Tag Archive: EDC

Choosing a Folding Knife

Folding knives are often the blades of choice when it comes to every day carry (EDC). Let’s face it, they are far easier to toss into a purse or slip into a pocket than their fixed blade counterparts. But, there are a few things to consider when choosing a folding knife. Remember, as with any other piece of gear, you may end up staking your life on this item, so it pays to be a bit finicky and not just buy something based on price (or appearance) alone.

Blade Considerations

First and foremost, the blade should be made of high quality steel, preferably something with a high carbon content. This allows for a harder blade that holds an edge longer, without being nearly impossible to sharpen.

As for length, this is sort of a judgment call. Personally, I like a folding blade of around four inches or so. This is large enough for most common tasks, including self-defense, without being cumbersome.

Folding blades generally come either plain or partially serrated. I prefer a plain edge as these are far easier to sharpen in the field. Serrated blades require more specialized tools to keep sharp. Keep in mind, you are far more likely to cut yourself with a dull blade than a sharp one. With a dull knife, you end up having to exert more pressure to make a cut, leading to slips.

Handle Considerations

Next, you need to consider the handle. It should have some texture to it, providing a solid grip if it gets wet. It should be comfortable in your hand, without any sharp edges that will dig into your palm or fingers as you use the knife.


I highly recommend a “lockback” folding knife. This is a knife where the blade locks into place when opened. This locking feature makes for a safer knife, one that isn’t going to close up accidentally while you’re using it.

There are two basic types of locking mechanism. The older style has the lock release along the back of the handle. The other, illustrated here, is called a “liner lock.” You push the metal strip to the side to release the blade for closing. Both locks work well, with the liner lock being much more prevalent today.


Another nice feature is a thumb stud, which gives you the ability to swing the blade open with one hand. While it is possible to open a folding knife lacking this feature with one hand, you end up doing something of a juggling act to accomplish it.

The stud, shown here, is simply pushed upward with your thumb, opening the knife. This is a great option as you may be in a situation where one hand is either injured or occupied and you’ll want to be able to open the knife with just the other hand.


Many folding knives today are sold with clips attached to the handle. This allows for a very secure carry in your pocket. Clips can be large or small. The one shown here is very small, yet holds the knife extremely well.


It pays to shop around and compare prices but a knife is not something you should just buy on the cheap. It is a tool and like any tool, you get what you pay for. Among the brand names I recommend for folding knives are Swiss Army, Southern Grind, and Buck. (Southern Grind and Buck are both made in the USA.) I’ve used their products for years without complaint or failure.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalmom


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Bennett’s Expedient Survival Tin

The Bennett’s Expedient Survival Tin (BEST)

This kit is designed to be a 72-hour kit. It is designed to be small and portable, but also to be effective in providing for the Survival “Rule of Threes.”


The basic kit is enclosed in an Altoids tin, wrapped with 10 feet of 550 parachute cord. Note the 3/32″ diameter hole drilled in the upper right hand corner of the tin. This kit provides for shelter preparation, fire making, water storage and treatment, signaling capability, basic medical needs and food procurement.



Contents:

1 Survival Cheat Sheet – the Universal Edibility Test, Body Signals and Ground-to-Air Signals
Shelter
1 large trash bag
1″ piece of drinking straw, sealed and filled with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite bleach.
1 rubber glove (it’s purple in photo)
1 BSA Hot Spark
10 matches with striker & cover
2 cotton balls
1 birthday candle
2 bandaids
1 small bolt w/ nut
1 safety pin
1 small SAK
2 jig saw blades
4 fish hooks
2 fishing flies – one wet, one dry
5 split-shot sinkers
15′ 15 lb. test line
1 rubber band

Remember the 3/32″ hole? The tin is modified to be a handle for the saw. The kit contains coarse and fine saw blades.



A slit is milled in the top lid of the tin and has a corresponding bottom of the tin has a channel cut from the wall of the side to allow the tin to close and to add support for the blade. A 3/32″ hole drilled in the tin near the same location. A jigsaw blade, similar to that used in the Gerber multitool fits through the slit and the hole in the blade is lined up with the hole in the tin. A screw and nut turn the kit into a handle for the saw blade to make a mini-saw.

