Survival Packs/Vests

[wakeadrian]

I haven't made them for myself yet, but have been looking into it. I'd love to see some pictures or lists of the things you have in yours/what you'd recommend.

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[Redrum]

http://theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

check in here

 

[CastleFox]

Edited to be more Politically correct so as not to offend the Admins, Moderators, or members. I forgot how TOUCHY FEELY America has gotten now.

 

[Redrum]

you gotta sift thru some tin-foil on that site sometimes

 

[treemanx]

As far as what to carry, IMO, here are the essentials:

Water purification: tablets, or micro filter.

Fire starter: wind/water proof matches, magnesium striker ie StrikeForce or Light My Fire, (throw in a bic or two just in case)

Tinder: Vaseline soaked cottonballs, fire wicks(you have to make these yourself, but their easy), laundry lint, chainsawed pine shavings, pine pitch, ect. carried in a few pill bottles.

Knives: One good sized fixed blade, and one nice folder, (add a leathermans, very useful)

Signaling: Small mirror, whisle, ect.

Fishing kit: you can fit everything you need to fish in a pill bottle. Take about 50 ft or more of fishing line, wrap around the pill bottle and tape in place. Inside the pill bottle, put a variety of hooks, sinkers, swivels, ect. you can set one of these up for less than 5 bucks from Bi Mart, and you can add or take away things as you see fit.

Small sewing kit: Some thread, needles, ect.

Medical: small first aid kit including neosporin, bandaids, antibacertial hand wipes, ect.

50-100 feet of REAL 550 para cord: You can find these at most surplus stores and sporting good stores, but beware! Some milspec paracord are NOT rated for 550 pounds of working load. The fake 550 cord only has a working load of about 150 ponds, even though it still has the smaller center cords. You can use this stuff for ALOT of useful things out in the woods. From making shelters, to snares to catch food, to fishing line, to heavy sewing line, the uses are too many to list.

These things are your core kit. You can fit them all into a pretty small pelican hardcase, and they will stay uncrunched and dry. Then find yourself a army surplus alice or molle pouch that will hold your pelican case, that has a good strong covering latch.

To accompany this small kit, a military water canteen, with the canteen cup, cooker stand, and pouch, are great to have all on a military pistol belt. This way you have all the basics covered, and can carry them on your belt at all times, even when you have your backpack off. You'll have the ability to fully sustain yourself just from your belt.

Anything you carry beyond that, in your backpack, is going to be luxury. Tent, sleeping bag, extra clothes and foodstuffs, ect. But beware, you HAVE to limit what you carry, as you can end up packing 60-80 lbs of stuff around, and will likely exhaust anyone who is not in tip top shape.


BTW: I posted this in my Whaa Hooo thread, figured it belonged here instead.

 

[Randini]

Dont forget the peanut butter for the fats and protein, and some prunes for that fiber after all what goes in must come out,

 

[MarkAd]

TreeManx
you forgot the survial blaket. It weiths a few ozs and will keep you warm and or overnight. It also make a good backstopp reflector for a heat trap to increase the heat you recover from a fire.
And if you wrap it around your head it keeps Big Brother from reading your mind

 

[treemanx]

Very true guys, those are good items as well. But my core kit I described above is the absolute essentials of survival in the woods. If you know how to use each one of those items, you'll have the ability to purify water, or boil it when that runs out; light and start fires; snare small game and fish; make a shelter; take care of most small wounds or abrasions; and signal for help if needed. Those are the bare basics to sustaining your life in the woods.

You can obviously change things on the list to fit your preference, as an example:
Rather than carrying a load of dry tinder(fire wicks, soaked cotton balls, ect) matches, magnesium strikers, and water purification tabs, you could change all that to a small eye dropper bottle of glycerin, and a pill bottle of the same size full of fine potassium permangenate(probably not spelling correctly). These two chemicals can replace your fire striker, tinder, and water purification tabs, plus give you a couple other useful tools by themselves.

How you say? Dump a little pile of potassium permangenate under some small dry twigs and or leaves, and eye drop about five drops of glycerin on it, and a chemical reaction will take place almost immeadiately bursting into flames and lighting your tinder. I have some of both allways, and have done it many times.

Then, you have all the uses of glycerin, skin moisteriser, calms upset stomach, ect.
Then you have all the uses of potassium permangenate, purify water for drinking, ect.

Very useful stuff. You can add and take away things from your core kit as per your preference, but heres another tip. Try to make EVERYTHING you carry on your person, have multiple uses. If you can have one items that has 6 uses out in the woods, that 5 less things you have to carry. If most everything you carry has many uses, youve lightened your load substantially and still have essentials and alot of comforts covered.

 

[Redrum]

if your gonna start fires with your survival kit and you dont want to use matches...this is the thing to have...legend has it Fredrick Deisel invented the deisel engine after he saw a firepiston work

I have 3 of them and they work awesome..not to mention they are so friggin to use and people dont believe it when you tell them your gonna make fire :huh:

http://www.primalconnection.com/FirePistons.html

 

[jrw]

Here is what I am thinking about getting, if anyone had any better ideas or a product recommendation I would love to see it. My goal is to be able to carry my rifle in an inconspicuous way (or as much as possible)
<broken link removed>

 

[Just Jim]

best to be inconspicuous

jj

 

[bt97006]

For an everyday don't leave home without it kit, I found a way to make it easy for myself to carry essential items on my belt. It's just grab and go with no pocket stuffing or forgetting something. The Mantra of "it won't do you any good sitting at home," just makes sense to me.

I use one of these....
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=479&idcategory=6

to carry one of these.....
http://www.equipped.com/psp/index.htm
Which I have added to and supplemented a few select items.

