Survival odds and ends?

Multi-tool? Check.
Good folding knife? Check.
Pocket Survival Pack? Check.
First Aid Kit?
Duct-tape?
Flashlight?
Fire-starting tools?
Bandana or hankie?
Collapsible water bottle? And purification tablets?

Check, check, check, and... you get the idea, guys!

My point is, we all know to carry the "essentials" whether its in our EDC or pocket survival kits. But does anybody think about or already have the "odds and ends" (little items that are overlooked at first)? You know, the junk and flotsam that just might come in handy later?

I was making a little sojurn to the dollar store right down the street from me, just for something to do. I came across a bunch of displays and I purchased several add-water-to-expand washcloths (they're like regular washcloths, not the thin ones you get at WallyWorld), some rolls of Necco Wafers (they don't melt in your glovebox or your desk drawer, heh heh heh), a floating keychain, and some other little trinkets.

I put one of the washcloths in my survival kit (contained in a Case Logic portable hard drive case, BIG THANKS to whoever made the post about that first!), a roll of Necco Wafers in my glove box, and clipped the keychain to my carabiner, although I doubt it would float with some of the weight (but the day-glo color could be easy to see through shallow water).

With this little story told, what kind of "odds and ends" that are off the suggested carry list do you guys have in your EDC's or kits - that have come in handy? I'd love to hear some of your ideas and suggestions. Because you can't have enough junk rattling around in your pockets!

Parker pen refill. Fits in your wallet and you can write with it. Who needs Swisscards???

On that note, some sort of paper sheet. It can have words on it or whatever, it's still good for writing, fire starting and (mainly) wiping your aesthetically challenged parts.

Rubber bands. Keep wires and lanyards neat and organized, plus could one day save your life. Somehow. Probably.

Snack. Use something physically tough and full of calories - somebody here suggested halvah once and it worked great for me. I use 20 gramm portions.

Oooh! Rubber bands - I've got a whole bunch in my desk drawer but I totally forgot those! Will band up my cordage here in a little bit. Thanks! Hope we can keep this topic going for more ideas...

Put the rubber bands in a mini zip lock bag. They dry out quick and become brittle and break. I use a lot of them in my work and find a few weeks sitting in my van exposed to the heat in it (a carpet machine and the suns heat) they are worthless.

Dental floss, plain, waxed.

And an awl needle, the kind with a hole near the tip, for sewing heavier stuff.

Jeff

Four baby aspirin (81mg) for persons, including myself, with chest pain suspected to be of cardiac origin. It could save someone's life. If you aren't familiar with the warning signs of a heart attack, learn them now.

Jeff

Odd additions to the survival kit!

We all have kits and have a good idea what belongs in it. Being individuals we all have some unique additions to our own kits. What kind of things do you have in your. What is that one thing you carry that others will go "Gee I wish that I had thought of that. I'm going out tomorrow and get one." The addition of it may mean the difference of coming back or not.

1. 2 to 3 feet of surgical rubber tubing. Maybe up to 6 feet.
a. Power band for slingshot, trap, etc. ala Ron Hood’s Delbow
b. Straw to draw water from solar still or seeps.
c. Used to blow air into a fire when starting. Gives a more concentrated stream of air there for
less blowing and you don't have to have your head on the ground or face in the fire.

2. A sling with practice a good game getter.

3. A Bolo again practice makes perfect.
To make it ultralight instead of using weights make draw string bags. Size the bags to hold the
desired amount of weight of dirt, stones, or even snow.
For carrying the bags and strings can all be placed in one pouch.

4. A pencil sharpener.
To make shaving for starting a fire. With a pencil sized stick a few twists you have an amazing pile of tinder faster than you can do it with a knife.
To put points on darts and arrows.

5. A headband is made to hold a maglite. I have found that it also fits a Photon Microlite.
Hands free use and LED longevity.

6. I have one of those collapsible magnetic pens. 7” that expands to 27” with a magnet that lifts
8 to 10 lbs. I replaced the clip with a small eye hook using J B Weld. This allows tying a cord to it
allowing it to be lowered to a metal object then to retrieve it.

7. I made lanyards for my belt tools. Using nylon cord and fishing snaps to make small lightweight
quick disconnects. The lanyards can be linked to use with # 6 above.

For a level two kit.
They make a plastic para-foil kite to take along while camping for a toy. My idea is to make one of mylar similar to an emergency space blanket. For kite string use a roll of dental floss. When lost or stranded flying the kite would serve several functions.
1. Being metallic it would act as a radar reflector.
2. Being shiny would reflect sunshine to attract attention.
3. At night a chemlite or strobe LED could be attached. If the LED were pointed at the kite the
reflection would increase visibility.

You're post just made me think of something...one of the places people mention using a knife lanyard is on a boat, so it doesn't go over board and sink out of reach. But for a lighter knife, a floating key chain might be a better tool. The knife can still fall free from your body, but if it lands in the water it will float safely on top. Not for fast moving boats or inclement water, but what do people think?

