Hey, all So, I'm thinking about putting together these little survival kits for my nieces and nephew. I've seen tons of videos online about people creating these little Altoids tin kits and thought something like that would make a great gift. So, what survival equipment would you be sure to include in a tin of that size? One caveat is that there is a non-negotiable inclusion in these kits: a Victorinox Classic SD Swiss army knife. It's a tradition in my family for that to be the first camping knife any kid gets, most often with their name engraved it, so that's an auto-include.
Sewing needle and a bit of thread. Maybe 20 30 ft of fishing line and a few hooks and some split shot. A credit card sized fresnal lense that I found 3 on Amazon for 5 bucks. Can start fire from the sun. Possibly some water purification tablets? Maybe a small bic lighter?
Most kits will always have a flint stick in case matches or a lighter get wet. I would also think their ages might factor in?
A mini bic and one of those card lenses will probably go in. I'd bought a couple already and it seems like a no-brainer. They all know how to make a cane pole and have all been fishing before, so probably the fishing line and hooks/split shot weights. I think my gas station stocks all of that for really cheap anyway XD. I had considered a signal mirror since I never go camping without one, but I figured the inside of the tin itself could work for that. I'll probably include a button compass somewhere in there.
Probably not good for the kit but still interesting..... permanent match. It's a wick wrapped around a piece of steel with a striker on the side of the container which contains the lighter fluid. Found two on Amazon for $19.
Ferro rod and striker. Vaseline coated cotton balls or dryer lint make excellent tinder. Credit card fishing gear. Pocket bellow.
The ferro rod and Vaseline soaked cotton balls remind me of a video I saw.... Take your Vaseline soaked cotton balls and get a drinking straw piece about 3 in Long.... Burn one end shut by pinching..... Stuff the straw full of your Vaseline soaked cotton, now burn the other end shut and you have the perfect tinder for your striker regardless of weather conditions. You could probably even make your straw pieces only about 1 in Long and that would be all you would really need.
And I can't believe I forgot.... A couple of wire snares take up very little space. Might as well throw in about 50 ft or so of heavy braided fishing line. That could come in useful for so many different things. And 50 lb braided fishing line has a pretty thin diameter like probably less than 20 lb monofilament. This is going to be a little bigger than your kit but something that would be really important... A survival saw that is basically a length of chainsaw blade with a couple of broomstick style handles on each end. Get through a 5-in diameter tree pretty quick. And while I am digressing into gear that fits outside of the tin.... Can't go wrong with a scotch eye. Those two tools I mentioned above and you could build a mansion for a survival shelter or even basically a cabin
A small mirror - no joke apparently it is a must include as can be used for signalling or fire starting or in the case of some female teens - just checking! This is a bit of a hoot https://www.trailhiking.com.au/safe...should contain,walk out or assistance arrives. Different list here https://bushcraftsurvivalaustralia....ld-have-with-them-when-they-venture-outdoors/ Most though do not include the one first aid thing that is a must for Aussies - a bandage for possible snake bite. I would also think about a small hand held solar charger - these are now cheap as chips and given the ubiquitous uses for the phone I think it is now high priority
Ummm I have to say there speaks a true “Prepper”. We have less of that thinking here because if you want to go off grid here you basically can
Two problems with using plastic straws: they melt and degrade quickly in the elements. The pocket bellows thing is a great tool. The one I have is stainless and you don't have to worry about it melting.
I used to have a thick Glass lens about the size of the top of a beer can. Kept that thing in my saddle bag for years on my bicycle but it eventually got scratchy and hazy. That thing would light a cigarette in about 4 seconds and I don't mean get a little corner of the cigarette smoking, like fully lit. But I don't think it's very good for your eyes to use it very often. Here in the Southeast when the Spanish moss dies it turns into its skeletal part that kind of looks for lack of a better term.... Like a mess of pubic hairs. I would get some of that and ball it up somewhat tight and could start Open flame with that lens in a matter of seconds. Many years ago I found a tupperware full at habitat for humanity for a dollar each and I wish I would have bought several more. I believe they came from a projector TV which also has a giant fresnel lens inside. Of course they won't fit inside of the Altoids tin though. A sling could fit inside of the tin but it would probably take up half of the room.
Compass. Fishing line and hooks. Waterproof matches. Flint. Mirror. Safety pins. Parachute cord. I dunno how easy they are to find, but there's these neat survival matches that are like a small parafin/cardboard firestarter with a 'strike anywhere' head on it. Kinda bulky compared to normal matches, small enough that a couple would fit in the tin and still have room for other stuff. Prolly should be sealed up somehow tho, as the match head would still be vulnerable to moisture. Are these kits intended for actual emergencies or more for play/practice? If intended for emergencies, then anything you put in should be accompanied with some training. Starting a fire, for example, isn't easy even with matches unless you've done it a few times already and know how to keep it from burning itself out. You probably know this. If for play/practice, maybe give them each a different kit (except for the obligatory knife) then they can share and practice with different things.
I thought about a sling. None of the kids can really use one, but I'll probably put one in mine. Well, not the whole thing, but a piece of leather that can serve as the pouch. I'll have plenty of other cordage in there to mess around with if I have to make the real thing in a rush.
I make mine from gutted paracord and I make the pouch from multiple layers of athletic tape and then I use braided fishing line to stitch it up so it stays all in one piece. I have used leather. Just finding the right thickness can sometimes be a challenge.
So, I'm really loving this idea. Maybe a different kit for each kid to give them a specialty and then they can also learn from one another. The oldest kid is already the "fire marshal" of the group and we even put her in charge of the fire when we are just hanging around at my aunt's cabin. I can see doing a dedicated kit for her on that, even though there would be a lot of redundancy. It would help them learn different methods of starting fires. The little nephew would probably love a kit full of fishing gear and snares. The middle one might like a first aid kit or one focused on shelter building or one based on rescue and signaling.