The 3/32 hole is also used as a sighting system for signaling. The inside of the tin is shiny. Use the hole to point toward the plane to flash signals to them.
Notes

Water purification – water is stored in the glove. To disinfect, use the bleach. The 1″ tube provides about 8 drops of bleach. Puncture it and add 2 drops per quart to sanitize water as per FEMA instruction. Curious note: the Altoids tin filled 8 2/3 times (to the bottom of the hinges) makes about a quart of water.
Distance & Height Measurement – The cord can have a loop in one end and a knot at 36″ from the loop. This 3 foot measurement works with the 3/32″ hole to form a basic (READ: Good ‘nuf) distance/height measurement system. at 100 yards, an image fitting in the hole is 9 foot 4 1/2″ tall. 2/3 of the height of the hole – 1/16″, is about 6 feet.

Here are the Altoids Survival Saw mods: I used a bracket to shore up the saw. Works much better!




 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: survival


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Preparing Your Daily Driver for SHTF

Recently I finally sat down and took care of an item on my wife’s vehicle that had been plaguing her for quite some time: A piece of debris (in this case, a nail) had punctured the tread of her tire, creating a slow leak that had her filling her tire with air every couple of days. She’d been bugging me to plug it for a couple months now, and I shudder to think of how much it affected her gas mileage, and how many quarters she pumped into air machines just to keep air in her tire….surely it was more than the cost of the tire plug kit.

But as I was sitting there, ripping out the nail with my Leatherman, and rasping out the hole, it occurred to me that this sort of thing was a standard skill that everyone ought to know how to perform, JUST IN CASE. Then, – of course – when my mind got in THAT mode, it drifted all over the place, finally settling on wondering how many people actually have their daily-driven automobiles stocked with enough repair items and the know-how to fix their car quickly and efficiently to get themselves out of a bind in a worst-case scenario. Up here in the Northeast, many people (Including Jarhead Survivor and I) have 4-wheel-drive pickup trucks or SUVs  that are optimal for navigating trails or through snow. Most pickups and SUVs have higher ground clearance, skid plates, and overall a tougher build that will make them a more natural bugging-out type vehicle. But many, many people have to utilize econo-box cars to get them from A to B reliably while minimizing fuel costs on their daily commutes. These types of cars aren’t quite the tanks that their truck/SUV brethren are, but with a little bit of preparation in the equipment and know-how department, one can at least be prepared to make emergency fixes if, for example, your car’s oil pan catches a rock and cracks during an emergency trail ride.

The Basics

There are a few things EVERYONE should have in their automobiles, whether you are planning on using it for emergency purposes or not.

-Spare full-sized tire on the correct rim, and the means and knowledge to change it. This is a no-brainer. Your tires are the only parts of a car that touch anything 100% of the time, so they can pick up road/trail debris and get punctured easily. If your tire gets punctured through the tread, no biggie; you can usually plug the tire as easily as replacing it. But if you shred a sidewall, you are well and truly screwed without a spare. If you don’t have a spare, (some new cars these days only come with tire patch kits !!!) get in touch with a local junkyard, especially one that crushes cars for scrap. They legally have to remove rims and tires before crushing cars, so chances are they can help you find a good full-sized spare with OK tread for dirt money. STAY AWAY FROM SPACE SAVER/DOUGHNUT TYPE SPARES! Yeah, they make take up half the space, but they are usually limited to 45mph, destroy the car’s handling, and have close to zero traction. For an emergency, you want all the help you can get, and a full-sized spare will do a far better job. Also, make sure you have a jack and a properly-sized lugnut wrench (I prefer a 4-way lugnut wrench.). Having a spare tire will do you zero good if you can’t get the car up and the tire off. The best junkyard jacks ever some from late’70′s – early 90′s full-sized GM passenger cars – they’re like stamped-steel floor jacks. Secret tip: If you see a full-sized GM station wagon at the junk yard (Chevy Caprice, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Pontiac Safari, Buick Estate Wagon) they’re stowed away behind the panel in the passenger side way-back. Those ones never get nabbed! Stay away from scissor-crank types of jacks – they’re called “Widow Makers” for a reason….they tip over with alarming frequency.

