Cub Scout's Survival Kit

DS and I are going to winter camp with our Scouts group next weekend. We spent some time this afternoon repacking our survival kits so I thought I post a pic of his to get your feeedback.

-Pack with bear bell and carabiner attached
-dry bag with change of clothes (incl. Blaze orange fleece hat, bandana, fleece top, pants, socks and gloves)
-FAK (bandaids, polysporin, gauze pads, maxi pad)
-small folding knife
-Gerber Suspension multi-tool
-work gloves
-fire kit (Gerber BG fire steel with vaseline cotton balls, mini bic, strike anywhere matches, birthday candle, lip balm and tampons)
-mini cook kit (ss cup, small hobo stove, tea light and aluminum foil)
-snacks
-small deck of playing cards
-SS water bottle
-shelter (AMK bivvy, sportsman's thermal blanketwith paracord tie-outs, paracord, contractor's bag, poncho, hand warmers)
-light (LED glow stick, chem light, crank flashlight, LED headlamp, keychain LED)
-signalling (whistle on lanyard, AMK mirror, bear bell, BG whistle, LED glowstick whistle and flo orange stuff)
-sunglasses
-he also has a compass, which he's learning to use

Thanks Izzy!

I had the Gerber as an extra so he got it. I like the locking blades and he can manage them. I definitely want to upgrade him to a Leatherman. I love my Wave and he likes it too. LOVE the warrenty! He's mostly using the pliars right now but has fiddled with the other tools and will likely use them more and more.

Hmmm.... Valentine's Day is this week.... :-)

Looks pretty good to me. Good going!

Very nice indeed. The only thing I don't see is duct tape.

He used it all. :-) Better get a refill. Thanks Chaos!

I think i would ditch the chem light. In all likelihood, it will be ineffective by the time he will use it. I am dubious about crank lights. Most of them seem to be rather fragile and "cranky" (sorry, I could not resist). I would throw in extra batteries, preferably lithium, for the LED lights. Do those LED lights use the same type batteries? That could prove useful.

If he ever encounters a problem, dependable lighting will probably prove extremely useful. Would his lights allow him to walk all night, if necessary?

Great points, Hikermor. We put fresh batteries in his headlamp at start of every excurision so he should be in good shape if he doesn't lose it. He also has a second one that he keeps in his pocket and wears on night hikes. Those both use the same AAAs. The LED glowstick uses different batteries. It's new so we're still learning it.

He likes chem lights and since they're light and take up little room I didn't discourage him. Ditto the crank light. He keeps one in his bed and really likes them.

At 8, the dark can be a scarey place. Extra batteries is a great idea! I always carry some for him but maybe it's time that he do that too.

I think we're going to remove the bic. He can't manipulate it. DH has a push button butane light that would probably work better for him. His favorite is matches, and he's determined to master the fire steel, so he rarely uses the lighter so we may just take it out. (Not to mention that the plan is for him to NOT get lost, so he'll hopefully be with a grown-up for the next couple of years or so anyway.)

Try the Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie. They are small and can start a fire on paper or dry grass. They are one hand operation and easy to use for a kid (I have tried them with my scouts). I like the Blast Match, but the Sparkie is smaller and more likely to be carried, and it works very well.

I love it, Izzy! That's what childhood should be like. Mine was like that too. His is getting there. I'm a pretty free range parent, compared to a lot of my peers. At 8, I want him out exploring and adventuring like I did. On the flip side, because he has ADHD, I also need to make sure that he's not going to run off a cliff or burn the forest down if we give him too much freedom before he's ready for it. It's a fine line. I usually lean more to "Go for it!" but I also work hard to make sure he's prepared.

This is Pretty darn close to my EDC bag. You should really look into getting him a Nice Heavy duty flashlight. Good options i would suggest is the Streamlight stylus pro. Its not Big but its bright enough to get around in the dark. I was also looking at a Rayovac light at home depot for 15$ that runs on 2 AA's. Looked decent enough for the price and is still pretty lightweight.

http://www.rayovac.com/Products/Lights/Work/Virtually-Indestructible-LED-2AA-Flashlight.aspx

Right on all counts, Izzy! The outdoors is like a magical elixor. One part fresh air + one part nature + one part independance + one part accomplishment accomplishment + a little excitement = a happy kiddo and happy parents.



Absolutely right! At least in our case. One of the many things I love about Scouts is the sense of accomplishment it gives him. He's earned 6 merit badges in 6 months, and learned valuable skills along the way, which is encouraging more and independance and responsibility in him. He stands a lot taller since he joined!

I agree Frisket. He's got a few lights but prefers headlamps - handsfree and all that. The LED glowstick is new but he likes it because he can use it like a flashlight and chem light AND - his favourite reason - because he can use it as a lightsabre! He is still 8 afterall.

I'm walking the line between teaching him what components he needs in his kit and telling him what exactly to put in it. My philosophy is give him lots of options to cover all his bases, teach him how to use them, give him ample practice time, and then let him pick his own.

Nice setup for the cubbies!

Just thought I'd pipe in and say that chemical light sticks and their ilk can possibly have a longish shelf life. Last year I came across an unopened pack of round sticker-backed chem lights that I'd forgotten in a decade old box of Peace Corps stuff and tried a couple out on a whim. And they worked, despite being stored in a dry but not too air-conditioned room.

Granted, I've since bought new sticks for my kits, but it's kind of nice to know that some don't die at the stated three year mark.

OK, so it wasn't an emergency but... as 8 year olds will do when surrounded by mud on an innocent hike, DS got covered head to toe in it on a hike tonight. He would have been just fine in our nice warm truck, but that change of clothes saved me having to clean the truck too!