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Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits

us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
on: January 29, 2018, 04:47:09 PM
I finally got in the foundation component for building three Personal Survival Kits. Hopefully, they will all be essentially identical.

I have been collecting bits here and there for a while.

So, straight to it, the ugly orange and tan pouch on the left is the container for the kits. I got three of these. So, sorry to say this is the first limiting factor. I think the Maxpedition pouch is a 'Micro', set there for scale. The orange pouch measures about 6 x 4 inches, by 2 inches thick. It's about twice as thick as the maxpedition Micro. It has Molle attachments on the back, which could also attach to a belt.



Along with the pouch, there's an SOL Survival blanket, Altoids tin, 91mm Swiss Army Knife (A Camper), a full size Bic lighter, and a ziplock bag with TP in it. The front snap-closure pouch is intended for a phone, but will fit an altoids tin. It will hold my iPhone 4 in an otterbox case, but that's pushing it. i'd rather use the space for other gear instead of putting a phone there.

I am open to virtually any notion of what should or shouldn't go into this kit, except ONE piece of gear that definitely WILL go in, and that's the SOL blanket. I've tried out the cheap 'poptart sleeve' blankets, and I've tried this one (two hours outside at freezing temp in t-shirt and shorts). This one wins hands down, and I don't think this is a place where compromise should be made, as hypothermia is about the only real way to die in the outdoors where I live.

This kit will not necessarily be an augmentation to EDC. It must be self contained, since I might hand one of these off to someone. And... I would LIKE to keep cost reasonable, since I'm making three of them.

In the pic, there's a little AAA flashlight. I got three of them for these kits. One failed, so now I don't know if I should get one more, or replace all three with a different model.

I got three full size Bic lighters in bright colors, specifically for these kits. I got three used Camper SAKs for these kits. And I got little 5ml dropper bottles in which to put chlorine for water purification. I have ferro rods, if people think that's a vitally important addition. I also have disposable rain ponchos, and am strongly considering adding one of those, although the blanket kind of overlaps that function.

The scenario I imagine for this is that we walk an 8-mile trail with some frequency. Assuming a worst case scenario of injury (like a broken ankle) requiring an overnight stay in the woods.

Any thoughts on the matter are appreciated.


wales Offline hiraethus

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #1 on: January 29, 2018, 05:05:24 PM
Judging by what I see in BOBs on youtube you need: a large calibre handgun, an oversized titanium framelock flipper knife, a 3D printed metal axe head, some kind of credit card sized multitool, a metal RFID-blocking wallet and a fancy handkerchief. :P


scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #2 on: January 29, 2018, 05:05:55 PM
First, foremost and before anything else (IMO anyway ;)) is a whistle. 
Be excellent to each other and always know where your towel is.


wales Offline Smashie

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #3 on: January 29, 2018, 05:06:45 PM
Judging by what I see in BOBs on youtube you need: a large calibre handgun, an oversized titanium framelock flipper knife, a 3D printed metal axe head, some kind of credit card sized multitool, a metal RFID-blocking wallet and a fancy handkerchief. :P

Plus you need two of everything (runs and hides) :facepalm:
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wales Offline hiraethus

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #4 on: January 29, 2018, 05:26:51 PM
Sorry Lynn. :oops:

Here's what I keep in my 'everyday booboos' kit:
Minor first aid kit (painkillers, antihistamine, immodioum, wipes, micropore tape, a couple of safety pins, gloves, a few dressings, a resus shield, some steristrips/sutures)
Sewing kit (needle and thread, a couple of safety pins, some buttons, etc)
Whistle
Mini sharpie and some paper
Small amount of duct tape and a bit of lightweight cord
Spare battery for the light (or another light)
Lighter

That plus a couple of granola bars, some water and a blanket should see me through most situations I can envisage if I get stuck for up to a day.


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #5 on: January 29, 2018, 05:59:24 PM
Hiraethus, it's all good, and funny. No need for 'sorry'. :D

Whistle: two votes. I'll strongly consider. I have a fox40... I THINK. I'll check out prices.

Sewing Kit. Right. I got needles to put together minimalist sewing kits. Now... where did I put those...?

Duct tape and cord. Again, Right. While I'm open to suggestions on cordage, I am strongly considering #36 Mason line.