First-Aid Kit: No-brainer. When working on cars, boiling coolant, exhaust burns, slammed and scraped knuckles, and deep cuts are all the norm – and that’s just on a daily basis from restoring old cars…trust me on this one! Have a first aid kid that can account for these types of injuries. Also have clear safety glasses that you can put on for working under the car (dirt or rust falling in your eye is just about the most unpleasant thing ever), and something to remove glass from eyes or cuts in case a windshield/window busts out. Also, something to clean dirt, grease, and oil out of cuts.

Mechanix Gloves: These puppies will save your hands from most quick burns, cuts, scrapes, and grime, and they maintain the hand’s ability to grasp items with precision without being too bulky. I can’t recommend these enough. Get some at your local hardware/auto store or here.

Water: I can’t tell you how many times having a gallon or two of water in my cars has saved my bacon. If you’re dehydrated, drink it. If your car is overheating, you can refill it when it cools down. If you have debris in your eye, wash it out. If you’re dirty, clean your ass up.

Tool Kit. A nice, decent-quality tool kit is a must. A MUST. I know about a hundred people who see the $5 tool kits at the checkout line at the auto parts store or the hardware store, and think, “Oh! I’ll grab this in case of emergency and throw it in my car just in case!” Yeah, don’t be that guy. Those kits WILL break – sockets will split, ratchets will disintegrate, screwdrivers will bend. With no abuse at all. Cowboy up and buy a REAL kit. I bought one of these Husky sets from Home Depot years ago, and I’ve built cars, fixed bikes, generators, and washing machines – pretty much repaired about a million things around the home with this set. And it still works great. I keep it clean and dry, and always make sure the parts go back in their exact spots in the carrying case. It doesn’t take up much room, and I know it has 80% of the stuff I’d need to work on anyone’s car in an emergency. Grab a used ammo can from the Army Surplus store, and put in it a utility razor knife with a couple extra blades, a couple stubby screwdrivers in it (flathead, and #2 and #3 Phillips), a couple full-sized screwdrivers in the same size, a collection of zip-ties, a roll of electrical tape, spare fuses, a roll of GOOD duct tape (not the cheapo $1 a roll junk), a few stainless steel hose clamps of varying sizes, a good flashlight with extra batteries (a small one you can hold with your mouth while under a car – I like the Streamlight MicroStream personally – a tire pressure guage, and a small air compressor that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter/power outlets.

Rags: Cars are wicked dirty. You’ll need old rags to clean yourself, wipe up spills, plug holes, wrap around your hands to grab something a bit too hot. You can never have too many.

Tarp: A tarp is a wonderful thing. Spread it on the ground to work underneath your car if the ground is wet, muddy, or oily. Wrap up things you want to stay dry, or use it as a shelter.

Extra Fluids: Oil (at least a couple quarts, most cars will hold 4-5 quarts in the oil pan), transmission fluid, coolant. Your car can live without power steering fluid but it won’t last long without the other three. Keep a can or two of spray brake cleaner to degrease things.

Jumper Cables: Jump-start a friend or your friend can jump-start you if you leave the CD player on blasting Manilow too long.

I consider the above items to be absolutely essential (except the Manilow CD)…and with them, you can fix the vast majority of minor to almost-crippling problems you’d run into while evading trouble aggressively with your automobile. There are a few things I keep to really up my game, though:

Tire Plug Kit: I prefer to plug my tires if the hole isn’t too big and it’s in the tread. A good plug kit is always handy.

J-B Weld: This stuff is THE BALLS. I’ve sealed leaking radiators, exhaust pipes, water pumps, and oil pans with this stuff. Get J-B Kwik weld for a faster setup time. If the surface it’s sitting on/sealing is absolutely free of grease (see the brake cleaner and rags comments above), this stuff will seal things up long enough to get you a ways down the road. For a leaking/punctured oil pan fix, drain all the oil out using your tool kit, put your tarp over the oily spot on the ground. Once the oil stops dripping out of the hole, degrease it completely, then smear mixed-up J-B weld in and over the hole. Too much is just enough. Wait for it to set, refill the oil (you have your spare oil, right?) and get the hell out of there. It will last for a surprisingly long time.

