Emergency kit (wilderness survival)

[MachIVshooter]

I just thought I'd share this with everyone. Even though it's only slightly gun related, since many of us here are hunters and outdoorsmen, I figured there was decent value in this on THR. Mods, I understand if it needs to be locked, but I would appreciate a little latitude on this one so that others may contribute their thoughts and we can all be better prepared if we are ever in a situation where an emergency survival kit becomes necessary. I posted in general because of the traffic, but if mods feel that hunting or another subforum is more appropriate, I'll be OK with that.

Now, obviously the best thing to do is not get yourself in a position where you would ever need such a kit. But then, the general theme over much of this board is being prepared to deal with the unlikely, unexpected and unpleasant, even though it is usually geared toward self-defense rather than wilderness survival.

The kit I will detail is not the kind you'd need in a Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet" type situation; This small kit does not have some of the things that would be needed to survive the elements. I assembled this kit as a hunter and outdoorsman, knowing that any time I'm out in the woods, I'm fairly well equipped for the elements already with the clothing I'm wearing and gear that is attached to me. But…..Things can happen. I got a bit turned around in the woods once before and ended up walking many miles (about 12, I reckon) until I encountered a road and found my way back to the small town. That hike took most of the day in the rugged terrain of the Western slope. Well, if I'd walked the wrong direction, I could have ended up over 20 miles from anything, and if I'd become injured, I'd have been in real trouble. No cell phone coverage, radios don't reach more than a couple miles. After this incident, I assembled my emergency kit into a tin measuring about 1.2" tall, 4" wide and 5.5" long. It included many of the items detailed below, but a little more wisdom (some hard-earned) prompted me to re-evaluate and upgrade my kit. It now fits into a 3.5" tall, 5" wide and 6" long waterproof box. It's a little bulkier, and at 2.42 lbs, weighs in about 1/2 pound heavier than my previous kit, but gives me improved capability to survive more grievous situations.

As I assume most here do, when I'm hiking or hunting, I always have a centerfire sidearm (Glock 20 for me) and a decent amount of ammunition for it (46 rounds in my case). If hunting, I will also have a centerfire rifle, and usually carry about 20 rounds for that. As such, the benefit of the small revolver in my kit may seem a bit dubious, but I just felt wrong to omit it. I mean, two is one and one is none, right? Besides, a nasty tumble could separate one from primary firearm(s) and possibly leave a person too injured to go searching for them.

As for the rest of the items, most are rather self-explanatory. A few are less so; If anyone is curious, just ask. The one I can think of that might seem odd is the syringe and 18 ga. needles; The purpose would not be injection, but aspiration. Obviously, doing so requires some medical knowledge, but aspirating an infection can be life/limb saving, especially in conjunction with broad spectrum antibiotics. A staph or strep infection from a wound can onset rapidly and cripple or kill pretty quickly. If you can aspirate the puss (remove bacterial cesspool, basically) and at least slow the bacterial growth with oral antibiotics, it could be all the difference.

Anyhow, the kit:






NAA 3" .22 LR Mini Revolver
5 rounds CCI Stingers
100 rounds Remington .22 short high velocity
Coast LED pen light
I-Sight ear mounted green LED light
Combo pen & mini-saw tool
1 Dozen 3" stick-it notes
Compass
IDL T10 multi-tool
Credit card multi tool
Large Bic lighter
Book of matches
Tea light candle
Lighter Fluid, 1/4 ounce in Testors paint bottle
Two Paper clips
24" electrical tape (wrapped around paper clips)
1"x2" 320 grit sandpaper
1"x2" 600 grit sandpaper
100' 4 lb fishing line
Assorted hooks and small split shot weights
20' nylon thread
Two standard sewing needles
Five #11 Exacto blades
Small forceps
One 3cc syringe
Two 18 ga. 1.5" hypodermic needles
One 2" x 36" adhesive reusable compression wrap
Three 2" x 2" sterile gauze pads
One Tegaderm wound cover
Assorted cloth band-aids
Six Alcohol prep pads
1/2 ounce Iodine
1/2 ounce 91% Isopropyl Alcohol
Small antibiotic ointment tube
Ten Antihistamine tablets
Ten NSAID tablets (I choose Ibuprofen)
Course of antibiotics (right now, that is 20 Augmentin in my kit)
A few cotton balls (many uses, good kit filler to prevent rattling)
Six Q-tips
One 5" x 8" piece of cloth
One tube of Chapstick

 

[rcmodel]

Take more then one BIC lighter.
But Pizo-Electric disposable lighters like the Scripto are better though.
As are waterproof lifeboat matches.