Something you lads with the floatable keychains might want to look into is cork? You can find it in almost any size(for items that are too heavy for the floating keychains as one poster mentioned). Also it has many other uses such as kindling(it does have a fair amount of fire resistance but it will burn), fishing bobbers, plugging small holes in dams etc.

This is gonna sound silly to anyone who doesn't have some high dollar dental work in their mouths, but I have a little curved metal toothpick thingy on my keyring. Getting something stuck under a bridge, or elsewhere, can go from irritating to downright painful if not removed, and floss won't get under a bridge. Can't find a pic to show, but you can usually find them on the dental wall of a drugstore/WallyWorld type store...

one quarter stick of fast setting epoxy putty..

I've always tucked in a roll of quarters. It's ten bucks, can be used in vending machines (some out there don't need electric but still want a quarter) and lots of other ways. In a pinch, it's also a good weight for lots of things and 'legal' until you stuff it into a sock for an improvised impact self-defense tool... I hang out with the 'wrong' crowd sometimes.

Paul

Wood screws and some penny nails. I stuck maybe 6-8 of each in the bottom of my gear can. I haven't figured out how I will use them yet, but when I do, I will have them. Mechancial fasteners can't be a bad thing to have - right? Worst case scenario, they justify the weight of the phillips bit on my multi tool!

JR

I'm not sure what you mean by "penny" nails? 16 pennies, or something smaller/larger???

I just added a thick plastic piece of straw to the possible mix in my EDC. At the movie theater I volunteer at, a local ministry sponsored our showing of "Chariots of Fire", and they handed out a bunch of promotional materials, hundreds of crazy straws included. I took one home and broke off a good length about a foot and a half long, much more than what I need.

Thanks for sharing your ideas/odds and ends, guys!

Rubber bands are good but they seldom last long. Even in near ideal storage conditions they can dry out and get brittle or turn into mush that smears and ends up everywhere.

A good alternative to the standard rubber bands is to drop into the hair-care section of the big box or drugstore and get 'scrunchies', hair and/or head bands. These are wound with thread that helps protect the rubber compound and the higher end versions are made of synthetic rubbers compounds that resist UV, oil and general wear for a very long time.

I have some in one of my kits that are over ten years old that are still strong and pliable. These are a bit over two inches in diameter and cost about $3 for a dozen in basic black.

The headbands are thicker and much larger. The ones I have used were about quarter inch thick and eight inches in diameter. Cost about $2 each.

While your nearby get yourself a shorty makeup brush, intended for blush, to use as a lens brush for glasses, binoculars and camera. These are great for getting sand and abrasive dust off those delicate lenses. Sand and grit are a problem when in the field in Florida.

The one I got is about 4" OA and weighs just a few grams. Cost a bit more than a buck. A real deal compared to the purpose built 'lens brush' which is about 6" long, weighs twice as much and costs $10.

Even in a small space constrained kit it can pay to include a tube of lip balm. Very few things are as annoying as chapped and cracked lips. Get the stuff with a sunscreen in it and you can at least protect your nose and lips. Big relief.

The wax and petrolatum base is a decent lubricant (trick is to warm the mechanism so it melts in), protects steel from rust, bits can be sliced off to get a fire going, roll up a bit of pocket lint and make a wick for a short-term candle/lamp, and it can be rubbed into the dried out cuticles to prevent annoying and painful bleeding hangnails.

Lots of utility in a compact package.

Ear plugs. If trapped in a confined space (elevator, rubble) and using a loud whistle to attract attention, I'd want hearing protection.

Nurit

My "Murphy Pouch":
in a 5x6" zipper pouch that lives in my fatboy and gets transfered to my pack when hiking.

Zip ties (large and small)
Rubber bands
Krazy glue
Sewing kit
Eye glass repair kit
paper clips
length of florist wire
twist ties
matches in match case
"gorilla" duct tape wrapped around match case
small length of paracord
small length of bright yellow mason's line
aluminum foil
small collapsible scissors
safety pins
small pocket knife
extra lighter

"Hypochondriac Pouch"
2.5 x 4.5" zipper pouch that lives in my front left pants pocket (when I hike I put it in a breast milk baggie to keep it dry):

2 doses of each in a old Aleve tube
* Excedrin
* Benadryl
* Immodium
* Dramamine (only one dose)
* Alev
* Sudafed
* Pepcid

Chapstick
Dental Floss
Safety Pins
Fingernail Clippers
Micropur tabs (2)
Metal Toothpick
Ponytail Holders (I have a daughter and wife).
Listerine pocket pals

I like using the little "crack baggies" that one can get from Hobby Lobby (sold to be used to put jewelery in but they look like crack baggies to me ;))

I put all my small stuff in those.

I put paracord lanyards on almost everything (pocket knife, lighter,..) with a small pear shaped carabiner on the end to attach it to the larger 'beaner secured to my belt.

For my knife I can clip it's small 'beaner to the split ring on the end of the knife to make a wrist loop should I need. So I can use the knife while it's secured to my belt or my wrist if I need longer reach.

Also makes it easier to pull it out of my pocket.