Jack Stand or big-ass piece of solid wood: This is a luxury item, but there for safety. If you have to jack your car up and you have to work under it (like the punctured oil pan above) you don’t want the jack to slip and leave you pinned or crushed under your own car. Having a jack stand or a large, solid piece of wood (10″ x 10″ x 16″ long or so) will save your bacon in a big way.

Spare Gas Can: I personally don’t like having a bunch of gas sloshing about in my trunk/bed (have you ever seen a gas can that stays sealed/leakproof 100%? I haven’t.) But having an empty gallon-sized gas can in your car can be helpful for obvious reasons.

Shovel/E-tool: Dig yourself out of snow banks, sand, mud holes you weren’t planning on. 

BOB/GHB/EDC – Don’t forget that!!! Isn’t that what you have it for?

I keep all this stuff in the truck box (pickups are short on spare room) but you can probably keep most of this stuff in the trunk of even a compact car. Read up on how to do certain things (you can’t change a tire?!? No excuse – Shame on you!) and ask mechanics, car people, internet forum people how to do things. Go to prepper meetups in your area. Take a defensive driving course (did you know that hopping a curb my driving at it on an angle is much safer and less likely to blow your tires or bottom out your car that driving at it straight on? Now you do! Think of what else you might learn when trained by professionals!), go out mudding with some off-road people. See how they negotiate obstacles in trails. Witness how they extricate stuck vehicles. This all good stuff to know in case you, God forbid, need to pilot your Accord down a dirt trail at high velocity to evade or go around trouble.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

Via: shtfblog


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Should you include fishing gear in a pocket survival kit?

 

Check out commercial personal survival kits and you’ll notice many of them include hooks, sinkers and fishing line. I don’t include sport fishing gear in pocket survival kits, and don’t see much value in fishing equipment as an emergency survival tool. Here’s why.

Guess post by Leon Pantenburg


This pocket-sized box holds all the lures I need for a day of smallmouth bass fishing on Oregon’s John Day River.

This collection would be carried in addition to my pocket kit. (Pantenburg photos)

 

My friend, Phil Brummett, was showing off. That’s what I told him.

Phil, several other adults and I were accompanying a group of Boy Scouts on a “Ten Essentials” campout. The idea was to survive the night with only the gear you’d carry on a day hike. Along with the rest of his Ten Essentials, Phil took a reel with flyline, several flies and some paperclips.

Phil whittled a rod from a six-foot willow switch. He made line eyelets out of the paperclips, and duct taped the eyelets and reel to the rod. He could easily cast 40 feet with it. His son, Jesse, used the setup to catch a nice rainbow trout of a small creek.

But Phil is not your average outdoorsman.  A professional fly fishing guide in Central Oregon, and the merit badge counselor for the scout fly fishing merit badge, Phil is on the water well over 200 days a year, under all sorts of weather conditions. IMO, Phil can catch fish anywhere, under any conditions with sport fishing gear.

But that doesn’t mean you or I could have the same kind of “luck.” I’d guess the average, untrained person would not be able to catch a fish with Phil’s makeshift gear.

But hooks, a piece of line and some sinkers seem to be standard in many pocket survival kits. I’m not sure why that is, other than customers seem to expect them to be included. From the manufacturer’s viewpoint, a hook line and sinker are three pieces of cheap gear they can include in the kit to boost the item count with little expense. They take up space, and pad the contents list.

 Here are some thoughts about pocket survival kits, and why you don’t need fishing stuff in yours.


This survival kit weighs about as much as your IPod.

Carry it in a waterproof container for added security. Don’t waste space!

A pocket kit should be kept with you at all times as an addendum to a full-blown Ten Essentials pack. Statistics show that most lost people are found within 24 hours of being reported missing, provided they stay put. If you play your cards right, and carry food along as part of your essentials, foraging won’t be necessary. Your pocket kit must be, above all, light and convenient to carry. Don’t carry gear that isn’t important.

