http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000074<br><br>Thanks.<br><br>Mike Spinak

<br>1. The surgical tubing is a great idea. I had never thought to use it as lashing. I've been on many mountains where the only water came from seeps. I used my Pur Scout water filter to pump water out and filter it at the same time. It was tricky because I had to use the outlet hose as the inlet hose had the pre-filter on it. The addition of tubing allows you to siphon the water out i would think. Would this technique work when you don't carry a pump, or would you have to suck all the water out manually?<br><br>2.I'm intrested how you bent the paper-clip. I tried it, but only made a mess.<br><br>3. Excellent<br><br>4. Does the triple ointment actually act as a topical pain reliever? If so what kins are you using. This would be a terrific addition to anyone's kit if it really does all you said.<br><br>5. Adequate- My meds include a lot of perscription drugs, but I know how my body reacts to them and all possible drug interactions. My meds seem to be the most used items in my First aid kit, but this is a personal choice.<br><br>6-18. Excellent, though I would like to find out more about the knife sharpener.<br><br>19. Get yourself a decent knife for the kit. There's no use cutting corners on survival gear.<br><br>20-22. Excellent<br><br>23. Can a mylar bag really serve as a signalling device. I can't try it out tonight because there is no sun, but I've always found the material in bags to be rather dull.<br><br>24-26. Excellent.<br><br>Some additions reflect my personal prefference and needs. A means to filter water is paramount. I'm a big guy and drink lots of water, but there's all kinds of nasty stuff in water. I would never leave the house without bug repellant and chapstick. Brigade Quartermaster sells small packets of 50% Deet that use a reusable cloth. Money comes in handy, At least for me. You may have to bribe someone to help you. Trust me there out there. <br><br>Overall your kit shows great innovation and versitallity. I'd love to see a picture of it.<br><br>

Hi, Donald,<br><br>"Would this technique work when you don't carry a pump, or would you have to suck all the water out manually?"<br><br>3 feet of tubing is plenty for getting siphoning to work nicely (without needing to to take polluted water into your mouth), so long as you can squirt it into something lower than are draining it out of.<br><br>I was very fastidious with the paper clip bending. First I measured it out, and marked off exactly the spool length I wanted, perfectly centered, then marked it off with a marker. Then I bent the paper clip to shape with a pair of needlenose pliers. I actually spent more than half an hour getting it just right.<br><br>The triple antibiotic ointment that I used has lidocaine already added to it. The lidocaine is a very effective topical pain reliever (or so I've been told by my sunburned test subjects). I simply bought some generic store brand in the pharmacy section of a local supermarket.<br><br>I carry around various meds in my first aid kit and they always remain unused. I don't even use caffeine or alcohol or nicotine. I haven't taken an analgesic since I was a child. I refuse the novocaine shots when I have dental surgery. <br><br>However, I do still carry various meds in my first aid kit, ready if I ever need them. As to the pocket survival kit: which meds do you think I should carry for life and death circumstances? Perhaps a broad-spectrum antibiotic? An anti-diarrhetic to prevent dehydration? What else? I'm open to suggestions.<br><br>You can read about my tests and review of the prototype knife sharpener here:<br><br>http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=215745<br><br>"Get yourself a decent knife for the kit. There's no use cutting corners on survival gear."<br><br>I wholeheartedly agree. I should note that I usually carry a knife or few on me, and it would be a very odd circumstance, indeed, which would leave me knifeless. Nevertheless, I want to have an excellent small fixed blade as a dedicated part of my kit. I think the Busse Skeleton Key LE is the one, and I'm waiting for my order to arrive.<br><br>"Can a mylar bag really serve as a signalling device. I can't try it out tonight because there is no sun, but I've always found the material in bags to be rather dull."<br><br>This may depend on the specific bag. The mylar bag I am using--the type that a laser cartridge comes packed in--is opaque and very smooth and quite reflective. The issue with using it as a signaling device is getting it taut and flat, so that it can reflect with minimal light scatter. Toward this end, there is no way to ever make the performance come within even 20% of a similarly sized glass mirror. However, 20% as good as a mirror is still quite usable, and a hell of a lot better than nothing. And keep in mind that this the mylar bag's signaling role is not primary: I have the bag primarily for water carriage, and secondarily for signaling. In this second role, it is just a back up to my signal mirror.<br><br>(On the subject of mylar bags, I want to let everyone know that some of them can be VERY strong. In my tests, a mylar bag survived being thrown and stepped on, and only burst when I took a good running jump onto it.)<br><br>A water filtration method is a good idea for comfort, though I don't think it is truly critical to survival, when the water is already sterilized. Besides, basic filtering can often be accomplished pretty easily without additional equipment (by waiting for water to settle and skimming from the top, or running the water through my cloth shirt). If water filtration beyond sterilization is critical for survival (or at least health), please argue to convince me of this. If it's just a matter of comfort, then I'd rather keep my pocket survival kit tightly prioritized on survival, to make it a packable as possible.<br><br>I usually use long sleeves, tight pant cuffs, and a headnet to deal with biting insects, but small packets of DEET with reusable cloth are a good idea which I'll seriously consider.<br><br>On the subject of chapstick, I must note that chapstick burns very well and is great for helping to get finicky fires started.<br><br>Money--good idea. I'll stick some bills in my kit tonight.<br><br>Thanks for sharing your thoughts.<br><br>Mike