BIC's & book matches don't work when your hand, BIC flint sparker wheel, or matchbook is wet!

Pizo's don't care as long as you got enough strength & warmth in your cold wet hand left to mash the button down.

Also kind of wondering what the 3cc syringe & two 18 ga. 1.5" hypodermic needles are used for if you don't have any pain killer drugs to use them for?

A generic giant size roll of un-waxed dental floss can be used for numerous things mono fishing line can't, and takes up almost no room or weight.

Coast LED pen light

Replace that with a Streamlight Micro-Stream and a couple spare AAA Lithium batts and you will have bright reliable light for at least a year.

rc

 

[wyohome]

Looks good, I would include a mylar space blanket or two for shelter.
I have been where a BIC would not light due to low temps.

 

[oneounceload]

where's the duct tape? Only slightly facetious as it can be used to secure a splint or over a wound; also they make a medical version of superglue to seal small slashes. I would also pack a styptic pencil - good for getting small wounds to stop bleeding

Lighter fluid can leak or evaporate over time - use steel wool, or cotton balls soaked in vaseline or sterno, and bring a magnesium fire starter. You might also include some form of dehydrated soup packet

 

[MachIVshooter]

Take more then one BIC lighter.

There is always one in my pocket, and at least one or two others in my packs. Same goes for some of the other stuff, like Ibuprofen and band-aids. Like I said, this small kit is really meant to augment in the event that I ended up not being able to get back to camp after an incident, and is more geared toward medical needs of an injury preventing my return. It's definitely not enough if you were dropped in the middle of forest with nothing but underpants and this kit. You'd need a full backpack for that.

Say you're hunting some rugged terrain and got just a little too far for your radio to work before misstepping and tumbling down a hill, and on your way down, your knee takes a hard hit on a rock, which causes abrasion/laceration and traumatizes the infrapatellar or prepatellar bursa. You are now not going to be walking too well, and septic bursitis can onset quickly. Maybe it takes 3 or 4 days for the S&R party to find you. Well, in that time, the injury and resulting infection could be lethal without the ability to treat it to at least some extent.

I would include a mylar space blanket or two for shelter.

Always a couple in the daypack

I have been where a BIC would not light due to low temps.

Hence the waterproof matches

where's the duct tape? Only slightly facetious as it can be used to secure a splint or over a wound; also they make a medical version of superglue to seal small slashes.

Space constraints. But my daypack always has some rope and a game dragging harness in it. I want to be prepared, but I can't drag an entire ambulance worth of EM gear through the woods. lol.

Also, I've had terrible luck with the "new skin" type stuff. Regular superglue works better for me, but it seems to inevitably leak out of any container I put it in and get everything stuck together.

I would also pack a styptic pencil - good for getting small wounds to stop bleeding

Not a bad idea, and there's a little room left in this kit. On the list.

Lighter fluid can leak or evaporate over time - use steel wool, or cotton balls soaked in vaseline or sterno, and bring a magnesium fire starter. You might also include some form of dehydrated soup packet

That lighter fluid has been in there for 7 years now, so I'm not too worried about it. And yes, that is one of the many uses of the cotton balls I have in there.

My daypack has a magnesium firestarter, and I always carry a bit more food than I plan to eat. I also have a butane backpacking stove that lives in my daypack 100% of the time, so the tea light is auxiliary. Speaking of, if anyone is thinking about a backpacking stove, I highly recommend the Brunton Raptor:

Affordable, very compact and lightweight, can be efficient on low setting or very powerful on high. Only downside to butane pack stoves is extreme low temp/high altitude can cause them to work poorly. But liquid fuel stoves are much more expensive, much larger and much heavier.