Survival fishing isn’t fair play sport fishing.  If you desperately need to catch fish to survive during a long term survival situation, sportsmanship goes out the window. There are many effective, though highly illegal, ways to catch mass quantities of fish. I don’t encourage doing anything illegal, and won’t explain unethical ways to gather fish. But check out your state’s fishing regulations. Any illegal activity or technique is probably barred because it works too well!

Return on time investment: In a survival situation, your time and energy are finite resources that must be hoarded and used wisely. Before you spend time fishing, you need to have a shelter finished, firewood gathered, signaling devices set up and a survival plan established. Don’t fritter your time and energy away fishing until all these necessities are in place.

Food value: This is another ROI that needs to be considered. Check out diet plans, and you’ll probably find fish listed as a low calorie food recommendation. Your calories intake will determine your energy level. Your energy will determine if you stay warm and active enough to assist in your rescue. So do the math: If there is the potential to catch a trout that supplies 100 calories, and you use more than that to stay warm, and burn up 200 calories in the exertion, you’ll soon have an energy deficit.

 Priorities: Immediately upon realizing you are in a survival situation, sit down and come up with a plan for surviving and what your next action will be. Use the STOP exercise. Don’t be distracted by an activity of lesser importance such as fishing.

Chances are, if I’m backpacking in an area with the potential for catching fish, I’ll have along a lightweight rod, reel and the appropriate lures. But when it comes to your pocket gear, take only what you need. Otherwise, the kit may get heavy and bulky, and left in the vehicle.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: survivalcommonsense


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

A Simple Prepper Exercise—What If.

She’s sitting quietly at the console in the soon-to-be grain storage facility. Polishing up the programmed interface that will guide the operators through their daily tasks. Around her various welders and electricians go about their jobs.

The lights flicker, and go out. She hears the groans in the pitch black, her hand is on her flashlight, but she pauses, counting her breaths. The utility company and the sparkies had been working out some problem all week, and this had been happening regularly, the backup generators should kick on soon, another second…..   did it usually take this long? No.

Hers is not the only flashlight flickering on as people try to safely pause whatever it was they had been doing. Most wondering about the bleeping idiots with the bleeping generator.

The programmer moves to gather her equipment and she notices that her laptop has powered down. Curious. She quickly gathers it up. No sense waiting around to get colder in the dark. She meets up with her team on the way out. They are both rolling their eyes at another wasted day. As they exited the plant, she started hearing comments about broken cell phones. She hadn’t checked hers yet, hadn’t wanted to confirm her suspicion.

She wondered what they would find in the parking lot. Paperweights? Would some cars work? “Please let some work,” she thought. She was in South Dakota, it was November, and home was many miles to the South.  It would take a week to walk home. (46 hours, of walking at 3mph, her brain interjected.) She started tallying the food in her car and bag; emergency rations and water, plus the weeks worth of breakfast foods she always brought eased her mind a little. Even if all the cars were dead, she thought she could do it. People had made it much further with much less.

Now, she thought, what to do with my team? They probably only have a granola bar from hotel check-in that morning. Between the two of them, maybe a couple of bottles of water.  But, they were headed in the same direction… Decisions, decisions.

She heard it said, finally, quietly behind her, “EMP.”

——————————————————————————————————–

Where are you right now? What if the lights went out? What do you have on you, and do you think you could make it home with that?  Do you have travel plans coming up? Run the exercise using that as a starting point.

Always make sure you can get home folks, you never know what the day will bring.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: Calamity Jane – shtfblog


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Pocket Survival Kit Contest – Entry #18



This PSK really is an “emergency only” kit.  It contains what I consider to be the essentials that I probably won’t be able to find in suburban trash cans, but need to survive the alien/zombie apocalypse long enough to get home.  If I were to try and create a kit for all of the everyday “emergencies” we encounter, I would be carrying something like this.

