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Survival Kit Made Out of an Altoids Tin

fieldandstream.com — It fulfills all the component groups except for shelter and protection, but add a survival blanket to your pocket and you’ll be covered.

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  • JonDiggsIt, on 10/12/2007, -26/+1what about a cell phone? screw that stuff
    • Daisuke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17I would think that this is for when the cell phone is out of the question. It does happen, you know.
    • wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@ JonDiggsIt - I know it may be hard to believe for someone who never leaves their computer... But there *are* parts of this country that cell-phone, beepers don't work and the only thing that you *might* receive is Brother Jones on the AM radio asking for money. Good article... I carried most of this stuff when I was flying for the Navy, and now the same survival kit goes with me on dive trips. Interesting that they put the band-aids and knife in the same picture.
    • silverstrike, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0Fine. Sat-phone. There.
    • fyre2012, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Ehhh.. my altoids is full with other 'stuff'
      a hash pipe, some weed, scissors (the foldables ones), and of course, papers =)
    • RadiatedAnt, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1so this kit i suppose is useful for anyone under 4 foot 6? I dont get it... hows a 300 pound man going to survive with an altoids tin can full of fluff carried around between his flabs.
    • bubba9999, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1
      You can use the tinfoil to make a helmet to keep the alien signals out.

  • 11familyguy11, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7What about Altoids?

    In all seriousness, if you through in a few mini-flares, you'd have yourself a nice little kit, aside from having bad breath that is.
    • RickySan65, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6When you need a kit like that bad breath is the least of your worries, unles, that gorgeous supermodel with the perfect body is lost in the same general area ofcourse.
    • mike_p, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Damn... without mints, what are my chances?
    • PrayerNeeder, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Actually, when you need a kit like thaT, your morale is pretty darn low. Bandaids, antiseptic, and, yes, mints / hard candy are very helpful. Emphasis on the mints, because people assume bandages and antiseptic.

      Morale is vital in a situation like that. Offering yourself a mint, and looking forward to it after you climb the next hill, may provide a more immediate, and therefore more efficient, incentive than the survival instinct.


    • miles01110, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3This is news? The Boy Scouts have done this for years.
    • bubba9999, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1
      There are never any boy scouts around when you get lost in the wilderness, so I guess you have to be prepared yourself.

  • McZiggz, on 10/12/2007, -32/+5Yay another frontpage dupe from a year ago.
    • d2nd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9you're really complaining this is a dupe from a year ago
      wow
    • theman8631, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Much less then a year ago. But nevertheless, community grows, dupes happen.
    • DubbedOver, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2You're an idiot, sir.
    • catpounce004, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1A year ago my ass. This was up only a week or so ago. Why is digg recycling trash?
  • nerdview, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9That's pretty goddamn cool. I got to make me one of those some day, you know if I happen to get lost... in downtown Chicago..... in front of the apple store or something yeah...
  • thescimitar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Interesting little set. I keep a lot of this stuff in my jump kit, plus some food. The commando saw is tremendously helpful for back country SNR and outdoor emergency care technicians. One thing these kits missed is the SAM splint. If you do any sort of wilderness hiking/sport, you definitely should throw one into your kit.

    http://www.sammedical.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SamSite.woa/wa/Products/Splint

    Also, for anyone interested, you can get a nice key chain flint and steel with magnesium rod for quick lighting in extremely wet conditions from Montana Antler Craft. They're a husband and wife team, and inset the flint into the magnesium. All you need is a decent knife. montanaantlercraft@msn.com (Full Disclosure: I don't know them, I just swear by their products)
  • dsohn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15whats with the article being split up into tiny segments
    • ziki, on 10/12/2007, -18/+4are you too ***** lazy to click next?
    • adolfojp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16Increased Ad revenue.

      It also annoys the fark out of readers and causes some to look elsewhere for web content causing... decreased Ad revenue.

      Gotta love paradoxes.
    • Seumas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9No kidding. TWENTY ***** pages for what should have been a one page article?! I saw all I needed by the second page. People need to weigh the coolness of a submission against the ad-revenue / multi-page ***** before submitting articles.

      And it doesn't seem like much of a survival kit. I'd rather have it several times bigger and contain some food, some form of communication, self-defense, etc. Meh.
    • AtWorkSurfer, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2@Seumas, so you're saying that, because the article is sub optimally formatted, that the OP shouldn't have submitted it? Enough readers apparently found it tolerable that it landed on the front page.

      Plus, the kit does include a form of communication: it's the mirror. Also, as far as self-defense goes, the article does state that you should have a knife on you, in addition to this kit. If you feel the need to kick the self-defense up a notch, well then you'd need a gun, and I'm not aware of any guns that can fit in an Altoids tin.

      Or maybe you just like to bitch. Meh.
  • cuttlefish, on 10/12/2007, -9/+5This is not a survival kit, its a novelty toy...

