First, it’s important to have or make a plan, keep thinking, lack of is a KILLER. If you just lay down and do nothing, you will die! The best Survival tool everyone has is their BRAIN. THINK! Do not panic, panic kills more people every day than anything else.
I think every human being should be able to build a fire to keep themselves warm, gather food to eat, make a shelter to keep the weather out, find and gather water to keep from dehydrating. Sadly; most people don’t know how to do most these, it’s ashame. We have become very lazy in a world where we only have to flip a switch and we have light, or turn a handle and we have hot water. We have become overly complacent in our modern world on others and devices to make our lives better.
I have three different setups in my vehicle. I have a small “Pocket” survival pouch, a Medium Survival Belt pouch and a Large Survival Style Backpack. Let’s first talk about why 3 different survival systems, each has their own place.
The Pocket Style Survival Pouch
This is a small little complete system that is very compact and very easy to go on a day hike or jump in another vehicle when riding with someone else. It’s not intrusive or doesn’t draw attention to it, but it’s a very complete thought out little system.
1. Carry Pouch
2. Small Folding knife for Heavy Cutting
3. Small Folding Knife without serrations for skining small animals, etc.
4. Magnesium Fire Starter block
5. Tinder
6. Fishing Kit
7. Small S.S. Folding multi Tool
8. Strong Cordage for making shelter
9. Small Button Compass
10. Tin Foil - Water gathering
Tinder – Tinder is used for igniting your materials to make a fire. This should be material that will catch a spark very Easley even in wet conditions. I prefer to make my own tinder. I know some like to use lint from the dryer, this will only work if you run ONLY 100% Cotton Materials through the dryer. Other wise your tinder will melt. I use cotton balls with Vaseline. This makes great tinder, it catches a spark very fast and burns even in the rain.
Fishing Kit should be made up of assorted hooks leaders and of course fishing line strong enough to last.
The Belt Worn (Middle Style)
The middle Survival system is in the same category as the above pocket system, it is also very compact but has more tools and gear. This is the one that I move to vehicle to vehicle, I would also take this one with me if riding with someone else on a long trip. It’s larger than the pocket pouch but fit’s nicely on your belt and is more complete.
1. Whistle (Signaling)
2. Tea Lite Candle (Lighting)
3. Instant Tea (Caffeine)
4. Coffee (Caffeine)
5. 100' Galv Steel Wire (Trip Wires, Snares, Building Shelter)
6. Aspirin
7. Instant Coffee
8. Carry Strap for bag
9. Tubing (Drinking or retrieving a shallow water supply)
10. Sugical Tubbing (Sling Shot)
11. Tabasco (MRE's)
12. Signal Flash Mirror
13. US Atlas - I travel all over, this will allow me to see what the highways are.
14. Pocket Poncho (Keeping Dry, gathering Water or making shelter)
15. S.S. Container for main Survival items to be packed in.
16. Main Carry Pouch.
1. S.S. Asian Lunch Box (Container to boil water or cook food in)
2. Cold Steel Knife Very strong and large Pocket knife for making shelter, skinning game, etc.
3. Store Bought Tinder
4. Home Made Tinder (Cotton & Vaseline)
5. Fishing Line
6. Instant Coffee
7. Fishing Line
8. Strong Cordage
9. Bouillon Cubes
10. Sharpening Stone
11. LED Light
12. Button Compass
13. Salt
14. Hiking Compass (Compact)
15. Fishing Kit
16. Strong Cordage (Shelter Making)
17. Iodine for purification of water
18. Snare Making
19. Band Aids (Assort)
20. Platypus Water Storage container w/ Cap
21. Assort Large sewing Needles
22. Blast Match (Fire Starting) This is a great tool for using just one hand if injuried.
23. Knott Tying
24. Hand Chain Saw (Shelter Building)
The Large Vehicle Survival Bag
The Large Survival System is not as large as some that I have seen out there. I didn’t want to have to carry a full size backpack with a 150lbs of gear around in my vehicle. I do have a very expensive Expedition backpack which is capable of carrying that type of load. Murphy’s law of backpacking says if you have the room, you will fill it.
