What would you pick for your survival kit?

Let's say you're in a Tom Hanks situation like in his movie, Cast Away. What would you pick for a survival kit where you are stranded on a deserted island for an extended period of time? You have the following limitations:

1. The survival kit must be in a container (backpack, fanny pack, etc).

2. The whole survival kit (container, food, water, etc) has a maximum weight of 25 pounds.

3. Your maximum budget for the survival kit is 300 dollars.

Hmmm...maybe an Acr Resqlink PLB!

If I had a few bucks left over I'd add a small tarp and a bottle of water, but absolutely the first item on my list would be a PLB.

I agree that a PLB would be a good idea, but that wouldn't be my sole choice. Remember things, especially electronics, have a habit of failing. A mistake in construction, a weak or dead battery, etc, when you need them most. I would definently take basic pocket gear and a small PSK and work my way up from there. You may lose your main pack so have a few items in your pockets. In that vien I was in Dollar Tree the other day and saw a small plastic box about the size of an Altoids tin. t has dual locks, a rubber gasket and seems to be pretty rugged for a buck. I think I'll get one and test it, since this subject came up.

You mean you didn't but it when you saw it for $1.?? LOL

PLB is number one unless you really want to all on your own with your emergency. My PLB (ACR ResQLink) has its very own pocket on my vest. http://www.plbreview.com/

Alright, so it turns out that the ACR ResQlink is a bit less expensive than I thought at $260 shipped.

Here's my list:

• ACR ResQLink $260
• Pocket Survival Pak $22
• Heatsheets Emergency Blanket $7
• Mora Campanion $14
• Bic lighter ~$1
• A couple bottles of water $free from my kitchen
• Appropriate clothes and footwear for the outdoors, with spare socks in the bag $free from my closet

That puts me over by $4.

If I can go over the $300:

• Demote Mora to backup knife and bring Ritter Rsk3 $165
• 100' of paracord ~$5
• UST Tarp $18
• LM ST300 $70

Not getting stranded in the first place: $priceless

Hum! If I were stranded in the South Seas, and assuming a PLB wouldn't be available, I think I'd like to have the following:



*2 poly tarps (mostly for water collection, but also shelter if trees/brush are scarce) $9.98

*wool blanket $28.99

*5 gallon plastic jerry can with a bit of fresh water already in it for starters $16.99

*Datrex survival food bars (3) $15.00

*portable fish net trap $24.75

*knife $29.99

*camp hatchet $15.41 (or alternatively a machete -- depends on terrain)

*first aid kit $42.75

*small signal gun + flares $60.99

*flint steel $7.63

*pack of Bic lighters (20) $19.99

*100 ft paracord $11.99

*pack shovel 2.49

*mosquito net $12.99



Total: $299.94 (before tax)





--M

1. good-quality pot for cooking.
2. two large fire steels.
3. two high-quality king-sized bed sheets (source of fabric)
3. two high-quality knives.
4. sharpening stone.
5. 100' of paracord.
6. two large frog gigs.

Let the vacation begin.
-Blast

I was being facetious and didn't have time to respond more fully. I do want to clarify that while a PLB would be awesome to have, even if it works you're not instantly out of the woods. There are many situations where you might have to hunker down and wait for rescue for hours or even days. Say you're lost in the Alaska wilderness and a storm is rolling in; help might not reach you for some time even if they know where you are.

I always have survival gear. I should think anyone that's a fixture of a sight like this would! My kit varies a lot depending on where I'm going, the season, how remote, etc. But I always have some kind of shelter (eg HeatSheets bivy, plastic tarp, sleeping bag, space blanket etc etc), a knife, a light and a heavy dose of fire gear.

On an island in the middle of the ocean I would want to have some kind of gear to distill water. A solar still might work and of course a regular still if there's a good wood source to make fire. A reverse osmosis desalination device like boats have would be awesome but over my $300 limit.

Blast: Oops I forgot a cooking pot! Good one. (Although I suppose one could always smoke one's food, or use a pit like the Maori or Hawaiian peoples. Still, a useful item for boiling water, etc.)

Changing the rules a bit:

1. my company would provide a PLB ( besides the game is not fun if you get picked up on the 2nd day) AND I would have my extensive South Seas EDC.**

2. waterproof, floating backpack (~ 40 l) with reflective piping

3. metal 27 oz water bottle

4. 3-4 sharps ( assume hunting knife, multi tool, machete other)

5. gill net, fishing kit

6. solar panel for the following

- radio, 2 way, aviation and marine ( crank) possible add short wave
( instructions) antenna on reel

- headlight

-marine strobe light

7. 3x fire lighting ( lighter, flint, perm match)

8. cordage, unspecified, but to include fishing line

9. Sawyer mini filter

8. small bow making kit ( arrow heads, bowstring, glue plastic feathers)

9. waterproof survival book for area, noting edible foods and animals and methods of obtaining

10. mosquito netting

11. micro fiber towel

12. FAK

13. survival kit ( mirror whistle, compass, etc) including extra meds

14. lightweight jacket, sun hat

Other suggestions?


TRO



(** meds, spare glasses, full set of clothing, walking shoes, cell phone, etc)

I'm going to have to assume proper attire is a given, but no EDC. Hanks was on the island for around 4 years.

All prices found searching online or sourced locally, tax/shipping not included.

Tramontina Machete: $15
Stainless Steel Mora: $9
Sharpening Stone: $4

Bic Lighter x2: $2
Doan Firestarter: $7

Heavy Duty Ripstop Poly Tarp 10'x12': $12
Generic Hammock w/ Bug Net: $25
Wool Blanket: $20
Fleece Material, 2 yards $8
100ft Paracord or similar: $8

Canteen set (Canteen, Pouch, Cup): $7
Large Stainless Steel Pot w/ Lid: ~$5 at thrift shop
Copper Tubing, 5 feet: $6
Plastic Drop Cloth: $2
2 liter soda bottle with cheap swill in it (x2): $2
(Drink the cheap swill, use the bottles for storage. Might even find 3 liter bottles with no-name soda for this price at dollar store.)

