MachIVshooter
Member
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
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