What\'s in your survival kit?

J

Jaquomo

New member
Mar 8, 2014
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It\'s that time of year when SAR crews get busier. I do most of my adventuring alone, and after having several close calls with severe hypothermia (me or someone else), being impaled in the calf with a large staub, falling off a cliff, falling out of a tree when removing a treestand, having a point-blank showdown with a cougar, Being thrown down a hill off an ATV, a sharp tree limb plunge through my tent, having a moose try to kill me, and having a hunter die in my arms, among other things, I put together a pretty comprehensive kit a few years ago that\'s always in the bottom of my pack wherever I go scouting, fishing, hiking, hunting, whatever. Along with a SPOT, I\'m confident I can survive most anything for several days, or help someone else in trouble. I\'ve refined it over the years, but here\'s what I carry now:

First Aid kit including Quick Clot, suture, super glue and chewable baby aspirins (heart attack)

4 Grabber hand warmers

Pen and paper

10x10 Visqueen tarp with 30\' of Superline, and Space blanket

LOUD whistle, Micro Mag light with 2 extra batteries, extra LED lithium flashlight (mini), signal mirror

Two-blade knife and cable saw

Iodine pills (water purification)

Small pill bottle with Vaseline-soaked cotton balls, wrapped with 8\' of duct tape

FIre-making kit with lighters, windproof matches, magnesium torch, steel wool, WetFire tab, slow-burn stick

All of this fits in a small pouch slightly bigger than a beer can (Fat Tire not included!!)

What do you folks carry when seriously adventuring?
 

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Uhhhh....Lou....what\'s wrong with just taking the Fat Tire? :dk: If you throw out that \"survival\" kit you can hold like two or three more Fat Tires!
 
If I take out my Space rain pants and just go with the ever-present Space jacket, I can squeeze a couple Fat Tires in the bottom of my pack!
 
My list is very similar to Lou\'s except I carry an ACR Res Q Link.
 
I\'ll admit ... I\'m not a \"kitchen-sink\" guy.

I carry a small waterproof bag with a fire-making kit and iodine pills (and neutralizer). The fire kit is wrapped in duct tape, which is my first aid kit.

That\'s about it, other than the whistle that\'s attached to my camelback pack.

I use this as my \"grab-and-go\" pack for everyday hikes, rides, ATV excursions, etc.

A wintertime vehicle kit is much more extensive!

But ... I have the essentials: Water, fire, and shelter. (I\'d use the duct tape to hold together a frame for a debris shelter.)
 
\"Deertick\" said:
I\'ll admit ... I\'m not a \"kitchen-sink\" guy.

I carry a small waterproof bag with a fire-making kit and iodine pills (and neutralizer). The fire kit is wrapped in duct tape, which is my first aid kit.

That\'s about it, other than the whistle that\'s attached to my camelback pack.

I use this as my \"grab-and-go\" pack for everyday hikes, rides, ATV excursions, etc.

A wintertime vehicle kit is much more extensive!

But ... I have the essentials: Water, fire, and shelter. (I\'d use the duct tape to hold together a frame for a debris shelter.)
Click to expand...

John, you\'re a man after my own heart.

I do take a bottle of Gorilla Crazy Glue for suturing if needed.

Anything else, I kinda figure I can \"MacGyver\" it. :think:

What sort of site is this, when the MD in the group has the smallest survival kit :dk:
 
Doc Deertick, I used to be a minimalist like you after I graduated from the \"pocketknife, Band Aids and candy bar\" level.

After having some bad unexpected situations thrown at me and studying survival, I started planning for the worst and hoping for the best, imagining every possible wilderness scenario, including becoming physically incapacitated by a bad leg injury during a major hail storm (after I was impaled, for instance). Now everything is there in my little bag in the bottom of my pack.

There\'s a great book every serious outdoors person should read, called Deep Survival, by Laurence Gonzalez. Its a series of case studies of people who were suddenly thrust into bad situations in the wilds, why some lived and why some didn\'t. It\'s a real eye-opener.
 
Not much here, but I did get an inReach communicator. If I am too far gone to use it, probably the other stuff won\'t help much either. I always have tee shirts and the normal pack junk.
 
Lou ... I have that book.

I also used to be the scout master here, so did a little teaching of the \"Be Prepared\" stuff.

Frankly, the reasons I carry \"fire\" with me now is because I have not had it when I needed it! Ditto the \"water\"! So, maybe my pack will continue to grow.

