Mini-Mess tin survival tin.

There are a lot of survival tin guides on here, but I still decided to make one. I am a royal marine cadet and have made this survival tin up with a lot of thought put into it. I have taken it on all of my cadet exercises and always have it with me. It was specially put together for a natural resources and survival weekend. 

Step 1 The tin itself

The tin i have used is an old mini-mess tin. The reason i used this is unlike other mess tins it has a lid and can easily be emptied. It is best to use a metal container as you can then use it to heat and boil water, as well as offering you a container to purify water.

I also added one of my spare boot elastics, not only does it keep the container closed but it also can be used if you lose one of the ones you are wearing or one breaks

Comments

[benny8025]

Check my instructable for how to make the matches ''strike anywhere''

[awesomeman2468]

i agree with yoshi1 lighters

[yoshi1]

Using cigarette lighters aren't very good because they can break if they get wet or thrown around also they don't last forever so i would recommend flint.

[Joenavy85]

Great Kit. there are a few things i would do different though. instead of matches i would recommend getting a mini cigarette lighter, i use a Bic brand and have spares in my Jeep. i would carry a small bottle of chlorine bleach instead of tablets, the bleach will give a taste that will cover up the potentially foul taste of the water you use, when using it only use what you need, a couple drops goes a long way. add a couple drops then shake it up and wait about 10 minutes, now smell it, if it has a chlorine smell to it it's good to go, if not repeat the process until you can smell it. you can also use the pencils for tinder if needed. i would recommend getting a small Fresnel lens, you can find them online for a couple bucks and they work great for starting fires with a little bit of practice. http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3038456 Great Basic Kit though

[sharlston]

i dont like bic lighters,they tend to freeze up and stop working

[Dark Mountain Research]

There are a couple of down sides to using liquid bleach; the obvious of course is that the liquid can leak, but liquid bleach also has a shelf life. Depending on the temperature it is stored at, liquid bleach can lose its effectivness rather quickly.

A better choice would be to carry powdered calcium hypochlorite and mix your own bleach solution on scene - powdered calcium hypochlorite remains effective many, many years after liquid bleach has become useless.

[RhodesA6]

Thank you. i agree with your points, and you are right however as this is a survival kit the parts are very basic and i always have a jet lighter as my main form of ignition tied to my jacket to avoid loosing it, also the bottle sounds more effective however i would worry that it could smash in the tin if it gets knocked about abit. How ever thank you for you advice!

[djzadjza]

i like the kit but i would replae the dynamo torch with just a small led torch like a micro maglite esc thing. (VEry Small, single cell extremly bright) and some fuel for a stove like a tea light stove. other than that great kit

[stephenniall]

I'm A royal Marine cadet aswell I've never needed anything like this but i suppose if i put a small kit together IT could come in handy :) .. Where did you get your mess tin ?? .. The ones we use dont have lids and we just simply put the big mess tin over the small one while cooking to keep the heat in .. A Lid is handy

[RhodesA6]

Hey, We to use the larger mess tins, however I carry this with them as well as I put all my rations in the mess tins to stop them rattling. How ever this is just a survival tin that is used in an emergency so the tins should only be used for cooking if you have to. And they can be brought off online surplus shops (or cadet direct) how ever they are now smaller as theses models are the older ones. Thanks

[stephenniall]

I've never thought of cadet Direct .. Thanks for the tip :) .. We usually do what you said you do aswell .. Put our 'boil in bag rations' Or a whet Kit in the mess tins to keep them quiet while moving

[RhodesA6]

We do the same, the only problem is once you go through the rations the tins get empty and start to rattle, so i lay the bottom with tissues, they are thin and stop it rattling when empty.

[zipzapper859]

hey i was wondering where you could snare wire? could it be found at a basic sporting goods store or would i need to order it on line. also is there a way to make it?

[raibeart]

Hi zipzapper859,What you can use is picture wire available at any hardware store or art shop. I hope this helps.Raibeart

[RhodesA6]

Hello, Snare wire is just a thin flexible piece of metal wire (it must be quite strong) and it can be found in most pre-maid survival tins or ordered on-line, possible some survival/military surplus shops and also could be brought at a hard ware store.

[RhodesA6]

Thanks for the comment, i havnt seen mini-mess tins for sale for a while now, they are a bit old but there are a form of mess tins for sale that have a lid that clips on. Also you are right about the kendals mint cake, which supposedly has enough energy to keep you going for a day.

[ianheavy]

Hi Rwow66, when I was in the Lake District being trained on rescuing people, a couple of things we carried with us that would fit in pocket or mess tins: Chocolate Kendal Mint Cake (I couldn't stand the stuff, all I was issued with were presents when I got home) Whistle. I haven't seen mess tins with a lid on sale in the uk. I have seen a set of two that stack within each other. Good idea a spare lace!! You don't always break them in convenient places! Ian