    Fishing gear? How long do you expect to be lost?

    If you get lost, after telling some one where you will be going, and when you expect to get there... as anyone with any sense does, well, anyone with sense enough to carry a "survival kit" does. The you need to stay put so the search party can find you. You don't wander off in some Robinson Caruso fantasy to catch fish. You wrap up in a mylar thermo blanket and sit tight... the flares may be of use. But I'd get a real flare into my pack before this toy.
    • Seumas, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6No kidding. Here's a survival kit:

      Cell phone.
      Matches.
      Knife.
      Snickers bars / jerky / whatever.
      Mirror
      Aspirin
      Bandaids
    • pairanoyd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Well when the hurricane hits your town and FEMA screws around for two weeks getting there, all this stuff would be helpful.

    • thescimitar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Well, I think at least that this is geared more towards people who go into territory where a cellphone is useless. Pretty much anytime I go hiking, my cellphone is well out of reception, but I don't often go on hikes that are within fifty miles of civilization. It's also not a bad idea to have tools for a lengthy stay in case someone in your party gets injured. If lifeflight is the only thing that can get to you, and it takes two days to find you... having extra gear, particularly as lightweight as fishing line, is not a bad thing by any strech of the imagination. You can also use it for sutures and binding hide, or cloth... plenty of things.

      The only silly thing about the article is that anyone adept enough to need a survival kit would hopefully know what to PUT in a survival kit. I'd say, this is the sort of thing that amatuer hunters/hikers put together and then think they can head out for five days.
    • jggr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7It can take several days for search and rescue to find you (depending on where you go). Remember lots of tree coverage in forests (i.e. ground search teams are a necessity, and they need to be close to find you) and even if a search plane is dispatched and spots a flare, it could be some time for the rescue teams to track you down.

      And as the old saying goes... I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
    • jus1haz2, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3pairanoyd* I wish i could thumbs up your comment 30 times hahah
    • happycat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6First of all, why is this news? Anyone who spends time outdoors would already have made a kit like this. Old metal Sucrets tins work just as well.

      @cuttlefish
      Your comment shows you have very limited knowledge about the outdoors or wilderness survival. If you knew how long you were going to be lost then you wouldn't be lost, would you? You're not going to be using this kit on an afternoon hike on city trails.

      Sure, once you realize you are lost you stay put, but you first have to know you are lost. People can wander many miles off their intended route before they realize they are lost. You build a shelter, you build a fire; you don't sit there in your mylar blanket because you can be lost for days in the wilderness. What if you're on a solo 10 day kayak trip and you lose your kayak and gear three days into it? No one's going to miss your ass for another seven days. Think you'll be comfortable in your blankie during all that time?

      As far as fishing line and a hook go, they have many uses besides catching fish.
    • ochito, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2"Caruso" would stay put and sing opera until rescuers found him. Honestly, how does "Ca-ru-so" sound even remotely like Cru-soe??
    • catpounce004, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2happycat, you really don't know your ass from a hole in the ground do you? How many rescue missions have you been on? How long have you lived in territory where the common news is "another lost hiker"? I've seen plenty, and I can tell you right now, there are two things you need to do: have *some* kind of survival kit and sit the ***** down. Start a fire and don't move. It's a simple as that.
    • TokenUser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Fire - keep it bright at night, keep it smoky by day. It will last longer than a flare, and give warmth (and morale) at night. Shelter - vital. Water - vital. Food - important, but less so with shelter, warmth, and water for a short period (how long can you survive off your body fat??)
  • Arkonnan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Make no mistake about it, THIS is the only Altoids survival kit anyone needs.

    http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4686tc0.jpg
    • pairanoyd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Yeah, that will get you through a hurricane, no problem..
  • CasualAffair, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3Back in my stoner days, I used to have an altoids tin with wrapping papers, a paper cilp, the stuff, a lighter, my sneak-a-toke, some screens, and... I think that was it. I thought this was going to be the same kind of thing. :(




    ;)
    p.s. - When you get to the point where you have all of your smoking goods in one compact container, it's time to stop smoking.
  • OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5these have been around for a while. I dislike the kits because they are not waterproof and generally don't float. Often fish hooks tend to get tangled up and catch on things (like a water bag).

