[ HOME ] [ INSTRUCTION ] [ PRODUCTS ] [ CHOOSING AN OPTIMAL PADDLE ] [ DRY SUIT GASKET REPAIR ] [ SAMPLE ORDER ] [ ROLLING AND BRACING ] [ SURVIVAL KIT ] [ FAQ ] [ PADDLE FLOAT RESCUE ] [ PHOTOS ] [ BOOK STORE ] [ KAYAK CAMPING AND CAMP STORE ] [ GPS ] [ LINKS ] [ CONTACT US ]
ASSEMBLING A SURVIVAL KIT
by Ken Rasmussen
I recently fulfilled a lifelong ambition by assembling a comprehensive survival kit. I’ve paid lip service to the wisdom of carrying one for most of my life, but I’ve never put together a really good one, and most of the time I haven’t taken the trouble to carry much more than a space bag, matches, and a knife--though those are three good picks. It is easy to purchase a survival kit. Some of them are as small as a sardine tin, and fit comfortably into a pants pocket. However, it you look at the items in those kits and contemplate the prospect of actually spending a couple of days making do, it is daunting. When I prepare for a couple of days outdoors I want a hiking pack full of gear in order to be safe and comfortable. How do you get enough equipment for safety and some degree of comfort into a packet small enough to take with every time you ski, kayak, hike or ride a mountain bike? It is especially difficult if one is a performance oriented athlete with an interest in traveling far, fast and light.
My first problem was to find something to carry the kit in. I thought it should be a pot with a watertight lid so that it could also be useful for cooking. I spent hours searching the internet and shops for something suitable before I stumbled across the MSR Stowaway Pot. It is made in several sizes. The smallest is 475 milliliter volume, and though the lid is not completely watertight, it is nearly so. An added bonus is that the handle folds over the top of the pot and secures the lid. I was wondering how I was going to be able to pull my pot out of a fire, so I was delighted by the versatile locking handle. It is waterproof enough for most kinds of use, though I keep it in a zip lock bag or put tape around the lid when I carry it in my kayaking guide vest so I won’t get water in it if I roll. The dimensions of the pot are four and one half inches in diameter and two and three quarters inches tall, excluding a couple of projections of the handle. The weight of the finished kit is one and a half pounds. I’d like it better if it weighed two ounces and fit in a sardine size tin, but it is small and light enough that I don’t mind carrying it. I have extra motivation since I actually did spend three days and two nights in the mountains without equipment about twenty years ago. It was not very pleasant, and I would have paid anything for some basic gear. The contents are as follows:
space bag
1 gallon zip lock bag for water
24 water purification tablets
24 tablets for removing bad taste from purified water
match case with flint
14 storm proof matches with striker
10 pieces of tinder
disposable lighter
9 birthday candles, trick type that don’t blow out
sturdy lockback knife, sharp
coil saw
single edge razor blade
flashlight
button compass
needle
bobbin full of strong thread
12’ of heavy cord
3’ of copper wire for snares
30’ of fishline or cord
2 lead fishing sinkers
9 fish hooks
2 fishing lures
1 9’ tapered fly leader (tapered leader will probably break at the hook, losing less line)
8 Oatfields licorice toffees
2’ of plastic electrical tape
5 3” Band-Aids
3 antiseptic wipes
2 packets of antibiotic ointment
2 insect repellent wipes
2 safety pins
plastic signal mirror
can opener
$20 bill
If I had room I’d add a space blanket which could be rigged as a lean to shelter with a fire in front. The space bag could be cut into a tarp, but then it would lose some of its warmth for sleeping. However the space blanket is a large item, and wouldn’t fit the container unless I substituted it for the more comfortable space bag.
A poncho would be a great item that is also too bulky for this kit. The space bag could be used as a poncho if necessary.
The plastic match container is rather large for its limited function. It got included because it has a useful flint on the bottom, and because the storm proof matches are a bit frightening. Once struck they do not go out, even in a closed container. I decided that I wanted them to be well protected from accidental ignition. I created more justification for including the case by using it as a spool for tape and fishing line.
The water purification tablets come in bottles that would never fit in the kit. I wrapped the pills in freezer wrap and shipping tape to protect them without wasting space.
The compass is not as nice as I’d prefer. A better one wouldn’t fit in this kit, though I frequently carry a good compass anyway.
The can opener may be wishful thinking, but it was so tiny that I couldn’t resist including it. In a survival situation it might reveal some other unsuspected use.
I’d have included stingeze and sun screen, as well as more insect repellent, but it would have meant less toffee. I took extra trouble to get really great toffee, which would introduce an element of luxurious pleasure to the business of survival, and help my body to warm itself if I were chilled.
I put a lot of effort into designing this kit, and had some unnecessary expense buying things that eventually got left out because they wouldn’t fit. However I’ll get a lot of peace of mind from having the kit with me on those dark evenings when I’m still on the trail or water, and things aren’t going well. The kit may save a life or make a bad experience less awful. I’ve already learned that one can’t go shopping in the wilderness. If the gear isn’t with you, you have to do without it.
[ HOME ] [ INSTRUCTION ] [ PRODUCTS ] [ CHOOSING AN OPTIMAL PADDLE ] [ DRY SUIT GASKET REPAIR ] [ SAMPLE ORDER ] [ ROLLING AND BRACING ] [ SURVIVAL KIT ] [ FAQ ] [ PADDLE FLOAT RESCUE ] [ PHOTOS ] [ BOOK STORE ] [ KAYAK CAMPING AND CAMP STORE ] [ GPS ] [ LINKS ] [ CONTACT US ]