Contents (in no particular order)

Morris code mini chart, and our family’s secret communication code on the back.
Illustrated knots because I need visual reference.
8 yards of monofilament to be used as a trip wire, or for catching fish.
A twist tie to hold small things together.
Assorted safety pins to make into fish hooks, or pin scrap fabric together to make shelter, or fix any unsightly holes you may acquire from running away.
Matches and a strike pad to start fires.
2 band aids
2 alcohol wipes
Needle and thread
Mini Swiss army knife with blade, scissors, tweezers, toothpick, nail file, and flat head screwdriver.  I have had this since high school.  I added the eyeglass screwdriver a while back.  This is the only thing I have ever needed to pull out and use so far.
Water purifying tables – just enough to get you home or anouther verified clean water source.
A plastic bag.  
Mini led flashlight to “be a light in dark places when all other light goes out”.  (I’m also a bit of a nerd)
A tampon.  Gentlemen, you have no idea what it’s like to need one of these and not have one.  However, they also make fantastic, super-absorbent, ultra compact, economical wound dressings.  Or fire starting tinder.
Small metallic signaling disks.
A piece of gum.  It calms me to chew on something.
2 razor blades.  I find myself constantly looking for and using single sided razor blades around the house, so I know they’re useful here.

3 heavy rubber bands are wrapped around the outside. These help it from popping open if it’s dropped, and they’re also incredibly useful.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: teotwawkiblog


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Pocket Survival Kit contest – Entry #6

This one fits into the inside pocket of the  pouch I always  have on my belt, along with  an LED flashlight, A Gerber multitool, a stainless Kobalt-brand ‘snap-off’ utility knife, a plastic spork, a disposable butane lighter, some bank-line and a non-climbing-rated snap-link.  This goes with me everywhere –   to work-meetings in a suit, to the grocery store, camping/fishing/hunting.
I never leave home with it (and the stuff in my wallet,  and on my keychain, my folding knife (a Spyderco Resilience ) and my phone).

This isn’t intended as a Bug-Out  or TEOTWAKI kit, but rather, for having the  supplies at hand for dealing with everyday annoyances and emergencies.

 An Altoids tin, with 2 layers of duck tape on top, bottom and side, both as extra tape,  and to prevent accidental top-disconnection. Held shut with a covered hair rubber band (yes, I’m an old computer-guy with long hair) and 2 wide ‘broccoli-bunch’ rubber bands.

Contents:

2 8″ cable ties
approx. 10′ braided mason twine, in a ‘survival bracelet’ braid to save space
1 small graphite pencil, wrapped with about 2 feet of duck tape and 2-3 feet of PVC tape
approx. 18″ annealed copper wire, coiled  (instant hose clamp, if nothing else)
1 P-38 can opener, with another 8′ or so of braided mason twine braid attached
1 #11 X-Acto knife blade, sheathed with PVC tape
1 #10 sterile scalpel blade (sealed in package)
2 adhesive first aid strip bandages
2 adhesive butterly bandages
1 packet “Celox” blood coagulant (supposedly safer than QuikClot)
1 unlubed condom  (water container or pressure wrapper or first aid safety barrier)
small zip-bag with 2 aspirin, 2 ibuprofen, 1 “pink stomach distress” tablet
3 sealed allergy decongestant tablets (I have respiratory allergies)
1 fairly-large sewing needle, wrapped with approx 12″ waxed dental floss
assorted large and small steel paperclips (thin stiff wire has a lot of uses)
5 safety pins  (ever rip your pants?)
1 fine “eyeglasses” screwdriver (from a Dollar Store eyeglass repair kit)
small zip bag of eyeglass screws (from a Dollar Store eyeglass repair kit)
1 small plastic magnifying lens, cut down (from a Dollar Store eyeglass repair kit)
1 1″ stainless ‘chain-repair-connector’ link (threaded type)
1 alcohol prep-swab
1 packet “WetFire” brand dry tinder
1 packet “Pork Flavor” instant broth (from a Maruchan brand Ramen package – my fave)

 belt pouch.

 Never had to use the Celox coagulant yet (and hope I never will). The tinder has so far only been used to help inexperienced campers, or bad backyard cooks. Everything else has been used (and replaced, if needed) over the past few years, at least once.  I have had laughter about “Is that a man-purse on your belt?”, which tended to stop when something in it saved THEIR bacon.