The maxpedition pack has a dedicated pouch for my cell phone and leatherman. I put the pocket survival kit in the back flat hook-and-loop closed area. A small tac-lite and spare mag for my carry piece in the front zipper pouch. There is room for various other items such as cash, cards or keys as well. It is uncomplicated so I am always apt to take it with me.

 

[ArgentineSteel]

I've been making small survival kits like the mini kit for a while, fit it into an altoid tin. Mainly for Boy Scouts showing how to build an easily carried survival kit.

Whistle, micro light, small lighter, small tin of floss, fire starter, pain killers, anti bacterial wipe and some bandaids.

Add what you want and can. I carry a knife and usually a pocket tool on my belt. This should be supplemental.

Pocketable and fun to build.


I also have a pocket size first aid kit that fits well in a cargo pocket.

 

[darkminstrel]

I have the Gunslinger and I love it! I did switch the MOLLE attachment points over to multicam webbing to help keep the visual profile down, but other than that it keeps my entire BoB together nice and tight.

 

[terrylf72]

Just as a added suggestion.. After going through my work place first aid/CPR training. I beleave everyone should have 2 or 3 suger pack (the small ones you get for your coffee most restaurants) to your first aid kits. For those frieds and family members you know to be diabetic. You never know!

 

[dario541]

Can anybody reccomend a good back pack that they have had experience with? How about clothing and shoes? I don't want cheap stuff. I want durable products that will last. After all, what is your life worth?

 

[PDXGS]

Can anybody reccomend a good back pack that they have had experience with? How about clothing and shoes? I don't want cheap stuff. I want durable products that will last. After all, what is your life worth?

For comfort and weight I'd go with Dana Designs, Osprey, Arcteryx or Coaxsher.
I use a Coaxsher pack for Search and Rescue and it's fantastically light and comfortable. It's based on a modular concept and is adaptable for a variety of conditions and roles.
Here's Coaxsher's website:http://www.coaxsher.com/
And they're a northwest company....local for local.
As far as footwear goes I'd also suggest a local mfg.- Danner. Id make my choice on which model base don the prevailling weather conditions but you can't go wrong with their Rainforest model in my opinion.
As for essentials -here's our SAR team's list:<broken link removed>
For firemaking I've tried most every device and the one that I always com back to is the REI match, a wind-proof Colibri lighter, and a new product called WetFire. I've lit several fires with wet tinder,on snow, in the rain with this stuff-and it weighs almost nothing. <broken link removed>
The also have some interesting tools on their site.
Clothing-
DISCLOSURE- Im an apparel innovation person at a local company- I've been doing this for about 15+ years and I've worked with athletes and soldiers and draw a lot from my own personal experience as a SAR Team member and outsdoorsman.
1st Rule- DO NOT WEAR ANY COTTON- In my profession we call it the Death Fabric.
Baselayers- Preferably polyester microfibers. Nike, Patagonia, Arcteryx (Navy SEALS), with a slightly heavier midlayer and a good ventilated, rainproof shell- again Arcteryx, Patagonia etc. Make certain that it uses GoreTex or eVent fabrics. Find what fits you and buy it. I prefer a jacket with plenty of ventillation zippers for venting steam when hiking in the wet woods of Western Oregon.
Rain pants of the same materials with a GoreTex gator are a must in these parts in the winter. Under my rainpants I use an upland hunting pant with heavier brush guard fabric on the legs- for the blackberry thorns.
For a hat I use a wool or polyester microfiber skull cap under a Seattle Sombrero from OR inc.
Here's a link for some pics of what we wear in SAR work <broken link removed>
A for my rifle, I want it in my hands or on my chest.
I can always sling it to my pack for climbing.

 

[dario541]

PDXGS - I wish to thank you very much. You've handed me a "homework" assignment but I think it will be a pleasure to do. I'm going to check out those sites because I want to have gear and clothing that will last for a while. Wonderful!

 

[terrylf72]

couldnt get this link to work.

<broken link removed>

 

[dario541]

Very true guys, those are good items as well. But my core kit I described above is the absolute essentials of survival in the woods. If you know how to use each one of those items, you'll have the ability to purify water, or boil it when that runs out; light and start fires; snare small game and fish; make a shelter; take care of most small wounds or abrasions; and signal for help if needed. Those are the bare basics to sustaining your life in the woods.

You can obviously change things on the list to fit your preference, as an example:
Rather than carrying a load of dry tinder(fire wicks, soaked cotton balls, ect) matches, magnesium strikers, and water purification tabs, you could change all that to a small eye dropper bottle of glycerin, and a pill bottle of the same size full of fine potassium permangenate(probably not spelling correctly). These two chemicals can replace your fire striker, tinder, and water purification tabs, plus give you a couple other useful tools by themselves.

How you say? Dump a little pile of potassium permangenate under some small dry twigs and or leaves, and eye drop about five drops of glycerin on it, and a chemical reaction will take place almost immeadiately bursting into flames and lighting your tinder. I have some of both allways, and have done it many times.

Then, you have all the uses of glycerin, skin moisteriser, calms upset stomach, ect.
Then you have all the uses of potassium permangenate, purify water for drinking, ect.

Very useful stuff. You can add and take away things from your core kit as per your preference, but heres another tip. Try to make EVERYTHING you carry on your person, have multiple uses. If you can have one items that has 6 uses out in the woods, that 5 less things you have to carry. If most everything you carry has many uses, youve lightened your load substantially and still have essentials and alot of comforts covered.

I'd like to look into using those chemicals to start fires that you mention. Where can I find them? Thank you for all the information in this post.