I was looking at my Victorinox swiss card, and wondered why something more suitable for survival could not be made in a similar package, and why there was not one already on the market.

Then I got to thinking, what kind of tools would I want in a toolcard? What can be put into such a small package to make an indispensable part of every day carry, that similar products do not currently provide?

Given thickness constraints, I came up with a list of things I would like to have in a tool card.....

-Magnesium bar going down the length of one side, as thick as the card
-Ferrocium rod going down the length of the other
-Signal Mirror on Top (pull out or part of the top? Not sure)
-Diamond Knife Sharpener on bottom (maybe a small pull out or part of the bottom itself? not sure)
-Fresnel Lens sandwiched in between (pull out type)
-Maybe a Tinder Card sandwiched in between, if it fits (pull out)
-Good strong knife (like the tool logic ones, rather than the swisscard ones)
-Small pen for writing
-Toothpick
-Straight pen
-Pull out LED
-Maybe a small compartment for matches, hooks/line or one or two purification tablets or something

I would have the mirror take up only half the top, and use that space to add something like a built in compass or thermometer or something, but I'd be afraid the metal parts of the knife and such would interfere with the compass....

So what's your ideal companion? What kind of tools would you want on a card? Maybe you want a saw running done one side, or first aid gear, or a tiny camera like in phones, or maybe you're a more urban type person and would like a USB memory stick? Lets hear your ideas <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

1. Whatever the final form of the card(s), the body of the card, what ever is removed from the card, and the compass needle should be glow-in-the-dark. I've read that some such material will glow up to 10 hours after a 30 minute exposure to a light source.
2. I think that more than one card should be used and all sharps should be on just one card. That way any non-sharps card could pass airport security.
3. I have given some thought to something beyond the flosscard. From one end of a more rigidly built card could one could pull out floss or fish line. From the other end one could pull some type of Spectra cord. The cut-off device as used on floss cards should be stronger and sharper. The card could be call the ETS MasterCord.
4. Once I played with the idea of a meds card. Something to hold about 7 meds; say, ibuprofen, Lomotil, Compazine, an antibiotic, etc. Use printed, colored bands on both sides of card to identify each med. On one side, within a particular colored band identify the med, its use, and recommended dosage. On the other side of the card be able to peel away a layer of thin plastic to get to an individual pill without exposing the rest of the meds to the ambient. The core of the card should be a strong, flexible plastic.
5. Build a whistle into one of the cards.

What an excellent idea! Here's My humble opinion. I dont think I would add anything to your card design. You covered all the bases quite well IMO. If anything I would take away from it. Since space is at a premium he's my opinon on which items are least important and could be done without it needed.

-Magnesium bar going down the length of one side, as thick as the card - Excellent
-Ferrocium rod going down the length of the other - Excellent
-Signal Mirror on Top (pull out or part of the top? Not sure) - Excellent
-Diamond Knife Sharpener on bottom (maybe a small pull out or part of the bottom itself? not sure) - Excellent
-Fresnel Lens sandwiched in between (pull out type) - Moderate
-Maybe a Tinder Card sandwiched in between, if it fits (pull out) - Less than moderate (redundant)
-Good strong knife (like the tool logic ones, rather than the swisscard ones) - Excellent
-Small pen for writing - Less than moderate
-Toothpick - Less than moderate
-Straight pen - Less than moderate
-Pull out LED - Excellent
-Maybe a small compartment for matches, hooks/line or one or two purification tablets or something - Excellent

Okay I might add one thing. A whistle. Toologic has incorporates whistles in to their knife handles in a way that could easily be done with a small plastic card as well.

Glow in the dark ... super idea!

Thanks for the review <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You're right about the tindercard being redundant, I didn't even think about that...

The other items (straight pin, pen, and toothpick) are things I've needed in the past but didn't have on my person, which is why I included them, but more useful items could probably be put in their place.

I agree about the whistle, I was just worried that size constraints would compromise it's performance. If they can build in a decent one, I'm all for it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hahaha mastercord <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

That sounds good. Are you talking about a disposable version, or a reloadable one? With maybe reload cartridges for the flosscard type thing... pop it open, slide in a new spool, and thread it for next use. Someone could use floss, or kevlar, or spectra, or fishing line, whatever serves their needs. Maybe even have pull out sissors or a decent needle.... but maybe not, as that wouldn't fly with airport security...