I recommend reading as much as you can about first aid and the \"unexpected night out\". Like Jeff says, you can improvise quite a bit, but you can\'t improvise knowledge.

But I\'d argue that my \"little\" kit is not a whole lot different than Lou\'s. It has Fire, Water, and Shelter.

I would say that I have one other item and I call that the Alamo Kit. In other words, at camp, or at the vehicle, there\'s a bigger kit, for when it all hits the fan. An Alamo Plan is important to have while camping and at home; probably more important at home as natural disasters are the most likely reason you\'ll yell \"Alamo!\"

Years ago, I attended a great talk about survival in urban and wilderness situations. (The urban situations were both more common and scarier!) The talk started with a photo of the speaker posing with an Alaskan moose he just shot ... on September 10, 2001. Guess whose bush pilot was a little late picking him up!
 
I\'ve been lost in the backcountry and it\'s not any fun. Once it happens, it\'s never far from your thoughts. Mine was due to an error I made and throwing in some bad weather.

My list consists of the following:
- fabric bandages
- gauze pad
- super glue
- emergency blanket
- bic lighter/ striker/ magnesium/ long burn waterproof matches
- wet fire starters
- cotton balls soaked in Vaseline
- naproxen
- aquamira (in case hiker pro fails)
- extra lithium batteries
- athletic tape (I hear Leukotape is great and plan to order)


I also keep additional supplies in a Rubbermaid tub in the truck including second skin, additional bandages and a sawyer filter. I\'ll also take a lightweight tarp and paracord if the weather is doubtful.
 
But back to my rebuttal of accusations of being \"too minimalist\" ...

Of course, we never go out with \"just a survival kit\".

If hunting, I have, for instance, game bags. Those can be part of my shelter. Ammunition can help start a fire. Who needs to add a knife to your kit? Don\'t you already have one on you? Heck, I have one on me at the office!

If I\'m on my horse, I\'ll have a saddle blanket, a saw, and, well, a horse, as long as he\'s not hurt. If on an ATV, I have extra water and rain coats tucked away. If in a pickup, I have a bit more of an \"Alamo Kit\", capable of extending time out a little longer.

I never go anywhere in the woods without a water bottle, and that can be used for a lot of things. Likewise, I always take \"calories\" along.

My kits are designed to the \"unexpected night out\", not an Electromagnetic Pulse Attack.

Probably the most important piece of equipment is a cell phone -- at least in areas where it works. I always have mine.

Once, in the Bighorns, I was helping a gal with an injured horse walk off the mountain to a ranger station about 3 miles away at dusk as it started to snow. I grabbed my \"big pack\" and she hinted that I had too much survival gear for a 3 mile walk. I noted that \"We aren\'t there yet.\" We made it, but it was wet. I spent the next morning searching for another friend who slept under her saddle blanket up there, and a diabetic who left camp without his meds or calories. So I get the \"big kit\" idea, but really, what helped all those people was improvisation and an Alamo Plan.
 
I took a 3 course series with the Colorado Mountain Club. The course work is based on parts in Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. It was classroom followed by in the field training which included survival. I also took the NOLS Wilderness First Aid. NOLS stressed that Wilderness First aid is for both urban and wilderness...Any time we can\'t get First Responders help within one hour. They also stressed improvising with items we normally carry.

I am stupid when it comes to medicine, therefore, I carry the NOLS First Aid field guide. Better for me to read before I treat myself. My First Aid kit only has stuff that I know how to use. If I don\'t know how to use something, it is not in my kit. My car has the big kit.

10 Essentials are in all my packs (day, hunting, backpack) in some form or another, plus I carry a SPOT.
  1. Navigation. Topographic map and assorted maps in waterproof container plus a magnetic compass, optional altimeter or GPS receiver.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  2. Sun protection. Sunglasses, sunscreen for lips and skin, hat, clothing for sun protection.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  3. Insulation (extra clothing). Hat, gloves, jacket, extra clothing for coldest possible weather during current season.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  4. Illumination. Headlamp, flashlight, batteries. LED bulb is preferred to extend battery life.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  5. First-aid supplies, plus insect repellent as needed.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  6. Fire. Butane lighter, matches in waterproof container.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  7. Repair kit and tools. Knives, multi-tool, scissors, pliers, screwdriver, trowel/shovel, duct tape, cable ties.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  8. Nutrition. Add extra food for one additional day (for emergency). Dry food is preferred to save weight and usually needs water.[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  9. Hydration. Add extra 2 liters of water for one additional day (for emergency).[/*:m:2m3v6el6]
  10. Emergency shelter. Tarp, bivouac sack, space blanket, plastic tube tent, jumbo trash bags, insulated sleeping pad.[/*:m:2m3v6el6][/list:eek::2m3v6el6]
    For water, I use the treatment tablets as my emergency supply.

