Altoids Survival Kit

A little tool kit that might be useful on a camping trip. Tried and true, you say? This is the best mini survival kit out there!

It holds 25, count 'em, 25 items...and counting

Pocket size, neat and organized, ready to go, easy open/close.

Step 1: The "ingredients"

You will need:

--Items I have

empty Altoids tin
matches
matchbox
gum
small flashlight
fishing line
duct tape
b-day candle
small candle
small compass
foil
ziploc
safety pins
wire
medical tape
gauze
bandaids
alcohol wipes
plastic container
tire puncture repair patch
needle
thread
signal mirror
rubber band
dental floss
razor blade
safety pins
--Other useful items that I don't have yet

emergency whistle
flint & steel striker

--Useful items that won't fit in the tin

Swiss Army Knife(or other multi tool-mine is Greatland Brand)

Comments

[molonlabe]

What is the tire puncture patch for? You left off the explanation for that.

[theredneck43]

I love your survival kit. It works great. Also you mentioned that you need some other things that wont fit. I found something that is small and fits great into the tin. It is around 5-7 dollars depending where you get it. Ill send you the pic next

[theredneck43]

There you go

[BudgetBugout]

Not bad. Better than most kits.

You definitely will need a knife in a survival situation though cuz that razor blade will quickly fail, cut you or become obsolete (whichever comes first).

Check out my new Altoids Survival Tin instructable for tips on priorities of survival.

[khunter-hardy]

How do you fit a ziplock bag in there and y two type of candle?

[B2BSurvivor]

Good start. Mirror is needed for signalling, not for firestarting. BUT. if you buff up the inside of your tin lid, it can serve as the mirror. Just shift the match striker strips to the top and bottom. (good idea, those strikers.Even with strike anywhere matches) Keep at it. Where you putting your water? Try shifting the duct tape to several layers applied to the backside of the tin. Gets them out of the inside. No need for that much med tape. Use cloth strips if its a big wound, duct tape or bandaids for the small ones.

[vaiomouse8]

my first thought, polish can, use as mirror :)

put match strips a little more out of the way and... done

[The survival dude]

Yea I was just gonna say "How the hell do you start a fire with a SIGNAL mirror"

[Menth1991]

I'm considering make one to my next camp! Thanks

[triumphman]

Still waiting for your reply! Are you ok ? Need that tin!

[triumphman]

Hey , yodasoda6, are you OK? I have sent you a few messages and no response for quite a while! I hope you are OK! Please get back here , we miss you!

[triumphman]

Just something you may add! Found some really cool little Birthday Cake Candles that don't go out when you blow on them! They are for a prank to pull on an unsuspecting birthday boy or girl! They work great on a windy day or wet environment! Wind or rain can't put them out! You must pinch off the flame with your wet fingers to extinguish them. They are thin and small too! I just put these in my Survival GO Bag! They come in a pack of 24. My wife had them stashed with the other little birthday candles! So I snatched them. Not sure where to get them now! So solly. Maybe google them . FYI

[triumphman]

Too much BS! Hey where can I get a tin like that? I have never seen one with the girly on the front! I have chocolate covered cinnamon altoids but the tin has no girly! Wowee!

[freeza36]

Geeze, I want THAT tin too!

[Just Bill]

With all the things you guys are suggesting adding to that poor little Altoids tin you somehow managed to overlook one thing ... the 6 porters needed to carry it.

[moneyfuskie935]

Those are some interesting Altoids.....

[The survival dude]

Lose some matches get a Gerber mini suspension-p and mini suspension-p's will fit. The mini suspension-p is about 2'' long :)

[hossweightlifter]

Not dissing this one but i am kind of annoyed at how much people make these things with the exact same things

[tjarey]

Not a bad build similar to my article originally published in Make magazine issue # 16 published about a year earlier.

Someone commented on adding a mirror, not necessary, As I pointed out in my published piece, simply polish the inside of the lid and make a small hole in the center. Then the lid becomes a functional signal mirror.

[sevin]

Just a couple of suggestions for your great kit.
Why don't you glue your mirror onto the outside back of the tin, that way it's not taking up any space inside?
Place your tin inside of the Ziplock (fold the bag around the tin, squeezing out the air before sealing) and then securing with the rubber band.
You should then have enough room for a small wrapped tampon - Lilette's have ones without the applicator. This can be used for an emergency water filter to remove a lot of sediment and larvae or it can be used for tinder (just pull away small amount of the cotton) and even the thread can be pulled apart and used.
I guess you could wrap your duct tape around the outside of the tampon too.
Just my pennyworth.