Things I am still trying to cram in successfully:

1) monofilament or braided ‘spiderwire’ fishing line, sinkers, hooks, at least 1 prepared lure
2) at least 1 wood spring clothespin (dry a sock, hang a note, split for dry kindling, a steel spring)
3) a larger sterile gauze dressing
4) an ‘extra’ firesteel (1 on keychain)
5) “extra-extra”  house and car keys (1 set in wallet)
6) COFFEE!!
7) a waterproof sealing method
8) I have some thin ‘bungee’ shock cord from a broken tent-pole. I may replace
one of the rubber bands.

Not my only kit, but it gets a lot of use, at least once a week, because it is always ‘right there’.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: teotwawkiblog


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Pocket Survival Kit contest – Entry #11

For those that live in or near a big city, it is much more likely to get lost in town than lost in the woods.

My EDC pocket carry reflects this. It’s more about keeping me and mine in functional repair than spending the night in the woods.

I’ve recently ‘retired’ an Altoids tin in favor of an eclipse mints tin. It’s 2/3rds the size of the Altoids tin, harder to pack stuff into, but seems more durable. I’ve only had to re-attach the lid once. The eclipse tin seems to be holding up much better after 6 months in my pocket. The Altoids tin has been in my pocket for close to a year – they can get pretty banged up!

 



I will list the items in their packing order starting without outside the tin.

1) The tin can be emptied and used to make charcloth or to cook a morsel in. This is a 3 piece tin, so it wouldn’t hold water for purification.
2) Some 14 gauge wire is wrapped around the tin. It’s too heavy for things like snaring, but it’s great for holding things together. Having grown up in farm country, bailing wire is the go-to repair item before duct tape!

3) A nitrile glove is folded up with the fingers wrapped inside and then wrapped up with the tin. This is for medical needs or water carrying.

4) Bicycle Tube. A large section of tube is wrapping all the above up to protect and to keep the tin quiet against my keys. A small section is used to keep the lid closed if it pops open so I don’t tear it off again. These can be cut as needed, when needed.

 


 

Now what goes into the tin.

5) Gauze pad for medical needs or fire starting.

6) Alcohol wipe to sterilize a wound that would need the gauze pad. FYI If you light one on fire and place it flat on a surface, it will promptly go out.

7) Band Aids. I’ve a 2 year old – what can I say?  All these wrappers burn pretty well – even the foil lined one for the alcohol pads.

8) About 3 feet of wide heavy duty foil. Cooking, water purification, lousy signalling, big enough to even be used as a kitchen sink!

9) I don’t know how many times I’ve wished I’ve had earplugs. I keep forgetting that I do!

10) Puddle of hot glue cut into a square. Shave of a bit and melt it with a lighter. No leaks or drying out like other types of glue. I’ve used this one a good amount!

11) Sewing kit with a curved upholstery needle added and a couple of small fishing eyelets. I figure that the curved needle will allow me to sew stuff while still wearing it. As you can see, the kit’s been well used.

12) 4GB & 512GB micro-SD cards with large adapter and USB adapter. The 4GB has a bunch of books and such for reference on my Android Phone and can be wiped if I need to move files around. The smaller card has encrypted personal files and documentation on it.

13) A water activated Rayon Towel tab. Ford Prefect’s advice is to always know where your towel is. It’s also handy to clean up 2 year old kids & wounds.

14) Square Credit Card Reader – the original reason I started to carry a tin, to protect this! It’s a reader that plugs into your phone and allows you to accept credit card payments.

 

If taken by itself, the ‘kit’ seems a bit lacking in utility. But when combined with the rest of my pants pocket EDC, it’s a good catch-all for bits that would otherwise get lost or damaged in my pockets or poke me in the leg!

 


 

I carry a 6 foot length of 550 cord in my back left pocket with a bandanna and a micro-cloth that has a map of Chicago printed on it. These have their obvious multitude of uses, and I find that I sit better in my trucklet with both back pockets having stuff in them.

 

My tin kit goes into my front left pocket along with a USB charging cable for my phone, a Swiss Army Cybertool, assorted keys, key-chain pill box with Advil and Tylenol, whistle and a plastic adjustable wrench. I have a 3d printer, and being able to show people what it can make distracts them from what else I have in my pockets. Also, my 2 year old thinks it’s a fun toy and is good for 15 minutes of quiet distraction.