    I do like how the article has many different "configurations". Although it doesn't have my favorite where you make some mounting holes in your tin and include saw blades (then you use the tin as a handle) or a small tray for cooking/boiling. (I guess it would make a nice roasting pan for a mouse).

    the inclusion of a fresnel lens is rather handy. a singling mirror and maybe a frog spear would be nice. (they tend to fall off if you just sharpen a stick)
  • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4There's a new snakebite kit that is really better than the old ones. Don't go sticking your hand into holes or crevices without checking them out thoroughly first. If you live out west (as I do). Also, antihistamine is good because if you get injured and then stung by a bee (or even just stung by a bee) you could/would go into shock. Also, if you should come into poison oak that would help. I recommend Benadryl and being a liquid will get in your bloodstream faster. All things I was lucky to survive from my rather careless youth (except I didn't get bit by a snake, was quite quite lucky not to considering what I where I was going).
    Cell phone coverage can be bad out in the stix. I'm sure they sell a mini CB, but having a ham license and tiny radio would be better. A GPS so you can radio your position is a good idea. I do know that there is a new rescue radio and service that the guy who cut of his own arm is promoting, that would even be better. I would find a high quality solar powered/crank combo radio to keep me company.
    Drink lots and lots of water. you will think better. Even if your at home too. It's healthy. If it was me, I'd find a gadget that can process a gallon at a time or find a way to boil that much, IMHO.
    Lastly, it's wise to not go out in the woods alone, though I know it's unavoidable for one reason or another for many of us. I would appreciate it if diggers followed up with links to some of the stuff I mentioned.
    I think that survivorman guy should start a fire without his handy magnesium striker every time he does his show. He's right though about the four W's when you are looking for your shelter - water, wood, weather (shelter), wigglies (no snakes or creatures) and widowmakers (nothing big that could fall on you). I hope he does more shows. I'd like to see him do ten days, or try to eat/catch more of the local fauna rather than squeezing out his time. Just MHO.
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Five W's miscounted. Somebody has a list with a couple more,
    • jus1haz2, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Holy ***** ppl know about the guy who cut off his arm. damn that happened close to my small town and i thought only smaller souronding citys new about it lol
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Also like to ad that the Five Ws can apply to your situation in general, and like "widomakers" could be falling off a ledge. You need to evaluate your route carefully to avoid being stuck on one. I live in Salt Lake and it seems like every month (this year twice a month) somebody get's stuck on one of the mountains. Somebody slipped on a snowfield and hit his head on a rock and died.
      Often times when people are found in the wilderness (passed away) they are often found just a few feet from something that may have helped them survive. The boyscout motto and the idea of these kits is "be prepared." That applies in life in general too.
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It was on the news everywhere. Dateline and Tom Brokaw did a special on it too.
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This really looks like a good idea for your kit;
      http://tinyurl.com/kytl4
      Food for thought, so to speak;
      http://www.simplesurvival.net/nutrition.htm
      The problem eluded too is called "rabbit starvation."
      Interesting article on native american nutrition
      ;
  • Surefoot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/outdoorskills/article/0,,1120078,00.html for those that don't want to wade through the 19 page gallery.
  • DrPiranha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5That is very ***** cool. It would be of no use to me, but it's cool regardless. I just love it when people shove a lot of useful.. or useless.. ***** into a nice neat little package. It really makes no difference to me, as long as it's little and neat. I think I'll make one of those just because it's so damn crafty.
  • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Quite honestly, he needs to put this in his altoids tin; http://tinyurl.com/q2luk

    Then it would be complete.
  • dutter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4A couple of other things that would be useful to carry around (won't fit in the tin of course) are a heavy-duty bright orange trash bag, like the ones road crews use, to make a poncho that can be seen more easily, and an 18-inch square of closed-cell foam to sit on so you aren't sitting directly on wet or rough ground.

    A Fox 40 whistle would be a good thing to have in a pocket as well. They're pealess, plastic, and loud.

    Or as the old joke goes, carry around a deck of cards. If you get lost, start playing solitaire. Within 30 minutes someone will be looking over your shoulder and telling you to play the red 7 on the black 8. :)
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1That's the thing about this kit. While nice and tidy, would not necessarily be my choice of things to take. I think that their are higher tech items that give a better bang for your buck. (diggers - suggestions??)
      The Fox 40 whistle is a brilliant idea, but it would not fit in the altoid tin. But it would fit in one of the larger ones. http://www.fox40whistle.com/

      One of the larger kits did mention some plastic that could be used as a poncho.

      But I doubt the efficacy of a "space blanket" in the kits though. I think mythbusters had a piece whether they worked or not.
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Another idea for the larger survival kit is a small bottle of 98% deet. You could dilute it out if necessary.
      Another thing I might include would be a small green laser pointer, so I could signal at night as well as day (with the mirror), if I was buiding a "rescue" type kit.
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If you are going to carry a lighter, why not carry a "jet flame" windproof one?
      http://www.justsportandleisure.com/Details.asp?PID=10450
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Or as the old joke goes, carry around a deck of cards. "
      Dude, this needs to be part of the survival kit;
      http://tinyurl.com/juz8x
    • Scottamus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It has a signal mirror in there but why couldn't the tin itself be the signal mirror? That would free up some space.
    • dutter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1eclectro, nice call on the survival deck.