The large bag is for extended stays for a major break down in the middle of knowwhere, having to hike out which may take days. This system is more has some of the same exact items as of the smaller bags. I know some will say I'm duplacating items, this is and is not true. Here is why, these are "Sperate" survival packs. I'm not going to grab all three, they each have their own use. Like I stated in the begining. So as you may see the same items in each of the bags, I'm only going to grab one bag and not root through a bunch of bages to make one bag, each one is ready to go. That is how I personaly like it. I do also want to state this is NOT my Vehicle Medical Kit that is carried at all time in the vehicle, it stays with the vehicle and is sperate from these bags. It too has alot of the same items that you would see in any medical bag.
1. Small Hammock (Used for Sleeping, Fishing in a stream, etc.)
2. Military Tritium Compass (Good incase you have to travel at night)
3. Star Flash Signal Mirror (can be seen up to 20 miles away)
4. Hand Chain Saw (Used for shelter making)
5. Small Gerber Camp Axe (Used for Shelter Making)
6. Diamond Sharpener
7. S.S. Cooking pots (Food Prep & Gathering Water)
.....a. Purification Tablets
.....b. Bandana (Water Purification, Keeping sweat off the forehead, tiying off injuries)
.....c. Razor Blades (
.....d. Snake Bite Kit
.....e. Betadine (Wound Cleansing)
.....f. Alcohol (Wound Cleansing)
.....g. Hydrogen Peroxide (Wound Cleansing)
.....h. Small Clear Tubing (Water Gathering)
.....i. Assort Boullion Cubes (Food)
.....j. Small Backup Compass
.....k. 22LR Cleaning Patches
8. Zip lock bag with the following items
.....a. US Army Survival Manual June 1992 Edition - This is a great resourse of information. In an survival situation it's sometimes hard to think clearly due to stress. Having a good resource helps eliminate some of the stress of having to try to remember everything about survival, shelters, wild plants, game catching, etc. This book, has Everything you need to know about survival and then some. There are colored pictures of edible and non-edbile plants, along with different shelter making in the desert, woods, or snow. Its a great resource to have on hand.
.....b. Thompson Self Locking Survival Snares
.....c. Rand McNally Pocket Atlas of the US
.....d. Assorted Heavy Duty Sewing Needles.
9. Full Tang Skining Knife
10. Blast Match
11. Automatic Fishing Reel - This free's you up to work on other tasks.
12. Complete Fishing Kit
13. Tea Light candles
14. Grid for cooking game over fire
15. Small S.S. Shovel (U-Dig-It) carried by park rangers, etc.
16. Survival Tabs - this is a complete 15 day food supply
17. Complete Surgical kit w/ assort size Sutures.
18. Pills
19. Space Blanket
20. S.S. Bailing wire (Shelter making and snares)
21. Duct Tape 50' (Field repairs, etc.)
22. Gerber Tree Saw w Bone Blade)
23. Assort size Sutures
24. Playtapus Water Storage Container
25. Screw Eyelets for Hammock or hainging Game from.
26. Zip lock bag containing the following:
.....a. Cold Pack
.....b. Heat Pack
.....c. Hydrogen Peroxide (Wound Cleansing)
.....d. Betadine (Wound Cleansing)
.....e. Bottle of Aleve for pain
.....f. Tube of Max Strength Tripple anitbiotic
.....g. Repel 100 Insect repellent
.....h. ichthammol Onitment
.....i. Surgical Tape
.....j. Large Wound Dressing
.....k. Large traumma Wound Pad
.....l. assort Buterfly Bandages
.....m. Quik-Clot
.....n. Assort Toilet Paper (from MRE's)
On the outside of the backpack attached to one of the straps is a small red medical pouch that has the following:
1.Military Combat Blanket Olive Drab (Space Blanket)
2. 4"x4" 12 ply Sterile Sponges
3. 3"x3" 12 ply Sterile Sponges
4. Assorted Bandaids
5. Assorted Butterfly Wound Closures
6. Assorted Antiseptic Cleansing Wipes
7. Tounge Depressor
8. Finger splint
9. Aspirin
10. Extra Strength Non Aspirin
11. Ammonia Inhalant
12. Excedrin Extra Strength
13. Tripple antibiotic
14. Ibuprofen
15. Burn Cream
16. Off - Deep Woods Towelettes
There are a couple of other items that I also carry in the vehicle along with the packs to “Compliment” them. Here are those items:
1. Military Poncho – Used for staying dry of course, but also used as a shelter to keep bad weather out, also used to gather rainwater. It can be used for many different situations.