Evolute,<br> Sounds like a great start. I would suggest adding a wire saw and some snare wire. You seem to have an abundance of cordage. Is there a reason for that? If you feel the need for that much cordage and are still thinking of adding some more spectra than you might consider making a belt of it as posted previously on this forum. This would allow quite a long piece of small diameter spectra to be carried without taking up so much room in your kit. I have made one of these from climbing accessory cord and it is comfortable and wears well.

Hi, miniMe,<br><br>Regarding the wire saw, I have used them before, and haven't been at all impressed with their durability. It seems as though attaining durability requires moving up to a significantly bulkier and heavier item, which starts to move away from what is feasible for a pocket kit.<br><br>Please correct me if I am wrong, and please direct me to a source for a high-quality, durable wire saw which is still ultra-lightweight and super-small.<br><br>I also am not entirely convinced that a wire saw is that important, if you have a knife. Even a small knife can be made effective for chopping, through either use as a pole-arm or use in conjunction with a baton. Yes, a saw will be faster and less work, but I am inclined to think that a knife will suffice well enough, without extra weight and bulk.<br><br>On the other hand, I think I may be able to add a wire saw to my kit with zero added bulk. I think I should be able to simply slide it inside of my surgical tubing. If this proves to be true, then I only have to deal with the extra weight, and may well choose to add the wire saw to my kit.<br><br>Regarding the snare wire, I might add some in. I'd like to hear opinions about how well spectra cord suffices for snares, instead. Spectra is harder to cut than regular nylon paracord, so I imagine that it is also harder for animals to chew their way out of. <br><br>I'm not strongly convinced of the need for snaring ability, either. This is for a couple reasons: 1) most survival sitations are short enough term that food isn't a major priority; 2) I already have the makings for slingshot hunting, fishing (I'm fixing my fishing kit up), and setting mechanical animal traps. <br><br>Again, if you feel that I am missing something, please set me straight.<br><br>The main reason I have such an abundance of cordage is as follows: I made a paper clip spool, and decided to wrap as much as I could fit on the spool. 80 pound Spectra cord is pretty small diameter stuff; and it turned out that I could fit 400 feet. Since it doesn't take up much room (about 1 cubic inch), why not? The more, the better!<br><br>I can certainly think of some realistic cord uses that will take a lot, or will use up a lot. Making a secure pole-arm out of a knife, to vastly increase chopping power, requires about 50-100 feet of cord. (For more details, go here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=209202&highlight=polearms ) Depending on the circumstances, I could easily imagine requiring 25 or more feet for lashing together a shelter. Fishing, from what I hear, goes through your supplies of line rather quickly, because you lose a lot to abrasion, tangles, and getting caught on things. If I need to lash together a raft to more safely cross a large river, that might require as much as 100 feet. If I set snares, I may need to set a half dozen or even a dozen, to raise my chances of success, and those will take a few feet each. I might even need to do several such things.<br><br>I'm still thinking of adding the 200 feet of 150 pound Spectra cord for two reasons: 1) sometimes 80 pounds isn't enough--150 pounds is almost twice as strong, allowing for wider parameters of use; 2) the 80 pound stuff isn't much wider than floss, and I am concerned that it may cut through some things which I'd try to lash together.<br><br>I made myself a "Marvin Minsky-style" cord belt a few years ago, but the weaving I came up with was sub-optimal. Making a belt from cord still appeals to me. Thanks for reminding me. I'd like to find instructions to make a better one. The link you provided for belt-knitting instructions went to a blank page. Do you have any other links?<br><br>Thanks for your thoughts.

I did add the wire saw to my kit. When I took off the split key rings on the ends, and bent the ends with pliers, it was easy to fit it inside of my surgical tubing, thereby making it take up zero additional room. It does add some weight, but not much. <br><br>Thanks, for the idea, miniMe<br><br>Donald, if you have problems with making the H shaped paper clip spool, email me. I'll make one for you and mail it to you.

Paperclip : )_____(