 

[rcmodel]

I have been where a BIC would not light due to low temps.

Butane lighters will light in sub-zero temp as long as you keep them close to your body heat.

Stow them in a pack and they probably won't.

I use butane lighters all the time every winter outside in zero or colder weather.
But they always ride in my pants pocket next to my body so they are at least warm enough to work.

Ones I leave in the truck console don't work at below freezing though, until I hold them in my hand long enough to warm them up a little...

rc

 

[DoubleMag]

Very comprehensive. Hard to include everything w/ the kitchen sink. I would include some Nu-Skin liquid bandage in small glass bottle, and steri strips. Also, several quart sized and even one gallon sized ziploc storage bags. Nice reuseable, conforms within a pack (doesn't take up a lot of space),water storage,etc.

Maybe it takes 3 or 4 days for the S&R party to find you. Well, in that time, the injury and resulting infection could be lethal

water? purification tabs or filter? No water and all that treatment is well, just nice

Overall thought out quite good!

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // Nice set up, looks like you have the bases covered.

I consider the lowly whistle a must have item.
A whole lot of sound with little energy. Most folks will give a whistle more attention then a yell.

I particularly like the younger folks to have them when the sound of moving water or the thickness of brush can quickly mute their voices.

My whistle also has a compass, thermometer and magnifier.

I'm going to look for the ear mounted green light very small and handy.
Hope you never need it but again nice set up.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Also, several quart sized and even one gallon sized ziploc storage bags.

Yeah, my food items ride in a couple of gallon size freezer ziplocks in my pack, so they're available.

water? purification tabs or filter? No water and all that treatment is well, just nice

In the daypack. But giardia also takes some time to become a problem. There's always boiling, too, but I've been drinking out of mountain streams since I was a kid and never had an issue. I keep the purification tabs just in case the only water I find is stagnant.

I do ALWAYS carry at least two quart-size water bottles, no matter how short a duration I expect to be out.

I consider the lowly whistle a must have item.

And one that I'm honestly not sure is still in my daypack. Thank you for the reminder!

Regardless of the fact that I didn't detail all of the other things that ride in my always packs, these are all good suggestions, guys! Just because I already have most of them with me (separate from the kit) doesn't mean that other folks can't benefit from what I've left out detailing as far as things that should be with you no matter what.

I'll also add that flashlight redundancy is kind of a big thing for me. There are only two light in this kit, but I always have a Streamlight Nano on my keychain, a Streamlight Microstream in my pocket, a Coast PX45 in my pack, a couple of LED headlamps and quite a few extra batteries. Probably North of 40 hours worth of illumination, all totaled. I'm almost obsessive about it. lol.

 

[DoubleMag]

Ahh, the whistle. Forgot that one too. What's weird in my world (my brain), I carry one while boating in case of emergencies, orange power whistle style on neck landyard. But never thought of one while ground hunting. Will include!

Drinking out of mountain streams I remember those days as a kid in KY. I don't know if some of those areas are still this way, but used to be pull over spots for running drinking water right off side the mountain.

I think I've softened up some in my older days.Blame it on the microwave era which I resisted until the early-mid 90s. Perhaps I need to hit the trail...or at least go spend a night in my woods 100yds from the house. Just in case I need a hasty retreat hehe !

 

[CoRoMo]

Good pack!

Maybe a handful of fishing flies?

 

[CraigC]

Very cool! IMHO, these are much more useful discussions than most "SHTF" threads.

Drinking out of mountain streams I remember those days as a kid in KY. I don't know if some of those areas are still this way, but used to be pull over spots for running drinking water right off side the mountain.

