Doug's personal kit includes several sheets of blank paper and several sheets with preprinted information that may be of use in an emergency. It lists that the info has some fishing knots and another sheet has the included drug information. And there was a thread about including morse code a few days ago. <br><br>1. What other information should one include?<br><br>It seems to me that this is a highly personalized, subjective question based upon one's skill level. A person that's able to send and receive morse code in their sleep would likely scoff at the idea of needing a cheat sheet. On the other hand, one could find themselves in a situation where you are Incapacitated and may have to rely upon a less experienced individual for survival. <br><br>2. Are there any word processing or PDF templates available to produce such information sheets?<br><br>3. Is laser cartridge toner acceptable or would it wear off?<br><br>I just received my Write In The Rain trial package that included two spiral pads, one for a shirt pocket and one for a hip pocket, an all weather pen, and a few sheets of sample copier/laser printer paper. I was contemplating using these to create my cheat sheets.<br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

In my kit, I include a list of parts in the kit. I used MS Excel to make the document. In the first column is the Quanity, the second is Description, and the third has Function. Some items the function is obvious but I tend to list the primary function and then several alternate functions.<br><br>For instance for Foil it reads,<br><br>1, Foil, aluminum, 12"x 72", Treat sucking chest wound, cook, watertight container, reflector, fire proofing<br><br>That way it gives people a list of things to do with the item. It also should help them to think about alternate uses that I have not listed. For my fanny pack kit, the listing fits on a single sheet of paper front only in landscape mode. I folded the paper twice and it fits just inside a sandwich size ziplock along with a bandanna, trash bag and foil.<br><br>You could always laminate whatever document you generate. All the big box office supply stores have laminaters in house and will laminate an 8x11.5 page for about $1. Of course that precludes using the paper as a fire starter and makes changes difficult. You can generate a smaller piece of paper and laminate it in the 8x11.5 page and then cut it down. They may also have a business card size laminator if you don't want to cut it down. <br><br>My wife has a business card laminator that she uses to make id cards for her organization. Periodically I make a document with phone numbers and laminate it to keep in my wallet. Just the right size for an Altoids box but it takes up more space than just a sheet of paper.<br><br><br>

I have made several cheat sheets to carry in my kits, the information I include is metric conversions, kitchen conversions (eg. pints in a gallon), water treatment info (drops of bleach to a pint), pictures of snare triggers (i can never remember the configurations).<br><br>Not as much for my survival kit, but for my Search and Rescue pack I have Map reading cheat sheets such as UTM grid readers, Compass protractors, etc.<br><br>Most of these I make the size of a credit card.<br>Ted Fisher<br>VCSAR Coordinator<br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by tfisher on 07/17/01 11:15 AM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

>>3. Is laser cartridge toner acceptable or would it wear off?<br><<<br><br>FWIW, my experience has been that laser toner is pretty durable on most papers, but it is highly dependent on the paper. Some colored, glossy or pre-printed papers seem to cause it to wear very badly.<br><br>Art supply stores sell spray fixatives that artists use to keep completed charcoal and pastel drawings from smudging and to protect the surface. Just a thought.<br><br><br>

Another option is to treat with map sealer. You can write over the sealer, and it will burn. I bought mine from Campmor. Be careful when using, the paper becomes very delicate until dry.<br><br>

A second for mapseal. I've used it for inkjet cheatsheets and it is perfect.<br><br>

Could I trouble you to send a copy of the spreadsheet via private email?<br><br>The inventory list is a good idea, especially with the suggested uses, which addresses the "What if someone else needs to use you kit" issue. It would also make sense to keep a list of expiration dates for perishable items, such as medicine.<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

I didn't even know map sealer existed. It's amazing what one can learn on this site.<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

How do you transfer the info/images to your sheets? Do you hand draw them, use a copier, or can it be found on the web?<br><br>BTW, what are UTM Grid readers?<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

I transfer the images that are printed on paper using a scanner attached to a computer. I hand draw some of the images that I don't have printed copies of. I then move the images to a software application called "PAGEMAKER" which is a desktop publisher. This application allows me a considerable amount of control of the final printed image.<br><br>After printing I laminate the paper using a heat laminator.<br><br>Other software applications could be used to create these reference cards, a good word processor, or a good graphics application. Some of the applications I use are Pagemaker, Microsoft Word, Excel, Photoshop, Autocad<br><br><br>UTM Grid readers: We use 7.5 minute Topo maps from the US Geological Service in most of our Search and Rescue missions. These maps have a system to find your position on the map called Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), similar to Latitude and Longitude that is also on these maps. Many GPS receivers also have an option showing your UTM position which is easily transferred to the map. We use the UTM grid readers to aid us in the coordinate translations and our land navigation. More info can be found at http://www.maptools.com/UsingUTM/<br><br>Ted Fisher EMT I/D<br>Vermilion County Search and Rescue<br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by tfisher on 07/18/01 07:58 AM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>