DIY Compact Survival Kit

Wilderness survival should be taught to everyone. It can save lives, thus is an important body of knowledge. A survival kit should be cheap, and it should be simple, as this encourages more people to carry them when they go into the outdoors. In this instructable I will show, and explain how to make wilderness survival kit, and how to use it.

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Step 1 Materials Needed.

Fishing line
Whistle
Chemical light stick
Emergency Candles (optional)
Small LED keychain flashlight
Tinfoil
Piece of paper
Duct tape
Bic pen
Razor blade
Box of WATERPROOF matches
Water treatment (for example iodine or chlorine. I use drops i bought at Coast Mountain Sports)
Poncho, OR a space blanket. (I used a Poncho because it doesnt rip as easily, although this sacrifices space.)

Comments

[TheInventor1997]

what about a knife? it is much easier, and it gives a better chance of winning a fight than using a dinky razorblade

[static]

A small lightweight handgun is what you need to carry if you are expecting a knife fight.

[kchristensen6]

you will probably use you knife for so many other things and when you need an extremely sharp blade you will have dulled enough so that it will not compare to a razor blade.

[DixieGeek]

I use dental floss. Its strong, lightweight and comes in its own small packaging.

[badwooki]

ive been saying same thing ... put a curved sewing needle or any needle in case with floss

[chaderoo2]

Dental floss for what?

[PINKmonster325]

I used dental floss for tying down my tent in a windstorm. (it worked, fyi)

[DixieGeek]

Anything where you need a piece of strong piece of string. Sewing up rips and tears, whipping the ends of rope, shoe laces, I've even used it repair my glasses when the lenses fell out on a camping trip. Oh, it also is good for cleaning between your teeth. :-)

[Arano]

also, you can use it to escape prison... some prisoners gathered all dental floss the were able to get and made ropes out of it do get down the walls ;)

[TheInventor1997]

it takes a long tome though

[ethanox]

you could also shove as many nails as you can in the center that way you could have more nails and not have to unroll all the ducttape

[tboultwood]

Why not a swiss army knife like the evogrip 18 it has a wood saw on as well

[KJR101]

"Chemical light sticks are great in that they almost never expire"

Sorry but this is wrong, shelf life on lightsticks is about a year, and yes I know they can last along time too. Oxygen depletes them (that’s why there in a foil wrapper). Also cold will slow down (Dim) or even stop the chemical reaction. Hold it next to your body if cold, to warm prior to snapping. Also there are two types of lightsticks the regular long lasting, 6-12hrs and Hi-intensity, about 30 min, but at least twice as bright! (Better for signaling!)

Thanks!
Good info So far

[eranox]

Aside from the high-intensity models, lightsticks have different usable durations due to the color of the light produced. Red ones (and infrared for us army guys) last the longest, at about 12 hours. As you move up the spectrum to blue and violet, the useful span of the lightstick gets shorter, to around 6 hours for blue and violet lights.

The reason behind this is that toward the violet end of the spectrum the colors have shorter wavelengths (higher frequency), and therefore more energy is required to produce those colors of light. T1ZKeR in his earlier comment had the theory right, but had the wavelengths backwards. He is correct in that the higher-frequency colors penetrate better, and so can be more easily seen in less-than-clear conditions.

In most outdoor situations, you'll find a lot of green foliage, depending on the season. A green light illuminates this best, and the further a color of light is from the color of the surrounding terrain, the more poorly it will illuminate it, for the most part. In the dark, you'll find that red illuminates poorly compared to the other colors, which is a reason why it is often used when one wants to preserve their night vision.

I find that yellow is the best blend of visibility, illumination, and runtime, as it tends to last 8 or 9 hours and is quite bright. It would definitely be my choice in a survival situation.

[kelcylane]

actually....you'll want to use a bit of duct tape to cover the top piece. I use razor blades..from a razor(so its prolly different?)...to cut random stuff like foam board and paper and what ever. but i would press down on the edge too hard and get cuts on my fingertips....

so put a bit of tape on the edge...

[dashav8r]

Great suggestions and everything in the kit is certainly a must have in the wilderness. The only thing I would add would be a signal mirror. This is THE best signaling device during the day as it can be seen up to 20 miles away. As a former search and rescue swimmer, I can promise you one thing...it's super hard to find some in the woods from the air...the signal mirror can save your life!
patrick
armageddonoutfittersonline.com

[Silverknife]

If the space blanket rips, isn't that what the duct tape is for?

[HeRrMK]

Why not have a poncho made from the same material as a space blanket, just thicker?

[maximus276]

why not exactly have both with a good bonding agent I am too lazy but you could do it and it would be water-proof, warm and it wouldn't smell bad from you wearing it!

[Gibson_SG_95]

you should invent that! i would but that would be mean, and im too lazy lol

[HeRrMK]

I have invented a thermal poncho made from a laminate of LLDPE and MPET which is that same material as a space blanket. It is 3x thicker and does the same job as a plastic poncho and a space blanket combined. It is designed to assist in combating hypothemia and keeping you dry at the same time!