Mini sharpie/paper. Will consider

Water is a big topic. I mentioned the 5ml dropper bottles for chlorine. I have yet to find a good, lightweight, inexpensive, collapsible water container. The closest are name-brand quart-size freezer bags. Suggestions appreciated here. I always hike with a water bottle, but not sure everyone will.


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #6 on: January 29, 2018, 07:04:30 PM
Shelter.  I'm not making a lean-to or debris hut not if I'm hurt especially.  A simple tarp with space blanket with appropriate cordage. 
Water.  Not much water other than the ocean out here.  I carry my own.  I do have a lifestraw just in case tho.  I also have collapsable bottles.  The ones I have are by Platypus.   
Whistle/Mirror.  I'm a big fan of any signaling device as easy to carry as these. 
Food.  A foil package of tuna or some nutrition bars are easy to carry so I do. 
Light.  I like my Olight Active 2 AAA which makes sense for me.  Hands free and IMO affordable at less than $20.
Lighter.  I also have generic tinder quick.  I am not trying to feather stick and ferro rod fire.  Uhm, I do have a small ferro rod tho.  I know, I know.  2 is 3 tho right?   
Esse Quam Videri


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #7 on: January 29, 2018, 07:05:30 PM
I third the whistle suggestion and would add a small, virtually flat mirror.
To see wounds, injuries, signaling and possibly distracting or scaring away animals.

flat and thin, fits anywhere   :salute:
chlorine is fine but can be lost, squished or evaporated...what about smaller, more carriable water tablets?  :think:

also Mini BICs, two for the size of a large one, double the chances of working, and no ferro rod then. But the ferro is also very thin and small, easy to carry
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 07:07:08 PM by ThePeacent »
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hr Offline styx

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #8 on: January 29, 2018, 07:06:50 PM
paracord. everything covered in molle. sporks with unpolished bowls... now i'm off to the hills so hopefully Lynn doesn't kill me
Solving problems you didn't know you had in the most obscure way possible

"And now, it's time to hand this over to our tame race axe driver. Some say, he can live in the forest for six months at a time without food, and he knows of a secret tribe of only women where he is their God. All we know is, he's call the Styx!" - TazzieRob


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #9 on: January 29, 2018, 07:09:07 PM
paracord. everything covered in molle. sporks with unpolished bowls... now i'm off to the hills so hopefully Lynn doesn't kill me

WHY... I oughta....  :megaslap:

 :rofl:


no Offline Grathr

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #10 on: January 29, 2018, 07:22:15 PM
Have you looked at waterbottles like theese?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/5-x-Flexible-Collapsible-Foldable-Reusable-Water-Bottles-Survival-Emerg-BPA-Free/181735058

Looks like they might be a bit hard to fill though.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 07:23:37 PM by Grathr »
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au Offline ReamerPunch

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #11 on: January 29, 2018, 07:29:03 PM
I think the Maxpedition pouch is a 'Micro', set there for scale.

The Micro has one zipper. That's probably the edc, or maybe the mini.


hr Offline styx

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #12 on: January 29, 2018, 09:23:12 PM
have you looked at Hydaway and Vapour bottles?

As far as organizers go 3V gear has an organizer that is quite inexpensive, sized as the Maxpedition Mini (or maybe Micro) and it does last
Solving problems you didn't know you had in the most obscure way possible

"And now, it's time to hand this over to our tame race axe driver. Some say, he can live in the forest for six months at a time without food, and he knows of a secret tribe of only women where he is their God. All we know is, he's call the Styx!" - TazzieRob


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #13 on: January 29, 2018, 09:27:10 PM
Mmmm... not sure you read that first post. I have the pouches already. Thanks for the input, though.  :salute:

I'll check out those bottles. EDIT: The Walmart one looks within reasonable price. I'll have to look more.

On water sanitization. There are tablets, but they expire within short order and are fairly pricey. While Chlorine also expires, it's extremely inexpensive to replace. Part of my thinking for that over the tablets.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 09:32:41 PM by Lynn LeFey »


wales Offline hiraethus

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #14 on: January 29, 2018, 09:31:39 PM
Platypus SoftBottle might work too: https://www.platy.com/bottles-storage/softbottle


us Offline Alan K.