The glow in the dark idea is a good one.

As mentioned in an earlier reply, I worry about a built in whistle unless it turns out to be a good one.... crappy whistles and other items being "built in" are a real turnoff for me even if the other items are decent. I'm not saying it shouldn't have a whistle; as long as a good one can be built into a package that thin I'm all for it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The only strong knife I've seen in a toolcard is something like tool logics knife.

Is that the ideal shape?

Also what kind of sharpener is ideal? A V type sharpener built into the card, a pull out diamond(?) file type sharpener, or some sort of sharpener built into one of the faces (would offer more surface area, but may abrade your pocket!)

I would go with a disposable flosscard arrangement--making it reloadable would only increase thickness. If you cut open a floss card, you see that they are not tightly packed. If I remember correctly, the floss is laid down very loosely in a back-and-forth manner on a light, double-sided adhesive sheet. Then the other side of the adhesive is attached to one of the two layers of plastic of the card. If you’ve carried a flosscard in a wallet, you will have noticed that one side (its thinner) of the card does not wear as well. I can envision having two different sizes of cordage in one card—something light like floss from one end and a heavier cord (maybe 200# Spectra) from the other. Whether one or two types of cord are used in a card, they could be packed much tighter than the floss in flosscards (at a cost).

As to needles: Are they banned yet? I keep some fishing hooks, sewing needles, and T-pins taped to the floss card in my wallet.

As to scissors: Martin Focazio has at least twice mentioned that he carries paramedic shears on flights—the type that can slide under a bandage without scratching the skin. These are considered blunt nosed shears. Some are advertised as being able to cut a penny in half. They could easily cut a seat belt. If you have not looked at these as a tool you can take on a flight, do so. The ones sold at the local drug store (for way to much money) did not have contoured finger and thumb holes-- probably some type of medical supply house would be the best place to purchase them. I have been considering getting just the shears from a Swiss Army Card to put in a small FAK; but I’m not sure if they would be considered too pointed.

How about a hinge on one of the short sides, with the mirror on the inside for protection. The magnesium bar and flint can extend down the full thickness. The plastic fresnel lens is more durable, so it can go on the bottom without protection(a folding plastic cover on the same hinge, to protect to bottom, would be nice, but would probably add too much thickness and complexity.)
The space in between the mirror and lense could hold a tindercard, and some ultra-thin plastic sheets printed with survival instrutions in a tiny font, to be read with the fresnel lense. Experienced people would have the option of replacing the instructions with an extra tindercard, photo, etc.

A thin, partially serrated knive could fit on the top of the card, above the back of the mirror, behind the magnesium bar. It would run the full length of the card, be partially serrated, and be a one piece unit with a small knurled metal handle. The end of the handle could be designed to lock into the side of the card opposite the hinge, to provide a more substantial handle(This would be a great feature but may not be possible, since most of that side is taken up by the flashlight and space for the knife handle. There may be room in between, although locking the knife to the middle would be slightly less functional than to the bottom). The knife would either slide into a recess in the top of the card, or lock onto the top in such a way that the edge is protected.

The flashlight would be opposite and parallel to the knife. Since the L.E.D. itself is too thick, the bottom half below the electrodes could wrap around the edge of the mirror, flush with the bottom of the mirror and the top of the card. 2 CR2016 batteries would be end-to-end, not stacked like most coin cell flashlights, so the flashlight unit would be fairly long. Stacked batteries would be way too thick, leaving no room for a casing and switch(think about a photon, that's thicker than the entire card should be). The flashlight would be removable, locking to the top of the card, and have a small lanyard hole.

The compass would be behind the flashlight, non-removable, about the diameter and thickness of a CR2016 battery, with luminous markings(not that it makes much of a difference, since the flashlight is needed to charge the luminous crystals).
Between the knife and light, opposite the hinge, would be a lanyard hole that goes through both halves. This hole could serve double duty as a snap.

A small aiming hole for the mirror would be directly in the middle of the card. The narrow rectangle between the
knife, light, lanyard hole and aiming hole, could be used to hold a small narrow whistle which snaps into the card. This would be thin and not very loud, but much better than nothing.