    My hunting pack & backpack packs have more stuff than when I just do a day hike. I take QuikClot for hunting. Broadheads are sharp. For backpacking, my repair kit has Tear-Aid for tent repair. I vary the contents based on the activity and season.

    As others mentioned, some stuff can be improvised. As Tick mentioned, knowledge cannot be improvised. Been there, done that.
 
Doc, I stand corrected about your \"minimalist\" kit, but the one thing I would add to your small outfit is a space blanket. You know I was yanking your chain! Worst case you can always butcher a horse, climb inside, and warm up. :eek:

My plan is to be able to survive a couple nights on the side of a steep deadfall mountainside in the middle of nowhere with a broken leg after a hailstorm drops 3\" and drops the temps from 75 to freezing.

The little knife is because I have this kit with me everywhere (i scout or otherwise dive into the woods 3-4 days a week all summer). Pocket knives have a way of \"disappearing\" when you most need them. I find them in the woods and on the trail all the time, and during hunting season it\'s not unusual to come upon someone who asks, \"Do you have a knife? I lost mine\"

Two of my worst experiences came during unexpected terrific hailstorms while several miles back in. Our Goretex raingear became saturated beneath the big spruces we huddled under, and we got hypothermic. Fire was out of the question with natural materials in our condition. We were barely functioning. After the storm we started back, disoriented and shivering uncontrollably, and in the second event my friend slipped on a wet log and wrecked his knee. Then when we got to the small stream it was roaring with hail and runoff and we couldn\'t cross, were up against the cliffs on our side.

We eventually made it back, obviously, but there were times when we weren\'t sure. Nobody knew where we were, exactly. After that second event I added the thin visqueen piece and the space blanket.

My whole kit fits in the palm of my hand and weighs ounces. I never have to think about it now, but whatever I may need is always right there if I ever need it, which I hope is never.
 
Good point about the sharp broadheads, Patricia. Field dressing injuries are common also. A fillet glove on my left hand has saved me from many nicks and cuts over the years.

Fred Eichler called yesterday to BS. The day before, one of his pronghorn hunters cut himself very badly with a broadhead and they had to drive him an hour and a half to get stitched up. His expensive hunt was over before it started but it could have been worse if he was alone and unprepared.
 
Another item that no one has mentioned (except John) is game bags. They are a multi use item. I think John said he could use them for shelter. Hmm! I haven\'t quire figured that one out yet. However, besides for their obvious use, they can be used for bandage material, a sling, even a pillow if you get stuck out overnight. I\'m sure there are many other uses you can come up with. The main idea is, use your head!!!

Another one is my 40 SW. Not usually classified as a survival item. But, I have had to display mine twice to some mighty shady characters. And it was for my own survival. I don\'t like to make long post. But some day I might write about those experiences. By the way, cops don\'t carry a hand gun for your protection. It is for their own!!!
 
\">>>---WW---->\" said:
Another one is my 40 SW. Not usually classified as a survival item. But, I have had to display mine twice to some mighty shady characters. And it was for my own survival. I don\'t like to make long post. But some day I might write about those experiences. By the way, cops don\'t carry a hand gun for your protection. It is for their own!!!
Click to expand...

Wow... :shock: Would be interested in hearing those stories at some point Bill.
 
Okay, you all have me thinking. I have been through numerous survival training courses at West Point and in the Army. I\'ve been through some really bad situations and have always counted on my strong mind and skillset to keep me alive. All that being said, I do carry a few items such as a signal tarp/emergency blanket (keep me warm if I have to stay over or have lost a lot of blood and also can be seen for miles from above). A lighter for starting fires. Of course assorted knives and ropes. I have game bags that are just as good as any gauze bandage. I also carry lifestraw purification devices.
All that being said, as I read the fantastic posts you all have made it makes me think I should add a few items. A clot pack is one.

Realize that the only reason I am questioning my pack is because I respect a lot of the guys on this site because of watching your posts and advice for the last few years on other bulletinboard sites....

Thanks for the advice everyone!
 
I think everyone\'s survival kit could include about everything needed if they just knew the efficiencies of each item.
A good way to practice would be to get \'lost\' in your own backyard one night while it was raining and cold, only having your kit available.

I bet by morning your survival pack would include some new things and some old would be replaced :)
 
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