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #15 on: January 30, 2018, 07:31:10 AM
I agree with the need for a whistle and first aid supplies which should be in their own container even if it's just another altoids tin. I pretty much agree with everything else that will fit given the space restriction of the small pouches.  I like these for compact lights, http://www.9voltlight.com/home  and with a tiny bit of steel wool the 9volt batteries can also be used as a fire starter. I'd also ad a small bottle of hand sanitizer which besides the obvious can be used for wound cleaning and fire starting.


hr Offline styx

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #16 on: January 30, 2018, 10:37:55 AM
Mmmm... not sure you read that first post. I have the pouches already. Thanks for the input, though.  :salute:

I'll check out those bottles. EDIT: The Walmart one looks within reasonable price. I'll have to look more.

On water sanitization. There are tablets, but they expire within short order and are fairly pricey. While Chlorine also expires, it's extremely inexpensive to replace. Part of my thinking for that over the tablets.

yep, probably missed something. Chlorine as in water treatment drops? how long of a shelf life do those have?
Solving problems you didn't know you had in the most obscure way possible

"And now, it's time to hand this over to our tame race axe driver. Some say, he can live in the forest for six months at a time without food, and he knows of a secret tribe of only women where he is their God. All we know is, he's call the Styx!" - TazzieRob


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #17 on: January 30, 2018, 03:54:15 PM
Chlorine as in water treatment drops? how long of a shelf life do those have?

Chlorine as in chlorine bleach. The same stuff that a lot of municipal water treatment facilities use in their water. A quart of it can be had at the dollar store (obviously, for $1), and for those wondering, ALWAYS get the unscented kind. It is a well-tested method of water disinfection. Use at a ratio of 4 drops per liter of cloudy water. Shake well, wait 45 minutes.

I can't find exact numbers on 'shelf life' of chlorine bleach, partially because it depends on exposure to sunlight, but you can kind of go by smell. And in any event, I'd guess changing it out every 6 months would be absolutely safe, maybe annually, if you wanted to push it.


hr Offline styx

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #18 on: January 30, 2018, 04:25:11 PM
I see you like to live dangerously. Well I can't say that is an unsafe idea since I've used potassium permanganate before
Solving problems you didn't know you had in the most obscure way possible

"And now, it's time to hand this over to our tame race axe driver. Some say, he can live in the forest for six months at a time without food, and he knows of a secret tribe of only women where he is their God. All we know is, he's call the Styx!" - TazzieRob


us Offline SteveC

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #19 on: January 30, 2018, 04:41:27 PM
Since you mention hypothermia how about some hand warmer packets.


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #20 on: January 30, 2018, 04:49:13 PM
Esse Quam Videri


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #21 on: January 30, 2018, 04:54:42 PM
Since you mention hypothermia how about some hand warmer packets.

The question I always have with handwarmers in a kit this size is... is that space they're taking up the best use of the space?

But they'll go into consideration.


ca Offline BCNZ

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #22 on: January 31, 2018, 12:37:31 AM
Platypus SoftBottle might work too: https://www.platy.com/bottles-storage/softbottle

I've had a 500ml Platypus soft bottle for just over a year.  It's good, is holding up well.

For fire Tinder have you considered bicycle inner tube?  I have a couple of pieces in my ski touring emergency kit  They are super easy to light with a Bic and burn with a big flame.  They're also cheap and easy to come by (I got mine free from a local bike shop), and pack down small.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 12:38:42 AM by BCNZ »


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #23 on: January 31, 2018, 12:42:48 AM
For fire Tinder have you considered bicycle inner tube?  I have a couple of pieces in my ski touring emergency kit  They are super easy to light with a Bic and burn with a big flame.  They're also cheap and easy to come by (I got mine free from a local bike shop), and pack down small.

In the first picture, the Altoids tin is held shut with bicycle innertube 'ranger bands'. Yeah, great tinder, and free. We have a number of bike shops around here, and I've popped into a few of them and just asked for popped tubes. They've almost always had them.


ca Offline BCNZ

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #24 on: January 31, 2018, 01:52:09 AM
 :tu:


ch Offline Etherealicer

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #25 on: January 31, 2018, 11:16:58 AM
Chlorine as in water treatment drops? how long of a shelf life do those have?

Chlorine as in chlorine bleach. The same stuff that a lot of municipal water treatment facilities use in their water. A quart of it can be had at the dollar store (obviously, for $1), and for those wondering, ALWAYS get the unscented kind. It is a well-tested method of water disinfection. Use at a ratio of 4 drops per liter of cloudy water. Shake well, wait 45 minutes.

