I am making a kit to carry with me on my hunting, fishing, and camping trips. I thought I would give you guys a list of what I want to put in it and get your opinions. I am trying to keep it as small as possible. Here it goes:

Fire starting:
1. Spark-lite firestarter
2. 25 NATO lifeboat matches
3. 10 Spark- lite tinder quicks

Shelter:
1. space blanket
2. 10 ft. 550 para-cord

Signaling:
1. Fox 40 whistle
2. Starflash mirror 2X3 inches

Water:
1. Reynolds oven bag
2. 4-6 micropur tablets

Medical:
1. 6-band aids
2. 2-butterfly closures
3. 2- antiseptic pads
4. 2-neosporin packets

I am making firestarting and shelter a importance due to the weather in NY's adirondack mountains. This is where I spend most of my time. I carry two compasses and a RAT TAK-1 on me. What do you guys think? Thanks

How about a flashlight/headlamp?
bandana?

Echo the flashlight and bandana
one or two contractor bags (3mil garbage bags, 33 gallon makes a better poncho than a 55)
more paracord, all you can carry
aluminum foil
swiss army knife or multitool with a saw

spare socks, always have spare socks. even if you must abandon your towel, never in your panic forget your socks

and a sense of humor- murphy will laughing at you, you might as well laugh back

So you have two compasses. When one goes bad which one do you
believe?

Great list!

Here are my humble suggestions:

Fire starting:
replace the matches with a mini Bic
Consider a large ferro rod. (MagFire Pro?)

Shelter:
Consider a Coghlan's Emergency Bag as a shelter. Makes a great wind and rain proof bivy bag. Two trash bags you can fill with leaves or whatever could be used as a blanket to keep you from freezing.

Signaling:
For the zillionth time; the StarFlash sucks compared to a glass mirror.

Water:
A Ziploc bag may provide more utility.

Medical:
OK, could be better.

There a lot more things you can carry that are useful but it is always a balance of how big a pile of stuff is it before you stop carrying it " all the time." Less that you have, is better than more, sitting in the car or at home.

How far into the wilderness do you generally venture, for how long, and what's the weather and temperature like generally?

Great start Terry,

I would second the Mini-Bic. I like to carry a nylon poncho, as it could be used as a poncho or as a tarp shelter. Add a few more feet of 550 cord and you got a pretty good kit.

Ready

Also throw in some dental floss -- 100 feet of cord that takes up almost no space and is dirt-cheap. Just take it out of its plastic box and wrap in some plastic.

Greatings Ladies and Gents; Hope all are well. Personal quest of mine; present company accepted but we are not representative of the population in general and the outdoors community specificly. Yearly, we find folks that got injured, lost or for whatever reason stranded in situitations that they weren't prepared nor equipped to deal with and as a result all to frequently have unfortunate outcomes. IMO survival equipment should be divided into on person (ETS PSK, PFAK, on body EDC), with the important stuff dummy corded to you, and clothing chosen as the first layer of shelter (environmental armor). This is so if you lost or were seperated from your pack, you could still function. In pack, I agree with the above. Additionally, extra clothes/ insulation, spare batteries/bulbs for headlight ( hands free illumination is great) and for the LED flashlight that is on body EDC. How about a map? Re first-aid,a more comperhensive kit, and look into what 's known in the tactical/millitary community as a blowout kit. It contains stuff for gun shot wounds/ knife wounds ect. Keeps you or someone else alive untill help arrives. Check out Old Jimbo's site Re: axes, the old one's that frequented the north woods in winter would often reach for their axe before their knife <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />. How about a folding saw? Chemical lightsticks, surveyors tape,duck tape. As above, you must be able to make a fire. Think multiple methods ( vasoline on cotton in 35mm film little plastic thingies, Sterno, hexamine/thiroxine(sp) tabs, strike anywhere matches in K&M match case, several sparkey sticks, ( the big ones are better) and a tinder case that you refill as you see stuff (birds nest, lighter pine, birch bark, ceder, various fungi, ect) , I didn't notice it in your post, but how much water are you carrying? In hot weather like we had recently, reccomend 1 gal/day. Respectfully; Jim

Terry,

Ditch the Space blanket in favor of an Adventure Medical HeetSheet (available at Dick's or EMS in NY locations.) Add a cheap Coghlan's poncho to use to keep the rain and snow off if you have to move from your shelter for any reason.