      I'm not a fan of survival blankets. They have a bad habit of ripping easily.
  • genelmx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I would bring this when I travel but I guess they won't let me on the plane with that knife.
  • DaveCT, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0can't carry that on a plane.
  • solarpower, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1I think this is a prime example of 'you get what you pay for'. In this case, a half-arshed micro-kit.

    I certainly wouldn't trust that "life saving" kit, and unless you're grossly out of shape there's no reason to skimp on anything in this dept. A respectable kit will still weigh a pound or two, tops. Short of the AT where you're relatively unexposed and weight IS a factor, there's no reason to put weight before practicality.

    That compass is the biggest joke - I'd rather have the altoids to leave a trail behind me with.

    Inaccurate.
  • zenprowler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1a lot of people have mentioned cellphones and it has been pointed out that they would be useless in an area with no coverage,
    anyone know if rescue services have any equipment that would let them receive or send calls to a cellphone if they were inside a certain range? i.e without using a cellular network but more like a 'walkie talkie'.

    • solarpower, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Zen - No, I've never heard of such a thing, the closest tech would be an EPIRB, or GPS beacon.

      Aside from reception, if you're out lost for a couple days your cell battery could be dead. If you hike in very cold conditions, your battery could freeze in a few hours.

      That being said, I still bring it - just in case it does still work, and I do still have reception.
    • eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think solarpower is talking something like this;
      http://shop.sailnet.com/product_info.php/products_id/26691

      There is actually a small emergency cell hadcrank.
      I was hoping diggers would come up with other high tech survival stuff.
    • zenprowler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0pity there's nothing that can track or call a cellphone - the gadget you linked to requires a bit of forthought by the user whereas most people getting lost would be townies like myself i.e totally unprepared.
      i know cellphones give out a signal on a regular basis saying 'here i am' be kind of cool if the search people could trace the signal - or even call using a transmitter - especially as battery life for phones gets longer and longer
  • solarpower, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Electro - exactly.

    Although it's $50 less expensive here:
    http://www.mountaingear.com/pages/product/product.asp/imanf/ACR+Electronics/idesc/TerraFix+406+GPS+I+PLB/Store/MG/item/101095/N/974

    mgear is the toy store of outdoor gear for you fellow gear-heads.
  • dreserd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I find anything from "Field and Stream" suspect as a source of information. Unless it's about taxidermy or dating my cousin, that is. Pretty sad this made it to the front page twice.
  • SlowOnTheUptake, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4One item more item that could be fit in to the Altoids tin is a picture of your family. I've heard, from a reliable source, that your morale may be your most important survival tool of all.

    But what ever you pack into your kit, I think it would be a good idea to actually try it out to make sure you could use it. Personally I'd rather have a couple of Esbit tablets and some matches to start a fire. As far as the compass goes, accuracy to within 5 or even 10 degrees is plenty to keep you on a more or less straight course. But it's important to know how to use it and to practice. I carry one most of the time.
  • airship, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The idea behind ANY mini survival kit is that it's small enough you will always carry it with you. Therefore, it should contain the MINIMUM gear for survival. If you head into the deep woods and this is all you carry, you deserve to die.

    You need to think in terms of utility for the area you're traveling in, and your personal needs, as well. I don't go anywhere without a few days' worth of medicine, for example. An Altoids tin pocket kit with a spare credit card, a few aspirin, change for phones and busses, a few bucks for a meal, your lawyer's phone number, etc., can do you more good in the city if you're mugged or arrested, for example.
  • shadowman99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The Curiously Strong Survival Kit!!!
  • Mushroonaut, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1The guy who did this reeeeeally wants to get lost in the woods, do some fishing, do some hunting, light up the barbie, etc.
  • hobophobe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No duct tape? Bah.
  • inthe80s, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I've seen these kits for years (ever since my Boy Scouts days) and I have my doubts even half the contents are usuable once adapted for the kit. Think about the last time you bought something that was packaged as part of a small kit, and usually it's shrunken to a point where it's no longer usable.

    What I want to see, is an altoids kit where someone then demonstrates the usefulness of some of the items. It's a backup kit right? If you don't test your backups once in awhile, you have no way of knowing whether it works.
  • billtaylor, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2If you want to know how to survive watch the show Survivorman

    http://www.survivorman.ca/

    This guy survives a week in the middle of anywhere with a multi-tool, a hatchet and the right clothes.
  • morelius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Nice guide. What I really want to see is that same Altoids can but filled with urban crap. Maybe I should come up with one and post it...
  • cehuff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No commentary on "altoid can" survival kits would be complete without mention of Doug Ritter's http://www.equipped.org/. The digg featured Field and Stream article displays a kit that is almost an exact copy of the original equipped.org "personal survival kit".


    Edit: And yes Doug Ritter's kit does have Duct tape!
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  •  

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