This would leave one small area of the card for storage or other usage, roughly a square bordered by the compass, knife, flint and hinge. If used for storage, a plastic or metal lid could snap on to cover the area, leaving just enough room for some thread, a few hooks or small safety pins, etc. The space would be so limited that I can't think of anything worth putting in there, I'm sure it could be better utilized for something else. A small "V" style sharpener with tiny tungsten rods would occupy roughly 1/5 of this space if designed cleverly, and would neccesitate the removal of about 1/2 a centimeter of the flint rod or magnesium bar. For most people this would be far more practical than a diamond sharpeneing surface, especially considering the market for this type of device. One possible use for the remaining space is an analog or digital clock, useful for measuring distance. A
tiny version of the flosscard may be the best thing for the remaining space. It would be far more useful if it contained a high strenth fiber such as kevlar or specra instead of floss.

The case itself would have to be made of a thin, strong, hight density metal, such as steel or possible anodized aluminum. Any type of plastic or lexan would be far too thick or increadibly weak. Carbon fiber might be an option, I'm not that familiar with it's properties. Titanium is out of the question, most people have the false idea that it is stronger than steel, it is actually much weaker by volume. However a titanium oxide coating(or other titanium compound, I'm not that familiar with metalurgy), might be a good option if it allows the use of high carbon steel instead of stainless, since that may allow it to be thinner. All sides of the card must be smooth and flush, to make it easy to insert and remove from a wallet, to prevent damage to the card and the wallet, and to prevent items from being accidentally removed.

If coloring the card is practical, bright orange, or possibly yellow is the best choice. For people who like glow-in-the-dark, keep in mind this card will rarely see the light of day, and even if charged with light, will not retain any significant brightness for long. If nightime visibility is that important, there is probably room for a small traser(tritium vial coated with phosphorous, very bright in complete darkness and needs no light charge)

All of the card tools I've seen on the market are too thick to be practical to carry in a wallet, and even this one would be too thick for some people. Whatever the size, don't dare describe it as credit-card sized, whoever is responsible for describing those other products as such deserved to be smacked repeatedly. In order to make this work, it would require top of the line materials, quality precision machining, and would not be cheap, costing at least $30.

One more thing. As far as including any sort of medical items or water purification, there's nothing you could possibly fit in a card that would be useful, except possibly a tiny container of superglue, a wound closure strip without the sterile packageing, or maybe a suture, (which for most of us would do more harm than good). Bandaids have there place in larger first aid kits, but in terms of life and death survival, are about as useful as pocket lint, (possibly less, depending on how much lint you have and how dry it is). You could not fit a full course of treatment of even the best antibiotic. If you had a card with meds and nothing else, and it was on the thick
side, you might be able to fit some useful meds such as painkillers, loperamide or other diareah meds, and antihistamines. You still couldn't fit antibiotics, and any other meds that you could fit would simply be luxuries. I guarantee you that noone is going to carry both a med card and a survival card in there wallet, and choosing a med card instead of a survival card would be a very poor choice.

I personally keep a few alcohol and iodine pads in my wallet, because they take up less space than a credit card and can be used as tinder and for water purification in addition to medical use. If you really want to keep a valuable medical item in your wallet, one of the smaller packets of quick-clot might fit. It's not small, but is probably the only first aid item that can fit in your wallet and save your life.

Sorry for the really, really long post, I went a bit overboard.

What an awesome idea! I like the ferro and magnesium part. That is what got me thinking. I would want something like a flat Leatherman. I would like to have a straight pin or a big needle to sew with. I want a GOOD pair of tweezers, better than the Swiss Army ones, but if not possible at least the Swiss Army ones. Something to write with. Would a thin removable ferro rod work as both a pen and a firestarter? I would want a blade similar to a Buck 110 folder in there because I love that knife and it works good for me or a setup like the Kershaw Onion knife with a lock to keep it closed. I don't mind if it is a little thicker than normal to accomodate a blade like I want and possibly a slide out compartment for a couple of matches. The LED light is a plus. Don't know how to fit a mirror in there but I would like one. Add a whistle and a lanyard hole and BAMMM! Hopefully it would fit either in a wallet or in the back pocket with the wallet. This has me eyeing my Buck 110 now and wondering if I could hollow out the wood side and possibly drill holes for a pen, a ferro rod, and tweezers.