anything can be changed if enough public pressure is brought to bear.

The inconveniences, as many on this forum have pointed out, do absolutely nothing to ensure security. At best, they do nothing; at worst, they instil a sense of false confidence that will make the terrorists' job easier in future.

There are far more effective security measures that could be implemented, which pose little or no inconvenience to the travelling public. (For example, one anonymous airline pilot was heard to say “They’ll have trouble hijacking my airplane when I’m bouncing them off the ceiling.” He may have got this idea from a guy named Uri Bar-Lev, who did exactly that when two Palestinian terrorists tried to hijack the El Al airliner he was flying in September 1970.)

But unless the public can be educated about the difference between real security and “show” security, they won’t lobby for that change.

Aardwolfe:

I seem to remember that the passengers on that flight were a bunch of chauvanists.

In the resulting melee, I believe they killed the male Palastinian and not the female terrorist (The papers showed an extremely beautiful young woman.).

Of course back then, equal treatment wasn't as highly promoted.

Just a goose and gander comparison.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
Something to think about.

The male hijacker was shot and killed by Israeli air marshals. I believe the woman (Leila Khaled) was knocked unconscious when her head hit the ceiling and so they were able to take her alive. Considering the hijackers had (or claimed to have) a bomb and had threatened to blow up the airplane and kill everyone on board, I doubt the AMs would have shown such restraint had she gotten to her feet as the male hijacker allegedly did.

I doubt that chivalry had anything to do with it, especially after one of the El Al flight attendants had been shot 12 times.

El Al may be a royal pain to fly on (or so I'm told; I've never been to the ME myself), but IMO their most effective security measures are the ones the passengers don't see, or necessarily even know about. (For another example, they refuse to comment on whether their pilots are armed; if I'm not mistaken, George Bush has stated very clearly that pilots on US airlines are not armed and will never be armed as long as he is President. How is this supposed to improve security?)

Basically if you have to wonder whether the TSA will hassle you for trying to bring X onto a plane, the answer is that they will.

As for types of knives, about the least scary knife anyone can possibly imagine is those plastic throwaway ones that you get in fast food places. And among those, there's the relatively solid ones, and the really cheap flimsy ones that snap in two if you look at them the wrong way. I had one of the flimsy ones in my backpack for some reason and the TSA confiscated it and threw it away.

Basically, whatever it is that you want to bring aboard, put it into a checked bag instead, or mail it to your destination ahead of time.