Introduction: All the Things You Need for a Survival Kit...
All the things you need for a survival kit...
Step 1: Altoids Tin
Most people use altoids tins to put their survival kit in, but i wouldnt recommend to use one, as it is not fully watertight, however, you can basically use any sort of tin, box or bag you want.
Step 2: Swiss Army Knife
In a survival kit, you need a swiss army knife also known as a pocket knife or multi-tool. You would use one of these in many situations.
Step 3: Bandages or Plasters
Bandages or plasters are the things you MUST have in a survival kit, for example, if you cut yourself you dont want to get ill by bacteria and germs getting into the cut, so you use a bandage to wrap around it or cover it.
Step 4: A Handkercheif
Give a general description of the StepYou can use a handkercheif in survival very easily, you could use it as a bandage or just to blow your nose into, well lets put it this way, YOU NEED A HANDKERCHEIF :)
Step 5: Compass
Obviously if your lost in say, the plain desert or the leafy rainforest, you need a compass to find your way out, a compass always points North, if you have a compass that doesnt point north, give it back to Captain Jack Sparrow Lol :)
Step 6: Fish Hooks and Line
You need fish hooks and line to catch fish if you have no food, and the bait is easy to get, all you need to do is find a worm, beetle or any other typle of small juicy creatures.
Step 7: Matches
Match start fires, so they are very handy to have in a survival situation, also to make them waterproof, dip the ends of the matches in melted wax, then when you want to light it just scrape the wax off with your finger nail.
Step 8: Thats It !!!
Basically you have got a full survival kit containing all the things you need when you are in a survival situation... Please rate and comment on this instructible, Thanks :)
128 Comments
Tip 5 years ago on Step 4
This can be important for major bleeding issues. You can use it to apply pressure to a wound to stop the bleeding.
14 years ago on Introduction
The one thing I don't get is why people are recommending a Swiss army knife or a multitool for survival purposes. There are no Philips screws or canned food in the wilderness and the blade is generally to small and weak to do anything useful. I have a Sak, a Leatherman PST1 and a Gerber Urban Legend and I wouldn't rely on any of their blades in a survival situation. The two most essential things you need is warmth and shelter and in both of those cases your knife is your most important tool to bring wood for the fire and building your shelter. A good knife doesn't need to be big but it needs to be strong and sharp. And it won't weigh much more than your average multitool either.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
You don't need a can opener, instead you can rub the face of the can against some concrete and within a few minutes you can pull the lid right off. Cody Lundin shows this in one of his videos where he is talking to a TV reporter at a grocery store.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Don't forget to bring some concrete mix into the wilderness to pour a slab of concrete so you can open your can :)
Reply 6 years ago
that is why i have a p38 on my key ring, and a p52 in my kit
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
I was wondering why my back was hurting....gosh it's all that concrete I've been carrying around with me ;) Now I know some states out there don't have boulders or large rocks but let's just call them "Nature's Concrete".
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I'm not sure the chances of finding a slab of concrete while out in the woods or in the mountains are that big. Maybe in a post-apocalyptic world where all the can openers are taken... :-)
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Work with me here...improvise....it's not like I am telling people to swim out in the ocean...find your nearest hammerhead shark and let him bite the can open for you....though that would be a hella cool way to open your cans....something maybe the Most Interesting Man on Earth might do.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
I agree! Sak blades aren't uber good =.=
10 years ago on Introduction
This is a good start of a kit [and certainly better than most I've seen] however the challenging aspect of an Altoids Survival Tin is not the coming up with ideas of what to put inside it but rather the execution of fitting said survival items into a tiny candy tin.
Check out my new instructable on how I went about making my Altoids tin for ideas. :)
12 years ago on Step 7
I personally wouldn't suggest taking matches on any venture, even water proofed they aren't guaranteed to work, and are far too easy to waste. Spend the 10 dollars it would take to buy a waterproof lighter, it will always light your fire.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
WRONG! a wet or cold lighter will NOT light, flint can wear out and is NOt the best thing,BEST of all is FIRESTEEL or Magnesium FLINT! It will work EVERYTIME and for thousands of fires. Even in WET windy cold temps.
Reply 11 years ago on Step 7
I love the flint and magnesium bars on campouts, but it just seems hard to beat a Zippo.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
A good rule of thumb for fire starting gear is a minimum of 2 different fire sources, 3 is even better if you have the space. Rethink the Zippo, bulky and they leak. Heat will cause the standard rectangular Zippo type lighter to loose fuel by evaporation. Try a "peanut" type lighter instead. more compact, very dependable and has an O ring to prevent leakage and evaporation. Find them on Amazon, check out several sources, some of the dealers charge as much for shipping as the cost of the lighter. I found some with free shipping. One on my keychain I have carried for over a year, use it occasionally and it's still got fuel from the first filling. I'm actually trying to see how long it will last with a minimum of 10 quick uses per month. Flint and Mag bars are good, too. I prefer to file some shavings off the mag bar into a small 2" X 2.5" ziplock bag for pills. I carry this in a kit with a "Scout" spark rod about 2 inches long. It all takes up less space than the full mag bar.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
My thoughts exactly !!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I think everybody's right on this. Carry them all. then you have a good chance that one of them will work.
Reply 11 years ago on Step 7
The survival Code says two is one and one is none. I personally don't like matches for their single use, but i'll grab a candle and a lighter if need light on the go
Reply 11 years ago on Step 7
true, but they're better than nothing.
so far, I have a 7 boxes of strike anywhere matches, 4 or 5 boxes of strike on the box matches, four lighters, three long lighters (lighters with long barrels on the front) and that's it, except for a dozen candles. six glass Kerosene lamps, 4 Coleman lanterns and such like, two Coleman stoves and a heater or two. We used to buy up camping equipment at yard sales.
When i get some stuff stuffed into the car, it'll be a lantern a few candles, a metal bowl to light the candles in, some matches and a lighter or two. from there I'll set about adding to that as the opportunity arises. (btw we bought those matches years ago and they still light, I check them every so often and burn a few from each box to be sure they're not ruined).
Fire is the one thing I think I could manage for now. I'd still like to add a magnesium rod or whatever you call them, and whatever else I see recommended, but what I really need is a Water filter.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
NEVER SAY NEVER, NEVER SAY ALWAYS !!! I agree about lighters. I have had several waterproof lighters that have failed to light. Good ones, too. One was over $25 and guaranteed. After the failure, the manufacturer gladly refunded my money and sent me a new one, with the explanation that the pin holding the spark wheel had twisted or some such thing. Good thing I had my trusty wax dipped, strike anywhere matches with me that day. When you get to be as old as i am, you learn from experiences, EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCES, NOT JUST YOUR OWN ! That's what these instructables are all about, now isn"t it?
Flint and steel can fail also, if its too wet, it's happened to me and several friends.Usually not because of the flint and steel so much as the tinder. Always have a minimum of 2 different fire starting methods, 3 if you have the space.
11 years ago on Step 6
Besides catching fish, small animals like possum or racoons that will eat your left overs......... Place leftover fish on hook, sit real quiet at night, when you feel tug, yank to hook, then reach out and stab with spear you made earlier. I know you could just spear it, with out the hook, but the hook sure slows em down and confuses them.... Just make sure its not a skunk.
I love fishing for possum and raccoon. Easier to catch than fish.