Often in the field with camera gear, including a tripod, lenses, filters, lens cleaning kits, spare batteries, etcetera.

What is your thinking about the potential, or actual experience, using and adapting such things as survival gear?

Tripod shelter?
Lens fire starting?

Your thoughts? Thanks.

You can start fires with camera lenses, I've done it, but I opened the F stop all the way. The internal mirror in the SLR could possibly be used as a signalling device.

You can make a good splint from the components of a tripod, and the same pieces might help in making a shelter.

All in all, a carefully assembled PSK will work better than camera gear when the going gets tough...

You can always take pictures of your efforts. They will be useful in later investigations.

many years ago nikon posted a survival report of someone lost who used the camera's meter to locate the sun on a heavily overcast day when the human eye couldn't do it alone. the meter was sensitive enough to indicate the brightest area of the sky. this allowed them to find south and thus know what direction to travel.

Nice!

Using a camera flash as an emergency strobe has saved many people. Some examples:

3/1/2014: Camera flash guides rescuers to lost trampers Two women, New Zealand Southern Alps, night).

8/25/2009: Canada, fisherman in wilderness - 11:30 AM (daytime!)

6/15/2009: Stranded tourist signals helicopter with camera flash British tourist, Australia.

2/16/2009 Lost walker guides rescuers to himself with camera flash Isle of Lewis, night? 100-yd visibility in fog.

3/26/2008: Walkers saved by camera flash Couple in Derbyshire (Rescue helicopter operator told them to do so over cell phone.)

8/30/2007: WALES: Camera flash gets rescuers on target. Couple and 11 yr old son, Wales, night.

10/17/2006: Lost hiker’s 35mm camera helps rescue helicopter zero in on her location: Night.

7/4/2005: Trampers use camera flash to alert rescue copter (Three hikers, Tararua Ranges, New Zealand, at night).

2/17/2003: Lost climber used camera flash to guide rescuers Lost hiker, Scottish Highlands (told to do so by rescue helicopter over cell phone).

12/19/2002: Two hikers on Maui Two hikers on Maui - just after first light (so, daytime, barely.)

4/3/2000: Vulture Peak Rescue Man and daughter, Arizona. Lots of ETS-style discussion.

BTW - also spotted this interesting Android app: WA Police Search and Rescue

• Text gps coordinates to rescuers
  
• Use backlight as helicopter night vision beacon (3-4 km range claimed by test)
• List of survival tips

If the lens cleaning kit includes a fast-evaporating fluid, it's probably flammable with a spark.

On the subject, I´ve uploaded an app to my Samsung phone that makes the LED-flash act as a strobe, the user can even choose how fast the blinking is. Never know when it might come handy.

My favorite camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3) is waterproof (40 ft depth) and shock resistant ... and has a built-in GPS, compass, altitude, and barometer.

The GPS displays DD MM SS.ss format for latitude & longitude. Its only really useful if you have a paper map with matching gridlines ... and you know how to use them.

The camera provides names of the local city, landmark, ... but its pretty rough.

The compass only has eight compass points (N, NE, E, SE, ...). Its rough compared to a quality baseplate compass, but still better than nothing.

The altitude/barometer feature seems kind of iffy to me, but it might help. It auto-adjusts to give altitude, but I'm not sure the details of how it works.

The barometer could give some indication of weather changes.

Oh, and the video would allow my to record my last will & testament and my goodbyes if the worst happens ... in high definition.

I'll sometimes carry a Tamrac Zipshot tripod. Picture a 44" tall tripod made out of aluminum tent poles. Its plenty strong enough for my little camera, but its not nearly as strong as a fullsize tripod. Still, it would work for shelter support, a splint, a walking stick, defense against angry critters, ... The elastic cord that holds the "poles" together could be removed and be of use too.