[Gramjen]

Thanks for putting together such a great list of survival kit gear. People who know how to function in the wilderness do have some skills which can be very advantageous both in and out of nature. There is something really admirable that comes with the mindset of knowing how to function in nature.

[ac7ss]

For the Duct tape, I have made 'flat packs' by re-wrapping around an index card or removing the core of the spool on a nearly empty roll. (A lot of tape, nice and flat for storage.)

You can now get durable emergency blankets at camping stores, much better than the mylar films and orange on one side, they serve multi purposes as heat reflectors, rain protection, signaling, even water carry.

Dental floss makes better snares (imho) and is in a easy to carry spool. (I get some that are the size of 4 nickels stacked up.) I like the idea of the aluminum foil.

This is truly a great kit. The only thing I really see missing is grey matter. A person should know how to use it all before ever needing it. The FM21-76_SurvivalManual is one such place to start.

[T1ZKeR]

High contrast not withstanding;

Red light wavelengths (think infrared) are the shortest light wavelengths visible to the naked human eye. In saltwater, for instance, they penetrate the shortest distance before appearing 'black'. (On average 30-40 ft)

UV, ultraviolet, from the other end of the spectrum, penetrates the deepest.(Over 70 ft usually)

This, and the fact we don't usually encounter purple lights, suggests that UV or purple/blue/green light would be more effective as they penetrate further and are less seldom encountered by most folks. (At least outside of the local bar/cathouse areas ;)

And to add to earlier observations, if signaling at night, any light swung in a circle is considered an SOS by most aviators.

Just my $0.02

[vampierwolf]

If you've seen the little altoid cans before they make excellent tinder boxes and also if you have a larger one and some big paper clips you can make a little grill thats chea and relitvly small

[KJR101]

" Night time can be some of the worst times for you in a survival situation. It is the time when your mind plays with you, so sleeping at night can be very difficult. This is why even a small light can give the largest moral boost. "

Very True!! Also Fire or the smell of fire makes the Lions, Tigers and Bears, as well as a mutitude of other criders uneasy and will make them less likely to bunder into your camp! (Oh My!)
They can also add burning time (wax(fuel)) to your tinder if your kindeling is wet or green.
Thanks

[s9TeeN]

Great stuff you got here bro! Very informative for someone who is very new to this sort of thing!

[CaptSyn]

Get rid of the Garrity light. It's ok for the few dollars it costs, but for still under $10, you can get a Photon II Micro-Light with momentary and on/off switch. It's super bright as well and can be seen for over a mile, unlike the Garrity.

I used to keep a Garrity on my keychain until I discovered the Photon II, which I wear around my neck on paracord. I'll never waste my money on a Garrity keychain light again.

The only drawback to the Photon II is it's tiny size. I have large hands so I sometimes find it difficult to hold.

[darkavatar]

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1253

you can get 10 micro lights for under 5 bucks on that site, i have 20 of them and they are great, i have them on the zippers of all my packs and camping gear and also in all my key chains.

[CaptSyn]

I bought 2 of those Chinese knock-offs at a gun show this summer. They do the job, but they pale in comparison to the Photon 2.

Mine are slightly dimmer, and the on/off switch doesn't always work on one of them.

Otherwise, for the money, you really can't beat it. That is a great deal, 10 for under $5. Thanks.

I think I paid $3 for 2. Gun Shows just aren't what they used to be.

[jefftate]

paracord, paracord, paracord, and.................oh yes, some paracord

[Brawnydt]

You know, I review a lot of survival kits, and you've got a great one here. The only thing I think you are missing is a firesteel since it's always important to have at least two methods of starting a fire, a large ziploc bag to help make a solar still, a couple condoms for water storage, and also some more cordage. I'm a fan of always having at least 30' of paracord wrapped around whatever survival kit I own. However, you've got all the essentials there, well done!

Stephen Markas

Editor In Chief

Survival Kit Reviews

[h0meIandsecurity]

good place, i like wild wild and alone and fresh and not rich, that is best picture ever! just bird is missing because i like watching birds and catching them but not keeping them

[co2wms7whcc]

Would it not be best to use regular chlorine bleach? If you put to much in your water, you can leave it in the sun for an hour. It will kill any organisms/parasites and then evaporate out of the water.

[h0meIandsecurity]

...and use it for that!?

[h0meIandsecurity]

can you produce chlorine with electrolysis of salt water

[yoshi1]

how much would the whistle be?

[stormthirst]

Boiling water has been the best way of killing bugs for millenia! A tin can will do wonders for that - it can hold beans or similar and when you're done you've got a small kettle too.

[pdlbooboo]

you can also wrap this stuff around your water bottle so that you never forget it

[Knot71]

Very nice, lots of good ideas. Im going to make one myself.