I bought the Survival Kit in a Bottle made by Eddie Bauer. One for me and one for my wife. I followed the instructions, emptied both bottles (it wasn't that easy), and washed both out.

I'd like to begin upgrading the kits' components inexpensively. We're going to visit her parents for Christmas and money always seems to be tight this time of year. Any hints, tips, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Aqua pura tablets, some fishing hooks and line, maybe a spark lite, dental floss and needles.
Just a few of my favorite things :-)

I would probably wrap duct tape around the outside. Put the FAK in a ziplock bag to save space. Upgrade the knife, although you probably keep a good folder on you anyways so that might not be needed. The whistle/compass/match safe combo looks like it takes up too much space. I would take that out and replace it with smaller, quality, pieces.

I'm sure it will be said at some point so I might as well put it out there. Add a Doug Ritter PSK.


Robert

I also like the idea of adding an Olicamp Space Saver cup to the bottom of the bottle. It can double as a boiling/cooking pot.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores...oductId=9738452

Bear

I realize the bottle is probably already pretty full so I'll break this up in to two groups... stuff I would definitely make room for and then stuff I would add only if there was still adequate room.

Definitely:

MP1 tabs, lighter, matches, additional FA supplies

Maybe:

Signal Mirror, Better Knife, Button Compass, Extra AAA Battery, Cordage or Wire of Some Type (Lots of space saving options on cordage. Could be anything from nylon string to 100# Fireline. I love Fireline but it may be a little more $$ than you want to spend.)

If the Olicamp Space Saver cup fits over the bottom of the bottle, and the bottle basically sits in the cup, how does the cup fasten to the bottle? Is there an anchoring means? Or am I being stupid and we just wrap duct tape around it?

It's a pretty tight fit, but it will still slide off. If you put a thin rubber band around the bottle, then push the cup over it, it will stay on pretty securely.

I have one of these nifty little cups that I recently picked up at Galyans. It fits slightly loosely over my 1 liter Bota water filter bottle. I remedy this with a bandanna since the bandanna is something I carry anyway. A rubberband is a great idea too since they make decent tinder!

Nope, you're thinking clearly. There are slight variations between manufactured lots. Some combinations of cup and bottle work well with a bandanna wrapped around the bottom of the bottle as a cushion and silencer. Sometimes a few layers of duct tape is a better solution as it allows for precision fitting. -- Bear

I can't help but notice that most of the small survival kits I see don't focus much on the shelter component. I was surprised to see that this kit did include a poncho. Cool! In my view lack of shelter and exposure to the environment is what kills most people.

Cody Lundin recommends three different kinds of shelter (light space blanket, heavy duty space blanket, and 55 gallon drum liners), but I'm guessing others use extended ponchos, small tents, or tarps.

I've also been thinking about the value of at least a small piece of closed-cell foam to provide insulation while sitting/lying on the ground. Of course that wouldn't fit inside the bottle. In a short-term survival situation, what would be used to keep the group from sucking heat away from you while sitting or laying down? It seems leaves are usually wet underneath (except for freshly fallen leaves) and won't really provide much insulation from the ground, especially with body weight on them.

For the bottle kit, you could also consider a bandanna, floss, a non-lubed condom, a small length of survey tape, 3' surgical tube for accessing water & other uses, waterproof paper/pen/pencil (do they make a small Sharpie?? - very good for writting on survey tape), a few safety pins, a large-holed needle, a few zip-ties, maybe an extra light-weight carabiner clipped to the loop (I prefer to have two of them for making shelter and other uses), maybe a fresnel lens (?).

Maybe you should carry two bottles??????