I'd also recommend the BIC and MagFire Pro over the NATO matches.

A quality LED light, like the Photon IIX, weighs next to nothing and provides long lasting useable light. Get a Photon handsfree clip to mate with it.

Check your compasses before you go. Trust in them. (Even though there's a lot of iron interference in some Adirondack regions.)

For 1st Aid, add in some Tylenol and a pair of Sliver Gripper Tweezers. If you normally take a prescription med daily, have a few of those handy too. If you're traveling the Ads spring and summer, don't forget the insect repellant and sunscreen. Fall, winter, and early spring add a few handwarmers....

M

I forgot to mention that I also carry a Surefire e2e with a KL1 LED head on it, and a bic lighter that I often use to check the wind. I carry two compasses in case I lose one. As far as paracord goes, I was thinking about adding more and wrapping it on the outside of my kit.

In response to how far I travel in to the woods, I would say up to 6 miles sometimes, maybe more.

The weather in the adirondack mountains can sometimes be below zero in the winter. This is why I placed an importance on fire and shelter.

Remember, most of the time I am hunting and trying to travel as light and un bulky as possible.The kit has to stay as small as possible.

Thanks guys so far for all your input.

I strongly second replacing the space blanket with an AMK Heatsheet. I would also recommend picking up a credit card-sized diamond sharpener, especially since you are only carrying one knife.

Where can I find info on the AMK Heatsheet? How small is it when stored? Thanks for the reccomendation. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

It is here under "Survival." Also see Sgt. Mike's reply earlier in this thread. I replaced all of my old-style space blankets with these. They are better in every way and pack just as small.

I concur with the Heatsheet, mabe add a few safety pins and a large needle. In cold environments, the larger, but easier to grasp Strikeforce firestarter might be a good idea.

Having spent a good deal of my life in the Ads and Tug Hill Plateau, I know how bad it can get. It was a bitter October night spent in the Ads with less than minimal gear is what got me into survival skills and equipment. Packing a little bulkier, but still watching the weight, can be a real lifesaver...

M

Do you know how small it is when folded? I could not find this info on the AMK website. Thanks.

I would say it may be just a bit bulkier (maybe 10%-15%?). Well worth it when you consider how much more durable it is. Quieter too, and much easier to refold. The bright orange on one side is a nice feature also. BTW, the picture listed shows it as an orange stripe but the ones I received are solid orange on one side.

Edit: here is a thread about it.

Thanks for all the input. I can't believe how fast I get helpful replies here.

I am going to try to fit all of this in a Otter box 2000 with 6" X 3-3/8" x 1-1/4" interior dimensions. I don't know if it will work yet. I might have to carry the space blanket or AMK heatsheet seperate.

Here's the contents of my usual hunting bag; minus the scent, drag and spare ammo:

MSR Ti mug with 20 oz nalgene bottle
AMK HeetSheet
Modified AMK Solo 1st Aid Kit
Modified AMK/Ritter PSP
Coghlan's Emergency Poncho
Ziplock bag w/ extra ziplocks and a few handwarmers
Tin of fish steaks in hot sauce
2 packs of trail mix and honey roasted peanuts
50' 550 cord
USGI TrauMedic bandage
Tin w/ charcloth, flint, jute twine, file striker, and HotSpark

With all the contents and a full water bottle, I'm toting a hair under 5 lbs...

M

I have done an otter box kit. Serious advice: Keep it simple. The core of mine is a Ritter pack that has been supplimented with Wet-Fire cubes, a BCB wire saw, Ferronium Rod and a Bic lighter. Plus a small FAK package. That rides in my bag. I have other firelighting and FAK gear in my pockets along with a lock knife, small head torch etc. A folding saw is, in my judgement, a damn sight more important than anything else except your knife and lighter. Buy one that you can stick in a pocket. If your not an expert with an axe, don't! Use a saw. Safer and very versatile.