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4/20/12

Pocket Survival Kit Entry #16

My pocket survival kit is designed to provide the basic necessities to survive an unexpected life-threatening situation for at least 72 hours.  I have been making these kits for some time and I have seen many different takes on the genre.  In some cases, with the strap on gear here and the wrap around gear there, these kits have evolved into mini-BOB or “pocket” kits on steroids.  While the kit should be constructed to meet your specific needs, it is, after all, a pocket kit and should fit comfortably and completely inside your shirt pocket.  I am also a bit of a purist and wanted everything to fit securely inside my tin to ensure that no one piece of gear is at risk of loss or exposure to degrading effects such as light, weather, sweat, dirt, wear, etc.

As this kit is designed to provide the user with the basic necessities for survival in a life threatening situation, it does not address none life-threatening events or situations.  The kit is easy to carry, thus increasing the chances of actually carrying it, and provides the user with the ability to:

•    Make 4 liters of potable water
•    Start a fire for warmth, light and cooking
•    Build a shelter
•    Have a dependable, portable source of light other than fire
•    Catch food
•    Survive on limited resources until help arrives
•    Be found and help rescuers do their job  
Items with more than one use and the ability to act as a substitute for other items in the tin were very important in deciding what went in this kit as well as the ability to combine items to work together to create something better than the parts alone (e.g., string + knife + stick = spear). While not all of these items are designed for some of the possible uses noted and in some cases overlap the utility of other items (e.g., sting and fishing line), using a tool for the purpose it was designed for (e.g., signal mirror) as opposed to a substitute tool (e.g., magnifier) often yields better results, nevertheless redundancy is paramount.  This is a basic “survive until help arrives” kit completely contained within one standard Altoids sized tin.  

The contents include:

1  Set of Survival Cards
1  20’ 15lbs Tinsel Strength
     Fishing Line
3  No. 4 Fish Hooks
4  Micropur H2O Purification
     Tablets, Exp. 01/2016
1  1 Liter Water Bag
1  Ferro Rod
1  WetFire Tinder Tablet
1  Knife, Scabbard and
     Lanyard
1  Diamond Tip File
1  20’ 135lbs Tinsel
     Strength Kevlar String
1  4x Fresnel Magnifier
1  Dog Tag Signal Mirror
1  Tweezers with Tip Cover
1  LED Nano Light
1  $20 Bill

Survival Cards – Copied onto waterproof, tear-proof paper to reduce the thickness and provide more room inside the tin.  The cards cover the following topics: Basic Survival, Basic Navigation, Fire Building, Water, Ground-to-Air Signals, Morse Code, Basic Traps and Snares and Crossing Rivers, providing essential information, that when used with the contents of this kit, can sustain the user in varying circumstances and climates until rescue is possible.

Fishing Line – 15lbs line can be used with the fishing hooks or as a snare or trap and can provide a user the chance to catch food.  It can also be used to create an expedient shelter, expedient floss or to secure items.

Fish Hooks – Standard fishing hooks for catching fish and can also be used to hold items together when building an expedient shelter or to suspend caught food in the fire for cooking.  The hooks are taped together and a piece of plastic straw, which could work as a lure, is wrapped around the hook to keep it from damaging other items it the tin.

Micropur Water Purification Tablets –They are small, lightweight, individually wrapped and each tablet makes 1 liter of potable water.  The tablets have an expiration date and can take several hours to make water potable so planning and thinking ahead is important, but this is true of everything you do in a crisis.

1 Liter Bag – No doubt this bag is one of the smallest, most compact and best designed disposable water bags I have found.  It comes sealed with a tear away seal on it so there is no concern with contamination prior to use and it has a simple closure system to avoid catastrophic spills.  The bag is bigger than 1 liter, but 1 liter is clearly marked on the bag.  With this bag, Micropur tablets and access to water, a person can make up to 4 liters of water.  While not the, “3 gallons of water per adult per day” threshold preppers strive for, when paired with conservation techniques (e.g., seek shade and keep the body covered, sleep by day and move/work by night, sip water on timed intervals, etc.) it can extend life in extreme circumstances.

Ferro Rod – Creates sparks to start fire when used with kindling.  The user can also shave small pieces from the rod and when added as supplement with other natural tinder will act as an accelerant.  When paired with the WetFire Tinder the user can have a quick fire with little effort or work.

Wetfire Tinder Tablet – It can be cut or broken into smaller pieces so that it can be used over a period of time.  It can be shaved off and added as supplement with other natural tinder to act as an accelerant.  This tinder works wet or dry and can even be extinguished and relit again (if done with caution as doing so in a survival situation might toast your digits).  This can also be used to dry wet natural tinder or other fire making materials found by the user in order to build a larger fire.