The three little 'beaners that hang from the big one on my belt have little tactile markers on them so I can tell which one I'm grabbing without looking.

1) Lighter has a knot on the 'beaner end of the lanyard
2) Inova light has a rubberband wrapped around the 'beaner shaft.
3) pocket knife is attached to a braided paracord.

Hey Art,

The youth group I work with uses the old naptha 2 burner Coleman stoves. Often the fuel tank pump leather washer is dried out and will not make a seal, so you can't pressurize the tank. Just rub a little Chapstick into the leather and your back in business!

Mike

Yes, another good use for lip balm.

While it seems wimpy to be concerned with issue that are often considered minor discomforts, beneath notice for real men, IMHO minor comfort issues are often harbingers of bigger problems down the road.

There is a saying that says: 'It isn't the mountains that wear you down so much as the pebble in your boot'.

Minor issues like a sunburn, badly cracked lips, or a stove you can't get to work right, can make you miserable, and rob you of sleep, strength and focus. Only made worse when the situation is a real emergency.

Pen, keys, CASH, power bar...

Several relatively useful items depending on the adventure and the environment:

spare bootlaces
spare thermal socks
empty H2O proof closeable envelope/pouch
rescue throw bag (rescue on the river, ...)
climbing rope
weather station (or watches with weather monitoring)
fire extinguishing spray
pepper spray/bear pepper spray
pocket knife sharpener
binoculars
Morse code chart
ear plugs (when you want maximum loudness from the whistle)
something inflatable (usefull as a float or pillow)
titanium/stainless steel mug/bottle (e.g. for boiling a saline water in order to condensate the water vapour and make a fresh water - fresh water can be then captured by placing a cloth above the mug with the boiling water)

While prepping for a birthday party this weekend, I snagged a blaze-orange balloon. Signaling, water carrier, amusement for the kids...

The problem with Morse Code charts is that when you stop to look things up, you WILL have problems sending/receiving to the point it'll just be "noise" - some of your dit's will be longer than your dah's etc

I learned code well enough to get my ticket (5 wpm) and then didn't prectice - I have a hard enough time doing code, and I can still do it in my head. I's say forget the chart

Code appears to be something that, unlike swimming and bike riding, you can forget. My wife was a radioman in the Navy, she and the other two women in her class were the three fastest in code school. Today all she can say is "screw (or something like that) you," and she really has to think to even do that...

I mean no disrespect, but is that conclusion empiric?

Some people's kit has a more urban orientation, and there's often a lot of cross-over between urban and wilderness survival kits, every day carry items, and work tools. In any case, there are no precise definitions or boundaries.

Coins operate vending machines, mini-mart tire inflators and the increasingly rare payphone. But, when held in the fist, they dramatically improve the effectiveness of a punch, and can be placed in a sock or other sack to make a pretty good defensive weapon or tool to, for example, bust out a laminated window. Oh yeah, it'll also pay for lunch.

Jeff

Fair 'nuff. ;-) If you'll allow me to use that as a point of departure, my personal POV is that just about anything I can lay my hands on may become a survival item, up to and including the lint in the corner of my pocket (fire tender). I have had the unfortunate necessity to hit an assailant with, ahem, several found objects that happened to be within reach at the time, but the less said about that, the better. Socks can be used to carry and protect the unlubricated condom found in some mini survival kits, once filled with water (the intended use of the condom). I once patched a slit bicycle tire sidewall with a dollar bill.

There is an ugly racist term for such improvisation, that a black friend of mine wittily re-styled into "Afro-engineering," since he is an absolute genius at problem solving. Anyone care to share their favorite examples of "Field Expedient" improvisation?

Jeff

Oh, I forgot to add that socks also make cool puppets! (great pic, sockpuppet)

Jeff

Um, Thanks, but I think I'll pass on that one. ;-)

Jeff

I don't know, I will have to ask her. But trust me, she is no charlatan...

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is a glue stick - the kind that goes into a glue gun. I have one in my kit. Weighs practically nothing. A single stick wil go a long way. Just heat up one end and use what you need. Sort of a modern pitch stick if you like.

Then add water and fireravens and the alchemical circle shall be complete.

MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I haven't read through this tread entirely but I'll add a couple of things.

Ditch the rubber bands. As others have mentioned they're way too short-lived. Get some old innertubes from bikes, cut those up and there you have it, "Ranger Bands." They don't suffer from the heat and exposure problems plus they burn really good so you've got a great tinder.

Big safety pins are great. They can be used for all sorts of things, including if needed closing a gaping wound or keeping the tongue out of an unconcious patients throat. (Yes, they'll hate you for it later but at least they'll have a later)

That's all I can think of but I'll look through my stuff for some more. Great thread.

Charlie

As far as the "Afro-engineering", my dad calls it "Jack Leg Inc." whenver he expedites a repair. He used a golf tee and duct tape to get my truck running one time, and was known to pick up just about anything that washed ashore when he was out on his boat, just in case.

One piece of gear that the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says is absolutely indispensable, is a towell. Because of the series of books by Douglas Adams I always have a towell in my kit.