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Your Homemade Survival Kit
Make your own backcountry insurance policy.
For just a few bucks, you can build a "Lundin special" that'll get you out of all kinds of trouble. Fold everything neatly, pack efficiently, and the whole 3 pound 14 ounce kit and caboodle will fit inside a standard fanny pack. The survival kit is intended to supplement the regular contents of a hiker's pack. It should be worn at all times and separate from the backpack. Don't leave camp without it. Here's what you'll need:
- One each of gallon- and quart-size zipper-lock bags for holding water and building stills; the bags should have wide mouths so you can skim for water and reach into crevices.
- Tincture of iodine to disinfect water; use five drops per quart.
- 2 condoms to use as canteens.
- Plastic drinking tube (3 feet long) for drinking from stills or crevices.
- Orange flagging tape to mark your route or write a message.
- Dental floss (100 feet); a tough string for many uses.
- Duct tape (3 feet); get the strongest variety available.
- Mini flashlight with spare bulb.
- Extra flashlight batteries with date marked; replace every 12 months.
- Magnesium block with striking insert; carry a minimum of three means of starting a fire.
- Cigarette lighter; get a bright color so you won't lose it.
- Strike-anywhere matches dipped in paraffin.
- Firestarters; cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly and stuffed in a film container pack the smallest, but you can also use chips or other dry, fatty foods or even dryer lint coated with paraffin.
- Magnifying glass for signaling and fire starting.
- Glass signal mirror with sighting hole and a whistle.
- Light space blanket for shelter and signaling.
- Heavy-duty space blanket with grommets and reflective side for shelter and signaling.
- Three heavy-duty, plastic leaf bags; use as a rainsuit, shelter, tube tent, tarp, or for collecting rainwater.
- Military parachute cord (50 feet), 550-pound test.
- Extra knife; should be all-purpose with a fixed, double-edged, carbon-steel blade that can throw a spark.
- Brightly colored bandanna; doubles as a pot holder, hat, and water filter.
- Basic first-aid kit; contains wound dressing, moleskin, antibiotic ointment, and other items.
- Topo map and compass.
-Annette McGivney
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READERS COMMENTS
Don't forget good clothing its good thing to have.also have cordage such as fishing line or snare wire for food and shelter producment
Don't forget good clothing its good thing to have.also have cordage such as fishing line or snare wire for food and shelter producment
i would recomend a gerber or survival knife it works well in tough conditions
knives are great. if you do use a double edged knife, consider you can possibly cut your thumb. but keep in mind that you will always have a second blade on hand.
knives are great. if you do use a double edged knife, consider you can possibly cut your thumb. but keep in mind that you will always have a second blade on hand.
knives are great. if you do use a double edged knife, consider you can possibly cut your thumb. but keep in mind that you will always have a second blade on hand.
knives are great. if you do use a double edged knife, consider you can possibly cut your thumb. but keep in mind that you will always have a second blade on hand.
knives are great. if you do use a double edged knife, consider you can possibly cut your thumb. but keep in mind that you will always have a second blade on hand.
knives are great. if you do use a double edged knife, consider you can possibly cut your thumb. but keep in mind that you will always have a second blade on hand.
A big bowie style knife, whether single or double bladed is crazy, it's heavy, not really designed for chopping or slicing / butchering / skinning. Carry a well made 4" hunting or skinning knife, a good swiss army knife (in your pocket), and a small camp axe in your kit. Survival tools are no good if they are not on your person, no matter how cool your kit is, if it's in your pack and you loose your pack, well you see the problem. I keep my skinning knife on me as a neck knife, my pocket knife in my pocket and survival kit, on the outside of my pack with a break away cord attached to my belt loop. I can then be confident that if I loose my pack I can grab the cord on my belt loop and snatch my kit and bring it to me, one time this saved me from loosing my pack.
A good knife not to consider is the Gerber Bear Grylls.
be sure if you are going to use a condom as a water carrier you get a non lubrcated type.i prefur water blatters or wine incerts from box wine,they are less likle to fail.for disposable lighters get one with adjustable flame and child pruff.you can make a big flame and its less likely to press aginst something and louse your butane.
A good knife to consider is the Gerber Bear Grylls
A good knife to consider is the Gerber Bear Grylls
bring a little food. ramen, jerky,or enrgy bar
Another potential problem with carrying a double edged blade could be local L.E. You got to get where your going and get back after the situation has been corrected. There are some L.E.O. types that would bust you for carrying it regardless. I know, I've worked with'em...
I have to second the double edge knife comment. The best blade designs all around are clip point or drop point blades. Stick with a decent brand such as K-Bar, Cold Steel,TOPS, Mora, Brusletto or Bark River Knife and Tool.
A knife is not something to skimp on, as important as pack and boots
RR
http://www.woodlandsurvival.com
agree, if you want a great knife and you are not afraid to drop some money, I would get a SOG SEAL Team.
The double edged knife is a bad idea. It is weaker than a single edged blade and easier to injure yourself on. Plus, on a single edged knife, you can use your thumb behind the blade to give some extra control when fine knife work is required.
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