[K'nexFanatiFreek]

u should also put a few firecrackers in there, for signaling from long ranges

[Cerealpoof]

On the other side of the tid, the one with the match strikes, if you could place the higher up and more compact you could put a small mirror there for signaling

[liljustinc]

Or you could use the can itself. There's plenty of room once you remove the match striking strips to use that as a mirror.

[farmsteader]

Super Glue a strike area just below that nice Derriere on that image ,that would Heat up just look'in at it! Hey gotta keep warm somehow.

[yodasoda6]

keep em comin. i will soon take up the sparkler idea. i plan to acquire one of those handy fire starter things, although i feel as if that may not be able to fit in the tin. however, i think it would fit well on a set of keys next to one's swiss army knife. im not so sure about the bic lighter thing. i might just waterproof the matches. but ill think about it. im not all that familiar with swatch knives, so ill look into that. the picture and list will be updated with these changes as soon as i can. i have difficulty finding time, but when i do know that i consider every suggestion. i intend to move the match striker things, waterproof the matches, add some sparklers. are their any good uses for the mirror, or should i remove it to save space? it is clear to me that it is bad for firestarting purposes. i have learned now :D anyway keep suggesting and helping me improve this

[farmsteader]

I have some camping Matches that are small enough to fit in that kewl can, they are pre- waxed, strike matches can still be purchased at Ace Hardware stores, i don't know about you guys, but we use neosporin with pain reliever- these tubes last a good while, it will be in my kit,or a baggy of it.what about simple flint and steel as a lighter. This is good stuff to get folks thinking about Survival . Thank you !

[Colonel88]

Super strong string to build shelter and to do almost anything.

Super Glue to patch up things and make arrows, etc.

Flexible magnifying card, plastic, flexible, and really small, can start a fire.

Pencil, so you don't go mad, you can draw things and make observations.

Sandpaper, to sharpen things.

Little screwdriver, so you can take apart any other things you have.

Batteries, to power makeshift radios and LEDs

LED: use with batteries to make an effective flashlight.

Bandaids, to heal u

Nails, different sizes, to build shelters and make arrowheads.

Safety pins, to use as fishing hooks (?)

Towelettes, they have alcohol, so they burn well, and can also kill bacteria. Plus if you breathe in the fumes you get high :D

That is all.

[Anianna]

Just FYI, your average safety pin is not good as a fishing hook because it bends too easily under load and there is no barb to keep the fish from sliding right back off. I used a smidgen of duct tape to attach a fish hook to the inside edge of my tin, which works well for me.

Also, great idea on the superglue, though you should probably include some nail polish remover (acetone) if you intend to carry it. Getting your fingers glued together in an emergency situation could be a real bummer. Krazy glue comes in "single use" tubes you can purchase in a handy little container of four. They actually hold more than a single use and are a great size for a little tin.

Perhaps some water tablets would be good to add, too.

[NYPA]

it will get you through the hard part of survival. It would be cool if you put a small gun in there.

[farmsteader]

just put this kit next to your ShotGun and Shells!

[dragongod140]

ROFL! now THAT is funny

[veeguy]

If you put a gun in there, you couldn't carry it with you without opening yourself up for a felony "carrying a concealed weapon" charge. What I would do instead is put a flat broadhead in the case along with some 100# test waxed braided fish line. You could then make yourself a bow and arrow, or use the string for snares, use it as wick for animal fat candles, use the broadhead for a knife, make a fish arrow with retrieval line etc. Another handy item is a 2 gram tube of cyanoacrylate glue gel. You can use it to glue on your arrow head, smear it on sharpened stick to make extremely hard tips, use it to close and protect cuts or wounds, Another great addition is some aluminum foil folded to fit in the bottom of the tin, as many layers as space allows. Great for cooking, wrapping, covering open bottles and jars, etc.

[Colonel88]

So? WHen i stick my fists in my pockets i'm arrested with "Concealing a deadly weapon"

[plumber4]

Felony Shmelony...I want to see someone make a gun out of an Altoids container.

[veeguy]

Like this?

[Coffee bean]

Your design is flawed but a gun in an Altoids tin could be done. Gun have been put in smaller things before.

[hammertong]

 I would make this for some of my friends if it wasn't for the fact that they'd become permanently mutilated.

[plumber4]

Ha! That's good. After you blow your firing hand off, reach for altoid first aid kit in your other pocket and repair wound.

[ninja of darkness]

or a bow, you know for catching food

[Hunter O.]

A razor blade can be tied to a long, straight stick and be used as a makeshift arrow.