2. Hat – This helps to protect your head from heat and the direct suns rays or in winter helps to keep you warm since the largest % of body heat is lost through your head.
3. Canteen – I carry a couple of 2 quart Military style canteens with me. A five-gallon jug is not practical in a vehicle. This is only good for filling up your vehicles radiator or pouring your water out for drinking. If you have to leave your vehicle and “Hike Out” which could mean days, this is very impractical way to carry your water. This is why I always carry canteens; I can hook them to my belt and walk out anywhere.
4. I also carry in the vehicle my Water Purification setup. It is the high end filter made by PUR. I think it is now being marketed by another company.
4. Survival Knife – I don’t want this thread to get into a knife debate, I want to keep this on a basic level of what you will need and the differences of the types of knives that are out there. First off, there are a lot of “so called” Survival Knives on the market. You have the Rambo types that have a hollow handle that is used for storage of matches, fishing kit, etc. These are garbage, stay away from them. A real survival knife has a “Full Tang” this means the blade is one solid piece that goes all the way to the end of the handle.
A survival knife needs to be able to take a lot of abuse, such as chopping, prying, and lots of cutting. Hollow handles are very dangerous. They will not hold up to the type of abuse that a real survival situation would call for. They look cool, but are not made to take the abuse.
There are many good survival knives on the market, some are cheaper than others, but most will hold up to any abuse that you put it through, such as a military K-bar series of knives. These are good quality strong knives that can be picked up just about anywhere. I use an old Gerber Survival knife that was made years ago and is considered to be one of the best knives that they ever made. You can still find them occasionally on e-bay, but they fetch a hefty price. It’s not about cost it’s about quality; you want a tool that you can depend on in a life-threatening situation.
I want to give just a little background history of serrated edges on knives. I know this question will come up. Most people don’t even realize that the serrations on all most 95% of the knives on the market including pocketknives are on the wrong side of the blade. The largest part of the human population is “right” handed. The serrations are made for left handed people, know your asking yourself, why would they do this?
The answer is not what you would expect, they put the serrations on the wrong side so when they advertise the knife taking pictures, they don’t have an ugly clip, on them and they can all be turned and photographed laying the same way.
There are only a few companies that actually make their knives for real use and not to look pretty in picture. Most of these are custom hand made knives such as Mission Knives which make knives for the US Navy SEAL’s. Anyways, which ever knife you choose, be sure it will take the kind of abuse that is needed in a survival situation.
5. Weapons – Again, I don’t want this thread to turn into another gun debate. A weapon is nice in a real survival situation but some may not feel comfortable totting a weapon in their vehicle, that’s fine, for those that do like me, I do consider it a large part of my gear.
A great little survival weapon is a Rugar 10/22, they are fairly cheep and are very well made. They are very accurate also. They don’t take up much room nor does the ammunition. I do carry a large sidearm in my vehicle as most of you that know me know. The 10/22 is a great little weapon for gathering small game on the trail. I have added a S.S. Folding stock to mine to make it more compact for storage. I also stay away from blued weapons for survival and only use Stainless Steel. This helps to keep the weapon from corrosion especially if you live close to the ocean.
6. Another item that can be carried in your vehicle is a small radio wind up type. It takes up very little room and can be of great help and comfort in an emergency situation. These are fairly cheep and are very durable.
As in the picture, I keep mine wrapped up in a heavy duty zip lock to keep any water out.
Continued.