Tic Tac pocket survival kit – what would you include?

[Murali C]

Nice….

I always keep my Inreach in my cargo pant pockets along with my phone in the other cargo pant pocket. This way if I lose my backpack and no one is around, I will call for help using my Inreach while reading my kindle on my phone waiting for help to come:-)

I think it is a bad idea to keep the inreach on the backpack as 99% of folks do….

[BlackHatGuy]

@Steve: Glad to hear your wife is okay. Must have been a seriously anxiety-producing situation.

[Murali C]

@Steve – sorry – didn’t read your post….yep – glad to hear your wife is okay!

[Steve M]

Thanks all.  It was the worst day I ever had, but a good lesson learned…and a wake-up call.

[obx hiker]

Meanwhile down the u-tube rabbit hole. Dirtbag this one’s for you.

I was checking to see if the tic-tac container survival kit was a ‘thing’. Evidently it sorta is but also altoid tin survival kits.  A little more room in an altoid tin.

Maybe (ya think?) this whole micro survival kit thing is a little silly but it does get one thinking about what types of problems/situations could be critical and it is right in the BPL wheelhouse.

[Paul Wagner]

I think you guys are wearing pants that are too tight.

[Monte Masterson]

Not only is the Altroids box larger, but it’s also considerably heavier (metallic) and it’s not near as water resistant as the Tic Tac container. Wouldn’t want to carry one in my pocket.

I think your list of things to omit is solid dirtbag. Like David says who is really going to fish in most survival situations anyway. And yea I just got back from a 3 day 3 night trip in Southern Indiana and I didn’t need to use a bug net or Deet, so the bug repellent is definitely season dependent. However I did need some sunscreen here on the 39th parallel. Fire and knife are the 2 most vital things. I notice a lot of pocket survival kits tend to weigh heavier on tinder items for fire starting and I can understand that. Something else I see is just the striker portion cut off of a used up disposable lighter to provide lots of sparks. Very small. Combined with the right tinder and some skill it could start fires for quite awhile.

[obx hiker]

“Something else I see is just the striker portion cut off of a used up disposable lighter to provide lots of sparks. Very small. Combined with the right tinder and some skill it could start fires for quite awhile.”

Yeah Monte and that video linked above shows you how to make one

Hey Paul: “I think you guys are wearing pants that are too tight.”

It’s the hat. Definitely the hat.

[AK Granola]

Monte – “Fire and knife are the 2 most vital things.” – What will you do with the knife? I can see using it for firewood; do you have something else in mind? I have a friend who brings along a slingshot for game. Some time I will challenge him to use it effectively. Should be fun to watch!

[Roger Caffin]

Whatever mini kit you use I would add one aspirin tablet…might buy some time for a heart attack victim.
Or it might kill the victim.
Quite a lot of people go into anaphylactic shock when given aspirin.

The moral here is DON’T let go of your pack. Even river crossing: it will float and support you.

Cheers

[Monte Masterson]

You can carry out quite a few important survival tasks with a knife. Cutting/shaving wood for tinder, cleaning fish/game, cutting vines for shelter, making snares and deadfalls. The list is endless.

The big 3 of small survival kits are Fire, Knife, Compass. The remaining items can be debated depending on conditions. Many kits contain a small mirror and you could make a strong case for one because mirror flashes can be seen from very far away.

I wouldn’t underestimate accomplished slingshoters Karen. You can view the world championships on YouTube and some of of the hits the competitors make with simple slingshots are amazing. But from a real world hunting standpoint check out this guy. He shows what’s capable with a slingshot.

 

[obx hiker]

Asheboro, NC. Well I’ll be d@mned. That video is truly amazing and at the end you may join me in wishing it were a little longer.

Trimming the weeds! Killing bugs!

Hey to try and contribute something else useful to this thread I’ll refer you to another book: The Natural Navigator.  Practice. Pay attention to all the little clues. Big fringe benefit is you get ever more deeply immersed in the environment around you. Look for more and you’ll see more.

[Roger Caffin]

Ah, ‘survival kits’.
How very Rambo.

Try brains, map&compass, and a mobile phone.

Cheers

[dirtbag]

So very simple. And the map could quite easily slip undetected into your back pocket!! I would probably use a small piece of tape and stick 3 matches and stricker on said map!!

