There was a thread here about trash bags that had a link to http://www.outdoorsafe.com . This is a site that I hadn't stumbled across over the years.

I recogized Peter Kummerfeldt’s name because he wrote a good article about survival preparedness in the March, 2006 Boys Life, a publication for boys in Boy Scouts - including my son. The web site (and the article) say that Peter spent 30 years in the Air Force teaching survival skills in multiple environments.

I have to say that his philosophy on survival and kit preparation matches mine EXACTLY.

He emphasizes the following:

-Kits should be light weight and ALWAYS with you when you might need them. I tell my Scouts that kits do no good in their tent.

-Kits should include the gear you need to survive a night or two in the current season. They need to be adjusted seasonally to match the weather.

-He suggests carrying a large orange trash bag rather than mylar survival blanket, since they are faster and simpler to deploy. He feels that brush shelters are fine, but in a survival situation you likely won't have the energy or time to build one.

-He prefers good matches (REI) over butane lighters or sparkers, as he feels they are more foolproof and he feels that something liek the REI waterpoof match is more windproof than a lighter or a sparker. He does include a sparker in the kits he sells. He does emphasize the importance of one-handed firemaking.

-He prefers Vaseline-impregnated cotton balls. So do I, as they take sparks real well.

-He doesn't list a knife as the first kit item. As a matter of fact a knife isn't on his "must have" list, though it is on his "things to consider" list. I tend to agree - even though I always carry a knife - that shelter, fire, and signaling are the critical issues. Of course a knife could help with those.

My favorite quote from his site: "You dress to survive not just to arrive!". That is a constant struggle with my family - especially the kids. They tend to dress assuming that the truck's heater will work and they can run through cold to avoid it.

I should also mention that he refers to Doug Ritter and http://www.equipped.org fairly often in his site's materials as his source of the latest info on survival.

His recommend kit:

SHELTER:
-Large heavy duty plastic bags (he also lists tube tents, mylar bags, and sheet plastic)
-Paracord
FIRE:
-Matches in waterproof case
-Lighter
-Metal match w/ scraper
-Vaseline impregnated cotton balls in waterproof container
-Candle
SIGNALING:
-Whistle w/ lanyard
-Glass signal mirror w/ lanyard - or very good plastic signal mirror
-Flourescent plastic surveyors tape
-Brightly colored fabric

ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO CONSIDER:
-Additional clothing for warmth and protection from wind and wet
-Sturdy fixed or folding blade knife
-First Aid Kit
-Metal cup
-Flashlight with a headband and spare bulbs/batteries
-Food bars high in carbohydrate
-Water purification tablets (hopefully you also have something to put the water in)
-Folding saw
-Compass


Ken K.