 

Back right pocket has my wallet with a few ‘extra’ items in it. Fishing hooks and a card wrapped with heavy braided fishing line with some monofilament tucked inside. A Fresnel lens. A couple of bobby pins tucked into the folds of the wallet and 1 Red Paperclip. For those unfamiliar – A guy traded 1 Red Paperclip up to a house over the course of a couple of dozen trades in a year – I carry one as tangible reminder that just about anything is possible if you try.

 

Front right pocket holds change, such as a Susan B and Eisenhower dollar and a half dollar. I have a heavy, metal, ball point pen which can be used like a kubotan. A sharpie with Gorilla brand duct tape around the handle which distinguishes it by touch from the pen. I have a diamond sharpening stick with floral wire wrapped around it – again for the tactile distinction from the pen, to keep my blades keen, and so I have a good amount of fine wire with me for repairs or snares or whatnot. My lighter has more duct tape on it (never seem to have enough!). I also have a SPF 15 lip balm with athletic tape around it which can be used for fires, sun protection on ears, nose, etc.

 

I carry an original Leatherman Wave which I love for it’s one handed operable knife blades that can be identified by touch.

I also carry an Android smartphone with a lot of assorted software on it, but a very handy one is the ability to turn on the flash as a light from the lock-screen without looking at the phone.

Both the above have hair-bands that I ‘borrowed’ from my wife wrapped around the belt loops. Handy things, rubber bands.

 

I usually carry a single battery LED flash light, but I can’t seem to get one that lasts for more than 6 months for me. Flashlights in dark buildings are very handy!

 

All of this stuff gives me the ability to fix what I have with me and modify the plentiful scrounged materials (trash) my environment provides to suit my needs.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: teotwawkiblog


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Catch PERVS & FREAKS with your everyday carry (EDC)

As you know the most   important part of any survival gear plan is what’s called your
every day carry” gear (or EDC).

That’s because you never know when disaster is going to
strike and your EDC may be the only gear you have available
to save your life when there’s no warning and you can’t get
to your home or car for your other gear.

But your EDC really ISN’T just about disasters and attacks.

Many of these items have every-day uses that can protect you
as well.

For example…

One of the hidden threats few people even know about is that
of the “predatory voyeur” while you’re traveling away from
home.

You see, some hotel owners (or employees) have found clever
ways to hide small cameras in hotel rooms in order to
videotape you and your spouse changing clothes or even
“getting down to business” if the mood strikes you.

It happens more than you think and there are websites out
there that will pay these freaks for their illegal amateur
clips (or they just keep them for personal viewing).

With technology being what it is, these camera lenses are
super small… affordable by anyone… and can be hidden
practically anywhere while sending a remote signal to a
recorder in another room.

The options are endless and you’ll never even know you’re
being spied on and video taped!

But for the prepared survivalist who’s aware of this common
threat, a simple mini-LED flashlight can catch these
predators in the act and not only protect your privacy…
but bring them to justice.

Here’s what to do every time you travel…

*  Once you get settled into your room (it could be a
hotel, B&B, or even a friend’s house believe it or
not!), sit on the bed and pull out your mini-LED
flashlight.

*  Place the light right at the corner of your eye,
shining away from you so it’s facing in the same
direction as your sight path.

*  Now, look around the room at different objects where a
camera could be hidden, like at…

Alarm clock
Fire alarm (on wall or ceiling)
Television
Picture frames
Lamps
Even stuffed animals like “nanny-cam” teddy bears

You really have to think “sneaky” and where someone
might hide a camera (and be sure to check the bathroom
as well)

*  What you’re looking for is a flash reflection of your
light off of any camera’s lens.

It will be fast and sharp (sort of like a camera flash)
and you’ll notice it instantly.

*  Once you see that flash, inspect that area very closely
and you may find a tiny camera lens.

GOTCHA!

Don’t let these pervs get away with it!

If you find a hidden cam in your room, contact the police
right away and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

Via: Covert Survivalist

 


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page