I wouldn't drink any untreated creek water for fear of giardia. Not unless I could collect it from a spring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia

 

[mdauben]

My daypack generally has everything I need in it in case of an accident or unexpected night in the woods. My exactly load out tends to vary and evolve (often due to useful suggestions from variuous outdoor forums), but I like to build it around the Ten Essentials. Some people make fun of the 10E or dismiss them as an outmoded concept, but I think there are a great way to catagorize what you really need in an emergency.

Also, one item off the top of my head I don't see in any of these posts. A half roll of TP! Its way better than using leaves!

 

[kingcheese]

I like to keep spare shoe laces, a trash bag and a decent sized knife, the trash bag is good for an emergency poncho, or keeping tender dry as you find it, the knife can be used to clean game, take apart basic assemblies, can be used as a signalling mirror, and the boot laces to keep your shoes on your feet, if a lace wears out and you got a couple miles to walk your gonna be hurting

 

[JonathanE]

I've found I'm always grateful to have some 550 cord when I build a shelter, so I have a hank of that in my kit.
I used to carry fishhooks, line, split shot, but then I realized: here in NH, if I'm in a survival situation at a body of water containing fish, I'll simply walk along the bank to one of the houses and ask to borrow the phone.
That's a great kit; thanks for sharing.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Maybe a handful of fishing flies?

Good call. Since I have a little more room in this kit, I think I'll stuff a half dozen in there. Maybe a small lure, too.

Also, one item off the top of my head I don't see in any of these posts. A half roll of TP!

I usually take two pocket packs of kleenex. Partial rolls of TP always seem to get destroyed in a pack.

I like to keep spare shoe laces, a trash bag and a decent sized knife,

I prefer para cord to shoelaces. Longer (I keep about 20'), more uses (including lace replacement). Always two knives (Kershaw "Needs Work" in my pocket and Buck skinner in my pack), and a Gerber "Diesel" multi plier in the pack. I don't take a trash bag, though. I prefer the little vacuum packed emergency ponchos, as they actually have a hood.

Another thing that always goes: Spare socks. Maybe not as important during earlier seasons or in warmer areas, but in the Rockies in Nov., wet feet become frozen feet, and frozen feet = miserable hunter.

I wouldn't drink any untreated creek water for fear of giardia.

It can happen, I did know one fellow who contracted it. But most mountain streams are pretty clean. You wouldn't catch me drinking out of a stagnant, algae-filled pond with hoof prints all around it, but the water running down a rocky creekbed at 10,000 feet is some of best water I've ever had.

 

[oneounceload]

Along with the whistle, one thing I carried, especially out West, was a signal mirror - it had a peep hole in the center so you could look through it to see if it was centered on an aircraft or vehicle - works for greater distance where they might not hear a whistle - we hunted out of Rifle and then in northern NV where you could get by yourself real quick

 

[Armored farmer]

Great list.
One thing that I keep in my pack(and have used on many occasions) is zip-ties. Many, many uses....and weigh nearly nothing.

 

[kingcheese]

How about a mylar blanket? I was in boyscouts for a while and they also recommended a pen and paper, and a small amount of aluminum foil, the foil you use to make a bowl to build a fire in, and its helps concentrate the.heat in one direction

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You seem overly concerned with an injury that goes septic. I did some research last year on folks who get into trouble in the wild..., I went back several years seaching park service and police records nationwide, for folks who died, and the vast majority died of hypothermia and dehydration, and one died of starvation. A few died from bear attacks. I didn't find anybody who died of sepsis..., of course that research doesn't account for folks who are still listed as "missing", or who when found were so badly decomposed they didn't know how they died. I suppose if they found the badly decomposed body of a hiker with a COD of skull fracture, the person could've been out of sorts due to a high fever from an infection, stumbled off a cliff, and fractured their skull..., so I can't say for certain infection isn't an issue, but I do think it's much less of a problem than the more basic stuff.

With that in mind, I'd opine that you have combined what should be two kits, you need a better first aid kit than you have, as well as your survival kit. The first aid should form the first half of what you take with you all the time as emergency supplies. You are more likely to use the first aid kit alone, even when not lost or "stuck outdoors" away from camp. So, move the med stuff to the first aid kit, and use the space in the survival kit for other stuff.