Snorkel Set (Fins, Mask, Snorkel): $25
Gill Net: $7
.22 Rifle (Used) + 225 rnds ammo: $80 + $12

Multivitamin x500 (1 every 3 days): $19
1x Tube, Bacitracin Zinc Antibiotic Ointment: $2
1x Tube, Antifungal Cream: $3

$20 worth of rice and beans

Total: $300

Make a "pack" out of your wool blankets, tarp and cordage to hold your other items and meet the container requirement. If it gets chilly, use the wool blanket as an underquilt and cover up with the fleece, should cover reasonable south pacific temperature ranges.

The water setup above assumes there is a freshwater or at least brackish water source on the island. If there is not and you have to rely on rain and distillation of seawater, I would bring different stuff...

Pray you don't get sick... even if you get some fish antibiotics I doubt it will keep in the heat.

I'm not that smart, Russ. And my hand basket was overflowing with glowsticks and frozen treats, like Edwards Pie and pzza rolls. I went back that day and got a very pleasant surprise: they were really 3 for a dollar. So I bought three each of a hi visibility green and a dark blue. I filled one up with cast .59 bullets and submerged it for an hour with no leakage, so I'll be building another kit on the sly. The little woman has put her foot down on me buying any more survival gear until I get lost and actually need to use some of it. She has threatened to drive me out into the country and abandon me like an unwanted dog. And without a cell phone to call for pickup or pizza. I'll be starting a thread looking for suggestions since I have no desire to hijack this one.

I notice at least two people have mentioned taking material, sheets and fleece, and on this I respectfully disagree. Do you have the scissors, soft pencil, needles, pins and entire spools of thread you need to properly make clothing etc?
I would rather have the clothing, bags, shelter items, etc pre-made and waiting for use in my pack. Instead af two yards of fleece a set of fleece including socks, gloves and beane neatly vacuum packed so they stay dry and dust free.
This is JMHO on the matter.

Well, in my case the fleece was just to use as a blanket in the hammock. It can get chilly at night if it drops much below ~75. The tarp can be configured to block the wind and the wool blanket suspended as an underquilt which would make it pretty toasty.

I realize a lot of these items might not survive 4 years, and originally I had duplicates of critical ones, but it got to the point where I could barely afford to cover the span of everything I was looking to bring.

Tarps, especially heavy duty ones, don't like sunlight for long periods. Bug netting is an absolute must but it can easily tear if you stretch your hammock too taught and you sit on it wrong (I did just that with my Skeeter Beater Pro). The gill net would almost certainly require repair at some point. Shoes / boots that I assumed our hero has at the beginning would wear out. Clothes of course. But skimping on some things (like food gathering, shelter, etc) is just something you can't do, so you make sacrifices!

I agree spare clothes are cheap enough (other than boots) that pre-made makes sense. You can go to any thrift store and buy a shirt for $1-3, and pants only a few dollars more.

My thoughts exactly on the thrift shops. You can also find other gear there, and even boots. While making clothing and other items will fill the time it will take energy and moisture from your system. If it really is like Tom Hanks who says there will be water or any food sources or even shade on the proposed island?
Did anyone ever see the fed ex commercial based on that movie? It was hilarious.
And ironic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COTnAYQ2nbs

I looked at that Youtube video and I agree that it was hilarious. He must have been thinking, nooooooooooo....

after i bought a PLB i took a lot of stuff out of my PFD survival kit.a good foil sleeping bag and a big foil blanket and some cord and tape to make a shelter.
my Orange Box stove and a small Gaz cart for heat but no cook gear just MRE "power bars"
having said that if i was going to make a BOB survival kit i would spend my $300 on the best gear i could find and stay away from used or dollar store stuff.
the "break down" bag i carry in my car this winter has my used but still very good down parka and felt lined boots.elbow length mitts and a knit wool cap/face mask will keep me warm until the tow arrives.i got rid of the plastic snow shovel and put a metal one with a sharp square blade in the trunk.
over the years i have come to think that a few really good items rather that a bunch of little gizmos is the way to go.

I respectfully disagree with CANOEDOGS. There are some very good items at the dollar stores/ Yesterday I purchased a very nice aluminum nano flashlight, the lanyard portion of which I will be grinding off to save space in a PSK. I also bought some packets of glow sticks. At four sticks for a dollar they gave off a surprising amount of light. I tested one last night about 8:30 PM and it was still going strong at 5 AM. There are also medications, first aid supplies etc. I notice they even have Clif bars. And oven bags which is my choice for water bags in PSK's, at four for a buck as opposed to the only slightly heavies and five times more expensive Reynolds bags. JMHO.

i'll have to admit that dollar stores are sort of off my path so i have not been at one in years.
there is a big one at the Mall Of America so with Xmas closing in on us when i'm over there looking for gifts i'll check it out.
LL Bean has a new store at the Mall i want to see so thats a good time to check out the $place.
i did buy some dollar foil sheets from the PX at the Vets hospital years ago and they were see thru junk so maybe i just got a bad start of cheap stuff.

Good stuff is where you find it, and suitability doesn't always relate to price. In my youth,I purchased a lot of military surplus because it was affordable (cheap). Most of it was serviceable, but fairly heavy. A few items were as good as anything available, and remain useful today.

Where I have done thorough study, I have found that usually high end equipment has been a bargain in the long run, but you need to think carefully about intended use.