[Monte Masterson]

“Try brains, map & compass and a mobile phone”

I suppose if all of those items are still on me and not in the pack that I’m now separated from it might be possible. In the meantime I’ll ward off hypothermia with starting a fire by sparking the + and – polarities of the mobile phone (which is now in dead zone) battery. And besides, Rambo carried a knife that was a heck of a lot bigger than the little pocket blade in my kit. He had a “survival” knife.

Only to be matched by Crocodile Dundee’s knoife.

[AK Granola]

I hope no one on BPL has brains that fit into a Tic Tac box. Your phones would be useless 99% of the places I go backpacking.

[Roger Caffin]

Your phones would be useless 99% of the places I go backpacking.
Nice!
Ah well, in that case, swap the phone for a Bic lighter.
Or if you are really concerned, a PLB.

Cheers

[DAN-Y]

3 nitroglycerin tablets. 3 NoDoz tablets.

[jscott]

Cyanide. For when things get really desperate.

 

[Monte Masterson]

A survivalist acquaintance gave me a Readyman Wilderness Survival Card 2.0 a few years ago and it looked to be more of a gimmick than anything. Haven’t used it so maybe there really are some useful items on it, I don’t know. Mostly for hunting/trapping/fishing, however the card does have a saw (top) with wood teeth on one side and mini hacksaw on the other. Readyman measures 2″ X 3.5″ (credit card size) and will fit in a wallet. Made of 301 stainless steel and weighs 12 g.

* 9 small fish hooks, some double some single. Even though they’re little the hooks could probably snag a bigger fish than you might think.

* I like the trident on the bottom left. Looks as if it would work well as a fish/frog gig and I suppose it would be effective on other small critters too.

* The 2 arrowheads are my favorite, one in a classic point and the other more medieval with 4 prongs.

* On the right you see 4 snare locks which can supposedly be used as fishing lures as well. Might work as linelocks, but I haven’t tried

 

[Roger Caffin]

Readyman Wilderness Survival Card
GIGGLE!
Print company name on it and hand out at exhibitions. About all it is good for.
Bet the edges are not even sharp. How you detach some of the bits is very much open to question.
Looks cute.

Cheers

[Bruce Tolley]

Very interesting thread! Thanks Monte.

+1 to miniBics. They are easier to light once you remove the childproof  clippy thing.

If you carry a Swiss AK in your pocket, you would not need a knife blade in the box, yes?

Makes me think now about the wisdom of attaching the Garmin InReach to my pack when solo hiking.

[BlackHatGuy]

I’m not sure how I can take any of you seriously since not one of you (unless I missed it) include the most important item in a survival kit — single malt!

[obx hiker]

Or….. 

[HkNewman]

#1 It would depend where you are too. Seem to remember a net that can snag freshwater fish is good; it’s not the most satisfying but it’s protein.

Read where wilderness survival experts from various backgrounds (Texas to Africa) had a tough time in the Pacific Northwest despite combining their experiences and skills (think Outside magazine which recently bought Backpacker)

They had an easier time in Texas and an even easier one deeper in the American South.   My guess is the # of smaller animals to provide food increases in warmer climes, .. maybe nutritious plants like tubers?  (not plants for “salad” but for calories, proteins, etc.).

One, who had done her PhD in African wilderness survival skills (guessing anthropology?) backed up by her own practice, said Africa still had better resources for bush survival vs the US.

Of course in Africa (IMHO) there’s more animals that are dangerous to humans too.  Remember my parents saying they had to keep their tent doors closed on safari lest campers become big kitty food (lions, etc..).

The survival experts were probably doing this to see how long they could live off the land, while a regular person may just need to hold off until rescue.

#2 would be what we bring in.   One guy whose car was stuck in a rural PNW environment survived 5 days just by keeping dry on the outside and hydrated internally (none of that survival rigmarole.. except gathering water from evergreen leaves wet with dew), but may have relied on body fat which more and more Americans have ample stores of.  It’s uncomfortable but as long as we can keep from getting hypothermic in cold/hyperthermia in hot, good water to drink, away from animal bites/stings, .. think food is a secondary concern as long as it’s not too cold.  Recall reading climbers stocking up on calories with peanut butter slathered on sausage pre-big climb.  My mondo burrito (beans, rice, cheese) pales in comparison..

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