For first aid, you might add some butterfly closures and some super glue, for closing wounds. Yes, everybody thinks they can suture their own wounds..., a wound rarely ends up on a person where they can see it well, and use both hands while they take the time to sew it up, and the pain when doin it yourself is often more than folks figured... super glue is quicker. Imagine you get a cut on your forhead, and trying to use a mirror to see the wound and guide your hands while you suture it and stem the blood at the same time.

Add some Analgesic burn ointment, or does your antibiotic cream the type that comes with "pain relief"? Add good quality hand sanitizer, and lose the alcohol wipes. Hand sanitizer is also good on your hands before you eat as dehydration from a bug that gives folks diarrhea kills more people than a septic wounds ever have. You might want to add gauze pads and add some first aid tape. If you get a big abrasion or a large burn all you currently have is antibiotic ointment, so you'll need to cover those types of injuries with something. Bandaids suck when the skin is sweaty, or wet from rain, so the tape needs to be good quality.

Other folks have mentioned good additions to the second half; the survival kit:

A contractor grade plastic garbage bag,
parachute cord,
duct tape,
water purification,
a whistle,
a mirror,
a space blanket,

I wonder why the small firearm and 100 rounds of ammo in a hunting survival kit..., when already carrying ammunition for your primary firearm, and you are carrying a handgun too. You are taking up space with a third firearm and ammunition and that space should be used for something else. If your logic is three are better than two..., then four is better than three, etc etc. IF you were a hiker, and normally didn't carry any firearm, then it would be a good idea.

If you are so hurt that you can't walk out, you're probably not going to be doing any hunting, anyway, but water is very important. Some survival kits that I have seen are kept within a clear, plastic bottle. Off the shelf they aren't good kits, but there is room to augment them. I suppose you carry a canteen or some sort of water container? In addition to specific water purification tablets, you can use your iodine to purify water. You can also purify water with plain laundry bleach, unscented, in a small plastic conainer. A few drops will suffice for each quart you need, and it can be carried instead of the iodine. You need to change the bleach from time to time as it will loose potency.

You are carrying two different types of fire starter..., a bic and matches..., that's good. The hand sanitizer mentioned for the first aid kit will also work like sterno to make a fire, so adding it to the first aid kit gives it a double purpose.

The one thing missing appears to be your axe. Not a camp axe, but a small tomahawk like tool. From George Washington Sears aka Nessmuk, to Stewart Edward White, to Horace Kephart, guys who went out in the woods long before anti-biotics, and cell phones, and who did get lost once in a while, got caught in the elements, etc ..., all recommend a small "axe"of some sort. This Kentucky Belt Axe is about the size of what Kephart recommends, and I like something a tad larger with a longer handle to get more momentum like this Mouse 'Hawk. Folks today think their survival knife will "do-it-all". They had massive Bowie knives in Kephart's day..., as well as in Nessmuk's, and yet they still found a small sheath knife, a folding knife, plus a 'hawk, to be vastly superior to a large, heavy knife.

LD

 

[desidog]

No single malt?

/I wouldn't last a night.

 

[Centurian22]

Curious about the sand paper? As to the duct tape I pull a foot off and start fold/rolling in 1" segments and continue as long as I can until the new roll is te size I can stash in the area I plan to put it. Great kit! When I get home I'll be comparing your list to my kit to make additions. Thanks for the post!

 

[rcmodel]

George Washington Sears aka Nessmuk, to Stewart Edward White,

They might have needed a hatchet in the northern hard woods.

But for the rest of us living further south in vine incrusted softwood undergrowth?

I'll take a 18" Machete or Woodsman's Pal over any hatchet or hawk, and day, any place.

rc

 

[brainwake]

I am thinking...snake bite kit....but maybe that's just because I had a rattlesnake sneak into the office yesterday.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I caught some kind of bug in the mountains back about 20 years ago, may have been giardia, who knows. I was very fortunate that one of the guys had some Immodium. It was ugly.