Knife, Scabbard and Lanyard – This knife can do everything any good, sharp knife can do.  It comes with a long lanyard which, when wrapped around the user’s hand/thumb will afford him or her with better handling and a better grip on the knife.  In addition, the knife can be tied to a stick with the lanyard, string or fishing line to make an expedient spear for fishing or hunting.


Diamond Tipped File – Used to sharpen the knife as it is dulled from use.  While a stone would be better, the weight and size make it unmanageable for a kit of this size.  The file may not make the blade razor sharp, but with a bit of patience and skill you can get a pretty good edge on the blade.

Kevlar String – A very light weight and very strong string which is also resistant to water and mold.  It can be used to create an expedient shelter, a spear, as a fishing line, a snare or trap, as expedient floss, a clothes line or shoe laces. 

4x Fresnel Magnifier - Magnify small items such as a splinter or other foreign matter stuck in your body.  Its thickness makes it is a very good tool for removing a stinger and poison sack left after a bee sting.  It can also be used to ignite a fire or reflect light to signal a search party.  It can also be used to focus light to catch the attention of and/or lure small animals (think of a cat chasing a beam of light from a flashlight) into your snare or trap.  The orange cover can mark your path to rescuers, hold and keep tinder material dry, or poke holes in it and use it as an expedient filter for pre-filtering water.


Dog Tag Signal Mirror – Provides the ability to signal land/water/aircraft, rescue parties or other people in the area.  The mirror can also be used to focus light to catch the attention of and/or lure small animals (think of a cat chasing a beam of light from a flashlight) into your snare or trap.  The mirror is wrapped in transparent packing tape to keep it from being scratched while in the tin.

 Bottom view (printed on
waterproof, tear-proof paper and coverd with tape.)
Tweezers with Tip Cover – This particular tweezer is very small but very strong, and the tips come to a very fine point.  The tweezer is very good at removing splinters, ticks, etc.  The fine point on the tweezer is good for getting under the skin to remove or dig out foreign matter.  The points are also sharp enough to create small holes in material (see $20 bill expedient filter for pre-filtering water) or puncture/tear items.  The tip cover is removable and made of metal which can make it useful as a weight/lure with the fishing line and hooks.   It could also be used in a snare or lure to catch an animal’s attention and/or bait it in.

LED Nano Light – This weatherproof light is the small, bright, and versatile.  This is no Fenix, but it provides 10 lumens of light, enough to illuminate a decent area.  The battery provides up to 8 hours of light and it come with a clip that makes it easy to attach onto clothing or other items.  The light is small enough to be comfortably held in between your teeth for a period of time or can be can be suspended between two items with a length of string to provide a stable light for a work area or cooking area.  I put a piece of tape on it to keep the light from accidentally turning on in the tin.

$20 Bill – Having some money on you is always good (except maybe in a Zombie Apocalypse) and the size and weight of a $20 bill compared to its value is negligible.  I have on more than one occasion thought I was in the middle of nowhere and yet came upon a farm, ranch and even a gas station.  Having something of value to work with is never a bad thing and until the dollar is completely devalued, cash is king.  In a pinch, it can be used as scratch paper, an expedient filter for pre-filtering water (poke small holes in it with the tweezers), kindling or to mark your path to rescuers. 

Please note:  while packing the kit a small plastic zip lock bag fell into the tin (pictured above the fishing hooks).  I took it as a sign and kept it in there but it is not on the list of items or in the description.  Figured someone wanted it in there so I am going with it.

I realize that this submission is longer and more detailed than some of the others.  I take my preparations and my survival very seriously and thought this was the best way to present my kit.  Thank you for your great site and the opportunity to enter this contest.

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Interested in entering the Pocket Survival Kit contest? Check out the details.
 
First prize will receive a neo-tribal forged survival kit from Randy Church, an AR-15 Essential Parts Kit and Car Rescue Tool from Choate Machine & Tool, $50 in credit from Shelf Reliance consultant Jade Garn, a bundle of survival gear from OscarDelta & SnakeDr666, a copy of the Doom & Bloom Survival Medicine Handbook, and a $25 certificate from Paladin Press.  
Second prize will receive an AR-15 Essential Parts Kit and Car Rescue Tool from Choate, a bundle of survival gear from OscarDelta & SnakeDr666, as well as at least $30 worth of survival books & gear from TEOTWAWKI Blog.   

Third Prize will receive a Choate Car Rescue Tool and at least $20 worth of survival books & gear from TEOTWAWKI Blog.