I can't find exact numbers on 'shelf life' of chlorine bleach, partially because it depends on exposure to sunlight, but you can kind of go by smell. And in any event, I'd guess changing it out every 6 months would be absolutely safe, maybe annually, if you wanted to push it.
Chlorine (well packed) has a good shelf life. However, it would not be my choice for drinking water. It is a fantastic, lovable, exciting chemical (read: dangerous) and can do many funky things (read: irritate your skin and is generally quite toxic). It does not work well with dirty water (Its a chemical reaction, too little and you do not clean everything and its not save to simply add more). My personal choice would be a filter, the BeFree 1L bottle to be precise. It gives a good bottle, a good filter and is fairly small (although it is not low budget).
« Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 11:19:01 AM by Etherealicer »
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ie Offline Don Pablo

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #26 on: January 31, 2018, 12:04:01 PM
Chlorine as in water treatment drops? how long of a shelf life do those have?

Chlorine as in chlorine bleach. The same stuff that a lot of municipal water treatment facilities use in their water. A quart of it can be had at the dollar store (obviously, for $1), and for those wondering, ALWAYS get the unscented kind. It is a well-tested method of water disinfection. Use at a ratio of 4 drops per liter of cloudy water. Shake well, wait 45 minutes.

I can't find exact numbers on 'shelf life' of chlorine bleach, partially because it depends on exposure to sunlight, but you can kind of go by smell. And in any event, I'd guess changing it out every 6 months would be absolutely safe, maybe annually, if you wanted to push it.
Chlorine (well packed) has a good shelf life. However, it would not be my choice for drinking water. It is a fantastic, lovable, exciting chemical (read: dangerous) and can do many funky things (read: irritate your skin and is generally quite toxic). It does not work well with dirty water (Its a chemical reaction, too little and you do not clean everything and its not save to simply add more). My personal choice would be a filter, the BeFree 1L bottle to be precise. It gives a good bottle, a good filter and is fairly small (although it is not low budget).
Can’t you use a combination of methods?
A not-too-expensive filter to get the water clean enough to add chlorine/etc
Hooked, like everyone else. ;)

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ch Offline Etherealicer

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #27 on: January 31, 2018, 01:51:53 PM
Chlorine as in water treatment drops? how long of a shelf life do those have?

Chlorine as in chlorine bleach. The same stuff that a lot of municipal water treatment facilities use in their water. A quart of it can be had at the dollar store (obviously, for $1), and for those wondering, ALWAYS get the unscented kind. It is a well-tested method of water disinfection. Use at a ratio of 4 drops per liter of cloudy water. Shake well, wait 45 minutes.

I can't find exact numbers on 'shelf life' of chlorine bleach, partially because it depends on exposure to sunlight, but you can kind of go by smell. And in any event, I'd guess changing it out every 6 months would be absolutely safe, maybe annually, if you wanted to push it.
Chlorine (well packed) has a good shelf life. However, it would not be my choice for drinking water. It is a fantastic, lovable, exciting chemical (read: dangerous) and can do many funky things (read: irritate your skin and is generally quite toxic). It does not work well with dirty water (Its a chemical reaction, too little and you do not clean everything and its not save to simply add more). My personal choice would be a filter, the BeFree 1L bottle to be precise. It gives a good bottle, a good filter and is fairly small (although it is not low budget).
Can’t you use a combination of methods?
A not-too-expensive filter to get the water clean enough to add chlorine/etc
You can certainly do that... using chlorine in a large open container helps too, as any excess will evaporate (this is why its a lot less dangerous in a swimming pool).
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us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #28 on: February 01, 2018, 01:30:06 AM
The problem with filters is they are either bulky, or expensive, or both. A Life Straw might not cost much or be too large. I'd consider it.

Still... that's more money. Trying (in vain) to keep cost down on these.


ch Offline Etherealicer

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Re: Help Lynn build Personal Survival Kits
Reply #29 on: February 01, 2018, 01:10:18 PM
The problem with filters is they are either bulky, or expensive, or both. A Life Straw might not cost much or be too large. I'd consider it.

Still... that's more money. Trying (in vain) to keep cost down on these.
Understandably, you could add some cheap paper filter (coffee filter), that would at least get rid of a lot of the murky stuff.
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